Inkjet Ink-How to Pick It Correctly When Digital Textile Printing

Do you know how to choose a inkjet ink for your inkjet printer?Here are some ways to help you pick it correctly.

1.Definition of digital textile printing

Pigment Ink

Digital printing is similar to using a printer to print on a piece of paper, but the intended medium is textiles for use in shirts and blankets. Printing with a digital textile machine offers advantages over traditional methods in that new colors and designs can be added to the fabric. Some fabrics are porous and absorb ink, and others are not, so a non-bleeding unit must be added to the digital textile printing unit so that these other fabrics do not bleed after printing. The disadvantages of this type printing are from spot coloring inaccuracy, slower printing times and difficulty in digital setup.

This type of printing is nearly the same as using a regular printer. Most textile printers look like a wide-format poster printer and have a roll of fabric attached to the back. When the operator loads an image into the computer and prints it, the textile printer draws in fabric from the roll and then uses an ink-loaded carrier that moves back and forth to get the ink onto the fabric.

2.How to correctly select ink for inkjet printer

Textile inkjet inks are split into four main categories, each with chemical and physical properties specifically designed to work with the target fabric.

1) Reactive dye-based inks (or reactive inks) are ideal for printing cotton, linen, silk and plant derived fibers such as hemp and jute. Reactive inks have good light fastness as well as typically bright colours. Wash fastness is also good due to the chemical bond created between the dye and the fabric. Readily available and inexpensive pre-treated fabrics are often used when printing with reactive inks, although major manufacturers often do their own pre-treatment.  After printing, these inks need to be post-treated by steaming and washing.

2) Acid dye-based based inks (acid inks) are designed for printing nylon, silk, wool and even leather. They are used to manufacture sportswear, swimwear, lingerie, flags, banners and accessories including ties and scarves. Like reactive inks, acid based inks are also bright but typically have better light fastness. Wash fastness is also good due to the strong bond created between the substrate and dye stuff. Pre-treated fabrics and post-process steaming and washing are also a necessity.

3) Disperse dye-based inks (disperse inks) are used for printing polyester fabrics. They are generally not as bright as acid and reactive inks. When heated to high temperatures the dye becomes gaseous and is absorbed into the polyester fibers. As the dye cools and condenses it gets trapped in the fibers, making fabrics printed with disperse inks highly resistant to laundering. 

Disperse inks are typically divided into low and high energy inks. The former (also known as dye sublimation inks) have good light fastness and can be printed onto paper and then transferred to polyester or printed directly on the polyester itself and heated in an oven or transfer press. Due to their excellent light fastness, high energy direct disperse inks are often chosen for the most taxing outdoor applications such as lawn furniture. All high energy disperse inks must be printed direct to fabric and then undergo heat fixation.

Inkjet Ink

4) Pigmented inks use a pigment (insoluble in the ink carrier) rather than a dye (soluble in the ink carrier) to provide coloration. They contain resin binders which help the pigment particles to adhere to the fabric, meaning that the inks can be used across a very wide range of fabric types. However, the inclusion of resin in the composition can limit the amount of pigment possible, as both components raise the ink viscosity. Typically inks with high amounts of colour have low amounts of resin and thus low wash fastness. Conversely, pigment inks with good wash fastness often have higher resin and lower colour intensity. The binder properties and concentration also need to be chosen carefully to avoid affecting the 'feel' of the fabric. Pigment inks typically have very good light fastness and the ability to be used on a wide range of fabrics is a significant advantage. UV curing or heating is sufficient for fixation, and so the inks are simple to use.

We should use the appropriate digital textile ink according to the printed materials , it will print the best images.

More Info:

Website: www.skyimagepaper.com

Company Name: Fei Yue Digital Technology Co.,LTD

E-mail: sales@feiyuepaper.com

Tel: 86-025-86628894

Whatsapp: +86 15007920742

Address: Central Road 323, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China