Introducing Digital Textile Printing (DTP)
Experience a new spectrum of creativity
We are thrilled to now offer Digital Textile Printing across a variety of fabrics on SwatchOn. Experience a new spectrum of creativity with high quality customized print on silk, organic cotton, wool, linen and much more!
Explore pre-tested printable fabrics here
Exceptional Quality
With latest advanced print technology
Sustainability
Eco-forward to human and environment
Easy and Quick
5 Yard MOQ, Short lead time
With the latest advanced technology, we can now print with the widest color-gamut – resulting in
vivid, brilliant colors, and clear prints – and the latest inks also make for greater colorfastness.
Our digital printing technologies – Pigment Dyeing and Sublimation – are by naturally more
sustainable than traditional analog alternatives.
A Sustainable Printing Solution
Digital printing technologies are by nature more sustainable than traditional analog
alternatives
and offer a way forward towards clean, efficient, profitable manufacturing.
Digital Textile Printing as a whole saved over 40 billion liters (10 billion gallons) of water
worldwide in 2018 in comparison to screen printing processes, which use 50-60 liters (13-16
gallons)
of water per meter.
Check this out: Our digital textile printing solution uses ZERO water. Digital
Textile Printing
also uses smaller quantities of color, typically 10% of the volume used when compared to screen
printing.
Printing Options:
Pigment Dye & Sublimation
Pigment Dye & Sublimation
There are three common types of printing methods: Pigment Dye, Sublimation, and Reactive Dye.
SwatchOn currently offers the first two (Reactive/Acid Dye coming soon).
| DTP Method | Pigment Dye | Sublimation | Reactive / Acid Dye |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supported fabric types | All types of fabric including cotton | Polyester only | All types of fabric including cotton |
| SwatchOn Service | Available | Available | Coming soon |
| Sustainability | |||
| Wholesale Price 50 yds and up | $9.95 / Yard | $5.50 / Yard | TBD |
| Surcharged Price 5-49 yds | $12.00 / Yard | $6.75 / Yard | TBD |
| Color Fastness |
*Varies by fabric type |
*Varies by fabric type |
|
| Wet Rubbing Fastness |
*Varies by fabric type |
*Varies by fabric type |
|
| Color Saturation |
*Varies by fabric type |
*Varies by fabric type |
|
| Print Sharpness / Clearness |
*Varies by fabric type |
*Varies by fabric type |
|
| Ink Penetration | Low | Low | High |
| Lead time | Short (< 1 day) | Short (< 1 day) | Long (7-10 days) |
| Hand feel of printed area | Not noticeable on cotton / Slightly noticable on other type of fabrics | Not noticeable | Not noticeable |
| Printing Process | Simple | Simple | Complicated with more steps |
| Great to produce | General wear | Swimwear, Activewear | Items that require soft touches, such as scarfs. |
Pigment Dye
Supported fabrics:
Cotton, Silk, Linen, Nylon, Vegan Leather etc.
Print Methodology:
Often referred to as the “future of digital printing,” pigment dye is
when you apply pigment directly to the fabric, in a specific area of the substrate.
The recent growth and popularity of pigment printing in digital textile production
is a result of the technology’s ability to provide better colors and light fastness
on natural fabrics.
Sustainability:
Pigment dye printing is environmentally friendly, as it removes the
need for water and energy-greedy post-processing, since color fastness is achieved
by a dry heat process to fix the ink to the fabrics, as opposed to lengthy steam,
wash, and dry processes typical in reactive/acid dye printing methods.
Sublimation
Supported fabrics:
Polyester Only
Print Methodology:
Sublimation is the process of printing onto a special sheet of paper,
and then transferring that image onto fabric. This technique makes the print
longer-lasting – you won’t have the unfortunate “peeling” effect of a well-worn
t-shirt.
Sustainability:
Sublimation printing is the most environmentally friendly and
sustainable method of garment printing and production currently being used today.
The dyes used are safe, and the process itself uses no water.
SwatchOn’s Printing Supplier
SwatchOn is proud to be working with WelFirst Inc. for digital printing: Korea’s only official
distributor of Kornit
Digital. Kornit’s products meet
the highest sustainability standards with
zero wastewater and a low carbon footprint, enabling on-demand printing. WelFirst
Inc. was
established in 1998, and has been specializing in digital textile printing for over 20 years.
Pigment Dye Printing Process
Print Machine Model
Kornit ALLEGRO or Kornit PRESTO
Sustainable Ink Used
NeoPigment™ Ink
Water-based NeoPigment™ inks are absolutely free of heavy metals, formaldehyde and
Alkylphenol Ethoxylates (APE), making them non-hazardous and non-toxic. This ink also
meets the strictest industry standards as defined by OEKO-TEX® 100 safety applications
for infant wear, Global Organic Textiles (GOTS-3V), Residues Standard List (RSL) and the
American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (reference)
Video from official Kornit Digital Vimeo Channel (Video URL)
Sublimation Printing Process
How to Order
1
Order DTP reference samples
Order pre-made DTP samples to check out the colors and print quality on
various fabric types. We offer two different types of pre-made digital print samples.
(1) Digital print swatch
Size : 22 x 38 cm (8.5 x 15 inches)
(2) Color chart yardage sample
Size : 1 yard
2
Try out your own artwork on 5 Yards.
Before ordering your final yardage for printing, print your own artwork on at least 5 yards.
1) Download the artwork file template we provide for each fabric item.
2) Order a 5 yard sample with your own artwork.
1) Download the artwork file template we provide for each fabric item.
2) Order a 5 yard sample with your own artwork.
3
Order for production
If your 5 yard sample worked in Step 2, order for production.
Artwork File Requirements
1. Artwork file image width must
equal the fabric width
- Your artwork file width must equal the width of the fabric.
- Make sure to include 2 inch blank margin on each side.
- The digital print machine will automatically repeat the image along the selvage edge.
2. Understand art work orientation/direction:
Your artwork file will be printed in the orientation/direction that you submit your
file.
3. Your design file should be in the following format.
1) Image file type: PSD
2) Image Width: Equal to base fabric width (include 2” margin on each side)
3) Resolution: 150 dpi
4) Color Mode: RGB (8-bit)
5) Color Profile: sRGB IEC61966-2.1
6) File Size: Max 400 MB
2) Image Width: Equal to base fabric width (include 2” margin on each side)
3) Resolution: 150 dpi
4) Color Mode: RGB (8-bit)
5) Color Profile: sRGB IEC61966-2.1
6) File Size: Max 400 MB
4. Download artwork templates
It’s not too difficult once you get a hang of it! To make your life easier, we also
provide artwork file template for each base fabric offered. These can be downloaded
from each base fabric detail page.
Considerations Before You Print
Expect color differences
- Colors printed on the fabric will slightly vary between what you see on your computer monitor, as monitors use RGB while fabric prints use CMYK.
- Inevitable batch-to-batch dye variations may occur due to weather, humidity, etc. These variations are usually tolerable.
- SwatchOn will not be responsible for color differences.
Order extra yardages considering yardage loss and shrinkage
It’s important to consider shrinkage and print imperfections when you digitally print
-
Check the shrinkage rate per fabric
- Shrinkage caused by applying digital print varies by fabric to fabric (1~5%).
- Details can be found in each base fabric offered for print
- Depending on the shrinkage rate, it may be wise to order extra yardages.
-
Consider print imperfections in the “cut edges” of the yardage
rolls.
- Due to the printer settings and print process, you may get irregular/imperfect results in the edges of each fabric roll.
- These irregularities will result within 1 yard on both edges of each roll
- This will only happen on the “end” of the roll within 1 from the each edge of each roll.
- For sublimation printing: Order 1 extra yardage per roll just in case
- For pigment dye printing: Order 1-2 extra yardage per roll just in case
-
Calculating your yardage for order:
-
Example: Let’s say you need 100 yards of printed yardage.
- You plan to use a base fabric that has approx 50 yards in each roll, which has a shrinkage rate of 2% and you will use pigment dye printing.
- You will need 2 extra yards (100 yds x 2%) for shrinkage.
- You will need + 2 extra yards for unexpected imperfections for each roll, so 4 yards total.
- You will need 6 extra yards, so it is advised to order 106 yards in total.
- If you are ordering in bulk, please contact support@swatchon.com and we will help you calculate the yardage amount that needs to be ordered.
-
Example: Let’s say you need 100 yards of printed yardage.
Expect a slightly noticeable hand feel
- If you are printing on non-polyester materials, we use pigment dyeing. Pigment dyes generally have a slightly noticeable hand feel on printed areas.
Extra lead time for digital printing
- Our regular fabric orders have a lead time of 5-10 business days until delivery.
- Digital printing usually takes less than 1 extra business days, but this may vary depending on the order amount and our factory capacity.
- It is safe to say that we will need 3 extra business days for customized digital printing services, so expect 8 - 11 business days until delivery.
Explore Printable Fabrics
To kick-off our printing service, we selected the most essential fabric types to offer a range of characteristics to our customers.
More base fabrics will be added soon :
We have pre-tested each base fabric below to identify optimal printer settings for best results and colorfastness. We will be adding more fabric options in the near future.
If you are planning to order in bulk and would like to test on a different base fabric, please email support@swatchon.com
Silk
DTP Method: Pigment Dye
Print on silk chiffon, silk organza, and silk satin – perfect for blouses, robes, dresses, and more.
Print on silk chiffon, silk organza, and silk satin – perfect for blouses, robes, dresses, and more.
Cotton Woven
DTP Method: Pigment Dye
In selecting cotton woven for print, we included sustainable/eco-forward products as well, such as GOTS and OEKO-TEX certified cotton. Combined with sustainable printing and inks, this is a huge improvement toward greater eco-friendliness.
In selecting cotton woven for print, we included sustainable/eco-forward products as well, such as GOTS and OEKO-TEX certified cotton. Combined with sustainable printing and inks, this is a huge improvement toward greater eco-friendliness.
Cotton Jersey
DTP Method: Pigment Dye
You can print on different cotton weights, perfect for t-shirts and sweatshirts. And pigment dye methods work particularly well across cottons.
You can print on different cotton weights, perfect for t-shirts and sweatshirts. And pigment dye methods work particularly well across cottons.
Wool
DTP Method: Pigment Dye
We have selected some of our best quality wools that will work well with printing, including different weights for suits and coats.
We have selected some of our best quality wools that will work well with printing, including different weights for suits and coats.
Linen
DTP Method: Pigment Dye
Printing on linen creates extraordinary results, and our linens work well for shirts, jackets, and pants.
Printing on linen creates extraordinary results, and our linens work well for shirts, jackets, and pants.
Viscose Rayon
DTP Method: Pigment Dye
Our static-free viscose rayon fabrics are super soft and work perfectly with pigment dyeing. Great for making shirts, blouses, dresses, sleepwear, lining etc.
Our static-free viscose rayon fabrics are super soft and work perfectly with pigment dyeing. Great for making shirts, blouses, dresses, sleepwear, lining etc.
Lining
DTP Method: Pigment Dye
Bemberg™(Cupro) is completely biodegradable and uses toxicity-free, bemberg yarns - Perfect material for high quality, sustainable lining. Silky fabric with very soft touch.
Bemberg™(Cupro) is completely biodegradable and uses toxicity-free, bemberg yarns - Perfect material for high quality, sustainable lining. Silky fabric with very soft touch.
Polyester
DTP Method: Sublimation
Dye-sublimation on polyester delivers brilliant, vibrant colors with the great color fastness and wet rubbing fastness, all at a relatively lower cost. We have selected different types of polyester fabrics that are perfect for sublimation – like chiffon, satin, neoprene, and track jacket materials.
Dye-sublimation on polyester delivers brilliant, vibrant colors with the great color fastness and wet rubbing fastness, all at a relatively lower cost. We have selected different types of polyester fabrics that are perfect for sublimation – like chiffon, satin, neoprene, and track jacket materials.
