Want everything from socks to clothing to be colorful and not easy to fade? There is no better choice than digital printing.
This technology prints directly on the fabric and is suitable for on-demand printing to make your own personalized socks, yoga clothes, neckbands, etc.
This article will give you a detailed introduction to the pros and cons of digital sock printing, how to start customizing the products you want, and the detailed steps of digital printing.
Key Takeaways
1. Digital socks printer: The sock printer uses direct injection technology to print ink directly on the surface of the fabric, which can form bright colors on the surface of the fabric. From socks to clothing and other products.
2. High-quality printing: The digital sock printer can not only print on polyester materials, but also on cotton, nylon, bamboo fiber, wool and other materials. The digitally printed pattern will not crack or show white when it is stretched.
3. Equipment used: Digital printing requires the use of a sock printer and printing ink to print personalized designs.
4. Environmentally friendly, economical and efficient: The use of environmentally friendly ink will not cause pollution. Digital printing uses digital direct injection, so there will be no extra ink waste. It can support small batch orders, no minimum order quantity, and realize on-demand printing.
What is digital sock printing? How does a sock printer work?
Digital printing is to transmit the design to the motherboard through the computer through the computer command. The motherboard receives the signal and directly prints the design on the surface of the fabric. The ink penetrates the yarn, perfectly combining the design with the product, and the colors are bright and not easy to fade.
Tips
1.Digital sock printers can use a variety of inks to print, and different inks can be selected for different materials. For example: cotton, bamboo fiber, wool use active inks, nylon uses acid inks, and polyester uses sublimation inks. It uses direct injection to print ink on the surface of the fabric
2.Different from traditional printing methods, digital printing does not require plate making, and can be printed as long as the picture is provided, with a low minimum order quantity. The ink stays on the surface of the fabric and will not damage the fabric fibers during the pressing process. Digital printing can well preserve the original characteristics of the fabric and the printed patterns are bright, not easy to fade, and will not crack when stretched.
Digital printing process (The following are examples of the production process of cotton and polyester materials according to different materials)
Experimental results:
Polyester material production process:
1. First, make the design according to the size of the product (socks, yoga clothes, neckbands, wristbands, etc.)
2. Import the finished pattern into the RIP software for color management, and then import the ripped pattern into the printing software
3. Click print, and the sock printer will print the design on the surface of the product
4. Put the printed product into the oven for high temperature color development at 180 degrees Celsius.
Cotton material production process:
1. Pulping: Add urea, baking soda, paste, sodium sulfate, etc. to water
2. Sizing: Put cotton products into the pre-beaten slurry for sizing
3. Spinning: Put the soaked products into the spin dryer for spin drying
4. Drying: Put the spun products into the oven for drying
5. Printing: Put the dried products on the sock printer for printing
6. Steaming: Put the printed products into the steamer for steaming
7. Washing: Put the steamed products into the washing machine for washing (wash off the floating color on the surface of the products)
8. Drying: Dry the washed products
After testing, digital printed socks will not fade after being worn for dozens of times, and the color fastness can reach about 4.5 levels after being tested by professional institutions.
Digital Printing Socks VS Sublimation Socks VS Jacquard Socks
| Digital Printing Socks | Sublimation Socks | Jacquard Socks | |
| Print Quality | Digital printed socks have bright colors, wide color gamut, rich details and high resolution | Bright colors and clear lines | Clear pattern |
| Durability | The pattern of digital printed socks is not easy to fade, will not crack when worn, and the pattern is seamless | The pattern of sublimation socks will crack after wearing, it is not easy to fade, there will be a white line at the seam, and the connection is not perfect | Jacquard socks are made of yarn that will never fade and have clear patterns |
| Color Range | Any pattern can be printed, with a wide color gamut | Any pattern can be transferred | Only a few colors can be selected |
| Inside the socks | There are no extra lines inside the socks | There are no extra lines inside the socks | There are extra lines inside |
| Material selection | Printing can be done on cotton, nylon, wool, bamboo fiber, polyester and other materials | Transfer printing can only be done on polyester materials | Yarns of various materials can be used |
| Cost | Suitable for small orders, printing on demand, no need to stock up, low cost | Suitable for large-scale production, not suitable for small orders | Low cost, not suitable for small orders |
| Production speed | Digital printing socks can print 50-80 pairs of socks in one hour | Sublimation socks are transferred in batches and have a fast production speed | Jacquard socks are slow, but can be produced 24 hours a day |
| Design requirements: | Any pattern can be printed without restrictions | No restrictions on patterns | Only simple patterns can be printed |
| Limitations | There are many solutions for digital printing socks, and there is no restriction on materials | It can only be transferred on polyester materials | Jacquard can be made of yarns of different materials |
| Color fastness | Digital printed socks have high color fastness. After post-processing, the floating color on the surface of the socks has been washed away, and the color is fixed later | Sublimation socks are easy to fade after one or two wears in the early stage, and it will get better after wearing a few times | Jacquard socks will never fade, and they are made of dyed yarn |
Digital printing is suitable for small orders, high-end personalized customization, and pod products. The unique printing process allows you to print any design, 360 seamless printing, and printing without seams.
Thermal sublimation has a lower cost and is suitable for large-scale orders. Thermal sublimation uses high-temperature pressing to transfer the pattern to the fabric, which will be exposed when stretched.
Jacquard is very suitable for making simple patterns. It is woven with dyed yarn, so there is no need to worry about it fading.
Where Is Digital Socks Printing Used
Socks printer is a multifunctional device that can not only print socks but also print yoga clothes, underwear, neckbands, wristbands, ice sleeves and other tubular products
Advantages of Digital Socks Printing
1. Printing is done by digital direct printing, and there are no extra threads inside the socks
2. Complex patterns can be easily printed, and there are no restrictions on color and design
3. No minimum order quantity, customized according to drawings, suitable for making POD
4. High color fastness, not easy to fade
5. 360 seamless digital printing technology, no seams at the connection of patterns, making the product look more high-end
6. Environmentally friendly ink is used, which will not cause any pollution
7. It will not show white when stretched, and the characteristics of the yarn are well preserved
8. Can be printed on a variety of materials (cotton, polyester, nylon, bamboo fiber, wool, etc.)
Disadvantages of Digital Socks Printing
1. The cost is higher than thermal sublimation and jacquard socks
2. Can only print on white socks
What inks are used in Digital Socks Printing?
Digital printing has a variety of inks, such as reactive, acid, paint, and sublimation. These inks are composed of CMYK four colors. These four inks can be used to print any color. If the customer has special needs, fluorescent colors can be added. If the design has white, we can automatically skip this color.
What digital printing products does Colorido offer?
You can see all the printed products in our solutions. We support socks, yoga clothes, underwear, hats, neckbands, ice sleeves and other products
If you are looking for a company that makes POD products, please pay attention to Colorido
Digital printing design suggestions:
1. The product resolution is 300DPI
2. You can use vector graphics, preferably vector graphics, which will not lose needles when enlarged
3. Color configuration curve, we have the best RIP software, so there is no need to worry about color issues
What makes Colorido the best sock printer provider?
Colorido has been engaged in the digital printing industry for more than ten years. We have the best product sock printer, our own design department, production workshop, complete supporting solutions, and export products to 50+ countries. We are the leader in the sock printing industry. We are happiest when we get recognition from customers. Whether it is our products or our after-sales customers, they all give us a thumbs up.
Post time: Jul-11-2024