For fashion designers, furniture makers, and anyone else working with fabric, the invention of digital fabric printing services was a revolutionary moment. Before, reproducing patterns on cloth with analog screen printing was a painstaking process that took forever and had limits in the number of colors and complexity of designs possible. Furthermore, screen printing could have been smoother and smoother in its original form with thick inks. There had to be a better way to reproduce patterns repeatedly.

Digital Textile Printing

Digital fabric printing services revolutionized the world of fabric printing. With these printers, the entire process of digital fabric printing changed dramatically. The process became more straightforward, allowing for smaller runs at a lower cost and a quicker turnaround but with distinctly higher quality in the complexity of the image.

The shift in direct-to-garment printing began with inkjet-based printing on fabric in the 1990s. With traditional analog methods, printed ink sat on top of the material. With dye sublimation printers, the ink soaked into the fabric, allowing for several improvements in the fabric printing process. Other methods have emerged and vary from printer to printer, but most offer the same positives to ensure a high-quality printing job.

How Does Digital Printing Work?

Before looking at the advantages of digital fabric services, it's essential to understand the general process. It's important to stress that there are many different variations. This overview covers the overall process from a simplified perspective with steps common to creating digital print fabric.

First, an image, usually a TIF for the most straightforward use, is selected and loaded into the printer. For direct printing, the fabric is treated to ensure maximum color and performance. Next, the print is directly applied to the material using the proper ink set for the substrate. Each printing process is slightly different, such as dye sublimation using specially coated paper and mirror images for repeated printing. Next, the ink is fixated, using different environments depending on the ink, such as steam, dry heat, and pressure. Finally, post-treatments like ultraviolet inhibitors, water repellents, and stain inhibitors are applied depending on the client's needs.

What Fabrics are Used

Digital print fabric is a term that encompasses a broad spectrum of textiles. While it's often thought of for garments like t-shirts and dresses, a digital print fabric can be virtually anything made from sewn threads. This includes fabric-covering sofas, perfect for anyone looking to perform a DIY project. It also covers flags and banners, giving businesses seeking to advertise a bold, colorful leg up. If you want your home to stand out with drapes, look to fabric printing as well. Finally, custom fabrics allow you to create designs for items like sheets. With printed fabric by the yard, there's no end to what you can achieve.

What fabrics are available specifically, and what ink works best? The wonder of digital textile printing is that almost nothing is off-limits. Cotton, the classic material for clothing, handles reactive inks best for the highest fast washes. Polyester works well with disperse ink but requires direct printing with sublimation inks, requiring a more expensive but effective printer. If you want to print on silk, use reactive or acid inks. All these have their uses, and the best fabric comes down to your needs.

What are the Advantages of Digital Fabric Printing?

With a diverse array of fabrics to print on, digital fabric printing has quickly emerged to become the standard for fast printing of textiles. But what sets explicitly digital fabric printing services apart from traditional analog screen printing? What follows are some of the advantages offered.

One of the most critical ways digital printing improves screen printing is the complexity of the image produced. Traditional methods only allow simple, blunt designs perfect for logos but less ideal for procedures such as photographs. With digital printing, the sky's the limit, with the most complex photos reproduced. Digital services are a great way to go if you're looking to memorialize a person.

With digital printing, the color palette is also much more comprehensive. Digital services have access to a deeper variety, perfect for creating more distinctive images that will stand out. The broader color selection also allows printers to reproduce the photos.

One of the best benefits is the speed of digital printing. Traditional screen printing requires extensive setup time. Digital printing is a rapid process with quick setup and fast production. If you need your digital print fabric fast for a job or a personal event, these services will do the work quickly.

Finally, and most importantly to many customers, digital printing services are a much cheaper option than traditional printing services. The lower setup cost and less expensive work result in a more affordable job for the customer. Furthermore, the digital print fabric allows for a smaller run than traditional methods, enabling you only to get the necessary work.

With digital print fabric, the advantages are numerous. This high-quality, low-cost method is a modern advance ideal for anyone trying to create the perfect custom look. The uses of this technology are nearly endless. Find your best service today.

Who We Are

Advanced Digital Textiles is proud to serve as a leader in digital textile technology. We specialize in several different printing styles and print on everything from natural to synthetic fabrics. We'll handle printed fabric by the yard up to thousands of yards, all here in the USA! Contact us today to see how we can benefit your needs.