DigitalTextile / Printtex : About Digital Textile Printing FAQ

The practicality of servicing digital textile printing and equipment.

At DigitalTextile we service digital textile printing for fashion and interior as well as offering equipment for digital textile printing. We are based in Europe.

From the day to day working environment I will answers some of the most common questions arising from new clients for both the printed product and the production machinery as well as giving some general comments.

The printed cloth questions:
Color fastness - handle / softness - file requirement - software to use - limitations in design - any textile - minimum quantity - photos from art work can a digital camera be used - prices.

Machinery questions:
Can we use any ink - production cost per meter - production out put - servicing - can we print on any fabric - can we place ten different roses on ever sq. foot - costs for a total production set up.

The printed cloth questions:
Color fastness - handle / softness:
Even from very well known wholesalers of up market interior textiles and fashion companies we receive the question can we have 15 yards for testing for color fastness and handle. Yes digital printed cloth behaves in the same way as tradition printed cloth. The cotton is printed reactive, steamed for fixation and got the same color fastness and handle as known from traditional printing. We can print cotton with pigment and again you will get the same as with traditional, a slightly duller look and a slight stiffness.
One difference with digital printing it is not possible to get the same through print as with traditional screen printing. So for a silk scarf printed acid we do not advice a heavier cloth than a 12 MM or 14 MM to achieve an acceptable image on both sides.
Comment: Digital printing is still an unknown product for the majority.

File requirements - software to use:
TIFF files 300 pixel inch cut to repeat, higher got not effect in printing, lower will reduce print result. With transfer printing we print 360 x 360 dpi and with direct silk printing we print 720 x 720 dpi.
-Input resolution refers to the resolution at which a device (Digital Camera, Scanner) samples an original, this means that in a 300 dpi file, defines an area of 1x1 inch, keep in mind that the input resolution not only affects detail but also color accuracy.
The maximum resolution a scanner is capable of is its optical resolution. Anything beyond its optical resolution is achieved by means of mathematical interpolation. Although you can increase resolution or upscale your images via software (interpolation), it does not create additional data, but actually stretches the available data to a given target, thus producing image quality loss. Avoid interpolation as a mean or reaching desired image size.
-Output Resolution (or Printer resolution) refers to the mechanical precision at which a device can layout ink on media. A higher output resolution results in smaller ink drop size and tighter placement, which produces finer detail and softer color gradations.
Most designers uses Photoshop and Illustrator. In a vector program you can design resolution independent then export to pixel for cutting into repeat, you can't cut gradients in a vector to repeat it will jump. To see if the repeat works, do a define pattern, then in a new file do a fill of the pattern.
Comment: At exhibitions such as Heimtex the majority of textile print designers are still exhibiting their stacks of hand painted designs with 4 to 8 colours in the design, that is not the source for digital printing. We see very imaginative artwork from a new bread of designers who understand the possibilities of art and the computer, they tend to come from the graphic industry.
To test your skills try our CD found at www.printtex.com/design.htm

Limitations in design - any textile - minimum quantity:
We rarely handle files over 500 MB and do not do very uneven surfaces, the print heads do travel very close to the cloth. We have with every new client always done trials of a few meters on different qualities that we have recommended for the end product. We also supply a full reference colour blanket on whatever fabric the client regularly is going to specify their designs printed on.

Photos from art work can a digital camera be used - prices:
Depends on the size of the image to be printed. If a full-scale wedding photo for a bed cover or a nature picture for a camouflage duck hunting tent then no. Use a professional box camera and scan the film 4x5 on a film scanner. Our prices for printing excluding fabric. From Euro 100 meter sampling to Euro 9 sq.meter 500 meter printing. Larger contracts negotiable.

Machinery questions
Can we use any ink - production cost per meter - production out put:
With the Digital Textile printers you are free to choose ink supplier, we also supply an easy to use bulk bag ink feeding system so you can purchase ink in degassed bags.
Out put speed depends on dpi in printing and of cause the printer you purchase. The relationship payment of printer and speed is more or less even, you pay maybe a little more for faster speed. For a total overlook our Digital Textile printers please see details at: www.printtex.com/machinery.htm

Servicing - can we print on any fabric:
A typical question from first time purchasers of a printer. It is our experience in Europe that after the first printer going on to the next 3 and then ten for a profitable business this issue disappear. Now digital printing can't be completed without pre treatment and fixation of the textile just as with traditional printing. So for cotton reactive ink / dye printing and steam fixation , for silk acid ink / dye and steam fixation, for poly. disperse ink / dye and heat fixation. If you do not have the surrounding facilities for pre and after treatment you will need the Precoat -X for pre treatment and the Steam-X for fixation.
You will now understand if I am asked can anyone enter into this business, the answer is no it is not for amateurs.

Can we place ten different roses on ever sq. foot:
Yes and here we are touching on the nerve centre of digital printing. The RIP = raster image processing. This is the piece of software that controls everything when printing. You can click on the image SoftRIP on our web site www.printtex.com/machinery.htm and this will send you to a very detailed explanation of this software. In basic yes you can place in a queue any design for printing. It is also here you can instruct step and repeat printing, dpi and so on. Most important it is in this software you control calibration of your out put on whatever material you print on and with whatever ink / dye you choose to use. This is a very important feature that many will charge you a lot of money to perfect, using measure instruments. The fact is that the human eye specially a women's can do it, pulling the colour curves and set the calibration better than any instrument. The skills of this you can pull from the graphic industry, we are only in the slipstream of this sector.

Costs for a total production set up:
You need a computer - software - PreCoat-x - Digital Textile belt printer - Steam-x.
The yield factor on this is about 5 times of what you can expect if you purchase a new jacquard loom.
Please see the pictures. Further expansion can then be done by adding more printers. Current delivery time 3 month.

Comments:
In Europe the first purchasers got a 3 meter an hour printer. Now they got 9 meter an hour printers but not one, 3 to 10 and increasing. The days are over where very high prices could be taken for digitally printed cloth. Soon the entry level to the business will be minimum ten machines paid of in one year or more, not 3 month as it used to be.

About the contributor to this article:
Jan Floor CEO www.printtex.com / www.digitaltextile.com Economist from Copenhagen has worked in the textile industry all his life. Receiver of the English Design Council award for textile design. Owner of nearly all trade description dot com in the business.
Making www.digitaltextile.com available for all requests for digital printing, servicing digital printing.