technical advances in textile printing

Digital printing: digital printing refers to methods of printing from a digital based image directly to a variety of media. Digital printing had a higher cost per page then more traditional offset printing methods but this price is usually offset by the cost saving in avoiding all the technical steps in between needed to make printing plates.it also allows for on demand printing, short turn around, and even a modification of the image with each impression.

The main difference between digital printing and traditional methods such as lithography, flexography, gravure or letterpress is that no printing plates are used, resulting in a quicker and less expensive turnaround time. The most popular methods include inkjet or laser printers that deposit pigment or toner onto a wide variety of substrates including paper, photo paper. Canvas, glass, metal, marble and others.

the image underneath is a digital image example:

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hand printing: textile printing is the process of applying colour to fabric in definite patterns or designs. In properly printed fabrics the colour is bonded with the fibre, so as to resist washing and friction. Textile printing is related to dyeing but, whereas in dyeing proper the whole fabric is uniformly covered with one colour, in printing one or more colours are applied to it in certain parts only, and in sharply defined pattern or design. In printing, wooden blocks, stencils, engraved plates, rollers, or silkscreens are used to place colours on the fabric. Colorants used in printing contain dye thickened to prevent the colour from spreading by capillary attraction beyond the limits of the pattern or design.

and here underneath is a image of traditional hand printing: