Print-e textiles are optimised for digital printing. Our signature range, Print-e PI, are cotton and linen textiles prepared for digital printing using pigment ink. We also offer untreated polyester textiles optimised for transfer dye-sublimation.
Developed by Carr Group, Print-e is a new range of high-quality textiles for digital printing. Our signature range, Print-e PI are cotton and linen textiles prepared for digital printing using pigment ink. The textiles are treated with BriteLok, Carr Group’s proprietary formulation designed to significantly improve the performance of digital printing on natural fibre textiles.
Keeps pigment close to the surface – brighter more vibrant colours
Minimizes dot-gain for a sharper image
Increases pigment fixation to the fibres – enhanced wash & rub fastness (wet and dry)
Reduces necessary ink load – saves ink usage
Reduces the number of print passes necessary, saving you time
Untreated textile fibres are porous. As printing cures, the pigmentation gets absorbed into the fabric and the colour becomes washed out. To combat this effect, we’ve created a textile treatment called BriteLok. Refined over several years, BriteLok keeps the pigment at or closer to the surface (preventing it from sinking too deep into the fibres). The result is brighter colour and superior performance. Some pigment penetration is retained for the colour to strongly bond with the fabric. This enhances wash fastness as well as wet and dry rub fastness. BriteLok treatment provides the right balance between keeping the ink at the surface whilst allowing enough penetration and bonding for a premium print result.
More pigment is retained at or near the surface. Less pigment seeps through to the back of the fabric.
More pigment is absorbed down into the fabric resulting in duller colour and reduced sharpness.
In addition to our natural textiles, we offer synthetic untreated fabrics – a blended textile that contains a high percentage of polyester. Left untreated, they offer high performance for transfer dye-sublimation.
Shirts, dresses, blouses, pants, babywear, jackets and more…
Lamp shades, pillow/cushion covers, upholstery, blinds/shades and more…
Tea towels, aprons, table runners, napkins, bags and more…
The Print-e range is expanding as we have more textiles under development. The table below details what is available right now. Note: any of our natural fibre textiles can be provided also as an untreated fabric, available on request.
| CODE | GSM | DESCRIPTION | OPTIMISED FOR |
| TNC11 | 110gsm | Cotton Poplin – woven | Pigment Ink |
| TNC12 | 140gsm | Linen Cotton (LiCo) – woven | Pigment Ink |
| TNCJ20 | 150gsm | Organic Cotton Lycra Jersey – knitted | Pigment Ink |
| TNL13 | 130gsm | Linen – woven | Pigment Ink |
| TNC14 | 145gsm | Cotton Sateen – woven (Organic Cotton as option) | Pigment Ink |
| TNC23 | 230gsm | Cotton Half Panama (HaPa) – woven (50% recycled yarn used) | Pigment Ink |
Natural textiles under development: silk, bamboo.
| CODE | GSM | DESCRIPTION | OPTIMISED FOR |
| TP38-WL | 380gsm | PolyDecor Elements – linen look | Transfer dye-sublimation |
| TP38-NU | 380gsm | PolyDecor Nature – natural tone | Transfer dye-sublimation |
| TP57-WU | 570gsm | PolyDecor Prestige – luxuriously soft and heavy | Transfer dye-sublimation |
Synthetic textiles under development: while the current PolyDecor range of fabrics is suited to interior décor/upholstery applications, future synthetic textiles will be developed for apparel (such as activewear, swimwear) as well as home textiles.
Under development: We are working on a range of natural textile fabrics that will be optimised for latex ink printing. Watch this space!
All textiles in the Print-e range – whether treated with Britelok or left untreated – are fabrics that are optimised for digital printing.
Carr Group sources the highest quality textiles from around the world and prepare them for digital printing. This preparation ensures that the fabric is clean of oils, waxes, sizing agents from the manufacturing process and has no loose fibres on the surface as well as having clean selvedges (edges of the fabric). Further treating a fabric with Britelok typically involves a treatment bath designed for a particular ink type.
Manufacturers in the garment, interior decor and home textile industries use our Print-e textiles to produce printed fabric products with outstanding print performance.
Our signature range, Print-e PI, is optimised for digital printing using pigment ink. Pigment ink is more environmentally friendly than traditional textile printing methods, namely acid and reactive inks that tend to be used for the same textiles and applications.
Currently, about half of all conventionally printed fabrics are printed using pigment inks, the majority of this is made up from analogue screen printing, where long runs are required for efficiency. Digital printing direct to fabric using Pigment ink has gained in popularity over recent years, this can be more efficient as you can print in short runs on demand.
Fabric printing can also be broken into two distinct categories, Direct To Garment (DTG), and Direct To Fabric (DTF) printing. While DTG printing mostly utilises pigment ink, the focus of this article will be DTF digital printing.
Pigment ink for digital printing consists of finely ground pigment powder combined with a binder and suspended in water. Printing direct to the fabric, followed by heat setting to evaporate the water, the binders adhere the pigments to the fibres of the textile.
Pigment inks use a basic set of chemicals and pigments that are fairly cost-effective to produce, combined with the relatively simple production process the overall cost to produce a finished print are significantly lower compared to other ink sets.
Historically the main hurdle digitally printed Pigment inks have faced have been the solid content in the inks, which have caused challenges for print heads at high-speed printing. Advances in pigment ink manufacturing have seen those challenges overcome.
Many competing ink sets are linked to printing onto certain types of fabrics, whereas pigment ink by its nature does not distinguish between various fibres. It does not rely on a chemical reaction to bond the pigment to the fibre but rather uses a binder.
You can print pigment ink onto many substrates including natural fibres (e.g. cotton, linen, bamboo, silk, viscose) as well as synthetic fibres (e.g. polyester, nylon). A further significant advantage is that it is also suitable for blended fabrics such as cotton/polyester, which is the most commonly printed fabric globally.
Whilst pigment ink can print on a large variety of fabrics, the final results are greatly enhanced if the textiles are prepared for digital printing with pigment ink (PFDPP). The benefits are increased colour brilliance and wash fastness which is crucial for certain applications such as fashion and apparel.
Pigment ink printing is used in all major textile sectors including fashion, apparel and sportswear as well as interior décor/home textiles. To a lesser extent also for soft signage that has been dominated by dye-sublimation.
Pigment inks are usually not chemically reactive and do not have any of the allergens that are found in dye-based ink sets and are therefore preferred for sensitive applications, such as babywear.
As existing print systems are being updated, more textile manufacturers will choose digital inkjet printing systems with pigment ink to replace old analogue technology. The easy process makes this ideal also for companies with less knowledge in that space to access the markets unlocked by this technology. Many start-up businesses choose this technology to cater for the trend towards custom made individual items and print on demand, ideal for more bespoke markets.
Digitally printed Pigment ink offers sustainability, efficiency, versatility, and flexible manufacturing. With digitally printed natural fabrics increasing in demand, this is an area we expect to see significant growth in the coming years.