Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Southeast University: Department of Textile Engineering
Southeast University: Department of Textile Engineering
Conclusion 18
Reference 19
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INTRODUCTION TO TEXTILE PRINTING
In the process of printing color designs are developed on fabrics by printing with dyes and
pigments in paste form with specially designed machines. Printing is used to apply colour only
on localized areas. Printed fabrics, usually have clear-cut edges in the printed portions on the
face of the fabric. Printing allows flexibility in creating great designs, and enables the creation of
relatively inexpensive, patterned fabric.
Defination of printing
Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The
earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the
Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The earliest known form of printing as applied
to paper was woodblock printing, which appeared in China before 220 AD. Later developments
in printing technology include the movable type invented by Bi Sheng around 1040 AD and the
printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century. The technology of printing
played a key role in the development of the Renaissance and the scientific revolution, and laid
the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the
masses.
History
Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout
East Asia and probably originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and
later paper. As a method of printing on cloth, the earliest surviving examples from China date to
before 220. Textile printing was known in Europe, via the Islamic world, from about the 12th
century, and widely used. However, the European dyes tended to liquify, which restricted the
use of printed patterns. Fairly large and ambitious designs were
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printed for decorative purposes such as wall-hangings and lectern-cloths, where this was less of
a problem as they did not need washing. When paper became common, the technology was
rapidly used on that for woodcut prints.Superior cloth was also imported from Islamic
countries, but this was much more
expensive.
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Lithography 1796
Chromolithography 1837
Rotary press 1843
Hectograph 1860
Offset printing 1875
Hot metal typesetting 1884
Mimeograph 1886
Photostat and rectigraph 1907
Screen printing 1911
Spirit duplicator 1923
Dot matrix printing 1925
Xerography 1938
Spark printing 1940
Phototypesetting 1949
Inkjet printing 1950c
Dye-sublimation 1957
Laser printing 1969
Thermal printing c. 1972
3D printing 1986
Solid ink printing 1987
Digital printing 1991
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Grey textiles / Raw material
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Brushing and Shearing
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Singeing
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Desizing
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Scouring
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Bleaching
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Mercerizing
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Stentering
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Washing
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Drying
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Winding/Beaming
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Preparation of printing paste
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Printing (with a certain style and method)
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Drying of the printed fabric (in the drier)
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Steaming of the printed fabric
(To transfer dye into fiber, 100-102 oC, 15 min in a steamer)
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After treatment (Soaping of washing)
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For proper printing the following are the general requirements of fabrics.The fabric
should be stitched with proper face on top and uniform width.Shearing and cropping
treatment is given to remove loose threads. Desizing is necessary, for proper
penetration of the print paste.Singeing removes hairy fibers, to enable even adhesion of
printing paste and sharpness. Scouring gives better dye absorption. Mercerization is
given for cotton fabric and heat setting for synthetics.Full bleaching is suitable for whiter
background. The fabric should be thoroughly dried. It should be free from creases, and
should be free from weft bowing.
Used as a coloring matter depending on the nature of the fiber. Lumps are broken by using a
wetting agent and a smooth paste is obtained. Selected on the basis of cost, fastness & shade
requirement.
2. THICKENER
Prevents the spreading of the color on the cloth by capillary action. Choice of a thickener
depends upon the class of dye to be printed and the style of printing. Example: CMC, Indalca,
Tracaganth, British gum, Sodium Alginate, Emulsion thickener etc.
3. WETTING AGENTS
Used to obtain a smooth paste of the dyestuff without formation of any lumps. Lumps if
allowed to remain get deposited on the cloth during printing produce dark spots. For insoluble
dyestuffs like vats and Napthols, wetting agents are used to facilitate -wetting of the dyestuff.
For direct, acid, basic & reactive dyes, which are water soluble , a wetting agent is not normally
required.
4. DISPERSING AGENTS
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Used to prevent precipitation of dye particles as the concentration of the dyestuff in the
printing paste is high. Example: Di-ethylene glycol, Thio-di-glycol, Sodium benzyl sulphanilate.
5. ANTI-FOAMING AGENT
Used to reduce frothing in the printing paste. Dyestuffs have a tendency to froth during color
preparation and printing because of: The presence of wetting agents. Continuous agitation by
the printing roller and brush finisher. Due to frothing The paste overflows on the floor or into
other color box. The print also becomes specky and lighter in shade.
6. FIXATION ACCELERATORS
Are used to improve dyestuff fixation in printing as well as to shorten fixation time.( swelling
compounds). Example: P- phenyl phenol is applied for polyester, Thio urea is applied for
polyamide, Resorcinal is applied for polyamide, cotton, acrylic fibers.
7.HYGROSCOPIC AGENTS
Are used to take up sufficient amounts of water during steaming to give mobility to the dye
molecules to enable them to transfer in to the fiber
9.REDUCING AGENTS
They are required for discharge and resist printing as a discharge chemicals. Example: Sodium
Sulphoxilate Formaldehyde
Formerly, colours were always prepared for printing by boiling the thickening agent, the
colouring matter and solvents, together, then cooling and adding various fixing agents
Colours are reduced in shade by simply adding more stock (printing) paste. For example, a dark
blue containing 4 oz. of methylene blue per gallon may readily be made into a pale shade by
adding to it thirty times its bulk of starch paste or gum, as the case may be. The procedure is
similar for other colours.
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Every scratch on the surface of a roller prints a fine line on the cloth, and too much care,
therefore, cannot be taken to remove, as far as possible, all grit and other hard particles from
every colour.
Thickener Use:
1. Na-Alginate .
2. Gum tragacanth.
3. Guar Gum
4. British Gum etc.
1. Procion -M
2. Urea
3. Na-Alginate thickener paste(6%)
4. Regist salt
5. Sodium bicarbonate
6. Hot water
Process Sequence:
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Printing of Cotton Fabric with Vat Dye:
Print Paste Recipe:This recipe will be prepared according to the buyer requirments
1. Vat dye
2. Glycerine
3. Solution salt
4. Starch-tragacanth paste
5. Potassium carbonate
6. Rongolite C
7. water
Process Sequence:
Thickener Use:
1. Guar Gum.
2. Starch.
3. CMC
Printing Recipe:
Process Sequence:
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Printing Style
A process for producing a pattern on yarns, warp, fabric, or carpet by any of a large number of
printing methods. The color or other treating material, usually in the form of a paste, is
deposited onto the fabric which is then usually treated with steam, heat, or chemicals for
fixation.
There are three different printing 'styles' used to produce patterned effects on textiles, these
being termed as:
This method involves the direct application of the colour design to the fabric and is the most
common method of textile printing. The dyes used for direct printing are those which would
normally be used for a conventional dyeing of the fabric type concerned.
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Discharge Printing Style
In this method the fabric is pre-dyed to a solid shade by a traditional dyeing process and the
colour is then destroyed locally, by chemicals incorporated in the print paste especially for that
purpose. The result is a white patterned discharge on a coloured ground. In “white” discharge
printing, the fabric is piece dyed, then printed with a paste containing a chemical that reduces
the dye and hence removes the color where the white designs are desired. In “colored”
discharge printing, a color is added to the discharge paste in order to replace the discharged
color with another shade.
In this method of printing the fabric is first printed with a substance called a 'resist' which will
prevent the dye from being taken up in a subsequent dyeing process. The resist functions by
either mechanically preventing the dye from reaching local areas of the fabric or by chemically
reacting with the dye or the fibre, to prevent adsorption.
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A printing method in which the design can be produced: (1) by applying a resistagent in the
desired design, then dyeing the fabric, in which case, the design remains white although the
rest of the fabric is dyed; or (2) by including a resist agent and a dye in the paste which is
applied for the design, in which case, the color of the design is not affected by subsequent
dyeing of the fabric background.
fig:Block printing
The printer applies colour to the block and presses it firmly and steadily on the cloth, striking it
smartly on the back with a wooden mallet. The second impression is made in the same way, the
printer taking care to see that it registers exactly with the first.Each succeeding impression is
made in precisely the same manner until the length of cloth is fully printed. The cloth is then
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wound over drying rollers. If the pattern contains several colours the cloth is first printed
throughout with one colour, dried, and then printed with the next.
Perrotine printing
The perrotine is a block-printing machine invented by Perrot of Rouen in 1834 and is now only
of historical interest.
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Roller printing was highly productive, 10,000 to 12,000 yards being commonly printed in one
day of ten hours by a single-colour machine. It is capable of reproducing every style of design,
ranging from the fine delicate lines of copperplate engraving to the small repeats and limited
colours of the perrotine to the broadest effects of block printing with repeats from 1 in to 80
inches. It is precise, so each portion of an elaborate multicolour pattern can be fitted into its
proper place without faulty joints at the points of repetition.
Stencil printing
The art of stenciling on textile fabrics has been practiced from time immemorial by the
Japanese, and found increasing employment in Europe for certain classes of decorative work on
woven goods during the late 19th century.A pattern is cut from a sheet of stout paper or thin
metal with a sharp-pointed knife, the uncut portions representing the part that will be left
uncoloured. The sheet is laid on the fabric and colour is brushed through its interstices.
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Digital textile printing
Digital textile printing is often referred to as direct-to-garment printing, DTG printing, or digital
garment printing. It is a process of printing on textiles and garments using specialized or
modified inkjet technology. Inkjet printing on fabric is also possible with an inkjet printer by
using fabric sheets with a removable paper backing. Today, major inkjet technology
manufacturers can offer specialized products designed for direct printing on textiles, not only
for sampling but also for bulk production. Since the early 1990s, inkjet technology and specially
developed water-based ink (known as dye-sublimation or disperse direct ink) have made it
possible to print directly onto polyester fabric.
This is mainly related to visual communication in retail and brand promotion (flags, banners
and other point of sales applications). Printing onto nylon and silk can be done by using an acid
ink. Reactive ink is used for cellulose based fibers such as cotton and linen. Inkjet technology in
digital textile printing allows for single pieces, mid-run production and even long-run
alternatives to screen printed fabric.
Flexo textile printing
Flexo textile printing on textile fabric was successful in China in the last 4 years. Central
Impression Flexo, Rubber Sleeves as the printing plate in round engraved by laser (Direct Laser
Engraving), Anilox in Sleeve technologies are applicated in the area. Not only the solid, but also
6 to 8 colours in fine register, higher resolution ratio and higher productivity which are the
outstanding advantages extraordinary different from the traditional screen textile printing.
Aerospace Huayang, Hell system, SPGPrints and Felix Böttcher contributed their technologies
and efforts.
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fig:flexo printing
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The cloth is always brushed to free it from loose nap, flocks and dust that it picks up whilst
stored. Woollen printing
Wool, dyeing is the most commonly used technique to enhance aesthetic appeal. Printing is
not commonly used either at small scale or large scale to produce beautiful attractive designs.
Ink-Jet Printing :
There has been considerable interest in the technology surrounding non-impact printing,
mainly for the graphic market, but the potential benefits of reductions in the time scale from
original design to final production has led to much activity in developing this technology for
textile and carpet printing processes.
Carpet Printing and warp printing
Until then the market was dominated by the woven Wilton carpets and Axminster designs were
well established, but by the 1980s tufted carpet production accounted for some 80% (by area)
of UK production Warp PrintingThe printing of a design on the sheet of warp yarns before
weaving. The filling is either white or a neutral color, and a grayed effect is produced in the
areas of the design.
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fig: Carpet printing and warp printing
Pigment Printing and blotch printing
pigment printingThe pigments are insoluble, and application is in the form of water-in-oil or oil-
in-water emulsions of pigment pastes and resins. The colors produced are bright and generally
fat except to crocking. Blotch PrintingA process wherein the background color of a design is
printed rather than dyed.
Conclusion:
Textiles printing means the localized application of dyes or pigment and chemicals by any
method which can produce particular effect of colour on the fabric according to design. We can
do it by useing different dyes and different method, on different fabric. So in this assignment
we have learn many unknown things about printing which will help us to discover something
new in the future and also in the job sector.
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Reference
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing#:~:text=The%20earliest%20known%20form
%20of,Gutenberg%20in%20the%2015th%20century.
2. https://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2011/07/textile-printing-what-is-textile_6758.html
3. https://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2012/03/process-flow-chart-of-textile-printing.html
4. https://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2011/05/discharge-style-printing-process_7450.html
5. https://medium.com/@tom_orwell/direct-to-garment-printing-how-to-make-a-profit-from-
its-great-potential-7b100ba30334
6. https://www.britannica.com/topic/textile/Printing
7. https://sewguide.com/printing-on-fabric/
8. https://www.slideshare.net/SajjadAli63/direct-printing
9. https://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2013/03/some-printing-process-of-different.html
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