INTRODUCTION TO TEXTILE MANUFACTURING

(TXT-175)

By: Nirmal Malik

PRINTING• When colored patterns and designs are

applied to a finished fabric for its decoration, it is called 'Printing'.

• In printing, the color is firmly affixed to the fiber so that it may not be affected by washing and friction.

• Textile printing is related to dyeing in the sense that in both the processes color is applied to the fabric.

• The difference lies in the fact that in dyeing, the color is applied uniformly to the whole fabric whereas in printing one or more colors are applied to it in selected parts only, and in sharply defined patterns.

Types of Dyes used in Printing• For cotton printing vat and reactive dyes are generally used. • Silk is usually printed with acid colors. • Wool is printed with acid or chrome dyes but before printing

it is treated with chlorine to make it more receptive to colors. • Manmade fibers are generally printed with disperse and

cationic dyes. 

Methods of Printing• For printing color on a fabric, mostly three techniques

are applied:

1. Direct Printing, 2. Discharge Printing 3. Resist Printing.

Direct Printing• Direct Printing It is the most common approach to apply a

color pattern onto a fabric.• If done on colored fabric, it is known as overprinting. • The desired pattern is produced by pressing dye on the

fabric in a paste form.

Discharge Printing• In this technique, the fabric is

dyed in piece and then it is printed with a bleaching agent that destroys the color in the designated areas.

• Sometimes, the base color is removed and other color is printed in its place.

• The printed fabric is steamed and then thoroughly washed. 

Resist Printing• In this technique, a resist paste is fixed onto the fabric and

then it is dyed. • The dye affects only those parts that are not covered by

the resist paste.• After dyeing, the resist paste is removed leaving a

pattern on the background of the fabric.

Methods of Printing• There are various methods of printing in which one of the above

three techniques is used 1. Block Printing2. Roller Printing3. Duplex Printing4. Screen Printing5. Transfer Printing6. Air Brush Printing7. Digital Printing8. Batik Dyeing9. Tie Dyeing10. Flock Printing

Block Printing• Block Printing designs are carved on a wooden or metal block and

the dyestuff in paste form is applied to the design on the face of the block.

• The block is pressed down firmly by hand on the surface of the fabric.

• Fixation is done through ironing.• Time consuming process.• Not for commercial use.

Screen Printing• It is done either with flat or

cylindrical screens made of silk threads, nylon, polyester, or metal.

• The printing paste or dye is poured on the screen and forced through its unblocked areas onto the fabric.

• Based on the type of the screen used, it is known as 'Flat Screen Printing' or 'Rotary Screen Printing'. 

Roller Printing• Machine counterpart of block printing• Engraved copper cylinders or rollers

are used in place of hand carved blocks.

• When the rollers move, a repeat of the design is printed on the fabric.

• The printed cloth is passed into a drying chamber and then in a steam chamber where the moisture and heat sets the dye. 

• High speed.• Traditionally used for commercial

printing.

Duplex Printing• Printing is done on both sides of the fabric either through

roller printing machine in two operations or a duplex printing machine in a single operation.

Transfer Printing• It involve the transfer of a design from one medium to

another. • The most common form used is heat transfer printing in

which the design is printed initially on to a special paper, using conventional printing machinery.

• The paper is then placed in close contact with the fabric and heated, when the dyes sublime and transfer to the fabric through the vapor phase.

Air Brush Printing• Airbrush (Spray) Printing

In this method, the dye is applied with a mechanized airbrush which blows or sprays color on the fabric. 

Tie Dyeing• Firm knots are tied in the cloth before it is immersed in a dye. • The outside portion of the immersed fabric is dyed but the

color does not penetrates the inside portions of the tied knots. • There are various forms of Tie dyeing like Ikat Dyeing where

bundles of warp and/ or weft yarns are tie dyed prior to their weaving.

Batik Dyeing• Batik Dyeing It is a resist dyeing process.• Designs are made with wax on a fabric which is then

immersed in a dye. • The portion not having wax absorbs the color.

Digital Printing• Digital printing In this form of

printing micro-sized droplets of dye are placed onto the fabric through an inkjet print head.

• The print system software interprets the data supplied by a cad Textile digital image file.

• The digital image file has the data to control the droplet output so that the image quality and color control may be achieved.

• This is the latest development in textile printing and is expanding very fast. 

Flock Printing• Flocking is the technique of depositing many small fiber

particles, called "flock" onto a surface of a fabric to produce design.

• Instead of dyes, an adhesive is used to affix the flocks on the fabric.

• Then, roller printing produces design on its surface. • Flocks of cotton, wool, rayon, nylon and acrylic are all used

for the purpose.