Inkjet printers replacing traditional screen
printing
by Florie Lyn Masarate
Printing into garments has been an age-old process
that people have been doing many years before it had
become widespread. The process is long and
complicated and needs expertise to be able to
achieve the right result.
With the development in technology came the process
of sublimation, which paved the way to transferring
decorations in garments. This is simpler compared to
the traditional direct screen printing. Just like
the traditional screen printing, sublimation
transfers have been done before people printing
companies came to know about its possibility. This
has given people another option in decorating
variety of products in full colors and in small
amounts.
With the use of inkjet printers as screen printing
methods comes another addition to the transfer of
prints into garments. The fact that this method has
been proven as much more effective and
result-oriented than the traditional and sublimation
process has made people wonder if this will be able
to replace those other methods in the long run.
Printing on garments using these printers is less
time consuming as the only process involved here is
the loading of the materials needed. With inkjet,
full colored prints are printed in a matter of
minutes, from the start until finish. This is just
like putting graphics into prints, without the use
of paper. The cost involved in this process is not
as expensive as that of the sublimation and the
direct screen printing. Inkjet printers can be
considered competitive garment printers with only
the cost of the initial printer cost to take into
account.
Inkjet printing on garments may have its advantages
but it also has its many disadvantages. It is only
practical on light colored garments. Because of the
transparency of these printers, they have the
tendency to take on the color of the garment. It is
therefore ideal printing them on light colored
garments. The amounts of prints that will be made
are also an advantage over the others as these
printers have low production rates. But if you take
the set up preparations and the procedures needed
for the sublimation and traditional printing, the
slower time rate of the inkjet printers would surely
beat the preparation periods of the others.
With more additions to the screen printing
technology, people will be questioning the fact that
maybe the traditional printing would be replaced as
time goes on. The manufacturers of inkjet printers
would surely be able to develop its disadvantages to
work on its advantages.
Is this the future of screen printing?
For comments and inquiries about the
article visit
http://www.losangelesprintingservice.com
About the Author
Florie Lyn Masarate got her first article printed in
the school newsletter in the third grade. Her
hobbies include reading any book she can get her
hands on.
<<
Back to Inkjet Articles
|
