This article is translated from a report issued by the China Dyeing and Printing Association

Development of New Digital Textile Printing Solutions

The continuous progress of digital inkjet printing technology has promoted the development of digital textile inkjet printing solutions towards personalization, differentiation and high added value. The variety of digital textile printing solutions has been continuously enriched, and the industrialization and supply capacity have been continuously improved.

(I) Polyamide/Nylon Fabrics Digital Inkjet Printing Solution

In recent years, nylon fibers have expanded their technological and functional properties, with large market potential. With the characteristics of good elasticity, good wear resistance, strong moisture absorption, softness and skin-friendliness, nylon fabrics are widely used for making yoga clothes, underwear, socks, swimsuits, skin clothes, ski clothes, down jackets, etc.

Nylon fabrics are often printed by acid ink digital direct printing solution. Digital inkjet printing of fine denier nylon fabrics is prone to problems such as low pattern accuracy, severe ink penetration, uneven color, and poor reproducibility; nylon/spandex blended stretch fabrics have high requirements for fabric tension, temperature, time control and ink during the printing process.

Currently, there are not many companies engaged in nylon digital inkjet printing in China. The printing cost for woven fabrics is about 8 to 10 yuan per meter, and the printing cost for knitted fabrics is about 10 to 14 yuan per meter.

(II) Silk Fabrics Digital Inkjet Printing Solution

With the continuous optimization and upgrading of consumption structure, coupled with the guidance of personalized consumption, green consumption, cultural consumption and other concepts, the domestic market demand for silk products has increased, especially "Hanfu", "Cheongsam", "New Chinese Clothing" and other clothes with silk as the main fabric, leading the continuous innovation of traditional clothing culture. Compared with cellulose fiber and chemical fiber, the overall volume of silk printing and dyeing products is relatively small, and about 30% of silk printing products are realized by digital inkjet printing. The development and application of double-sided digital inkjet printing technology has promoted the further expansion of the application of digital direct printing of silk fabrics.

In recent years, clothing and accessories made of xiangyun yarn fabrics have become a new consumer hotspot for silk products. Xiangyun yarn is with simple color and unique texture, as well as the characteristics of fine and smooth, cool and comfortable, sterilization and insect repellent. Hangzhou Messi Digital Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Yuanxing Digital Technology Co., Ltd. and other companies have organically combined digital printing technology with traditional dyeing and finishing processes to develop high-end and fashionable xiangyun yarn digital inkjet printing fabrics, and won the favor of the market.

(III) Acetate Fabrics Digital Inkjet Printing Solution

Acetate fiber is a regenerated cellulose fabric made from natural cellulose after chemical processing. Due to its unique optical and mechanical properties, it is known as one of the fibers closest to silk. It not only has the luster and feel of silk, but also has drape, wrinkle resistance, shrinkage resistance, and biodegradability, so it is widely used in fashionable women's clothing such as cheongsam and dresses. However, due to the high difficulty of printing, there are not many manufacturers at present. Acetate products mainly include pure acetate, acetate/polyester, acetate/nylon, and acetate/silk interwoven fabrics, with a gram weight of 50 to 220g/m2.

Acetate fabrics are suitable printed by high-temperature dispersed direct printing solution. The current printing cost for digital inkjet printing of acetate fabrics is 15 to 18 yuan/meter.

(IV) Lyocell Fabrics Digital Inkjet Printing Solution

Lyocell fiber has good moisture absorption, breathability, softness and drape. It can be blended with a variety of fibers such as cotton, polyester, viscose, mulberry silk, nylon, wool, linen, etc., providing a rich choice of fabrics for fashion, casual wear and home wear. In recent years, lyocell fiber has developed rapidly and its downstream applications have continued to expand.

Lyocell fiber fabrics are usually digitally printed with reactive dye inks. Different printing solutions are used according to the characteristics of blended fibers and the degree of cross-linking. Due to the fibrillation problem of the fabric itself, the wet friction fastness of the fabric is only 2 to 3 levels. At present, there are not many companies that have mastered the digital inkjet printing technology for lyocell fiber fabrics, and the printing cost is about 10 to 12 yuan per meter.

(V) Blended Fabrics Digital Inkjet Printing Solutions

Currently, reactive dye ink digital printing solution, disperse ink digital printing solution, disperse dye ink transfer printing solution, acid ink digital printing solution, and textile pigment ink digital printing solution can meet the digital inkjet printing of various fabrics.

* The digital inkjet printing for blended fabrics is relatively difficult. For multi-fiber blended fabrics with complex structures or large differences in fiber properties, textile pigment ink digital printing solution is the best solution.

* For common polyester-cotton blended fabrics, due to the different properties of the two raw materials, if disperse dye inks or reactive dye inks are used, only one fiber will be dyed, resulting in uneven color and whitening. Therefore, it can only be printed by textile pigment ink digital printing solution.

* Nylon-cotton blended fabrics with a nylon content of no more than 30% can be printed with reactive ink digital direct printing solution.

* Polyester-spandex fabrics with a spandex content of less than 20% can be printed with high-temperature disperse ink direct printing solution.

* Nylon-spandex fabrics with a spandex content of less than 20% can be printed with acid ink direct printing solution.

* High-end silk-wool blended fabrics can be printed with reactive ink direct printing solution or acid ink direct printing solution.

The continuous exploration and progress of digital inkjet printing technology for blended fabrics has promoted the continuous enrichment of digital inkjet printing product, and the continuous improvement of product grades and added value. In recent years, new fibers and composite fibers such as bio-based fibers, high-performance fibers, regenerated cellulose fibers and functional fibers have emerged in an endless stream. In order to meet the printing needs of different fibers, digital inkjet printing needs to increase the development and application of new technologies in the fields of technology, equipment, ink, etc.