The world of prints opens up unlimited possibilities for creating and planning unique clothing collections. We can make prints our hallmark, complement our designs with them, and make the dresses or blouses sewn by us take on a unique character. The prints are undoubtedly a work of textile art. They are also a means of expression of the designer as a craftsman and artist. A pattern well matched to the material from which we sew clothes can be a real game changer in how customers interpret our collection as a coherent whole. Therefore, it is worth considering including various prints in your planned fashion assortment.

Types of prints

Generally speaking, we can distinguish the following types of printing: wet printing, transfer printing and digital printing.

1) Printing the so-called wet:
a) Rotary – this is drum printing. Patterns that we want to print on the fabric are cut out in a special printing drum.
b) Screen print – the pattern is etched with acid on a special board, which then imprints the pattern on the material, pressing dyes through special nozzles.

This type of printing has certain limitations and disadvantages. The number of colors used in designs should not exceed 8-12 shades. Due to the washing out of dyes during the printing process, harmful substances are released into the environment. There are also high order minimums due to the manual preparation of samples. The wrong side of the printed fabric is not uniform because the pattern printed on the right side shows through the fabric.

2) Transfer printing – a special roll of paper is prepared on which the designed pattern is applied. The printing process can be compared to applying the so-called decals. This method is usually used to print polyesters and mixtures with a minimum polyester content of 80%. This is because of the dyes used in this printing method, which are only compatible with polyester fiber. The dyes used should be Oeko-tex Standard 100 certified, so we can be sure that they are safe for the skin and the environment. Care should be taken to ensure that the file with the template prepared for printing is prepared in the report layout. Materials printed in this way cannot be dry-cleaned because the dyes react with chemical reagents, destroying the print.

3) Digital printing – fabrics and knitted fabrics are printed in special dot matrix printers, which is similar to the process of creating a tattoo. Thanks to the possibility of using various dyes, the print can be applied to polyester, viscose, or cotton materials. The fabric intended for printing must be properly prepared, e.g. washed. Fabrics printed in this way are subjected to finishing processes, e.g. stabilization, which may take longer than transfer printing. Due to the production capabilities of the printing house, we must consider that printing with this method must be planned well in advance.

The advantages of digital printing are certainly the low production minimum due to the ease of preparing a pattern and the speed of project implementation. An additional advantage is the unlimited ability to create patterns and use an unlimited color palette.

Printed patterns are transferred 1:1 from the project to the material. The finished product shows the subtlest nuances of pattern and color shades. Therefore, it is very important that the file prepared for printing is free of any unnecessary lines, dots, etc.

Prints made using the digital and transfer methods are resistant to abrasion, very durable and characterized by high color saturation. Good fabric printing practice suggests always ordering a trial coupon (strike-off) first. You can then check all critical parameters of the printed fabric, e.g. shrinkage, behaviour after washing, etc.

Another big advantage of digital and paper printing is care for the natural environment, because there is no need to use water during these processes, and therefore, there are no harmful leaks to nature.

We recommend working with printing houses in Turkey for natural fabrics to ensure high customer satisfaction. This is because of the high speed of project implementation, and constant availability of printing greige.

Let’s discuss about the recent and most popular trends of printing according to recent fashion and textile events.

Najważniejsze trendy w printach

Trends for the spring/summer 2024 season according to Première Vision:

1. Geometric patterns – hand-drawn geometry, pastries, block prints, mosaics, kaleidoscopes, and picturesque grids.
2. Vibrant flowers – flowers full of life, flowers drawn by a child’s hand, expressive, bright plants and floral doodles.
3. Monochrome cutouts – two-tone abstractions, simplified silhouettes, inky floral spots, inspiring woodcuts, and cut-out leaves.
4. Tile prints – a simple, regular pattern taken from decorative tiles, inspired by Moroccan tiles, exotic mandalas, and graphic patterns in a tropical climate.
5. Greenhouse plants – brushed leaf pattern, hand-drawn palm leaves, tropical floristics and rainforest atmosphere.
6. Earthiness – natural textures, leaf prints, cracked earth, natural stone veins and marble.

Trends for the fall/winter season 24/25 according to Première Vision:

1. Floral Shadows – Blurred flowers, inky flowers, dark, highly saturated shades, soft, flowing edges, and contrasting floral shapes.
2. Floral drawings – monochrome flower drawings, simple shapes forming flowers, linear drawings, leaves drawn in ink, calm and uniform combinations of patterns and colours, and bleached leaves.
3. Abstract art – spontaneous brush strokes, paint drops and splashes, blurred patterns as if captured in motion, high color saturation.
4. Lines – shading using closely drawn parallel lines, irregular lines, herringbones, hatched abstractions, and checkered hatching.
5. A quiet garden – glowing flowers on a dark background, flowers gathered tightly, bouquets of flowers, dark leaves, a night and mysterious garden, and realistic botany.
6. Circularity – overlapping spheres, interconnected rings, oval spots, streaky circles and rounded streaks.

The ability to print virtually any fabric or knitted fabric into a dream, custom-made pattern gives you unlimited scope for artistic freedom in the clothing industry. Thanks to modern, safe for humans and the environment printing methods, this process runs smoothly and satisfactorily, both for producers and recipients of fashion collections.