When it comes to printing on specialty fabrics, digital is the way to go these days. Banners, signs, posters, and other types of advertising or other kinds of marketing collateral can be printed on a variety of options including: paper, vinyl, poster board, cardboard, canvas, and so much more. But what are some of the things you should know about digital printing on specialty fabrics?
For starters, let’s define what digital printing is: simply put, it is the method of printing from a digital-based image, instead of printing plates, directly to a variety of media including specialty fabrics. Inkjet printers are used to accomplish this task from small to large scales. Traditional fabric printing methods include using wooden blocks, stencils, engraved plates, rollers, or silkscreens. So what are some of the advantages of using digital printing methods for your specialty fabric project?
Digital printing offers several benefits when compared to traditional methods and include things like lower costs for short-runs, fast, on-demand production, shorter lead times, and environmentally friendly ink, according to a Specialty Fabrics Review article. Digital printing also offers excellent resolution for images that are complex or simple.
The process is actually quite simple. An image, logo, design, or text is created and that file is then transferred to the inkjet printer which directly transfers it to the textile. The file can be either a PDF or other graphics software. Digital printing allows for projects that require only one run or hundreds and saves customers time and money because of the speed of the process and because there’s now no need for a creating a printing plate. (A printing plate is created using metal, plastic, rubber or other materials and can be costly to create especially if you have a small project).
The types of fabrics you can print on, as mentioned above, also vary and can be backlit, stretchable, curl free, two sided, and more. Herculite also has a line of graphic media products including its Bantex® Digital Banner Media fabric products which offer optimal stock widths for full-bleed printing and uses the highest grades of polymer films to ensure ease of profiling and the highest resolution possible. Recent innovations include Bantex Curl Free, guaranteed not to curl for 5 years, and Bantex Black Back, a retractable banner stand fabric with a esthetically pleasing back side.
Now that you know what digital printing is and what its advantages are, here are some tips on what you should consider before calling in that digital order:
- What will you use the sign or banner for? Will you need a heavier fabric? (Basically, how many ounces of fabric do you need your project to be?)
- What kind of print quality are you looking for? Photographic? Basic?
- Do you want your specialty fabric sign to be flame retardant? Do you want any other features like curl free or stretchable fabrics?
- How big do you want your sign to be?
- Will it be a one-sided or two-sided sign?
If you have any questions about digital printing, feel free to contact us at www.herculite.com for more information.
