The textile business has seen significant changes over the years, and we are now in the midst of the digital age. Printing technology is becoming more affordable while also improving quality and durability. With all the resources available, fashion designers can develop a fashion line by themselves if they wish to work independently.

1. FLATBED SCREEN PRINTING

This technique is an automated variation of traditional silk screen printing. It puts different colors on fabric with a machine that supports ten or more rectangular screens — one screen for each color of the design.

The fabric is moved along a wide rubber belt while the squeegees slide from side to side, pressing the ink into the material.

Manufacturers typically offer printing in up to 12 colors, but it's a good idea to ask about the color and size limit.

Here is a video of a flatbed screen printing machine producing a repeat pattern in multiple colors (skip to the seventh minute of the video).

2. ROTARY SCREEN PRINTING

This is one of the oldest techniques (dating back to 1963), yet it is still the most commonly used for repeat prints today. As opposed to flatbed printing, rotary screen printing introduces the novelty of continuous printing through the use of metal cylinders that replace the flat screen.

As the screen rotates, it releases the ink through perforations inside it and onto the fabric. The cylinder has the same number of screens as the number of colors used in the design.

It’s the fastest method we have so far, but it only makes sense for high-volume manufacturing because creating custom screens can be quite expensive.

3. Heat Transfer Printing

In this procedure, an image is printed on a piece of paper with special dyes and then sealed into the fabric using a press. This is another time-saving option, and as you might expect, it’s great for placement prints such as T-shirt graphics, logos, and writing. It is also one of the most economical printing methods.

4. Cool Transfer Printing

This printing process also transfers an image from paper to fabric, but it does it at room temperature.

It is one of the most environmentally friendly solutions because it uses less WECh (water, energy, and chemicals) than rotary screens.  Furthermore, when used on cotton fabric and other natural fibers, it maintains its soft texture.

The drawbacks are the costs, as it is a relatively new technology, and it's also incompatible with metallic or glittery inks, as well as with some synthetic fabrics.

5. Digital Printing

It is a game-changer in custom printed fabric, as it requires a compact set-up (no heavy-duty cylinder screens here!). This makes it highly flexible and ideal for small orders and sampling — which, if you are at the beginning of your design journey, can come as a big plus. It also gives you the freedom to scale your placement prints based on the size of the clothes (extremely useful for T-shirts that require decorations in different sizes).

This agile, design-on-demand printing method can be desirable from an environmental consideration as it can reduce waste in production. However, as with all sustainability discussions, the answer is not clear-cut. The treatments that the fabric needs before and after printing require toxic chemicals, so this type of print may not be suitable for brands that use organic fabrics or have a “no chemicals” ethos.

Digital printing can be done in two ways:

• Through heat transfer (also referred to as dye-sublimation transfer or thermal transfer) – If you’re more of a visual learner, you can watch a video of the process of heat transfer printing and discover how simple it is.

• With inkjet printing – the technology is comparable to that of a home or office inkjet printer. It can use an endless variety of colors and repeat sizes for highly detailed and vivid designs. A few disadvantages, however, are the high cost, the requirement to prep the fabric and protect the colors from smearing, as well as the extra care needed to avoid damaging the print heads.

  
  
  

6. Discharge Printing

If you have to print a delicate design on a dark-colored material, you might want to try discharge printing.

Also called extract printing, it is used in screen printing to selectively remove color on pre-dyed fabrics — usually made of organic fibers. So, instead of adding color to your textiles, you use a special water-based formula containing a dye remover.

You can also obtain different colored prints instead of simply bleaching the base color.

It is more expensive than other techniques but can achieve results that other methods cannot. For example, when used on cotton garments, it doesn’t alter their naturally soft texture. However, you’ll need to take care with your quality control that this process doesn’t cause damage to the fabric — which is known as a “tender spot”.

7. VINYL PRINTING

Vinyl printing has become increasingly popular due to its affordability and easy to use. This method involves cutting designs from sheets of vinyl and heat-pressing them onto fabric. Unlike traditional screen printing, vinyl printing requires minimal setup which makes it ideal for small batches and one-off designs.

8. DIRECT-TO-GARMENT PRINTING

Unlike traditional screen printing which involves applying layers of ink through stencils, Direct-to-Garment (DTG) uses specialized inkjet technology to print designs directly onto fabric. 

With the rise of e-commerce and personalized products, DTG printing has become increasingly popular among businesses and individual creators. This is a great method for designers looking to create custom prints.

9. DIRECT-TO-FILM PRINTERS

A technological innovation that has been growing in the printing industry is the Direct-to-Film (DTF) printer. Designed to streamline and enhance print quality, DTF printers are quickly becoming the go-to solution for businesses and independent designers. 

Unlike traditional printing methods which often require multiple steps and various pieces of equipment, DTF printers simplify the process by allowing designs to be printed directly onto a specialized film. This film can then be transferred to textiles.

Using Ink on Printed Fabric

Let's move on to the types of fabric ink that can be used with the methods presented above.

While there are many options available, the most frequently used in the industry are plastisol and water-based inks.

Plastisol Ink

Plastisol is a synthetic, polymer-based fabric ink that is most commonly used in garment decoration, particularly screen printing, because it requires a high temperature to cure (260-350 °F) so that it does not wash out.

A decoration made of plastisol ink doesn’t penetrate the fabric so much, giving the design a plasticized and rigid texture. However, it’s cost effective and doesn’t come out in the wash.

Water-based Ink

This type of fabric ink is thinner than plastisol and seeps into the fabric giving it a more natural feel. To ‘seal’ a design, first, you need to evaporate the water in the ink with a gas dryer, and then cure the ink layer at 320 °F.

Even though it is less user-friendly (it dries quickly when exposed to air), you may opt for water-based ink if you are attempting to decrease plastic waste. After all, garment production is responsible for a fifth of the plastic produced globally every year, so every small step toward a more sustainable industry counts.

When it comes to color choice, we have spot color printing and CMYK or process color printing.

Spot Color Printing

Spot color ink (where ‘spot’ simply refers to a solid color) consists of pre-mixed colors—usually Pantone. This option is ideal for maintaining a consistent design across your collection and communicating with your team and factory by using the same color codes.

It’s a common technique for both screen and litho printing.

If this method is used, your tech pack or artwork spec must list each and every Pantone reference used in your design.

CMYK (Process Color) Printing

CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key/black) inks are transparent and make up solid colors through layering. When it comes to screen printing, the garment requires four separate ink applications as opposed to just one in spot color printing, in order to recreate the image.

This method is more often used in creating stationery (cards, notebooks) rather than custom printed fabrics—unless you opt for inkjet printing.

Final Thoughts

If you've ever wondered how printed fabric is made, we hope this overview of print types, printing technology, and textile inks has helped. We also hope you now have a clear direction for your fashion line and can confidently pursue your goals.

You can download the free templates in our store if you’ve reached the development stage and need a little bit of guidance to start production. Alternatively, if you’ve reached the next level and would like some expertise on streamlining development or increasing your product margins, don’t hesitate to reach out!