Category: General

  • Premier Digital Textiles talks to Texintel

    Premier Digital Textiles talks to Texintel

    Emily Falconer, Business Development Manager of Premier Digital Textiles talks to Debbie McKeegan of Texintel about all things textiles, current developments and sustainability in the digital print marketplace. 

    We as Premier Digital Textiles have been supplying the textile industry for over 30 years, under our Parent company Premier Textiles Limited and expanded our offering over 15 years ago, with the introduction of digitally prepared textiles into our extensive, ever growing range at PDT.

    We are passionate about development and innovation to be able to bring the print industry a balanced selection of digital print ready substrates that are available in large and small volumes. *

    To learn more about our continued expansion of textiles, including sustainable fabrics, and our corporate strategy to increase sustainable innovations available in the marketplace, please listen and enjoy the podcast below.

    *MOQ – 50mts (1 roll)

     

     

    For more information please contact sales: HERE

    Podcast also shown on Textintel website

    This podcast was made possible by the support of Texintel and Fespa on behalf of the global print community.

  • PDT announce the expansion of their environmentally certified textile collection

    PDT announce the expansion of their environmentally certified textile collection

    Premier Digital Textiles are proud to announce the expansion of their environmentally certified textile collection. 

    A specialist print-ready collection expertly developed and sourced to fulfil the Industries requirement for Textiles that meet the needs of an expanding marketplace for sustainably sourced fabrics suitable for Digital Textile printing.

    In tune with industry trends and demands, and in partnership with their longstanding connections amongst the world’s most prestigious mills, the textile specialists and fabric technologists within the Premier Digital team have created a substantial offering of fabric print bases that offer the manufacturer viable, sustainable alternatives to the world’s most popular woven and knitted textiles.

    Certification is paramount, and as we move into an era of transparency within the global supply chain, sourcing confidence is essential. Premier Digital Textiles have worked tirelessly to provide accurate certification, and importantly, a collection with the provenance that the consumer now demands.

    Which certifications apply :

    Cottons – Soil Association, GOTS, Oeko-Tex, BCI

    Polyester – Repreve (by UNIFI)

    ENVIRONMENTALLY CERTIFIED COLLECTIONS INCLUDE:

    Organic Natural Fabrics 

    2386 Recycled and Organic cotton blend – twill – 213gsm

    6903 Organic Natural drill – 255gsm

    2886 Organic Half panama bleached  – 309gsm

    2886 Organic Half panama natural – 309gsm

    3030 Organic Dedsuti – 195gsm

    6985 Organic Satin -140gsm

    7027 Organic Interlock – 210gsm

    2260 Organic Plain – 156gsm

    6999 Supa Soft Organic Cotton – 150gsm

    Recycled Polyester (100% or blended)

    2331 Freemont – Linen look poly – 210gsm

    2333 Eco Austin – Polyester linen – 284gsm

    2336 Eco Phoenix – 247gsm

    2332 Eco Canvas – 215gsm

    2406 Cordoba

    2565 Colorado – 100% Recycled half panama

    Premier Digital Textiles also see the value of the addition of Lyocell (a wood pulp fibre) to the strong offering of their current sustainable textiles and an important fibre for future production.  

    Lyocell will be launching at the end of March. Please contact sales for more information. 

    Premier Digital Textiles have been supplying the worlds Textile industry for over 30 years, and the Digital Textile industry for over 15 years. Importantly they are also credited as the pioneers for the many new substrates and woven innovations that have unlocked the textile supply chain to bring the print Industry a balanced selection of print-ready Textile substrates available in large and small volumes.

    “Our fundamental commitment to sustainable fabric development is at the heart of what we do. Our team has been working closely with existing key suppliers for over 12 months, to bring new sustainable fabrics to market. This has involved close collaboration and a sharing of knowledge, which has resulted in an exciting new range of print ready fabrics, all of which are fully certified and tested to meet our exacting quality standards”.

    “Premier truly believes that quality and cost shouldnt be compromised in the search to deliver customers truly sustainable print solutions.” “Premier Digital Textiles are proud to offer the industry a comprehenshive collection of eco print ready base fabrics and look forward to sharing future innovations and developments, alongside continued investment in the supply of sustainable textiles.”

    – Emily Falconer: Business Development Premier Digital textiles.

     For more information please contact sales: HERE

    Article also shown on Textintel website

  • The Dye Sublimation Heat Transfer Process Explained

    The Dye Sublimation Heat Transfer Process Explained

    The Heat transfer process is the means by which Dye-Sublimation printing is transferred and fixed to the fabric to be produced.

    Dye-Sublimation is an ink-set used exclusively on Polyester Fabrics.

    Sublimation is a scientific term which describes the process by which a solid transforms into a gas without an intermediate liquid phase.

    This process allows colour to be fixed onto Polyester fabrics with a great degree of accuracy and impact, owing to a vivid colour gamut.

    In Dye-Sub printing the process is for the pattern to be printed with dye-sub inks using a standard inkjet printer onto a high release transfer paper.

    The next stage of the process is to place the paper next to the textile to be transferred in a high temperature heat transfer press.

    When this happens, the ink sublimates from liquid to a gas and transfers from the paper to the textile producing vivid colours in near perfect resolution on the textile.

    In order to transfer the image from the paper to the substrate, it requires a heat press process that is a combination of time, temperature and pressure.

    The heat press applies this special combination, which can change depending on the substrate, to “transfer” the sublimation dyes at the molecular level into the substrate.

    The most common dyes used for sublimation activate at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

    However, a range of 380 to 420 degrees Fahrenheit is normally recommended for optimal colour.

    The end result of the sublimation process is an almost permanent, high resolution, full colour print.

    Because the dyes are infused into the substrate at the molecular level, rather than applied at a topical level (such as with screen printing and direct to garment printing), the prints will not crack, fade or peel from the substrate under normal conditions.

    Dye Sublimation printing onto Polyester Fabrics is very accurate, with great stability and ease of process, heat transfer is widely used as a printing method by many digital textile printers specialising in Fashion, Interiors, Sportswear and Athleisure.

     

  • Digital Textile Fabric Sourcing and Preparation

    Digital Textile Fabric Sourcing and Preparation

    Whatever the Ink-Set, whether Reactive, Pigment, or Dye Sublimation, consistent preparation of the fabric is a vital component in ensuring that colour vibrancy, reproducibility and print mark are of the highest possible standard when printing Digital Textiles.

    Only by ensuring that the fabric supplier has complete control of the supply chain, with absolute transparency in the chemicals being used, alongside an in depth, expert knowledge and control of Textile Sourcing and Processing can exacting Quality control be achieved.

    Premier Digital Textiles have been supplying fabrics to the printed textile industry for over 30 years.

    Working with mills and partners across the globe to ensure consistency in supply, creating innovative new processes, and new opportunities for textile manufacturing. It’s these connections and a Textile legacy that ensures high quality Digital Textiles.

    Certification and Regulation are at the heart of the Premier team’s company strategy.

    A platform member in the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) an organisation that secures the future of sustainable cotton farming and protects the environment. Premier Digital also hold GOTS certification, SEDEX, and Soil Association compliance to ensure that all products sold as organic have full traceability from field to fabric.

    Traceability is increasingly becoming an important tool to define sustainable supply and a requirement for the consumer. From the field to the store, clarity is required for truly sustainable manufacturing. If not controlled and specified from origin, poor standards and inconsistencies in supply lead to problems further down the print route. Contamination in textile pre-processing for both Polyesters and Natural fabrics can cause colour issues and print faults.

    Variations in the fabric construction, bleaching and processing alongside chemical contamination can cause previously untraceable issues and affect the constituents of the PFDP (prepared for digital print) preparation paste to cause excessive divergence when the fabric is printed. This is particularly true of the optical brightening agents (OBA’s) that are used to enhance the whiteness of the fabric ensuring a vivid print mark and sharp print register. An OBA from one manufacturer will have a blue cast, while that from another may have a reddish tinge, so consistency of OBA use is vital when it comes to reproducibility or repeat printing and in choosing your fabric supplier.

    The pre-coating of fabric for digital textile printing is a vital component in the quality equation, and consistency of Digital Print. If the chemicals used are not in the correct concentration or composition, then wash fastness, colour vibrancy and rub fastness will all be affected, and a substandard print will be the result.

    The only real way to ensure that fabric and print consistency is maintained is to buy print-prepared fabric from a trusted source, a specialist supplier with a rich legacy in Digital Textile Supply and Textile technology.

    Premier Digital textiles and their partners control upstream performance, chemistry and application to ensure that you don’t have to!

    As specialist suppliers with over 30 years’ experience, they provide reliable and consistent textiles that the Digital Textile Printer can rely on.

  • Colour Management and Fabric Consistency

    Colour Management and Fabric Consistency

    Colour Management and Consistency of Textile Supply and Fabric Preparation is the key to successful Digital Textile Printing.

    The artwork source and its pre-press preparation is critical. Bridging the transfer of accurate colour, print mark appearance, and the technical components of colour yield from Cameras, to Image Scanners, variable Monitors, CAD / CAM, and infinite light sources, cannot be underestimated and requires both specialist software, and technical specification to ensure that the final printed fabric meets the clients expectations and standards.

    The visual colour viewed on the creator’s monitor will vary significantly between design studios, commercial artists and the final production source, who are often in different locations, many miles apart. Pre-press sampling and or screen calibration is mandatory.

    It can be a challenging technical process and without professional calibration colour management is impossible. Colour management software, utilised in design and pre-press, alongside fabric profiling gives excellent results and offers a seamless channel for successful production.

    To circumnavigate the variance in print supply and in order to provide universal colour reference, colour charts or chips are often used as a reference to define accurate colour prior to, and during digital textile printing.

    Pantone references are often quoted as an Industry Standard for Colour matching on Textiles, but not all Pantone chips are within the Colour Gamut of your chosen Digital Textile printer and their print technology.

    Variations in colour gamut, yield, and colour appearance occur due to a number of factors; the reflectivity of the fabric, the standard of whiteness, the type of ink set utilized, and the number of colours used (within the ink-jet machine) during printing can vary significantly.

    The only practical solution is to profile the machine print on the fabric to be used using X-rite/Barbieri or other similar type equipment and software. But even then, some Pantone chips may not be attainable. Therefore, precise Pantone colour matching on Textiles has to be understood in this context.

    The increased number of digital textile printing machines and available print sources has increased the variables of Colour Management. What works on one machine, does not always work on another. What works on one fabric does not always work on another.

    Choose your Digital print partner wisely, the best print systems are those that are developed for specific machines, using specific inks and specific fabric types. Dye Sublimation, Pigment, Reactive and Latex etc…will all yield specific benefits.

    Colour Management is a complex area that has to be dealt with at the practical as well as at the theoretical level.

    In this context the reliability and consistency of the fabric used now assumes critical importance.

    Different coating chemicals and different optical brightening agents can introduce colour variables that make reproducing the same colour on the same fabric a complicated and error prone enterprise.

    Therefore, it is vital that the printer is absolutely confident in their fabric source.

    A well organised and well controlled fabric sourcing operation is vital for the Digital Printer, where economies of scale, rigid batch controls and tight technical specifications ensure the best possible environment for the Digital Textile Printer and guaranteed colour consistency.

  • Digital Textile Print Processes Explained

    Digital Textile Print Processes Explained

    When printing Fabrics using Digital Ink-jet technologies, the fabric chosen will determine the ink-set used and the type of digital printing process that follows.

    The number of available ink- sets for Digital Textile Printing are growing as the Digital Print market expands in size.  The five most important ink-sets and their printing process are shown and described below.

    Dye-Sub Ink-Set

    Sublimation is a scientific term which describes the process by which a solid transforms into a gas without an intermediate liquid phase.

    This process allows colour to be fixed onto Polyester fabrics with a great degree of accuracy and impact, owing to a vivid colour gamut.

    Uncoated fabrics can be used with Dye-Sub Ink-sets.

    Process :

    In Dye-Sub printing the process is for the pattern to be printed using a standard inkjet printer onto a high release transfer paper.

    The next stage of the process is to place the paper next to the  textile to be transferred in a high temperature heat press.

    When this happens, the ink sublimates and transfers from the paper to the textile producing vivid colours in near perfect resolution on the textile.

    Pigment Ink-Set

    Pigment inks are inks where the colorant is a fine particle dissolved and suspended in a carrier fluid.

    The process deposits the ink on the pre-coated fabric which, when the fluid dries, allows the particles of the colour to physically bond to the fabric.

    In recent technical developments the range, performance and clarity of colours has expanded significantly, resulting in the general suitability of Pigment Ink-Sets for all types of fabrics and fibres.

    Process :

    In Pigment printing the ink and carrier fluid are printed together directly onto the fabric using an inkjet printer.

    The fabric is dried as it is printed, and fixation takes place, at approximately 150°C  in a baker or thermo-fixation device.

    Fabrics for Pigment printing have to be pre-coated before use.

    Reactive Ink-Set

    Reactive Ink-Sets  are organic compounds whereby through a covalent bond the dyes become a chemical part of the fibre component of the fabric being printed through a reaction between the liquid of the dyestuff and the fabric itself.

    The chemical bond is very strong and produces vivid colours on Cottons, Linens and other cellulosic fabrics with excellent fastness properties.

    Process :  

    The printing process for Reactive Ink-Sets however is complicated.

    First the pre-coated fabric is directly printed in an inkjet printer, and the inks are dried during the printing process.

    Then the fabric is processed slowly through a High Temperature Steamer to fix the colours to the fabric.

    Finally, the fabric is washed and dried to remove any surplus colour, so that no fading occurs during subsequent washing.

    Fabrics for Reactive printing have to be pre-coated before use.

    Acid Ink-Set

    Acid Ink-Sets are usually sodium salts of sulfonic acids, whereby the dyestuff, benefitting from an increased solubility in water in an acidic solution, creates an ionic bond with the fibres of the fabric being printed.

    Generally, this Ink-Set is only used to print Wool, Cashmere, Angora, Nylon and Silk fabrics, where its performance in terms of clarity, fastness and Intensity is exemplary.

    Process :

    The printing process for Acid Ink-Sets, as with Reactive Ink-Sets however is complicated.

    First the fabric is directly printed in an inkjet printer, and the inks are dried during the printing process.

    Then the fabric is processed very slowly through a High Temperature Steamer to fix the colours to the fabric.

    Finally, the fabric is washed and dried to remove any surplus colour, so that no fading occurs during subsequent washing.

    Fabrics for Acid printing have to be pre-coated before use.

    Disperse Ink-Set

    The Disperse Ink-Set is a low soluble dyestuff effectively dispersed in water by powerful dispersing agents, which allow the dyestuff to be adsorbed into the interstices of the fibre which expands under temperature to allow the dyestuff to be encased within the fibre at a molecular level.

    This ink-set is widely used, it is applicable to automotive and other fabrics comprising Polyester or Acetate Fibres where extremely high fastness properties are demanded.

    Fabrics for Disperse printing have to be pre-coated before use.

    Process :

    The printing process for Disperse Ink-Sets, as with Reactive Ink-Sets however is complicated.

    First the pre-coated fabric is directly printed in an inkjet printer, and the inks are dried during the printing process.

    Then the fabric is processed very slowly through a High Temperature Steamer to fix the colours to the fabric.

    Finally, the fabric is washed and dried to remove any surplus colour, so that no fading occurs during subsequent washing.

  • Sustainability & Responsible Fabric Sourcing

    Sustainability & Responsible Fabric Sourcing

    In a world where the Textile Industry is seen to be one of the largest polluters of the environment, progress towards achieving sustainability in Textile manufacturing has proved to be a vital component in developing a winning market proposition for many textile Companies.

    Whether it is the use of illegal pesticides in cotton growth, or the irresponsible consumption of trees and oil reserves in fibre production, the Textile Industry has much to answer for, but it is changing, and fast.

    Taken alongside its voracious appetite for energy and water consumption, as well as its unrestrained pollution of local water tables, the Textile Industry has been forced to find answers for an increasingly environmentally aware customer base.

    Alongside the many improvements in bleaching and chemical treatment, as well as new re-cycling technologies, the widespread adoption of Digital Textile Printing has proved to be a vital component in the Industry’s battle to adopt effective sustainability strategies.

    Over the years, Digital Textile Printing has become the most effective sustainable solution in textile production.

    The machinery is smaller, less space consuming, and ink usage is a fraction of traditional analogue printing processes.

    A typical Digital print installation will use less than 25% of the Electricity, 10% of the water and less than 5% of the water table pollution of traditional printing processes.

    All of which adds up to a tremendous reduction in the environmental footprint of Textile printing.

    Yet behind the machinery and process choice lies the extensive use of certified inks, that through the various bodies such as Oeko-Tex, Reach and BlueSign reach acceptable standards of environmental safety.

    Many of the inks used in Digital printing are 100% Non-hazardous, 100% Toxin-free, Biodegradable, contain no animal by-products, and are safe for infants and babies.

    Inks generally meet the strictest industry standards as defined by Oeko-Tex 100 safety applications for infant wear, Global Organic Textiles (GOTS-3V), Residues Standard List (RSL) and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colourists.

    Supporting this is the responsible sourcing of fabrics:

    The Digital Printer in his quest for environmental credentials also has to use fabrics that are prepared from renewable, re-cycled or organic sources.

    Premier Digital textile are market leaders in this sector with a wide range of responsible fabrics including Bamboos, Linens, recycled Polyesters and GOTS certified cottons.

    Sustainability is at the heart of the Premier Digital Textile supply chain and they provide eco-conscious certified cotton and recycled polyester alternatives.

    Premier Digital Textiles support and supply Sustainable textiles with a reduced carbon footprint, prepared using less water than conventional textiles and with reduced or no use of pesticides and growing agents. They now also offer an expanding selection of re-cycled polyester print bases.

    Whatever the print process, Premier Digital textile have an environmentally conscious fabric for the Digital printer to choose.

    As a company renowned for their innovation the sustainable sourcing team and textile innovators at Premier Digital Textiles continue their development of circular, eco-friendly fabrics.

    So, with responsible fabric sourcing, water and energy efficiency, zero wastewater, and fully certified inks, Digital Textile Printing continuously shows the way forward in the environmentally sensitive market of today, offering a High-Tech solution to redress the many ecological excesses of the past.