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Textile Printing Management -Different Styles and Methods

Published: January 15, 2025
Author: TANVI_MUNJAL

Barhanpurkar S

Shri Vaishnav Institute of Textile Technology, SVVV, Indore

Agrawal R

Govt. Women’s Polytechnic College, Gwalior

Abstract

At the heart of any printing project is the desire to achieve the highest possible image quality, especially getting the colours right. Printing can also be defined as localised dyeing. Well-defined as the request of dye or pigment in a dissimilar decoration on the textile and by succeeding after the action of fixing the dye or pigment to acquire a specific design. Occasionally a printed fabric can be recognised by looking at the back side of the fabric where there is no design but colour remains on the face side. In cellulosic fibre like cotton, vat dyes and reactive are used whereas in synthetic or man-made fabric like disperse and cationic dyes are used due to their rigid structure(1).

In manmade, dyes like disperse and cationic are used. Preparing fabric for printing undergoes various pre-printing processes like singing, desizing, scouring and bleaching. This process includes the fabric being removed from impurities, a smoother surface, improved luxtures, brightness and whiteness index. Various ingredients are used for printing fabric like wetting agents, solvents, thickeners, deforming agents, oxidising and reducing agents, catalysts, acids, alkalis and carriers (2)(3). With these chemicals, one standard fabric can be printed. There are three elementary methodologies to printing a colour on a fabric: 1. Direct Printing, 2. Discharge Printing 3. Resist Printing.

Keywords: Printing, Textile, Direct, Discharge, Resist.

  1. Introduction

Style refers to the manner in which a particular action is performed; thus the style of walking or the style of writing of a person refers to the manner in which he walks or writes. In printing, style means the manner in which a printed effect is produced as distinct from the method which involves the means (like a block or screen) by which the pattern is produced (4). This style is commonly known as “Steam Style” because, in many instances, the printed fabric is steamed to set the colour. In textile printing style, the colour is applied directly to the fabric in the form of a paste containing the colouring matter, thickener or binder and required ingredients and after printing and drying, the colour is fixed by steaming or curing or thermo-fixing or treatment with chemicals. Most classes of dyestuffs are printed on the fabric in the direct style. Mordant colours, vegetable colours, pigments and certain mineral colours (5).

  1. Direct Style of Printing

Direct printing is the most widely used technique for printing on textile fabrics. In this method, the dye is directly applied to the fabric. Dyes are used in paste form. This method is both the simplest and one of the oldest styles of printing. It can be done on a white fabric or coloured fabric (6). The colourant is embossed on the fabric in paste form and any anticipated decoration may be fashioned. Dark colour prints on lighter backgrounds are the distinguishing feature of direct-style printing (7). In this stylishness of printing, the printing paste is relocated to the selected areas of the fabric and the pigments stick to the fabric surface. The direct printing method is fashioned using block printing, screen printing, or roller printing. This style is relaxed, inexpensive and appropriate for printing both modest and complicated designs.

Limitation

  • Coloured marks with sharp frameworks and free of fragments are difficult to produce by direct style. 
  • Direct Style is problematic for combining small coloured motifs on dark ground by this style.
  • Direct Style is tough to print knitted fabrics in fine designs with sharp outlines by this style.
  • Coloured blotches with sharp outlines and free of specks are difficult to produce by direct style.
  • It is difficult to incorporate small coloured motifs on dark ground in this style.
  • Printing knitted items with intricate designs and sharp outlines in this style is quite challenging.
  1. Discharge Style

A classical discharge print is obtained when a fully dyed fabric is printed with an agent which will chemically destroy the ground shade and produce a white discharge. If dyes stable to the discharging agent are incorporated in the discharge paste, then coloured (illuminated) discharges are produced by simultaneously destroying the ground shade and fixing the stable illuminating colour. Thus in discharge printing, the whole cloth is first dyed fully and then printed with a paste comprising a chemical discharging agent capable of attacking the dye locally; the printed cloth is then further treated (steamed, washed etc.) so that finally it shows a white or light pattern on a coloured background. This is an important style on cotton and viscose rayon and is based on the fact that when direct dyes, especially those belonging to the azo class, are reduced by a powerful reducing agent, a chromophore (azo group) is broken up and the dyes are decomposed into non-substantive products, which are generally soluble in water. When a cotton cloth is dyed with an easily reducible dye and then printed with a suitably thickened solution of reducing agent and steamed, the reducing agent decomposes the dye at the printed portion into water-soluble products having no affinity for the fibre. Alternatively, a second dye resistant to the discharging agent can be incorporated in the paste yielding a two-colour pattern which would almost be impossible by a double printing of complementary patterns. Oxidising substances such as potassium chlorate or potassium dichromate for discharging Indigo. Sodium bisulphite is used in discharging naphtholated ground (8).

Advantages

  • It allows off-white and coloured patterns to be produced on dyed grounds. 
  • Dyeing allows us to achieve a depth of shade and fullness and richness of colour that cannot be matched by any printing method. Consequently, printing on dyed fabric is highly beneficial, as it can eliminate colour from the printed areas.
  • This technique facilitates the creation of coloured blotches with crisp outlines, which are typically challenging to achieve using direct printing methods.
  • The process produces nearly the same white or coloured discharge effect on both sides of the cloth so much so that it becomes hard to distinguish the printed side from the other. 
  • Discharge prints consistently feature sharp outlines, and a vibrant appearance, and achieve pristine, sparkling whites thanks to the bleaching effect of the discharging agent.

Dis-advantages

  • Only colours that can be discharged should be used, as not all colours are dischargeable.
  • The cost of a discharge printing paste is higher and the ingredients have to be selected carefully to facilitate complete destruction of colour.
  1. Resist style

The resist style, similar to the discharge style, involves creating white and coloured patterns on different coloured backgrounds. However, the key distinction lies in the timing of the application: in the discharge style, the discharging agent is applied to the fabric after it has been dyed, while in the resist style, the resist is applied prior to any dyeing process (9). Thus in resist printing, the printed portions are so treated that dyes will no longer “take” on them and a white pattern will be formed on the background of the dye (10). The resisting agents may go between mechanical or chemical processes or both. In the well-known ‘tie and dye’ development and ‘Bandhani’ printing, the portion of the hank and cloth is tied by rubber bands or cotton thread before dyeing, to resist the bound portions (which remain white);   in this case, the rubber band or the thread acts as a mechanical resist (11). Similarly in Batik areas of the fabric that need to stay undyed are coated with wax. The entire cloth is then dyed using a dye that can be applied at a temperature lower than the wax’s melting point. In this case, wax acts as a mechanical resist. Stannous chloride (tin salt) and citric acid may be cited as chemicals which are used as resists (12). Thus tin salt is used as a resistor while printing with diazo salt. It produces diazo hydrine which prevents the coupling with naphthol. Similarly, citric acid is used as a resistance in printing with reactive dyes; the presence of acid prevents the development of the reactive dye (13).

Advantages

  • Like the discharge style, the resist style has also the great advantage that it allows off-white and coloured patterns to be produced on dyed grounds; 
  • Consequently, we can achieve a depth of shade, as well as a fullness and richness of colour that no printing process can match.
  • It is, therefore, of great advantage to be able to print on white cloth, a resist which will prevent fixation of colour in subsequent dyeing operations.
  • The cost of resist printing paste is lower, requiring fewer chemicals and auxiliaries; e.g. in Bandhani printing, only cotton thread is required to tie the portions which are to be kept undyed.

Dis-advantages

  • Resist Prints are generally subdued and the colours are less bright; the outlines of the printed motifs are less sharp.
  • In resist printing, the ground is not dyed before printing; therefore little or no chemical action is involved to prevent fixation of colour.
  1. Different Types of Printing Methods

5.1. Block Printing

Block Printing is the firstborn and modest way of printing. In this method, a wooden block with an elevated pattern on the shallow was dipped into the printing colourant and then pressed face down onto the fabric. The favourite design was gained by repeating the process using different colours. Generally, the wooden block is carved out offhand. Printing is done manually.

Fig.1: Blocks for Printing

5.2. Roller Printing

It is a machine-based technique for applying designs to fabric using engraved rollers. The design is etched onto the surface of a metal roller. Dye is then applied to the roller, and any excess dye is removed, ensuring that the colour remains only in the engraved areas. As the roller moves across the fabric, the dye transfers from the roller to the material (14).

Fig.2: Roller Printing

5.3. Screen Printing

Screen printing entails pushing printing paste through a fine mesh screen that is in direct contact with the fabric being printed. A design is formed on the screen by blocking certain areas with a material like opaque paint. Once the design is prepared, the screen is positioned over the fabric, and the printing paste is pressed through the unblocked sections of the screen using a flexible squeegee made of synthetic rubber or steel.

Fig.3: Screen Printing

5.4. Rotary Printing

Rotary screen printing utilises a set of rotating metal cylinders, each equipped with moving screens and a fixed squeegee that pushes the print paste onto the fabric. This method allows for the simultaneous printing of twenty or more colours. Additionally, it is significantly faster and more efficient compared to flat-screen printing (15).

5.5 Transfer Printing

Transfer printing is a technique that involves indirectly printing designs by transferring dyes from paper to a thermoplastic fabric under specific conditions of temperature, time, and pressure. Initially, the image is engraved onto a copper plate, and pigment is applied to these plates. The image is then transferred onto a piece of paper that has a layer of glue. This paper is subsequently placed on the fabric, where heat and pressure are applied to permanently fix the print onto the material.

5.6 Stencil Printing

Stencil printing is one of the earliest forms of printing. In this method, colour is applied to the fabric by scrubbing or spraying through the openings of a pattern that has been cut from a flat sheet of metal. The stencil itself can be made from waterproof paper, plastic, or laminated sheets. To create a stencil, a design is cut out from a flat sheet of material, whether it be paper, metal, or plastic.

5.7 Digital Printing

Digital printing represents a more advanced form of printing technology. It encompasses various techniques, including:

  • Jet spray printing
  • Electrostatic printing
  • Photo printing
  • Differential printing

5.8  Batik Printing

Batik is a wax-resist dyeing method used on fabric. This method was developed on the island of Java in Indonesia. Batik can be completed by applying dots and lines of wax with a tool called a canting, or by using a copper stamp known as a cap to print the wax resist (16).

5.9 Tie & Dye Printing

Tie and dye is similar to batik but involves tying knots in the fabric before immersing it in a dye bath. The areas that are knotted remain undyed, creating a distinctive blurred or mottled effect. If the knots are tightly secured, the dye does not penetrate the knotted sections, resulting in unique patterns on the fabric.


  1. References
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  3. A Study of Batik Printing on Natural Fibre Fabrics and Their Derivatives (1965)
  4. Howard, K. K. (1968). Study of Batik Printing on Natural Fibre Fabrics and their Derivatives (Doctoral dissertation, Oklahoma State University).
  5. KAR.AL KAY HOWARD u j, Bachelor of Science University of Texas Austin, Texas  
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  11. Fernandes, S. C., & Simoes, R. (2016, October). Collaborative use of different learning styles through 3D printing. In 2016 2nd International Conference of the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education (CISPEE) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.
  12. Xu, H., Yang, B., Liu, Y., Li, F., Shen, C., Ma, C., & Sand, W. (2018). Recent advances in anaerobic biological processes for textile printing and dyeing wastewater treatment: a mini-review. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology34(11), 1-9.
  13. Cazac, V., Cîrja, J., Balan, E., &Mohora, C. (2018). The study of the screen printing quality depending on the surface to be printed. In MATEC Web of Conferences (Vol. 178, p. 03015). EDP Sciences. A
  14. Shahrubudin, N., Lee, T. C., &Ramlan, R. (2019). An overview on 3D printing technology: Technological, materials, and applications. Procedia Manufacturing35, 1286-1296.
  15. Abdelrahman, M., Wahab, S., Mashaly, H., Maamoun, D., &Khattab, T. A. (2020). 
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