Sustainable Printed Textiles – Printing Processes
Sustainability is becoming a re-occurring theme amongst printing practitioners as I research through my project, with many factors driving the topic being discussed, analysed or evaluated. The Federation o the European Screen Printers Association (FESPA) takes an un-biased view regarding the aging argument of screen VS digital printing. Through their symposiums, conferences, papers and online content, they present arguments and supportive research into developments for all printing processes.
In Smithers Pira report title The Future of Global Printing, notes that increasingly, customers are demanding faster turnaround times, shorter runs and more targeted printing with versioning and full variable content. Some print companies have adjusted to take advantage of this new reality. Although the pace of these changes can be overstressed, feedback confirms that printers are investing more time in ensuring that they are making the best use of their resources. [1]
Below is a flow chart that compares the processes used for producing conventional and digital inkjet printed textiles;
Simplified Production [2]
Some of the sustainable comparable qualite4s for these processes are;
Conventional Technology
Inkjet Technology
Requires large amounts of energy
Energy saving
Complicated operational procedure (Big team)
Simple operational procedure (Small Team)
Large amounts of waste generated
Reduced environmental burden
The traditional industry still looks at digital textile printing parameters from the context of what it “can’t do,” compared to conventional printing (much of which is already history). For a much smaller group of designers, textile artists, fine artists, costumers, wide-format printers and the like, this technology is much more about what it “can do” to provide products and services the market has never before seen. [3]
A brief SWAT analysis of the newer digital and inkjet printing processes quickly reveals some interesting possible areas for further research along with and limitations that I may encounter. The below analysis was presented at the Textile Coating and Laminating Conference by T Phillips as part of his paper that explored the way that digital inkjet printing could revolutionise textile printing processes.
SWOT Analysis of the Inkjet printing system
The two main systems used for printing textiles via a screen are flat bed (left) and rotary (right). Both of these systems print the media with a squeegee through an exposed screen.
From BBC Bitesize, Design & Technology, Printing
[1] Anne, L., 2012. Digital Printing [Online]. O Ecotextiles.com. Available at: https://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/category/printing [Accessed May 2014].
[1] Pira, S., 2014. The Future of Global Printing [Online]. FESPA. Available at: http://www.fespa.com/news/features/current-state-of-the-european-printing-market.html [Accessed May 2014].
[2] Phillips, T., 2010. Revolutionising Textile Decoration and Finishing with Digital Inject Technology. In: Textile Coating & Laminating Conference, November 2010. Xennia Technology Ltd. Cannes: France
[3] Anne, L., 2012. Digital Printing [Online]. O Ecotextiles.com. Available at: https://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/category/printing [Accessed May 2014].
