When digital inkjet printing first emerged in the 1990s, it was a welcome innovation for printing flags, banners, and POS textiles, made primarily of polyester. Using disperse inks for direct printing or water-based inks for sublimation, the technology was the answer for quick-turn, small runs or single pieces needed in the display business.
It didn’t take long for textile designers and print studios, already using digital software for their design work, to realize the benefits of printing samples and small runs using digital inkjet printers. The development of acid, reactive, and pigment inks allowed them to print on a full range of fabrics, skipping the time-consuming, labour-intensive, expensive process of engraving screens.
While speed and colour matching were issues, ongoing improvements in machines, software, print heads and inks have resulted in impressive growth for digital inkjet printing. In 2010 the reel-to-reel digital textile market grew by 13%, with a printed output value of $1.3 billion US; while the direct-to-garment market saw 32% growth, with printed output valued at $2.45 billion US.
But as accuracy, colour-matching, and the quality of printing inks improve, the speed and hence the cost of digital inkjet printing for longer production runs has continued to impede its success for industrial use, where it lags behind rotary screen printing...
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