CMYK Printing on Textile T Shirts

Dear friends,

On thinking a new evolution in textile screen printing; everybody is having high passion including me.

Here comes the views of mine.

As far as cmyk printing is concerned 60% work completes itself in screen making itself. From art work, selecting a proper mesh, adaptable coating emulsion, perfect exposure times, etc,.

Stencil preparation constitutes vital portion not only in outputs but also in efficient productivity!

Regarding parameters here comes like below;

C - Cyan (Blue + Green)
M - Magenta (Red + Orange)
Y - Yellow (Preferably lemon yellow)
K - Kappa means Black

Series of color printing may also chosen as Y, M, C, K as per color & design values

In case of dark grounded fabrics below options shall be printed @ base and on top we can go with CMYK color pastes

1) Discharge white under-base
2) Non PVC White under-base

Happy printing..

Exports Scenario...

The values are just from summarised data on local source..

Country	Exports($)	Reason	Cause
India	40 billion	subsidies to unwanted targets	Skilled labors are meagre and demand
China	290 billion	strong base	4times cheaper than india
Vietnam	28 billion	high growth rate	5times cheaper labor cost than china

APEO as a Non-Ionic Surfactant

Dear Readers,

As per your request we are giving you the possible causes & remedy of APEO in textiles. Kindly check.

Detergents; particularly used for soaping as a finishing process in dyeing – which may not be APEO free

Emulsifiers – which may not be APEO free

Dispersing agents - which may not be APEO free

Foaming agents - which may not be APEO free

Spinning lubricants - which may not be APEO free

After finishing all processes, a fabric was tested and found to contain some APEO traces and the level of the APEO content present was not within the acceptable limits. Is there any proven method to remove the APEO content?

There are two simple treatments one can try.

·        Do hot soaping using a real APEO free surfactant, followed by 2 hot and cold washes.

·       Treat at 70°C with Formic acid 2gms/liter for 30 minutes, followed by 2 hot and cold washes.

One of the above processes will surely remove the traces of APEO content.

All the best!

Govt revises textiles export target upward at $40.5 bn

The government has revised upwards the textiles export target to $40.5 billion for 2012-13, despite the demand slowdown in major western markets like the US and Europe.

Earlier, the Textiles Ministry had set an export target of $38 billion for the current fiscal.

"After sops were announced in the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP), the exporters have responded positively and based on it we have revised this year's textiles exports target upwards," Textiles Secretary Kiran Dhingra said.

Segments including apparel, handicrafts and carpets are upbeat about exports performance this year, she added.

To encourage exports, the government extended the interest subsidy scheme for one more year till March 31, 2013 covering segments like handlooms, handicrafts, carpets and SME sector. Besides, the garment sector was included in the scheme.

The market-linked focus product scheme was also extended till the end of the current fiscal for exports to the US and the European Union in respect of the apparel sector.

The zero % duty Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Scheme for technology upgradation extended till March 31, 2013. The scheme allows import of capital goods at zero customs duty subject to an export obligation equivalent to six times of duty saved to be fulfilled in six years.

During April-May this fiscal, the country's handicrafts and carpets shipments grew at an average rate of over 10 % year-on-year. However, apparel exports growth remained flat during this period.

"The textiles exports trend in the first two months have been slow compared to the last year, yet the industry is pinning hopes on the recent announcements in the FTP, rupee depreciation and new markets," Dhingra said.

The exporters are exploring new markets like Latin America, Russia, Japan and Africa to reduce dependence on traditional markets like the US and Europe.

The US and Europe comprise 65 % of the country's total textiles exports.

During 2011-12, India's textiles exports touched $34 billion compared to $26 billion in the previous year.

Earlier, the industry has been clamouring over high raw- material prices, high interest rates, besides demand slowdown in its major markets.

To help the cash-starved industry, the government has announced the restructuring of debt worth Rs 35,000 crore to bail out the textile mills.

The sector was hit hard by a sharp fall in cotton yarn prices and poor domestic and global demand. Textiles units were facing difficulty in repaying term loans.

Courtesy: Business Standard

When the printing area will tear..??

There is always a question to our buyer; after printing especially Water based inks say Glitter binder or shimmer or even foil print tears in a low GSM fabric after a stretch. If you face such a problem; just analyse the fabric throughly before going on to the solution. If the fabric / yarn possess;

• Good count
• Good bursting strength

then comes the pH. Keep in mind, if the pH of the printing ink is in acidic medium, it affects the fibre and tend to lose its strength and it causes tear even after proper curing.

So, will you do print properly in neutral medium..?

(Comments are welcome..)

Heavy Metals in Printed Garment

The below table explains the details of acceptable limit of Heavy metals in Oekotex Standard 100. The units given are in ppm(parts per million) can also be taken as mg/kg; whichever is required. All the values given are applicable for Kids wear (Oekotex Class 1)

Heavy Metals	Acceptable Limit mg/kg)
Antimony	30.0
Arsenic	0.2
Lead	0.2
Cadmium	0.1
Chromium	1.0
Cobalt	1.0
Copper	25.0
Nickel	1.0
Mercury	0.02

Overview: Screen Printing Inks

Plastisol - Oil based inks

    The most common ink used in commercial garment decoration. Good colour opacity onto dark garments and clear graphic detail with, as the name suggests, a more plasticized texture. This print can be made softer with special additives or heavier by adding extra layers of ink. Plastisol inks require heat (approx. 150°C (300°F) for many inks) to cure the print.

Water-Based inks

    These penetrate the fabric more than the plastisol inks and create a much softer feel. Ideal for printing darker inks onto lighter coloured garments. Also useful for larger area prints where texture is important. Some inks require heat or an added catalyst to make the print permanent.

PVC and Phthalate Free

    Relatively new breed of ink and printing with the benefits of plastisol but without the two main toxic components - soft feeling print.

Discharge inks

    Used to print lighter colours onto dark background fabrics, they work by removing the dye in the garment – this means they leave a much softer texture. They are less graphic in nature than plastisol inks, and exact colours are difficult to control, but especially good for distressed prints and underbasing on dark garments that are to be printed with additional layers of plastisol.

Flocking

    Consists of a glue printed onto the fabric and then foil or flock (or other special effect) material is applied for a mirror finish or a velvet touch.

Glitter/Shimmer

    Metallic flakes are suspended in the ink base to create this sparkle effect. Usually available in gold or silver but can be mixed to make most colours.

Metallic

    Similar to glitter, but smaller particles suspended in the ink. A glue is printed onto the fabric, then nanoscale fibers applied on it.

Expanding ink (puff)

    An additive to plastisol inks which raises the print off the garment, creating a 3D feel.

Caviar beads

    Again a glue is printed in the shape of the design, to which small plastic beads are then applied – works well with solid block areas creating an interesting tactile surface.

Four colour process or the CMYK color model

    Artwork is created and then separated into four colours (CMYK) which combine to create the full spectrum of colours needed for photographic prints. This means a large number of colours can be simulated using only 4 screens, reducing costs, time, and set-up. The inks are required to blend and are more translucent, meaning a compromise with vibrancy of colour.

Gloss

    A clear base laid over previously printed inks to create a shiny finish.

Nylobond

    A special ink additive for printing onto technical or waterproof fabrics.

Mirrored silver

    Another solvent based ink, but you can almost see your face in it.

Suede Ink

    Suede is a milky coloured additive that is added to plastisol. With suede additive you can make any colour of plastisol have a suede feel. It is actually a puff blowing agent that does not bubble as much as regular puff ink. The directions vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but generally you can add up to 50% suede additive to your normal plastisol.