For my next exhibition I would like to print on to a fabric which can be seen through - much like looking outside through a sheer curtain.

I have an Epson 9800 and was hoping someone with some experience in this regard could point me in the right direction.

I have found a couple of products, with quite varying prices, and haven't seen any samples, so would love some feedback if anyone has printed on sheer fabric.

Thanks,
Julie

Julie,

do you mind posting some links to the info you found? I have never heard of such thing and I would like to read about it (even though I am not printing at home).

Thanks

There are quite a few fabrics around, from fine silk to polyester.
The flexibility of most fabrics makes an effective ink receptive coating difficult. Make them too thick and they flake. Too thin and they do not hold enough ink, so colours and blacks are weak.
I suspect this is why they have not taken off. The exception is canvas, but here you can have a very thick coating which is stretched flat. Not so for clothing or loose hanging fabric. Most coatings restict light precluding transluency. Suppliers are aware of this and the potential demand so there is certainly incentive to solve all this . There are new products coming on line all the time. Ultimately I think it is the clothing market , with it's sheer scale , that will drive improvements.
Cheers,
Brian
www.pharoseditions.com.au

I've seen plenty of shops with that kind of fabric in windows as displays and someone is certainly printing on it. I just haven't found a fabric of this nature yet to trust in my HP Z3100 although I'm interested.

I have been looking at some other fabric although its not sheer. Pabric I'm considering ordering their samplers to see what its like.

There is a book about this - the book i read uses a product called InkAid (www.inkaid.com) - the book is mentioned on this website as well.

Inkaid will work with anything you can fit in your printer. You may also want to try Jaquard Inkjet Fabric Systems. Excellent stuff, already professionally coated.

Thanks so much everyone for your replies.

I need to print 9 foot long and full 42 or 44" wide, about 5- 6 panels, so the thought of coating large lengths with Inkaid myself is a bit daunting - so a pre-coated material would be preferable. I will have a look at the jacquard Inkjet fabric systems today.

I followed the Pabric link Rdonson, and I think that the fabric may just be a little opaque for my use. I need for it to be able to be seen through - anywhere from slightly, to a lot would be fine I think.

Anyone had any experience actually printing on some???

Julie

Yes, I print on the fabric often and they have a very large assortment of fabric. What kind are you looking for?

I am not exactly certain of which particular fabric, but i have ordered a sample swatch pack from the Jacquard Inkjet Fabric Range.

I am trying to emulate the feeling of looking outside through a fairly sheer curtain, from within a lounge-room. I am creating an installation where these drops will be hung on rods suspended from a high rafters.

Although the silks I'm sure a luscious, I think a more 'domestic' feel may be best.

I need to be careful that it isn't a really crushable cotton, because I'm not a fan of ironing at the best of times, and after transportation and installing, I think a fabric which doesn't crush easily would be best.

Any particular fabric within their range which comes to mind?

Have you tried the "Bleached Fuji Broadcloth 10lb"?

Thanks Kory,
Julie

Link to the products I am currently looking at.

http://www.inkjetfabrics.com

Julie

Many of the fabrics I use will show a kink in them. Check through the sample pack and test them out, I would suggest using the Charmeuse although it may show fold marks.

Wonder if doing it yourself is the way to go? The problem I see with most solutions is you must replace the ink in your printer ... not bad if you intend to dedicate the printer to that process, but to me a little risky if your going to be printing high end fine art a few days later.

The best process I've seen for this is using dye sublimation, where the ink is gassed directly into the fabric. We installed a system to print our studio backgrounds using polyester fabric instead of canvas, the result is a very light, very saturated and extremely durable product. The printers are 8' Mimaki printers. I think we use 360dpi for the backgrounds but know they can print higher resolution. There are literally hundreds of fabric choices, since the fabric itself doesn't require any ink receptor coat. The more polyester the better. Wrinkles fall out easily, and you can even throw it in a washing machine.

I know of at least one company in Atlanta that specializes in this type of printing for photographers if you are interested. We visited their location to see the transfer machine when evaluating the system for our needs.

Wayne,
I understand what you are saying re dyesub. Certainly the way to go for infinite choice of fabric , washability, width etc.
It would not be a practical choice for an artist with the occasional show on fabric if she/he wants to DIY. As a matter of interest how accurate is this process? What is DMax? Do you profile for each different fabric?
What I am curious about is why you would need to change inks in an inkjet printer?
The coated fabrics, are , as recommended, intended for use with standard inks like Ultrachrome, Vivera etc
N'est ce pas?
Brian

Thanks Kory, I was just thinking it may be a good idea to roll the fabric back on to cores after it has been printed for storage and transportation. That would then reduce the amount of crinkling. I will have a look at the samples and go from there.

Julie

Thanks Wayne, a bit to far away for me though. I am also curious as to why the inks need to be changed. This Jacquard fabric is supposed to be used with all types of inks.

Julie

Julie,

I am interested in reading the outcome of your search for the right fabric. I have a similar need with some backlit wall hangings that I will print on a Z3100. I have received a bunch of samples from Jacuard Inkjet Fabric Systems, HP and Parrot Digigraphics. I still haven't made selection and order as yet.

Many Thanks,
Anthony

I have been printing on Jacquard fabrics coated for inkjet usage for about 7 years with pigments, both Epson and carbon monochrome inksets. Some output much better than others.

http://www.inkjetfabrics.com/


These days with Ultrachrome, HP, and Canon pigment inks the outcome can be spectacular. Use the Fabrign line of Jacquard fabric, which doesn't require steaming.

The ones I use the most are Japanese Haboti 16mm thickness, for a smooth durable surface and Indian Dupion, for an outstanding textured weave. Seal edges with frey check to avoid freying. The third one is use a lot is Belgian Linen. All of these are outstanding with Cones monochrome pigments for monochrome, which I use on them out of Studio Print. I spray the textured ones with a uv spray like Premiere Art, and even the Haboti to avoid atmospheric contamination and prolong the life of the work. The linen has the best gamut followed by the Haboti and Dupion which of all the silks I've tried are the most vibrant. None will give you the look of a good canvas, though the linen is close, but that isn't the point in using this kind of media in my opion. To me synthetic silks, like polyester are horrible and look like cheap advertising display.

If you are printing out of Photoshop simply add about 20% to your ink limits in the Epson driver for Jacqurd silks, or whatever printer and driver you are using when profiling. This makes a huge difference in imporving both dmax as well as color gamut. They will accept a lot more ink than canvas or photomedia. Studio Print, which is a standard in the fabric industry has the most control over ink limits that I have tried, but is not necessary for great work.

If one is looking for a more transparent media, the Haboti 5mm is fantastic, and has a ghostly appearance, especially when backlit. We often use it in a layered, sculptural context. It even shimmers more, adding to the illusion. A cotton gause they make is very thin and transparent and I've used it with an acetate mirror behind it or, layered, for a totally unique illusionary effect. This is what I love about alternative media like this, it has a physical presence.

Jacquard will sell you a "sample roll" which is 42"x6' to experiment with and profile for about $25.00. Definately do that before laying down cash for a large 42" roll which averages over $300.00. They will also send you a large swatch book assortment of samples of everything they have available which is extensive. However you need to actually print something on these to see what they will do for you.

john

Check out: http://www.fishertextiles.com/

I print with a 44" Z3100, but recently had a job that needed wider prints on fabric. I farmed the work out to someone with a 10' wide aqueous inkjet and they regularly print on Fisher fabrics. I wound up using a more opaque material, but saw some pretty nice samples on sheer fabrics.

I think it was their Poly Taffeta, but I'm not sure and I won't be back at work until next Tuesday, so I can't confirm which sheer products I was shown. Fisher sells dye sub, solvent and water based media. I've seen sheer fabric in the past that came lightly adhered to paper for stability in running through the printer, but these guys had a roll to roll printer, so they were using coated, but unbacked fabric. I would think that without a roll to roll printer, sheer fabrics would have a real problem being pushed through the printer instead of pulled, unless backed.

A few years back your task would have been much more challenging, but I think there are a number of viable options these days.

Keep us posted,
Ron H.

Thanks John and Ron for your advice and experience. I have received the Jacquard sample pack, and have narrowed it down to a few fabrics which may suit my purpose. I'm doing the family Christmas thing over the next week or so, and then will be back to my investigations in earnest, and will then come back with my findings.

Thanks John for your experience and suggestion of the Habotai 5mm, as it is this ghostly appearance I am after.

I will also have to experiment with the lighting to ensure the best effect is achieved as well.

Julie

John, Do you have a link to some of your work? I am myself exploring the expression of my photography in a sculptural way, and would love to see what you are doing.

Julie

Hi Julie,

Most of the things I've done on silk for clients are not on my webstie but you will find several things there. For the transparency effect, done on 5mm Haboti look at the Greek faces installation. Some of them are on Haboti and some are on Dupion, and some on linen. The kimonos we did a few years ago combine many different images printed on different fabrics and sewn together. We did about 7 totally different variations on those. I also did some room dividers for someone in Philly that are not on there. The linen or thicker Haboti is great for that. If I were you I would start out with a sample of one of the Haboti silks. I am by no means a "fabric printer", but I do like working with all kinds of media.

http://www.deanimaging.com/galleryview.php?cat=3&selected=0


John

A fascinating website, John. I also enjoyed looking at your personal work. Thanks for sharing your experiences and recommendations with the various fabrics.

Hello,
i have Epson 9800 and i wanted to print on cotton fabric, canvas for example. Can it be done? I checked all the websited offered in this thread... but my question is can i use fabric without any treatment for printing?
thank you

Hi. see Digital Art Supplies - Olana Fabric- already treated. Also Dharma Trading Company,(both on the net) has hundreds of treated and untreated fabrics. I use Inkaid products to prepare untreated fabric and paper etc. You can even print on birch bark with Inkaid. Many canvas products are already precoated and profiles available for these from the suppliers.

You may want to try this place: http://www.colortextiles.com/cat_rolls.html
They have rolls and the owner is very familiar with Epson printers and the wide format Epson's

Hi, thank you for all replies.
i will contact Dharma about treated fabric.
i will also try InkAID.
thank you
Elena

I found a very unique---actually quite incredible textile type fabric media for inkjet printing. It is very translucent and uses a backer to feed through the printer. It is expensive.

BUT before I can make any recommendations, I'm waiting to hear back from the manufacturer and distributor.

I received a "bad" roll of media---and it is very apparent that the media was damaged "at the factory." The box was in perfect condition, and also has a very unique core system that prevents damage----the media cannot touch the box walls. I did not realize that the media had a "ding" running the length of the 36" roll, which actually separated the media from the backer. At least 25% of this expensive media roll is damaged.

Result? Adhesive in the head-----a visit from Epson and a replaced printer head. I made sure that the Epson tech examined the media roll. Yup---took photos too.

I want to see how the distributor and manufacturer handle "quality control" before making any recommendations. To be sure, it is a most unique media for both Canon and Epson, but I would hate to see someone go through what I did with my printer and studio being at a standstill for a week +.

I've been using the Jacquared inkjet coated fabrics for about 8 years now and I've never run into any quality control issues or variation at all. Of course since the natural fiibers are natural there are some variation in the way the silk is created. Blame the worms for that. Occasionally UPS will destroy a box in shipping, so I've learned to not use UPS here in Atlanta for anything of value.

After all this time the one thing that I've learned that really has helped me is that with printing color or black and white out of the Epson driver, if you add about +15% to the total ink limit in the driver before making your profile you will REALLY see a quality improvement, both in regard to color gamut but also dmax. It is very significant. Of course if you are printing with a great rip like Studio Print, you have even more control over individual ink limits. I get nice results from Ultrachrome and amazing results with Con's NK7 carbon pigments on these materials. With color you can add to the permanece by spraying with a uv spray like Premier Art that seals out all the pollutants in the air.

Anyone who is interested in an amazing translucent material should check out the 5mm Haboti. It is really shimmering and ghostly and can be laid on top of other imagery if desired. The 16mm Haboti is a great tough all around silk. You can order "sample" 42" x6' rolls of any of their offerings for about $25.00 I believe. That is the best bang for the buck.

Why in the world they don't offer 44" rolls is beyond me. I've been pleading for years.

john