Jet printing may be defined as a process by which the desired pattern
with its individual colors is built up by projecting tiny drops of 'ink'
(special dye liquors) of different colors, in predetermined
micro-arrays (pixels), onto the substrate surface. In all true jet
printing systems the ink is projected onto the surface as a controlled
series of drops. Usually a set of inks is used consisting of at least
three or four primary colors, namely cyan (turquoise), magenta, yellow
and optionally black, the so-called CMYK inks. As most ink-jet printers
were originally designed for paper printing, the terms encountered in,
for example, technical specifications are more related to those used in
the reprographics industry than to those that atextile printer would
normally employ. Thus reference is usually made to inks rather than dye
solutions, pigment dispersions or print pastes. Similarly print
resolution is usually defined as dots per inch(dpi) or lines per
inch(lpi).
In the field of textiles ink-jet printing is fundamentally different from that of all other techniques, not only because of the non-contact mechanics of the print head but also in the means by which the individual colors of a design are produced. A great deal of computation is necessary to produce each of the millions of pixels in a design and this continues for as long as the machine is printing the fabric. In the past printing machines were adjusted entirely by mechanical methods using the operator's experience and judgment, and although modern impact printing machines may be fitted with more refined feedback devices, these are considerably less sophisticated when compared with the electronic control of jet printers.
In printing, wooden blocks, stencils, engraved plates, rollers, or silkscreens are used to place colors on the fabric. Colorants used in printing contain dyes thickened to prevent the color from spreading by capillary attraction beyond the limits of the pattern or design.
In the field of textiles ink-jet printing is fundamentally different from that of all other techniques, not only because of the non-contact mechanics of the print head but also in the means by which the individual colors of a design are produced. A great deal of computation is necessary to produce each of the millions of pixels in a design and this continues for as long as the machine is printing the fabric. In the past printing machines were adjusted entirely by mechanical methods using the operator's experience and judgment, and although modern impact printing machines may be fitted with more refined feedback devices, these are considerably less sophisticated when compared with the electronic control of jet printers.
In printing, wooden blocks, stencils, engraved plates, rollers, or silkscreens are used to place colors on the fabric. Colorants used in printing contain dyes thickened to prevent the color from spreading by capillary attraction beyond the limits of the pattern or design.