Textiles – 14 – Printing

is the application of dye, pigment, or other chemicals to produce designs in specific areas of yarns, fabrics, or other textile products.

the colorant (dyes or pigments) used to create a design, the type of motif, the type of print, and/or the printing technique.

naturalistic, stylized, geometric, and abstract. Many motifs are a combination of two or more categories.

real objects such as flowers, fruits, and animals. Naturalistic motifs with half-tones and shading were difficult to print prior to the development of computerized software for color separation.

simplistic or stylized versions of real objects. Stylized motifs are commonly used for a variety of prints.

shapes such as circles, triangles, and rectangles. Geometric motifs are easy to print. Dots and stripes are common geometric designs printed in a variety of colors and sizes.

do not resemble real objects.

-Block -Batik -TieDye -Ikat -Hand Screen -Transfer

-Roller -Flatbed Screen -Rotary Screen -Heat Transfer -Digital -Others

is a direct hand printing method where wood or another material with a carved design is used to stamp the design on the fabric. Traditional block printed fabrics are popular in different regions of the world.

is a resist printing method in which the fabric is tied to prevent (resist) dye penetration. Tie-dye is used for printing traditional textiles in India, Japan, Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia. Tie-dye fabrics are used for apparel and home furnishings. Fabrics made with cellulosic and protein fibers such as cotton, rayon, and silk are generally used for tie-dye.

is a resist printing method where the yarns are tie-dyed prior to hand weaving the fabric. Ikat has been used for printing traditional textiles in Indonesia, India, Guatemala, and other parts of the world. The motifs and colors of ikat produced in different regions vary considerably. Cotton and silk yarns are generally used to produce ikat fabrics. Mechanized printing techniques are used to print imitation ikat fabrics.

is produced by applying hot wax to fabrics prior to dyeing to prevent dye penetration in specific areas. It is used to print traditional textiles in the Far East, South Asia, West Africa, and other regions in the world. Indonesia is renowned for its batiks. The ancient technique used in Indonesia required wax application using a tjanting (special tool with a spout). Now a tjap (copper block made by soldering together copper wire and narrow copper strips) is used to stamp the design on both sides of the fabric. Batik printing is traditionally done on cotton and silk fabrics. Today, rayon is also used for batik.

is a method where the print paste is pressed through a fine screen to apply the design.

is a process to transfer the design from printed paper to fabric. It typically requires application of heat and pressure for the transfer. Low temperature setting is required for adhesive backed plastisol transfers.

can be broadly categorized into roller, screen, heat transfer, and other printing techniques. Of these, roller and screen are direct printing methods. Cost, quantity, design type and size, fiber content, and fabric construction are some of the factors to consider when selecting a printing technique.

is a fast process that, historically, has been used to print large quantities of fabrics. This method is not suitable for smaller quantities as initial setup is labor-intensive and costly (the cost for engraving copper rollers is very high).

including the hand printing method, is commonly used to produce patterns with large repeat designs that do not have fine lines.

increase production. In the manual process, the fabric is stationary and the screen is moved manually, whereas in the mechanized process the screen is stationary and the fabric on a conveyor belt is mechanically advanced from one screen to another. The mechanized method is much faster than the manual screen printing method, but slower than rotary screen printing.

a cylinder-shaped screen (instead of a flat screen used with flatbed machines). The squeegee located inside the cylinder forces the print paste (fed or piped to the cylinder) through the screen and onto the fabric. This method is one of the most common printing methods used in the United States.

o most common method o simple and more cost-effective than roller printing. ● Used to print a variety of fabrics (including knits) and designs from single-color polka dots to sixteen-color half-tone patterns; easily prints vertical and diagonal stripes that are difficult to print on a flatbed machine.

is done by passing fabric and preprinted paper between heated rollers so that the dyes from the paper are transferred to the fabric.

is one of the newest printing techniques using design software to create designs, and regular and wide-format printers to print the designs on fabrics prepared for digital printing.

is \"a process for producing a pattern on yarns, warp, fabric, or carpet by any of a large number of printing methods. The color or other treating material, usually in the form of a paste, is deposited onto the fabric which is then usually treated with steam, heat, or chemicals for fixation\"

The dye is injected onto the fabric under pressure to enable the color to penetrate through the pile.

was developed to mass produce prints that resemble batiks. Engraved copper rollers are used to apply wax to both sides of the fabric prior to dyeing. The wax is removed once the fabric has been dyed. Wax prints are popular in West Africa.