Simplifying the Digital Textile Print Process: Does Wet-On-Wet Print Technology Offer a Gateway to One Step Digital Textile Printing?

The industry continues to rationalize the printing process with every iteration. This leads to a one-step, simplified solution.

Recent developments have reduced the size of the manufacturing facility for the technology and also the requirement for supporting machinery. It is generally acknowledged that wet-on-wet print technology has been a major factor in simplifying the manufacturing process.

Typically, in digital textile printing, the ink is printed onto a pre-coated fabric—this is known as wet-on-dry printing. Wet-on-wet—a term carried over from rotary textile printing—is a technique used in the digital textile industry to apply ink or dye onto fabric in a continuous process.

This method allows for better color blends and ink penetration because the fabric remains moist and pre-coated throughout the entire printing process. The technique is known as Direct-to Fabric Printing, because it uses ink directly on the fabric surface.

In a global printed textile market—analog and digital—that is predicted to exceed $260 billion by 2025 (Grand View Research), pigment printing, at 57% of the total, is the largest individual ink component, overshadowing any other ink type, be it acid, reactive, disperse, or dye sublimation.

You might ask: why this figure—57%—is not reflected in digital textile printing sector?

Digital sublimation inks are expected to continue to be the dominant segment in 2022, and their market share is projected to increase to over 53% in 2030. (Research&Markets) The adoption of digital pigments has historically been slowed by issues with color vibrancy and fastness, and technical challenges with speed. In the near future, however, new technical advancements, innovations, or applications of pigment could improve this figure. 

The digital printing of non-coated textiles in a single-step procedure is a top priority for most machinery manufacturers and could well be a game changer to encourage more adoption.

JK Inks and their 4k pigment ink, which provides excellent wash-and-rub fastnesses as well as decent lightfastness, has recently made great progress in this industry. The inks, however, are only compatible with Kyocera head printers, and the tests are all done on cotton.

The formulation of inks is not enough to solve the problem. While wet-onwet can simplify the workflow and print process, the technical implementation is not simple. It presents an industry challenge that machine engineers and chemical experts must overcome. It’s from the heart of these elusive R&D departments that the latest innovations will emerge. To be continued…

Kornit Digital was one of the first innovators in wet-onwet printing, be it direct-to garment or direct-to fabric. In 2019, the launch of Presto marked an important shift in their technology. It continues to improve with remarkable results.

“When we first unveiled our industry-leading Presto MAX in 2021, the intent was to change the world of fashion and textiles forever, tapping into the power of on-demand digital decoration to set new standards for sustainability and creative fulfilment,” said Ronen Samuel, CEO at Kornit Digital. “We’re proud to highlight how Kornit anticipates the needs of an industry facing new opportunities sparked by digital transformation, while addressing mandates to cut waste and overproduction. Continuous innovation across our production systems, as well as supporting automation technologies, software, and partnerships, ensure customers achieve the highest possible return on investment, receive best-in-class support for their operational and business needs, and prepare to capitalize on trends shaping fashion and textiles for years to come.”

Kornit, as expected, has protected its work throughout the years. In fact, a large portion of their 130+ Patents relate to issues such wet on wet processing, chemical compositions and methods, or printing systems.

Digital wet-onwet offers the pigment print industry an opportunity to transform itself. All stakeholders within the digital sector are now looking to the on-demand print as the future. In order to achieve this, we need to move beyond the rotary technology and build an architecture which supports textiles of different scales.

This industry has an enormous global footprint and is rich in history. It’s also a market that must adapt if it is to meet its environmental responsibilities and obligations—and it’s primed for disruption.

2023 will bring many innovations to the world of pigments: Optimum Digital has invested heavily in new technologies, including one-step printing.

Kyocera’s FOREARTH, a newly launched digital textile printer, utilizes a continuous cycling process to disperse their exclusive blend of proprietary inks, pretreatment liquids, and finishers in one single pass. This system can be used to print on a variety of fabrics, including cotton, silk polyester nylon and blend fabrics.

EcoTERRA from EFI Reggiani is an all-in one solution for pigment water-based printing. It does not require any ancillary pre- or post-treatment equipment. EFI Reggiani EcoTERRA, with its enhanced polymerization unit and finishing unit is claimed to offer a more tactile fabric experience.

MS Printing Solutions’ Lario Compact currently under development uses nine printheads – two for pretreatment, six in color and one as a binder – to produce a machine that can achieve over 75 meters in a minute.

All of this has led to the conclusion that digital pigment printing will be able to move from its discontinuous current process, to one more similar to rotary competitors, which prints, cures, and softens fabric in a single step. The final product is then ready to cut and sew.

It is possible to imagine that as print technology advances, the proportion of pigment-based printing will increase, bringing with it the advantages of printing on multifibers or blends. This sector of digital textiles, currently dominated primarily by dye sublimation, and reactive printing, could reach new heights.