INTRODUCTION TO PRINTED TEXTILES.
Printing is a method of depositing colour onto fabrics and other various substrates. A range of imagery,
pattern or design can be achieved in a variety of ways. Printing can be defined as localised dyeing,
colour is applied to a cloth, often in the form of a pattern and one or more colours can be used. Textile
printing has existed in one form or another for over two thousand years and fabrics decorated with
pattern have been found in Egyptian tombs. China and India were the first countries to develop and
utilise textile printing using hand carved wood blocks, a process called ‘hand block printing’ which
was the forerunner to contemporary silk screen printing processes more commonly used today. It was
the Japanese who created the earliest stencilling techniques which later developed into silk screen
printing. More details related to silk screen printing can be found in the handout entitled
(INTRODUCTION TO SILK SCREEN PRINTING)
PRINTING PROCESSES:
Listed below are examples of the processes and styles used within this area of printed textiles. Each
contains a brief description of the process and will provide you with a quick reference point to those
available in workshop programmes and print room activities run in this area. Refer to this handout as a
means of familiarising yourselves with the terminology associated with the many differing methods
and styles of print related process. More detailed handouts dealing with aspects of individual process
are provided in conjunction with workshops built into the programme in levels one and two.
DIRECT STYLE PRINTING:
A coloured print is applied (usually by silk screen) to a white or light coloured neutral surface (usually
fabric)
PIGMENT PRINTING:
A coloured print is applied to a white or neutral surface using a water based pigment colour combined
with a resin based binding agent. Pigments are colours which do not penetrate the textile fibre in the
way that a dye will. They have no natural affinity with textile fibres and therefore sit on the surface of
the fabric and are not absorbed into the cloth. In order to adhere them to the surface of the cloth they
must be heat fixed with a press, iron or hot cabinet. If fixed by direct contact heat it is always advisable
to iron or press on the non print side of the cloth, after fixation the colour remains fast to washing at
40c. Recommended primarily for the printing of cotton’s and other cellulose based fabrics.
PRINTING WITH OPAQUES:
White opaque is a water based medium used to achieve special effects, e.g. a white surface print on a
dark ground, or pigment colour can be added to produce pastel shades on a dark ground. We use two
types of white opaque, one of which is known as Opaque White T and another known as Opaque
Binder KP.
Opaque White T
This is a very opaque medium which if used without additional colour will produce effective white
prints on dark backgrounds. The addition of colour will result in a range of pastel shades on dark
grounds.
Opaque Binder K.P.
This is also a white opaque medium but is far more effective in producing deeper shades of colour on
dark backgrounds and should be used with this in mind. As with all surface applications white opaque
will affect the handle of the cloth and add a certain amount of stiffness to surface. As with pigment
colours, opaque should be used primarily on cotton’s and other cellulose fabrics.
METALLIC AND PEARLISED PIGMENTS:
Metallic or metal powders:
When combined with water based chemical resin binder specially formulated for these products
metallic powders will produce highly effective surface prints in gold, silver and other metal finishes.
They are again fixed to the surface of fabric by heat pressing and are once again most suited to cotton’s
and other cellulose based fibres.
Pearlised Pigments: These can be added to specially formulated water based binder in order to produce
a range of coloured lustre effects on various fabrics using the method above. It is worth noting that
prior to mixing, these products exist as a very fine powder and great care must be taken with their
preparation
.
PRINTING WITH PROCION/ACID/DISPERSE AND DIRECT DYES:
When the handle/drape etc. of a particular fabric is of great importance it is best to consider the use of
dyes as opposed to pigments in the printing of certain fibres. A paste containing the dye, a thickener,
fixing agents and associated chemical agents is mixed to a formula and then printed directly onto a
plain white or neutral fabric. Dyes are substantive to textile fibres i.e. they do not sit on the surface of
the cloth but are absorbed into the fibres. The paste penetrates the textile fibres effectively dyeing them
in the printed areas of the cloth. The colour is fixed by a process called steaming, after which the fabric
is washed and then ironed. The dyestuffs mentioned above each have affinities with particular fibre
groups and these are dealt with in relevant technical workshops run in this area.
THERMOCHROMIC AND PHOSPHORESCENT PIGMENTS:
Thermochromic Pigments:
These are a range of coloured pigments which are combined with a water based resin binder (or
similar) then printed onto a white or neutral fabric. They react within a certain temperature range to
become almost colourless. These pigments become paler in colour at the beginning of the temperature
range progressing until they become almost colourless. They will remain in this ‘colourless’ state until
the temperature drops to below the actual range of change.
Phosphorescent Pigments:
These are combined with a water based system in the same way as Thermochromic pigments and then
printed onto white or neutral fabric. They are a series of special effect pigments which are also known
as ‘glow in the dark’. Once printed and dried the pigments produce an afterglow on the surface of the
fabric which when introduced to low light levels will fluoresce for a considerable period of time.
HEAT TRANSFER/SUBLIMATION PRINTING:
This process sometimes known as ‘sublistatic’printing can be defined as the printing of synthetic fibres
by contact through heat and pressure with a paper web previously painted with a suitable dyestuff. The
dyes used in the process are known as Disperse dyes. The colour is first of all applied to a white or pale
coloured paper ground. This is a method of printing where a design or a range of ideas can be quickly
transferred from one substrate to another. The dyestuffs are firstly applied, painted or printed onto
transfer paper then heat transferred by means of a press onto fabric or other suitable surfaces with a
polymer coated surface. It has the advantage of enabling the individual to transfer design ideas etc.
from one surface to another at the same time. This differs from certain other print methods whereby
different colours are added as separations. Natural fibres are not best suited to this process because
Disperse dyes only have a strong affinity with synthetic surfaces. The printing of natural fibres will
result in reduced colour yield and poor wash and light fastness.
DISCHARGE PRINTING:
White Discharge:
A white (or off white) effect is produced from a pre dyed fabric when it is printed with a print paste
formula containing a discharging (bleaching) agent. After printing and drying the printed fabric is
steamed, during which time the printed areas of the fabric are removed or bleached out hence the term
‘Discharge’.
Illuminated Discharge:
A suitable dyestuff can also be added to the paste to produce coloured effects instead of white in the
bleached out areas of the fabric. This works because the chosen dyestuffs resist the actions of the
discharging agent during the steaming process and the colour replaces the ground colour in the
bleached out areas. This process has the advantage of producing white and coloured prints on pre dyed
backgrounds without the need for surface pigments or opaques. It is most effective on silk and other
protein fibres and traditionally was devised with these fibres in mind.
DEVOR`E / BURN OUT PRINTING:
This is a process whereby a mixed fibre fabric is firstly printed or treated with a paste formula
containing a chemical agent. After printing, the treated fabric (usually cellulose based) is then ironed or
heat pressed which in turn activates the burning process and destroys the printed areas of the fabric.
The non printed or non treated areas remain intact whilst the printed (burnt areas) are washed away
leaving behind a fabric which now has open/transparent or sheer areas of fabric in those previously
printed or treated areas.
During this process it is the ‘weft’ (those fibres which run widthways i.e. from selvedge to selvedge)
that are destroyed and it is the ‘warp’ (those fibres which run parallel to the selvedge which remain
intact). Prior to washing the burnt out areas of the fabric should ideally be light brown in colour, it is
important not to over burn the fabric other wise this could result in significant staining of the finishes
cloth. Fibre mixes commonly used for this process include Polyester/Cotton, Polyester/Viscose and
Silk/Viscose.
SEERSUCKER/CREPON OR CRIMP:
This style much used in the past in a variety of ways and still commonly practiced is based on the
action of strong caustic soda on fine cottons such as lawns and voiles. The fabric has to be 100%
Cotton and lightweight. The cloth is first treated or printed with a formula containing caustic soda and
a thickening agent. The caustic shrinks the fibres, cockling or crimping the untreated areas of the cloth
and is most effective when applied to at least 50% of the surface area of the fabric.
FLOCK PRINTING:
Areas of cloth , paper or plywood can be printed with a water based adhesive resin which after drying
has a paper backed viscose velvet flocked through heat contact onto the surface of the substrate. This
will result in raised flocked areas of pattern successfully transferred onto the chosen surface.
FOIL PRINTING:
In this process areas of the cloth, paper or card are printed with a water based adhesive and the
subsequent pattern or imagery is then created by ironing or heat pressing metallic foil papers and fixing
over the dried printed areas. A range of metallic finishes (gold and silver the most commonly seen) can
be applied quickly and effectively to embellish and enhance selected areas.
FABRIC MANIPULATION TECHNIQUES:
Bonding Techniques:
Highly effective results can be achieved by bonding various fabric types onto pre stretched
Cotton/Lycra’s and Jersey’s. A simple process which involves firstly stretching a Cotton/ Lycra as taut
as possible onto a flat print bed. The fabric is stretch pinned to a backing cloth and is then printed with
a water based adhesive incorporating a geometric or similar style pattern. After drying another fabric of
differing or even similar type (lightweight silks are excellent) is placed over the printed area. It is then
heat pressed to the printed surface with a very hot iron. When adequately fixed the pins are then
removed from the stretch fabric. The end result is a highly impressive quilting effect which has now
radically altered the surface, appearance and handle of the finished piece. Similar effects can be
achieved using ‘Bonda Web’ which is an adhesive backed paper web, designed for use as a means of
appliquéing one fabric surface onto another. In order to achieve this, simple cut out shapes of fabric
can be directly bonded and heat fixed onto stretch fabrics producing similar finished effects.
EXPANTEX/PUFF BINDER/3D PRINTING:
Areas of cloth, mostly natural fibres are printed with water based plasticised ink often known as Puff
Binder or Expantex. The paste dries as a flat print very similar to pigment or opaque but expands
readily when placed into contact with indirect heat. This process again creates interesting surface
effects and also can have a radical effect on look and handle of the cloth. The use of fine silks and
cottons will result in more exaggerated manipulation of the fabric surface. This can also be a very
useful way of creating embossed effects on the non printed side of the cloth.
LARGE FORMAT/WIDE FORMAT PRINTING:
Advanced technology which allows design work etc. to be digitally printed over large areas up to 140
cms/60 inches wide on a variety of specially coated papers and fabrics. Design ideas etc, are firstly
scanned in, manipulated and saved as photo shop files, or as in some textile design studios the use of
dedicated textile repeat programmes would be employed at the design stage. They are then copied to
disc and finally sent to the printer. Large format printed fabrics are printed using reactive dye based
inks and as a result still have to be colour fixed after printing. This is done through steaming the cloth
to fix the printed areas, the cloth is then machine washed at 60 degrees to remove excess dyestuff. The
advantages of digital printing are such that many colours can be printed without the need for silk screen
separations and it can be an ideal way of producing printed material for the non specialist textile
designer. There are however limits to the types of fabric that can be printed and it has a very different
look and finish to some of the qualities and finishes achieved with more traditional methods of
printing.
Sean Henneberry.
Senior Technical Instructor.
Printed Textiles.
Revised 11/9/06.