The significance of inks in DTF (direct-to-fabric) digital printing

In DTF (direct-to-fabric) printing, the selection of inks contributes to the success of the result.

First off, when we talk about inks for digital printing on fabric, we have to distinguish between inks for direct printing and inks for sublimation or transfer printing. The former are inks developed to print directly onto fibers, both natural as well as synthetic. These are water-based inks offered in different types: responsive, for printing on cellulose-based fibers such as cotton, linen, viscose, hemp; acid, for printing on silk, woollen and also polyamide (nylon); disperse, for printing on polyester substrates. Ultimately, pigment inks work with both all-natural and combined fibres.

How do you understand which ink is finest matched to your production demands?

The choice of ink depends, most importantly, on the printing innovation. Digital inks need to be developed to be compatible with the printheads used to ensure continuous efficient output and make certain maximum print high quality and also reliability. Inevitably, the chemistry of each ink is created to "work" optimally with the characteristics of a details sort of printhead. The services in Epson's Monna Lisa range use EPSON PrecisionCore exclusive printheads, which are created to guarantee exact and also pre-determined distribution of ink beads onto fabrics, avoiding waste and chemical leakage.

Another factor to take into consideration is your target audience. All readily offered DtF printing services are created to fit eight-colour ink collections. Relying on their manufacturing demands and also the target market of the fabrics, the printer chooses one of the most appropriate colour arrangement. This implies that aside from the inks called for - which can be the very same for different types of fabrics, e.g. acid inks are utilized for both silk as well as polyamide printing - it is the expectations of the target audience that identify the attributes of the published item and the printer's options. Likewise in regards to the efficiency called for of the end product. For those that print on silk for the manufacturing, as an example, of headscarfs and also ties, the requirement is to get a final fabric rich in nuances as well as immune to completely dry cleansing. For a business printing polyamide as well as with a target audience of beach wear and also sports apparel, the ink setup may likewise consist of fluorescent colours and also the prints will certainly require to be chlorine and light immune.

Epson's R&D team has actually started a journey to expand the range of inks to ensure that consumers who choose to print with MonnaLisa will have similar performance to screen printing, both in regards to colour range as well as efficiency.

Ecological sustainability is a key focus that remains to drive our research and development in both printing innovations and chemistry. Therefore, all InkMall inks are DGM, CNAS and also ROHS licensed. The use of pigment inks, in itsel f, results in additional financial savings in water as well as power resources, thanks to the removal of the steaming and cleaning phases of the fabrics.