10 best Textile Printing Techniques

Fabric printing refers to creating beautiful designs and patterns on textile surfaces. Here is a list of the most popular methods used to do this.

The beautiful swirls of patterns and designs on that pretty fabric you bought from the fabric store look seamless, effortless & easy. But fabric printing is anything but easy. It is challenging to achieve precision and perfection in details with durable and vivid colors on the surface of fabrics.

The different methods of printing on textiles are Screen printing, Digital printing, Sublimation printing, Heat transfer printing, Block printing, Rotary printing, Discharge printing, Foil printing, Pigment printing, Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, Transfer printing, Reactive printing, Water-based printing, Flock printing, Plastisol printing, Foaming printing, burnout printing, Embossed printing, Resist printing, and Photographic printing.

If you are looking for ways to print on T-shirts, screen printing, direct to garment(DTG) and heat transfer vinyls are all popular, but it is a subject in itself; check out this post on the Types of shirt printing.

In the production process of textiles, patterns and designs are usually printed in the final stages. When you read about it, the printing process is simple enough – dyes or pigments are used to make those designs. But to make them stick there, separately without a mess, yard after yard – that is the tricky part.

The three most important types of textile printing methods are:

Direct printing: This involves printing directly onto the fabric’s surface with dyes/pigments.
Discharge printing: This removes colors from specific areas from an already dyed fabric by applying appropriate chemicals.
Resist-printing: In this printing, a special resist-paste is applied on the fabric in patterns and then fabric is dyed, so that the paste-applied areas will resist dyeing and appear as the base color. Batik and tie and dye are examples of this type of fabric printing.

Printing onto fabric is done in various methods involving different processes; some important ones are described below.

Engraved Roller printing

In engraved roller printing, the fabric is passed through design-engraved rollers in the printing machine in which dye is applied to the fabric. This is how most printed fabric is made – the rolls of fabric you buy to make clothes. The same high-quality print is made throughout the whole lot in the same way, which is an advantage of this printing. A separate roller is used for different colors.

After it is printed, the fabric is passed through processes of drying and steaming to set the dye. You can print as much as 120000 yards of fabric in a day with a single machine and any intricate pattern you have in mind with precision and perfection.

Screen printing

Screen printing is a direct fabric printing method in which screens / mesh/ films are used to transfer patterns onto the fabric. It involves the use of a porous mesh screen which is stretched over a frame. In screen printing, a design stencil is made of porous nylon fabric. The areas which do not have prints are covered, and then the screens are placed on the fabric. A wooden squeegee is used to work the color through the porous screen onto the fabric.

Stencil printing

Stencil printing involves using stencils cut in the shape of the designs. The stencils are made of metal, wood, paper, or plastic. The dye/color is applied to the spaces cut inside the stencil.

Block printing

Block printing is the method of creating prints with a block of wood, copper, or other material bearing a design. Metal or wooden blocks are carved in the design and dye is applied to the carved design. This is then pressed and applied to the face of the fabric.
Spray printing: As the name suggests, controlled spraying uses specialized sprayers to transfer dye onto the fabric. A spray gun is used to force the color onto the fabric through screens.

Heat transfer or thermal transfer printing

This method involves a printing machine and a heat press machine to transfer designs on fabric. This is one of the most inexpensive methods used in the garment printing business – think thousands of t-shirts printed this way with logos and messages.

In this printing process, the printing is done on paper first, and then this design on the paper is transferred to the fabric surface by passing the paper and fabric through hot rollers.

Direct to garment digital printing (DTG)

DTG is a direct printing process in which digital designs are printed directly onto the fabric. It uses inkjet technology to print high-quality detailed images onto garments, especially cotton T-shirts.

This printing method is ideal for small orders and complex multicolor designs because there is no need for screens or setup costs. Water-based inks are commonly used, resulting in soft-feel prints.

Sublimation printing

Sublimation printing uses heat to transfer dye directly into polyester fabric fibers. The print becomes part of the fabric instead of sitting on top of it.

This produces vibrant, durable prints that do not crack or peel. It works best on light-colored polyester fabrics.

Discharge printing

Discharge printing removes dye from previously dyed fabric using chemicals and replaces it with another color if desired. This technique creates very soft prints because the dye becomes part of the fabric.

Pigment printing

Pigment printing uses pigments instead of dyes. The pigments are attached to the fabric surface using binders.

This method is popular because it is economical and works on many fabric types. It also provides good color fastness.

Reactive printing

Reactive printing uses reactive dyes that chemically bond with the fabric fibers. This results in excellent wash fastness and bright colors.

Reactive printing is widely used on cotton and natural fiber fabrics.

Foil printing

Foil printing adds a metallic foil layer to the fabric surface using adhesive and heat. It creates shiny reflective designs often used in fashion garments.

This method is mostly decorative and may require careful washing to preserve the foil finish.

Flock printing

Flock printing creates a raised velvet-like texture on the fabric surface. Tiny fibers are applied to adhesive in the desired design pattern.

The result is a soft textured print commonly used for decorative fashion designs.

Plastisol printing

Plastisol printing uses PVC-based inks that sit on top of the fabric surface. It is one of the most common printing methods used for T-shirts.

The prints are durable, vibrant, and opaque even on dark fabrics. However, the print may feel heavier than water-based prints.

Water-based printing

Water-based printing uses inks that soak into the fabric fibers, resulting in a softer feel compared to plastisol printing.

It works especially well on light-colored garments and is considered more eco-friendly.

Burnout printing

Burnout printing uses chemicals to dissolve certain fibers in blended fabrics to create semi-transparent patterns and textures.

This technique is commonly used in fashion garments for decorative effects.

Embossed printing

Embossed printing creates raised patterns on fabric surfaces using heat and pressure.

This decorative technique adds texture and dimension to fabrics.

Resist printing

Resist printing uses substances that prevent dye from reaching specific parts of the fabric. After dyeing, the resisted areas remain uncolored or differently colored.

Batik and tie-dye are classic examples of resist printing methods.

Photographic printing

Photographic printing reproduces photographic images onto textile surfaces with high detail and color accuracy.

Digital textile printing technologies are commonly used for this purpose.

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