Image Quality of InkJet Printing on Polyester Fabrics

This paper is concerned with the image quality of lines that were inkjet printed on polyester woven fabric. Lines (ideal width of 0.1 mm) running in the warp and filling directions were inkjet printed on different fabrics, and print quality (line width, edge blurriness and edge raggedness) was assessed. The effects of fabric structural parameters (including fabric, yarn and fiber parameters), finishing (type and pick-up), and ink type on line image quality are discussed. Image quality depended on fabric construction, particularly for unfinished fabrics. The satin fabric had the worst image quality while the image quality on the plain fabric was best. Finishing can improve image quality; however, the type of finish was very important. Acrylic resin finish improved printing quality significantly, but results with polyurethane resin-finished fabric were not much better than for unfinished fabric. A volatile ink reduced wicking and improves line image quality; thus, image quality using the alcohol base ink was better than for the oil or glycol based inks.