Textile PRINTING
1. Definition:
Textile printing is the process of applying color to fabric in definite patterns or designs.
Textile printing is the most important and versatile of the techniques used to add design,
color, and specialty to textile fabrics.
2. Types of printing
Mainly there are three types of screen printing:
I. Water Based Screen Printing
Pigments Print
Discharge print
Puff Prints
II. Oil Based Screen Printing
Plastisol Print
Metallic / Afsan Print
Gel Print
III. Transfer Based Screen Printing
Foil Print
Sublimation Print (vapor transfer)
Sticker Transfer Print
3. Description of different printing
Pigment printing:
In pigment printing, insoluble pigments, which have no affinity for the fiber, are fixed on to
the textile with binding agents in the pattern required.
Importance of pigment printing Pigments, of course, are used for the production of plain-
colored fabrics, but are of much greater importance in printing.
1. The pigment can be applied to all fibers potentially.
2. No wet treatment is required, so drying and curing is applicable to all fiber.
3. Extensive color range of highly light fast colors
5. Application procedure is simple
6. Less expensive
Page 1 of 34
Discharge Printing:
Discharge means removal and Discharge style refers process which can produce a white
or colored effects on a dyed ground by printing paste containing a chemical capable of
removing the ground color called discharging agents. It could be of two types:
White Discharge: the printed part remains white after destroying the dyed color
Color Discharge: With a dye incorporated in the print paste which is resistant to discharging
agents. When printed the discharging agents removes the ground color and at the same time
deposit color on the dyed ground.
High density print:
High Density printing is the process of
printing a specially formulated ink through
a very thick stencil to achieve a raised,
glossy smooth print with very sharp edges.
Unlike Puff inks which have a flat,
rounded and somewhat dull appearance,
High Density prints result in bright, glossy
distinct colors. The result is an applique effect High Density printing is done using basically
standard textile screen printing procedures and equipment, with some variations.
Puff print:
In this method when the paste is printed and dries it look like
normal printing garments but once it is cured the prints gets
raised from the surface of fabric. Puff ink raises or foams in all
directions when heated. It is made by adding a puffing or
foaming agent to a regular plastisol. Most ink companies offer
it premixed or as an additive. Puff needs a thick deposit of ink
for it to puff up.
Glitter print:
Glitter ink is made up of small Mylar flakes that are suspended in a clear
plastisol base. It is printed through a very coarse mesh as low as 10 to 12
(cm) monofilament. Most ink companies offer glitter ink pre-mixed in a
variety of "sparkles" with the most common obviously being silver and
gold.
Page 2 of 34
Foil print:
This printing method is based on the use of metallic foil paper of aluminum or copper one. A
foil layer is affixed to a certain material by a heating process.
Flock print:
A method of fabric ornamentation in which adhesive is printed on and then finely chopped
fibres are applied all over by means of dusting-on, an air-blast, or electrostatic attraction. The
fibres adhere only to the printed areas and are removed from the unprinted areas by
mechanical action
Burn out print:
Another type of burn-out print involves fabrics that are made from blended yarns, core-spun
yarns, or fabric mixtures of two or more types of fibers. The burn-out print chemical destroys
one fiber (the cellulose) and leaves the others undamaged. Many unusual and interesting
fabrics are created with this method of printing. Such a fabric might be a rayon/polyester
blend where each yarn is a 50/50 blend of polyester and rayon. When the burn-out printing is
done, the rayon portion disappears (burn-out) leaving the polyester unchanged. The result is a
gauze-like print portion of polyester and the unprinted portion of original polyester/rayon
blend.
Metallic print:
In the metal style of printing fabric is printed with silver or gold solution or non
removableresin.
Glow in dark print
Photo print
Past & neon print
Gel print
Crack print
Engrave print
Reflective print
Page 3 of 34
Reverse print
Rubber Print
Plastisol Print
High density print with spay look
Plastisol (oil based ) high density
Spray look(pigment) done by screen
Page 4 of 34
Burn Out + Pigment Print
AW Letters Burn out
Pigment Print
Page 5 of 34
Multi Layer High Density Print with Plastisol (3 D effect)
Page 6 of 34
Gel high density end line of boarder
Inside pigment print
Page 7 of 34
Plastison high density boarder with burnout inside
Page 8 of 34
Gel high density on mesh fabric
Page 9 of 34
Volcanic print with plastisol
Page 10 of 34
Engraved Printing(silicon)
Page 11 of 34
Clear gel high density
Page 12 of 34
Plastisol high density with foil
Page 13 of 34
Multi colored plastisol high density
Page 14 of 34
Gel high density on mesh
Page 15 of 34
Metallic high density
Page 16 of 34
Glitter high density with clear
Page 17 of 34
Auto crack
Page 18 of 34
Fluorescent base
Plastisol high density (Foil)
Page 19 of 34
Rubber high density
Page 20 of 34
Manual crack with spray print
Page 21 of 34
Plastisol with fabric texture (Using taffeta fabric)
Page 22 of 34
Multilayer plastisol high density (3D look)
Page 23 of 34
Gel high density
Page 24 of 34
Burn out + pigment print
Page 25 of 34
Transparent gel print
Page 26 of 34
4 Method of Screen Printing
Manual Screen Prints:
In manual screen print, we use printing tables .For more good effect, glass table is best.
Automatic Screen Prints:
For automatic screen printing, we use the printing machine; the machine can be round shape
or oval shape. 1 to 16 colors can print at a time on fabric.
Frames:
There are two types of screen frames, metal and wood. Metal
frames, both static .Metal frames have been replaced by
wood because they do not warp from water like wood frames
do. The most commonly used types of wood are cedar and
pine. Pine is preferred because it is more water resistant
while it is light weight.
Metal screens are made out of aluminum or steel. Aluminum
is commonly preferred because it is light weight, yet strong.
There are some applications where steel is preferred such as
very large printing frames used for long printing runs.
Screen:
Screen mesh refers to the number of threads per inch
of fabric. The more numerous the threads per inch,
the finer the screen. Finer mesh will deposit a
thinner ink deposit. This is a desirable affect when
printing a very fine detail and halftones. Typically a
fabric should be 200-260 threads per inch. Water
based inks work best on finer mesh. These are
generally used in graphic and industrial printing.
Photo Emulsion:
The words emulsion and stencil are used
interchangeably in screen printing. Applying the
emulsion is the chemical process of transferring image
to a screen. The function of the emulsion (or stencil) is
to cover the non-printing area of the screen. The stencil
process works due to the use of a light sensitive material
that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light. The
stencil material must be of a material that is
impermeable to the screen printing ink
Page 27 of 34
Print paste and its ingredients:
Print paste is a viscous solution of printing ingredients referred below that is used for textile
printing. The main three printing ingredients are:
1. Dyestuff or pigments
2. Thickeners: Thickener can be defined as a substance used to increase the viscosity of a
print paste or other fluid, in order to control its flow properties. Thickener is a thick mass
which imparts stickiness and plasticity to the print paste so that it may be applied on the
fibrous surface without bleeding and be capable to maintain the design outlines.
Function:
1) To give required viscosity to the printing paste.
2) To prevent premature reactions between the chemicals contained in the print paste.
3) To hold ingredients of the paste on the fabric.
Chemicals and waters:
The main types of chemicals used for textile printing are wetting agents, solvents, solution
acids, dispersing agents, hygroscopic agents, oxidizing & reducing agents, defoamers, acids,
alkalis, catalyst & carriers, swelling agents etc.
5. The process flow of screen printing
Page 28 of 34
Figure: The Printing Procedure
Screen Preparation:
Page 29 of 34
6. Recipe for different Print Paste Preparation:
Discharge:
Paste : Binder (B.E.W+ B.C/D.B.C) + Thickener +Color
Activator: R.N.S Powder (if wash fastness has failed then adds some N.K up to 10%)
Curing Temp: 180C
Screen Mesh- if solid print, we use 14-16 count and for photo print we use mesh of 18-20
count
Pigment:
Paste: Binder (B.R100/Nulex viaf )+ Thickener(P.G gum) + Water + Color
Fixer: Oxal ,/Nylon fixer
Curing Temperature: 120-160C
Screen Mesh- if solid print, we use 14-16 count and for photo print we use mesh of 18-20
count
Rubber:
Paste: White Paste 101/N.K Copper 594 + Color
Fixer: Oxal ,/Nylon fixer
Curing Temperature: 140-160C
Screen Mesh: 12- 14 count
Puff:
Paste: puff 37+ add rubber +Color
Fixer: Oxal, /Nylon fixer
Curing Temperature: 160C
Screen Mesh: 12- 14 count
Foil:
Foil gum :M.C30( Thickener +Binder)
Foil paper
Fixer: Oxal ,/Nylon fixer
Curing Temperature: 140-160
Time: 8-12 Sce (Depend on paper thickness)
Screen Mesh: 12- 14 count
Plastisol Print:
Paste: Ycp203+Color
Curing Temp: 180C-200C
Screen Mesh: 12- 14 count
Flock Print:
Paste :Gum: 235MC
Flock powder
Fixer: Nylon fixer
Page 30 of 34
Heat press Temp: 160C-200C .Time 8-12Sec
Screen Mesh: 12- 14 count
Glitter Print:
Paste/Gum: Nuricin 60H.N+glitter
Fixer: Nylon fixer
Curing Temp: 160C
Screen Mesh: glitter mesh is used which is of 90 counts.
Crack Print:
Pate: Crack Binder 812
Fixer: Oxal Curing: Use buster dryer
Temp: 160C
Screen Mesh: 12-14 count
7. Printing Organogram
PRINTING ORGANOGRAM
Printing Manager
Color Master Sample Coordinator Designer Sample Man
Operator
Helper
Page 31 of 34
7. Machine Specification
SL M/C BRAND/ M/C TYPE SPECIFICATION NO OF CAPACITY
COMPANY/ M/C
ORIGIN
1 Printing Dynamic Plus Octopus Octopus Type 2 2000/ Shift
M/C Type,
Company: 8 Head
Sulfet Piece
Printing
Origin: Turkey
2 Printing Challanger MII Octopus Octopus Type 2 4000/ Shift
M/C Type,
Company: 12 Head
M&R Piece
Printing
3 Curing Company: N/A Max Temp: 480F 1
M/C Sulfet
Origin: Turkey
4 Curing Radicure D 1
M/C
5 Heat Press Jontech 0.5-0.8 MPA 2
M/C
Origin: China Transfer Area:
60cm*75cm
6 Heat Press Origin: China 5
M/C
7 Screen 60*5 1
Table
8 Mesh 1
Binding
M/C
9 Exposure 1
M/C
8. Quality Issues of Printing:
Following issues are checked in inspection table:
1. Measurement of print
2. Spot
3. Color out
4. Wash Fastness
5. Shade variation
But among all these issues we give high emphasis on shading and placement problem.
Page 32 of 34
9. Price quotation of different types of printing
Pricing of printing depends on several factors. They are:
Area of print
Number of colors
Number of process
Chemical price
Number of quantity
Billow there is a list of approximate pricing for several types of printing:
Name of print Price/dozen ($)
Pigment All over $1.60-1.80, /kg,
Chest print $2.50- $3.00(if solid
color).Photo- $4(process color)
Discharge $3.00- $3.50(if solid color). And for
process color $4.80- $5.50(if solid color).
Plastisol - $3.0- $4.00
Foil $4.00
Flock $4.00
Sublimation One part 12, twopart24-28 ,
Burn out $2.80- $3.00/kg (depends on burn out
area)
10. Some Recommendations for a better printing section:
A well organized, fully compliant on all respect is essential for better production
quality, work environment and company image. Some issues need to be considered
immediately. Some problems we found are:
1. Insufficient space has made the printing section clumsy.
2. Ventilation problem is really acute. High temperature makes it difficult to work
there.
3. Shortage of skilled manpower and high worker turnover rate.
4. Computer processor is not strong enough for graphics works.
5. Worn out printer.
6. Inadequate expose machine, sample table and furnitures for employees.
7. Workers do not use hand gloves and masks which are related to compliance
issue.
8. Sometimes lengthy and complex purchasing procedure hampers in production.
Page 33 of 34
Page 34 of 34
