Yearly Archives: 2016

Natural Fabric Printing

Digital Fabrics is happy to announce that we are ready to open the doors to our natural fabric printing orders. It was a long process of research, trials, fabric sourcing, fabric testing, but we are ready and looking forward to print for our customers.  

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We are currently have natural fabrics to print on: Cotton Canvas, Cotton Drill, Cotton Poplin, Cotton Linen, Bamboo, Deluxe Sateen Cotton. Check our Natural Fabrics page for more information on natural fabrics.

These natural fabrics are very versatile and suitable for all craft projects, clothing, drapery, table linen, cushion covers, pillow cases, kids wear, tea towels, shoes, bags etc.

You can print any image, any colour, any length and create something imaginative with your custom fabric. Creativity is limitless! So let’s not wait any longer, get your files ready, let’s print! Start here!

What is Natural Fabric?

Natural fabric is woven or knitted from fibres that occur in our natural world. All three sectors of nature; animal, vegetable and mineral produce fibres that can be used in fabric production.

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Vegetable, or more commonly classed cellulose-based fibres, include cotton, flax, jute, hemp and bamboo. Each fibre type is derived from a specific part of the plant such seed hair, stem, leaf, husk etc. and consist mainly of cellulose substance.
Animal fibres include wool and silk and consist exclusively of proteins. While wool fabric is most commonly produced from the fleece of sheep, it also includes fleece from alpacas. The hairs or fibres of other animals are also constructed into fabric including rabbit fur, angora fabric and mohair.
Silk is the other notable fibre from an animal, but unlike other animal fibres, it is not made from the hair or fur covering the animal. It is the continuous thread of the spun cocoon of moth larvae. An extensive process is required to produce one silk fibre and in turn, produce silk fabric maintaining its exclusive divine nature.
Mineral fibres are less widely used in production for fashion or interior fabrics but can still be used in an industrial application. Fine drawn threads of metallic fibres can be used on regular textile machinery and are often spun or woven in combination with other fibres to make a length of fabric for industrial use.

What is Polyester Fabric?

Essentially polyester is a man-made synthetic plastic resin substance. Polyester can be produced in sheet form, for items like PET bottles, or fibre form for all kind of textiles.
Polyester fabrics are heat sensitive and can be manipulated with high heat and pressure such as giving the fabric permanent pleats, laser cut with patterns and shapes. Polyester fibres can be produced in various forms allowing the manufactured fabric to imitate characteristics of fabrics traditionally produced in natural fibres.

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Polyester fabrics are highly stain resistant and there is only one particular type of dyes that can alter the colour or polyester fabrics, known as disperse dyes. While these dyes can be applied to the fabric in several ways, the most common way is by dye-sublimation. Dyes are printed onto a paper substrate which is then pressed into the fabric using high temperatures and pressure. The pressing process bonds the dyes to the polyester fibres of the fabric meaning that they will never fade or wear.
Polyester fibres can also be recycled, using less energy than virgin polyester and less water than organic natural fibre production, which leads to some considering recycled polyester (rPET) a sustainable fabric for future generations. The fabric printing method of dye-sublimation is a completely dry process has no water usage and while the paper is a waste by product, all dye is absorbed by the fabric leaving no dye waste.

What is Natural Fabric?

Natural fabric is woven or knitted from fibres that occur in our natural world. All three sectors of nature; animal, vegetable and mineral produce fibres that can be used in fabric production.

printing on natural fabrics, digital printing on fabrics, cotton, linen, custom fabric printing, natural fabric printing, digital fabrics
Vegetable, or more commonly classed cellulose-based fibres, include cotton, flax, jute, hemp and bamboo. Each fibre type is derived from a specific part of the plant such seed hair, stem, leaf, husk etc. and consist mainly of cellulose substance.
Animal fibres include wool and silk and consist exclusively of proteins. While wool fabric is most commonly produced from the fleece of sheep, it also includes fleece from alpacas. The hairs or fibres of other animals are also constructed into fabric including rabbit fur, angora fabric and mohair.
Silk is the other notable fibre from an animal, but unlike other animal fibres, it is not made from the hair or fur covering the animal. It is the continuous thread of the spun cocoon of moth larvae. An extensive process is required to produce one silk fibre and in turn, produce silk fabric maintaining its exclusive divine nature.
Mineral fibres are less widely used in production for fashion or interior fabrics but can still be used in an industrial application. Fine drawn threads of metallic fibres can be used on regular textile machinery and are often spun or woven in combination with other fibres to make a length of fabric for industrial use.