What happens between your file and a finished roll of fabric: how the process works, which dyes go on which fibres, how it compares with screen printing, and what to expect from the result.
Digital fabric printing puts dye onto cloth with inkjet print heads, straight from an image file.
It works on the same principle as a desktop inkjet printer, at industrial width and speed, and with textile dyes in place of paper ink. The fabric passes under the print heads, which lay down tiny droplets of colour exactly where the file says they belong.
The important part is what is missing. Traditional textile printing needs a separate screen made for every colour in a design before a single yard can be printed. Digital printing needs only the file. That removes the set-up cost, the limit on the number of colours, and the reason for very large minimum orders.
It is what makes custom fabric printing from 5 yards possible.
| Digital printing | Screen printing | |
|---|---|---|
| Set-up | None. The design prints straight from the file. | A screen has to be made for every colour in the design. |
| Colours | Unlimited, including photographs, gradients and fine tonal detail. | Each extra colour adds a screen and adds cost. |
| Minimum run | Short. With us, 5 yards. | Long. Often more than a thousand yards per design. |
| Changing the design | Upload a new file. | New screens. |
| Cost per yard | Economical from the first yard, and lower with quantity. | High on short runs, lowest on very large ones. |
| Best for | Samples, small collections, many designs, detailed artwork. | One design in very large volume, and special effects such as metallics. |
Neither method is better in every case. Screen printing still wins on price when one design runs to many thousands of yards. Digital wins whenever the run is short, the design is complex, or you want to test before you scale.
There is no single ink that works on every fabric. The dye has to match the fibre it is printed on, and that decides how the fabric is fixed and finished afterwards.
Used on cotton, linen, silk, viscose and other natural or plant-based fabrics. The dye reacts with the fibre and becomes part of it, which is why reactive printing is the most permanent form of textile printing. The fabric keeps its natural handle, with no layer of ink sitting on the surface.
Used on polyester and other synthetic fabrics, and often called sublimation printing. Heat drives the dye into the fibre, giving strong, bright, stable colour. This is the process behind most printed activewear, swimwear and linings.
You do not need to choose the process yourself. It follows from the fabric you pick, and every one of our fabrics lists its composition.
Every stage happens in our own facility in Shaoxing.
Your file is checked and mapped to the colour profile of the fabric you chose. The same colour value prints differently on different cloths, so each fabric has its own profile.
The fabric runs through an industrial digital printer, which lays the dye down directly from your file.
Printed dye has to be fixed before it is permanent. Reactive prints are steamed so the dye bonds with the fibre; disperse dyes are fixed with heat.
The fabric is washed to remove any dye that did not fix. Washing at this stage also takes out some of the shrinkage before the fabric reaches you.
Every roll is inspected before it leaves. If anything falls short of our standard, we reprint it.
Printed colour depends on the cloth. Expect the brightest results on polyester and a softer, more matt look on cotton and linen. If a colour has to be exact, order a printed sample first.
Heat in production shrinks fabric by roughly 2 to 5 percent, and washing by a further 3 to 8 percent, depending on the type. We wash before shipping; pre-wash again before you sew.
Wash and care instructions differ by fabric and are listed on each fabric page.
All our base fabrics and inks are tested and certified to Oeko-Tex Standard 100, which means they have been checked for substances harmful to human health.
Digital printing also places dye only where the design needs it, and there are no screens to make or wash out between designs.
If your market requires a specific test report, we can arrange third-party testing for the fabric you order. Contact us with the standard you need.
Yes. On natural fibres we print with reactive dyes, which bond with the fibre and are the most permanent form of textile printing. On synthetics we use disperse dyes, which are strong and stable. Like any dyed textile, colour can fade slowly with long exposure to sunlight, but with these processes the effect is limited.
Some. The heat used in production shrinks fabric by roughly 2 to 5 percent depending on the type, and washing can shrink it a further 3 to 8 percent. We wash every fabric before shipping, but pre-washing it yourself before sewing is still the safest way to protect your seams.
A screen emits light and fabric reflects it, and every base cloth takes dye differently, so the same colour will not look identical on cotton, silk and polyester. We profile each fabric to keep the result as close to your file as possible. A printed sample is the only way to see the exact result in advance.
At least 150 DPI at the size you want it printed. Higher resolution lets you enlarge the design further before it loses sharpness.
Our base fabrics and inks are certified to Oeko-Tex Standard 100, and neither contains lead. Third-party testing of a specific fabric can be arranged on request, at an extra charge that depends on the tests.
Have your own design printed as a free test sample, or see what you can order and what it takes to get started.