So my first attempts at printing fabric are here and here.
The second attempt was successful but had some issues, mainly a dirty roller and an incomplete pattern. I fixed those and this is my new and improved printed fabric :)
Now the third issue was more difficult, how to make the ink permanent... So i thought i would try heat as my first option. I ironed one piece and left one un-ironed to see if there was any improvement in how permanent the ink was.
This is the before (ironed piece is on the right)
This is the after (ironed piece is on the right)
There wasnt really any difference, both inks washed off very easily in just cold water and no soap so definitely not permanent...
So a different solution needs to be found
I've had a look on t'internet and there's 3 options really
1. Use permanent ink - im not a fan of this as its expensive and id be using the ink for my regular printing as well, which would be a waste
2. Use some kind of fixative spray once its printed. Again not a fan of this, it's usually some kind of resin which makes the fabric a bit hard and crunchy. It would be fine for paper but isnt going to work on fabric.
3. Treat the fabric with a fixative solution before printing. There's a few different types of this available but i found a few websites that recommend trying neat (or 50/50 with water) fabric softener. I already have this in my cupboard so im going to give that a try next. If that doesnt work then i might look at some of the commercial fixatives
I'll keep you posted!
The second attempt was successful but had some issues, mainly a dirty roller and an incomplete pattern. I fixed those and this is my new and improved printed fabric :)
Now the third issue was more difficult, how to make the ink permanent... So i thought i would try heat as my first option. I ironed one piece and left one un-ironed to see if there was any improvement in how permanent the ink was.
This is the before (ironed piece is on the right)
This is the after (ironed piece is on the right)
There wasnt really any difference, both inks washed off very easily in just cold water and no soap so definitely not permanent...
So a different solution needs to be found
I've had a look on t'internet and there's 3 options really
1. Use permanent ink - im not a fan of this as its expensive and id be using the ink for my regular printing as well, which would be a waste
2. Use some kind of fixative spray once its printed. Again not a fan of this, it's usually some kind of resin which makes the fabric a bit hard and crunchy. It would be fine for paper but isnt going to work on fabric.
3. Treat the fabric with a fixative solution before printing. There's a few different types of this available but i found a few websites that recommend trying neat (or 50/50 with water) fabric softener. I already have this in my cupboard so im going to give that a try next. If that doesnt work then i might look at some of the commercial fixatives
I'll keep you posted!
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