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Common Fabric Printing Processes Explained
Source:ZS Machinery Time:2016-08-16 Click:248 Times
If you look at clothing, curtains, bed linen and t-shirts, the patterns on them were applied by one of a handful of processes.
Sublimation transfer. Dye printed on paper and transferred onto polyester with heat. Sharp detail, no water, excellent fastness. Used for sportswear, swimwear, home textiles and promotional textiles.
Screen printing. Paste pushed through a screen onto the fabric. Bold colours and good opacity. Used on t-shirts, bags and almost any fabric, but each colour needs its own screen.
Rotary screen printing. The same idea with a cylindrical screen, running continuously. Used for very high volumes of fabric.
Digital Printing vs Traditional Printing. Printed directly, with no screen. Used for samples, small runs and personalised work.
Heat transfer vinyl. Cut film applied with a press. Common on sports numbers and names.
Which process was used is usually obvious from the reverse of the fabric: sublimation leaves no print on the back, screen printing leaves a layer of paste.
