Different Types of Textile Printing

Textile printing is usually a method of using color to apparel in pre-set patterns. In aptly printed apparel the color is absorbed within the fiber, to withstand washing and any type of friction. This printing is also about dyeing. If the dyeing process is done completely the entire fabric is evenly covered with single color, and often printing one or multiple colors in a few parts of the fabric is also considered that too in well defined designs.

In printing fabric there are several types of tools used like, wooden blocks, engraved plates, rollers, stencils, or silk screens to apply colors on the fabric. Color agents used in printing consists of dyes thickened to resist the color from spreading by capillary attraction going off the limits of the pattern or design.


Types of Textile Printing Processes :

Conventional textile printing processes can be categorized into four major patterns:

• Direct printing

In this type of printing the colourants containing dyes, mordants and thickeners or component important for fixing the color on the cloth are printed in the desired pattern.

• Resist Dyeing

In this pattern a wax or other element is printed onto fabric which is then dyed. In this case the areas having wax do not take the dye, leaving uncolored fabric areas against a colored ground.

• Discharge Printing

In this pattern of printing a bleaching agent is printed onto earlier dyed fabrics to eliminate some or all of the colors.

Discharge and resist techniques were quite in vogue in the 19th century, which were done with Discharge Printing Thickeners to avoid any type of leakage of color in fabric. Modern industrial printing mostly uses direct printing techniques.

Synopsis
Textile printing thickeners has been in use since ancient times. With the changing time its technique and thickening agent in printing process along with the dye and the required chemicals has been the changes.