At Meshtex printing services, we can print digitally onto textiles using various print processes, onto cotton and linen (and other natural fabrics including bamboo) and onto polyester, allowing us to provide our customer with the very best service, by being able to print with the most appropriate process to suit each customer’s individual requirements.
One of these processes is digital direct textile printing via pigment inks.
When we suggest to a customer that pigment direct to fabric printing is going to be the best solution for their requirements, there’s occasionally some uncertainty in the client’s mind about the quality of pigment printing. This uncertainty is based on the way things used to be with pigment printing technology and inks, and not due to the way that things are now.
Just a few years ago, pigment printing was seen as potentially a good solution for digitally printing directly onto textiles, but there were a few main areas in which the process was limited.
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One of the main issues with pigment printing, initially, was that due to the binder used in the inks, the inkjet print heads were prone to blocking, making pigment printing a problematic process for the printing company.
Also, wash fastness and rub fastness were areas in which pigment printing didn’t previously excel, not being able to offer the same level of colour fastness as reactive printing, which had been the leading digital print process for natural fabrics for many years.
Vibrancy was also an issue with pigment printing, with the colours not quite “popping” in the way that they do with reactive digital printing.
A few years later, though, and things are very different when it comes to pigment printing, it really has come on leaps and bounds, to the point that pigment printing is now arguably the leading process for digitally printing onto natural fabrics.
The inks themselves have improved immensely when it comes to both vibrancy and colour fastness. The leading pigment inks on the market now perform very well in both of these areas, in fact from our wash and rub tests, the pigment inks that we use perform within the same range as fabrics which have been printed using reactive dyes.
Also, the heads that are used in the most up-to-date pigment printers have improved a great deal, and are no longer prone to blocking when used with pigment inks.
The fabric treatments available have also improved at the same time, which, along with the improvements in the inks and the printing technology, means that we can now achieve very good quality, vibrant prints using pigment inks – to the point that often it is difficult to tell a reactive printed fabric apart from a pigment printed fabric.
While reactive printing still remains one of the most popular processes within the fashion industry, due to its ability to achieve a higher vibrancy, the difference is not what it once was, and it is only really with certain designs for specific applications that we would agree pigment printing still cannot quite compete with reactive.
For most home decor products, including tea towels, cushions, pillowcases, aprons, tote bags, and many more, we believe pigment printing is the best digital textile printing process, all things considered.
When we say all things considered, we’re including price here, as pigment printing is easier and less labour intensive when it comes to the fixing stage.
With reactive fabric printing, the fabric must be pre-treated, and once it’s printed, it has to be put into a steamer in order to fix the dye. Once steamed, the fabric must then be washed and dried before it can be delivered to the customer.
The fixing process for pigment printing, though, is much quicker, cleaner, and less labour intensive. We simply have a large format rotary heat press, which the fabric is put through in order to fix the print.
Also, while pre-treatment is a requirement for reactive printing, it’s actually an option for pigment textile printing.
We always recommend a treated fabric, for the best results in terms of vibrancy and colour fastness, but if cost is key, if the print doesn’t need to be particularly vivid, and if the product being made from this printed fabric, is not a product that would benefit from increased wash fastness & rub fastness, then printing onto untreated fabric is a cheaper option.
If you’re unsure about the best print process for your requirements, just use the request a quote form to send us an enquiry, or give us a call on 01625 876949, so we can have a chat about your requirements and what print process may be the best option.