Screen Printing - February/March 2016 - (Page 26)
The Power
of PigmenT
Milan's itMA textile show brought the latest in ink
technology to the fore, with fade-resistant pigmented
inks on center stage.
Vince Cahill
iTmA
is the major international exhibition of the
textile industry's equipment, tools, and
materials, and while it's held just once every four years, its
technologies are rapidly easing into both screen and digital
printing markets. Held last November in Milan - the urban
powerhouse of fashion and fabric - ITMA featured a global
span of manufacturers and suppliers displaying the full range
of textile machinery, innovations, and software. The show's
breadth spanned designing, resource planning, spinning,
weaving, knitting, embroidery, felting, recycling, printing,
washing, steaming, dyeing, drying, cutting, finishing, workflow, and even transportation: In other words, an eyeful of
textile technology. A range of single-pass technologies
wowed the digital market, while cutting-edge advances in
pigmented inks will impact both screen and digital printing
segments in the months and years to come.
inkjet inks Versus Analog
Inkjet technology can print many of the same types of ink
and fluid as conventional analog processes, but typically at
significantly lower fluid viscosities and requiring much finer
particulates for its pigmented inks. Both analog and digital
fiber-reactive dyes decorate cellulosic fiber fabrics such as
cotton, linen, and viscose rayon. They can also color protein
fibers, including silk and wool.
How does this process work? First, remember that
reactive dyes form very strong covalent chemical bonds with
fibers. On the other hand, printers will often use acid dye inks
to decorate protein fiber fabrics including silk, wool, and
nylon. Protein fibers are more receptive to acids, and acid
dyes offer the type of superior sheen on lustrous, silky fabrics
that demanding customers require.
If you're printing on synthetic media, direct-print disperse dyes and their sister sublimation transfer dyes offer
an effective way to decorate polyester and some other
man-made fibers. Polyester fibers, in particular, are receptive
to disperse and sublimation dye penetration with the addition
26
screenprinting
of heat and, for sublimation dye, pressure. Dyers and
decorators of acrylic fabrics will use either disperse or
cationic dyes. The strength of dye bonding methods varies
according to the strength of these bonds between various
inks and fabrics. Sublimation transfers and direct inkjet
printing of polyester fabrics yield prints that pop and wash
well, which is one reason for the slow adoption of nonpolyester fabric media among inkjet users.
why Pick Pigmented inks?
Printed and fixed dye-based inks can produce vibrant color
and soft hand. Most dyes, however, are vulnerable to fading
when exposed to the UV energy in sunlight and the chemical effects of ozone and oxygen. Screen-printed pigmented
inks lack the soft hand of dye-based inks, and typically have
a heavier hand than inkjet pigmented systems. Pigmented
inks generally yield much greater resistance to fading when
exposed to sunlight, oxygen, and ozone than dye-based inks.
Also they do not require washing to remove excess dye after
heat setting, as direct dye printing typically does.
Of course, buyers of apparel fabrics generally prefer
the soft hand and vibrancy of dye, even though such fabrics
are prone to fading. On the other hand, buyers also prefer
pigment printed fabrics when they are exposed to sunlight,
as outdoor signage, curtains, some home furnishings, and
even decorated T-shirts often are. Some manufacturers of
inkjet inks have introduced pigmented inks with relatively
soft hand while others have been developing UV-absorbing
coatings to protect dye-based inks.
Which type of ink should a printer chose? Suppliers
typically dedicate each of their textile inkjet devices to a
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Screen Printing - February/March 2016
Screen Printing - February/March 2016
Contents
Editorial Insights
Pressing Issues
New Products
Are You Confused about CPSIA Regulations?
Clothing Becomes Electric
The Power of Pigment
Understanding the Garment: Selection, Testing, and Prep
Distributor/Dealer Directory
Classifieds
Ad Index
Who’s in Charge here?
Screen Printing - February/March 2016
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