Introduction to Textile Printing

Assistant Professor Dr. Apichart Sonthisombat, Rajamangala Institute of Technology

Copyright 2004 Assist. Prof. Dr. A. Sonthisombat All rights reserved.

Textile Printing Printing is the process to make colors on the textile materials with the presence of thickener to give sharp design. The thickener will be removed after the printing process to make softer handle. Classification of Textile Printing 1. Direct Printing Printing on material directly with the ink on the designed goods. 2. Reverse Printing Printing on the goods by printing ink on background (opposite printing). 2

Textile Printing Process 1. Fabric Preparation 2. Silk Screen/Rotary Screen/Roller Preparation 3. Print paste Preparation 4. Print ink preparation 5. Printing on fabric 6. Drying 7. Fixing 8. Washing and Soaping 9. Final Drying
3

Machinery for printing 1. Screen Printing 1.1 Silk Screen Printing This method is usually used in small and medium factories. Using silk screen fabric covering the frame, the ink will pass through the fabric without covering the design by a sharp edge rubber plate (a squeegee) 1.2 Rotary Screen Printing This method uses nickel net in cylindrical shape as the screen. A squeegee is fitted inside the screen and the screen presses on the fabric. The ink will pass through the net without covering the design.

Rotary Screen Printing Machine

p://www.screenweb.com/industrial/cont/rotaryprinti 5 http://www.ourindia.com/jayoma.htm

2. Roller Printing A copper roller is engraved by some acids to have some areas acted as an ink reservoir. When pressing the roller with some ink on it, the fabric will have a design like the roller. 3. Ink jet Printing Now ink-jet printing is coming out to solve some problems about how to print a photolike picture. Like paper ink jet printer, the fabric ink jet printer has a least 4 colors (yellow, blue, red, and black). Some manufacturers offered 8 colors to make vivid 6

Fabric Inkjet Printing Machine

Fabric Inkjet Printing Machine

tp://textileinfo.com/en/manage/ronten/inkjet/page06

Fabric Inkjet Printing Machine

How to make a screen? Normally, the silk screen and rotary screen are coated with photo-emulsion containing p hoto-sensitizer. By coating the compound o ver the screen with a very thick film on the s creen, the screen is allowed to be dried in ro om temperature without light. The master d esign will be produced by using black color covering the areas that needed the ink to pas s through. Using a light bulb table, the desig n will transfer from the master design to the screen by exposing it to light for 2-5 min. A fter that, the screen is washed and dried. 10

Types and inks that can be used in textile printing Fabrics Cotton Inks Pigment, Reactive, Vat Protein Reactive Polyester Disperse, Pigment Polyester/cotton blends Pigment

11