Digital printing is a general term for inkjet printing technology.
Classification by printing method:
Digital direct jet printing is a method of direct jet printing on semi-finished textile fabrics. This method is suitable for coating, reactive, dispersive and acid dye inks. The process is as follows: select the appropriate semi-finished fabric (without softener) according to the ink category, carry out sizing, drying, and rolling, and then directly spray printing at the digital equipment (the fabric is like paper), and then carry out drying, steaming, washing, drying, softening and shaping (the color of the coating can be fixed as long as it is baked);
Cold transfer printing is a printing method in which textile dyes are first printed on specially coated paper, and then the patterns are transferred to textiles by a cold transfer machine. This method is suitable for all kinds of fabrics except blending. The inks used include reactive, disperse, acid, and other dye inks. The method also requires semi-finished fabrics to be embossed with printed paper. The imprinted fabric is treated by a cold pile chemical reaction (the fabric needs to be chemically treated in advance), as well as traditional processes such as steaming, washing and shaping;
Heat transfer printing is a printing method in which textile dyes are printed on specially coated paper, and then the patterns are transferred to textiles through heat sublimation. This method is similar to traditional paper printing. It can only be used for polyester or high polyester-containing textiles. The transfer fabrics are all semi-finished products without softener (the softener may affect the coloring rate).
Classification by dye and process:
Disperse digital printing, which accounts for more than 50% of printing inks in China, is used for printing chemical fiber fabrics such as polyester fiber; Disperse dyes are a kind of non-ionic dyes with low water solubility, which exist mainly in a highly dispersed state in water with the help of dispersants;
Reactive dye ink accounts for about 29% of the active digital printing, which is mainly used for printing silk and cotton fabrics; Reactive dyes, also known as reactive dyes, are a class of dyes that react chemically with fibers during dyeing. This kind of dye separation contains genes that can react with fibers. When dyeing, the dye reacts with fibers, forming a covalent bond between them as a whole, which improves the fastness of washing and rubbing. Reactive dye molecules include two main components: parent dye and a reactive group. The group that can react with fiber is called the reactive group. At present, it is mainly used in woven and knitted fabrics such as cotton, general hemp, and silk, or fabrics with high content of the above ingredients;
The proportion of acid dye ink in acid digital printing is small, accounting for about 7%. It is used for printing wool, nylon, and other fabrics. Acid dyes are a kind of water-soluble dyes with acid groups in the structure. They are dyed in an acid medium. Most acid dyes contain sodium sulfonate, which can be dissolved in water, with bright color and complete chromatography. It is mainly used for dyeing wool, silk, and nylon, as well as leather, paper, ink, etc. Generally, it has no coloring power over cellulose fiber;
The use of pigment ink in digital printing in China is relatively small, less than 2%, mostly foreign products.
Classification by fabric composition:
Cotton based digital printing, but hemp, silk, etc. can also use reactive dye ink;
Chemical fiber-based digital printing, and chemical fiber dispersive direct-injection digital printing produced with dispersive thermal sublimation dye ink;
Some blended fabrics such as t/c, which cannot be operated with reactive, disperse, and acid dye ink, shall be printed with paint ink;
Digital printing based on nylon and wool is produced with acid dye ink, and silk can also be used.