Speaking in Digital Printing Conference ( TPF) on April 16, Stewart partridge, Consulting Partner, Inkjet Alliance mentioned that “Large percentage of digital textile printing as of now is sublimation transfer, and there is a lower percentage of Direct printing and pigment ink printing than in the analogue textile sector, but as we move forward pigment printing will become increasingly popular, especially as technological hurdles in print heads and ink chemistry are overcome.”
He further added, “as a matter of fact, some of the fastest print heads struggle with pigment printing today, and ink and print head manufacturers need to collaborate more to solve these challenges.”
However, overnight change to pigment ink is not easy, and progress will likely happen in incremental steps over several years, as per him. Later, it is likely that pigmented inks will become a preferred option, because of their durability, light fastness and ability to adhere to a wide range of fabrics. This will leave us with a more even spread of inkjet printing between the four available ink chemistries: reactive, acid, disperse, sublimation and pigment.
The four ink family i.e. Reactive for cotton/cellulose, Acid for Silk/Nylon, Sublimation for Polyester/Nylon 6 and Pigment potentially for many fabrics , makes it very versatile. Heat fixation also enables further reduction in water usage, and minimizes effluent.
The two main influencers in ink jet are, he mentioned, “ one the print head that determines the ink deposit, resolution and defines the limitations of ink used; and the second is ink chemistry itself. It is the ole of OEM or machine manufacturers’ to integrate those technologies, together with the other hardware, transport system, software and media to provide a reliable total printing system.”
Talking further, he said in the economic recession things take a dip, and we also see changes in fashion cycle which affects design and the actual volume of printing produced. The launch of the new generation fast and multiple heads technology makes a forward move.
“The opportunities for digital textile printing in the future are not limited to more of the same, or simply replacement of analogue printed textiles. There are growing opportunities for technical textiles in areas such as military use, medical use, thermal and environment control, and many others, both within as well as outside the textile industry” he summed up.
