Print qualites of screen and inkjet printings on cotton fabric

Abstract

Inkjet textile printing offers both access to an easily used technology and various benefits compared to traditional screen printing. The colorants used in inkjet textile printing are very different from those used in traditional screen printing and the ink-fabric interaction is also different. This research investigated the cotton print qualities of screen and inkjet printing. The same pigment dispersion was observed with the two binders (BR-700 and S-711) of the acrylic family. Two sets of inks that were composed of a pigment-to-binder (P/B) ratio of 1:2 by weight were used. Fume silica was added to increase the screen ink viscosity. The rheology of screen and inkjet inks that were examined was acceptable. The stability of inkjet inks were studied by observing changes in viscosity and particle size distribution at ambient temperature storage for 2 months. Both the ink viscosity and particle size distribution were slightly increased during storage. The inkjet ink was printed on pretreated cotton fabric using a solution of poly(ethylene oxide) which has a molecular weight between 2,000,000 and 3,000,000 dalton. The screen inks used in this study of screen printing conform to a system standard. The screen ink was also printed on nontreated cotton fabrics. These printed cottons were analyzed for color saturation, color gamut, color gamut volume, density, tone reproduction, stiffness, air permeability, and crockfastness. The inkjet inks had the same color saturation and color gamut as screen inks. The color gamut volume, stiffness, air permeability, and crockfastness of inkjet inks are superior to screen inks. The tone reproduction curves of both inks were nearly identical. The crockfastness of inkjet inks was superior to screen inks. Consequently, print qualities of inkjet printing on cotton fabric are better than screen printing. The printed cotton fabric needed to print three times on the same area to produce an equal color and tone reproduction.