BLOCK-PRINTED (BP)
Block printing is one of the earliest forms of textile printing. Block printing is a very typical way of decorating fabrics. It is a long process. First the blocks have to be designed and carved out of wood. Normally, the blocks are made in different woods for different purposes: either for small-scale print of large-scale print. Then they are brushed with dye and printed onto the fabric. If more than one colour is to be used, a separate block is needed for each colour. Block printing is largely obsolete today. However, it is still used on a very limited scale for expensive home-furnishing fabrics and silk foulards, particularly in India.
COPPER-PLATE-PRINTED (CP)
In copperplate printing, a design is prepared on a copper plate using various methods, the removed areas are filled with ink, then strong pressure is applied to print that image onto cloth. This printmaking technique is detailed and rigorous, permitting abundant and deep gradations. Coper-plate printing gave rise to a new style of print, which depicted finely engraved images designed by master artists.
ROLLER-PRINTED (RP)
This method of printing is used to decorate large quantities of fabric on a commercial basis. The design is engraved on the surface of a metal roller, to which dye is applied, and the excess is scraped off the roller’s surface, leaving dye in the engraved sections. When it rolls across the fabric, the dye on the roller transfers to the fabric. Modern machines may be able to print up to eighteen different colours at a time, but to avoid the expense of engraving so many rollers, and of running the machinery with so complex a setup, most prints use no more than eight colours. The roller printer made textile printing the first fully mechanized industry and put it at the forefront of the industrial revolution.
PERROTINE-PRINTED (PP)
The perrotine is a block-printing machine invented by Perrot of Rouen in 1834, and practically speaking is the only successful mechanical device ever introduced for this purpose. Besides printing several colours at once, the machines soaks the sieves with colours, transfers the cloth to the wood, stamps the blocks on the cloth, and moves the cloth forward to take the next impression. This method is by far faster and more accurate than block-printing by hand: covering the entire width of the cloth in one operation. It increases the rate of production by 250%. A perrotine-printed pattern has the precision of machine-made goods, but the carving of blocks introduces a handcrafted look. It is nevertheless difficult to distingusih a perrotine-printed design from either a block-printed or a roller-printed one.
SCREEN-PRINTED (PP)
Screen printing is arguably the most versatile of all printing processes. It can be used to print on a wide variety of substrates, including paper, paperboard, plastics, glass, metals, fabrics, and many other materials. including paper, plastics, glass, metals, nylon and cotton.
Screen printing consists of three elements: the screen which is the image carrier; the squeegee; and ink. A fine-mesh fabric is stretched tightly over a frame made of wood or metal. Proper tension is essential to accurate colour registration. A stencil is produced on the screen either manually or photochemically. The stencil defines the image to be printed in. In other printing technologies, this would be referred to as the image plate.
Screen printing ink is applied to the substrate by placing the screen over the material. Ink with a paint-like consistency is placed onto the top of the screen. Ink is then forced through the fine mesh openings using a squeegee that is drawn across the screen, applying pressure thereby forcing the ink through the open areas of the screen. Ink will pass through only in areas where no stencil is applied, thus forming an image on the printing substrate.
A significant characteristic of screen printing is that is fast and could produce up to 350 yards an hour and could deliver up to 20 colours. Because of the simplicity of the application process, a wider range of inks and dyes are available for use in screen printing than for use in any other printing process. Utilization of screenprinting presses has begun to increase because production rates have improved.
PAPER IMPRESSION
A paper impression is a form of printer’s proof. After the block, plate or screen is engraved, but before the cloth is printed, a copy of the design is run on paper to check for any irregularities. The copy is then preserved in the mills’ pattern books and is an invaluable source of documentation. It serves as the first visual record of a pattern and may be marked with the pattern number, the name of the engraver, and the date.
GOUACHE ON PAPER
Gouache, a non transparent, water-soluble paint, is the textile’s traditional medium. Of all the pigments on paper, its flat saturated colour most closely resembles the look of textile dyes. Gouache is easy to work with, flows smoothly from the brush, dries quickly, and allows fine shading and blending of colour. Preparing the painted design is the first step in the production of printed textiles. This, pattern, painted in repeat to the manufacturer’s specifications, is sent to the mill to be engraved.
DYES
Dye is a coloured substance, which imparts more or less permanent colour to other materials. Customarily, coloured water-insoluble substances are called pigment. Fabric designer’s dyes are generally water-soluble, thin and translucent. Their colours are intense, luminescent and vibrant. They began to be used by designers in the 1950s when bright-coloured prints were in vogue.
APPAREL YARD GOODS (AYG)
Apparel yard goods are textiles printed in continuous lengths and marketed by the yard to be sewn up into clothing. They are either sold directly to the public through over-the-counter fabric retail stores, or to apparel manufacturers, the textile industry’s wholesale or middlemen. In the 18th and 19th centuries, printed cloth was sold by the piece rather than the bolt. A piece varied in length according to the region and the year. The term, “piece goods” is still used interchangeably with “yard goods” within the industry.
APPAREL
Not all apparel patterns are sold by the yard. Scarves and handkerchief, are normally marketed as finished individually-patterned squares.
HOME FURNISHING YARD GOODS (HFYG)
These patterns are often conceived by designers as interior decor – upholstery and drapery fabric, bed and table linen, and towelling, for example, rather than clothing. Home furnishing prints tend to be larger in scale and repeat than apparel designs, and in order to accomodate the needs of furniture manufacturers, the cloth is wider than apparel textiles. Home-furnishing fabrics are usually more expensive than apparel goods. They normally use more colours, requiring an average of 12 screens rather than the 5 or 6 for ready-to-wear, and use a more costly base cloth. One directional patterns appear more frequently on furnishings yard goods than on apparel. Patterns range from traditional patterns to adventurous ones. Home-furnishing prints normally evoke a sense of practical living, although most are in tune with the latest furnishing style and taste.