Digital Printing

Printing methods

There are essentially 2 methods for digitally printing onto our natural fabrics;

• Direct print with inks
• Pre-coating the fabric and Printing with dyes then steaming to set them.

Both give great results. Direct printing is used for garment / placement prints (e.g. tea towels) as well as printing fabric by the metre.

Digital printers sometimes prefer our BDP (Best for Digital Print)  base cloths that have no softener in the final rinse, as they can potentially give slightly brighter colours/ better detail.

Things to consider in choosing your fabric for digital printing

• Base colour— Natural (light cream) will give a different outcome to Unbleached as seen in the cactus prints below
• Yarn size/texture—fabrics with larger yarn size and/or more texture will have less detail/more texture in the final outcome such as on FHOCCVNAT—heavier canvas compared to FHOC7SNAT below.
• Density/weight of fabric—an open weave fabric will have little ‘gaps’ in your print, and a very lightweight fabric will allow the ink/dye through to the back of the fabric a lot more. This can work in your favour, such as when you are printing a scarf, as it appears double-sided.