Tutorials

Hints and Tips on digital textile printing

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    Are you new to Digital Textile Printing?

    my_design_exampleYou have just created a wonderful design that you would like to print on one of our fabulous fabrics.

    So what do you do next?

    To start, please check that your artwork is saved correctly. Our printing specifications are:

    Resolution: 180 dpi (We accept files between 180 – 300 dpi.)
    Color Mode: RGB Color  8 bit (You may have created your design in CMYK Color Mode but this will need to be changed to RGB. A slight colour shift may occur)
    Advanced – Color Profile: Adobe RGB (1998) (We recommend this as it brings out the best colours in the printing)
    Flatten your artwork. It is really important that your file does not have any layers in it. When transferring your files over the Internet they are vulnerable to corruption.
    Save as: tiff or jpeg. We can only accept these file formats for our specialist software.

    Check the size of the file. Both physical and memory.
    Look at the Document size. This is the best guide to see how big your print will be. This can also be checked when you upload through our website. The rulers on the top and down the side show in centimetres how much space your artwork will take up on the fabric.
    Also check how large the digital file is. We accept files up to 80Mb through our website. Keeping your files below this will ensure that the file arrives quickly and safely through to our CAD team.

    Some hints on keeping your files smaller.

    Use less filters when designing.
    Use Adjustment layers to edit your image.
    Keep the Resolution down to 180 dpi.
    Flatten the layers.

    repeat patternIf you are struggling to achieve a smaller file then you can contact us for a Large File Upload Link. This is password protected and you won’t be able to check the position on the fabric or the size of your file but you will be able to transfer it over the Internet. Just email or phone 01386 861122 for the latest password and link. Remember: The larger the file, the longer it will take for you to upload it and for us to download it. Which can also mean it is more likely to get corrupted during the process.

    When your artwork is ready to be sent simply go to our Order pageand follow the step by step instructions.

    Choose your fabric
    How much would you like printed (min. 1m or 100cm)
    Upload your artwork – Check the size
    Is it a repeat pattern? If you choose yes you can see the design repeat in the fabric window.
    Add more images and choose different fabrics all in the one order.
    Complete the rest of the Order form with your details.
    Click > Send Order.

    You will receive a confirmation email that your order has been received successfully. If there are any problems someone in our CAD team will be in touch to advise.

    If this is the first time you have placed an order you will be contacted with the full Invoice so you will know how much it’s going to be before we print it.

Printing Scarves

Shrinkage

The processes involved in digital textile printing causes the original fabric to shrink. If you are printing scarves, the size of the finished product will be important to you. For example, if you have square artwork, you will be expecting your finished scarf to be square!

To get the printed fabric closer to the size you need, all fabric intended for scarves must go through an extra step to reshape it. Please allow extra time on your deadlines to allow for this process. 

Let us introduce you to the …

Stenter

The stenter is an enormous piece of machinery that has many uses, including coating our fabrics and reshaping scarf orders.

After travelling through a solution to soften the fabric, it then passes over a flat bed, gripped on the selvedge edges to pull it back into shape. 

It’s a long and precise process that needs to be carefully monitored.

Shrinkage Disclaimer

If you have selected to use our hemming service, we will check the stentered fabric for you before we begin to finish your scarves. If you are not using our service, it’s up to you to check the size BEFORE you cut out the individual scarves from the fabric length. We cannot re-size after your scarves have been cut out.