Until recently, if digital textile printing was discussed among those in the display industry, most people's minds turned to dye-sublimation. But advances in UV-curable inks – and, of course, the potential of – have combined with ever more versatile materials to add more options. This opens doors to newer applications as well as extending the opportunities for increasingly diverse signs and graphics. Additionally, one should not forget the options for producing heat transfers with the help of eco-solvent and even aqueous-based machines that have long proved to be a popular route into the apparel market.

The key to all successful textile printing lies in the marriage of ink with fabric, whether this is analogue or digital. Traditionally the domain of screen-printing, the appeal is growing for a move into new technology in order to take advantage of shorter runs, lower set-up costs and personalisation. Users of roll-fed wide-format machines that use UV-curable and solvent-based inks might prefer merely to find a material which, to all intents and purposes, behaves like a fabric and that can be handled in their existing printer. But, in the real world, this is often a compromise when it comes to overall performance and finish.

There can be few display producers that aren't aware of low- and high-energy inks suitable for use on polyester-based fabrics. Manufacturers, too, are becoming keener on promoting the benefits of printing textiles digitally, with more now offering systems that print directly onto the material instead of using the two-stage sublimation process. While both of these options are ideal for printing typical display applications such as banners, flags and soft signs, there are differences between high-energy disperse and low-energy sublimation dyes. With the former being applied directly to the end textile, production might seem simpler but it is also critical that the machine runs smoothly throughout, as it is handling the end media and not transfer paper. Many of today's engines incorporate integrated fixation units, an essential prerequisite to enable the sublimation process to take place and for the ink to bond with the material.

Direct disperse, high-energy dyes offer excellent light-fastness, making them a good choice for exterior applications, but where fine detail and small text represent part of the criteria for the finished job, dye-sublimation using transfer paper can achieve a more controllable droplet size, minimising dot gain. Pre-treated fabrics can also help in colour stability, as can the use of a profile that takes into account the idiosyncratic behaviour of fabrics.

Low-energy dyes for sublimation have the benefit of not being restricted to a material which can pass through a printer. As well as their extensive use in textiles, these inks are suitable for transfer onto most surfaces with at least a 50 percent polyester coating. As such, users with machines that work with transfer paper can produce applications as diverse as mouse mats and mugs.

Acid and reactive dyes should not be discounted for the graphics market, with both commonplace in the garment arena. Acid inks are used primarily for printing onto silk, nylon and wool but also prove successful with leather; reactive dye-based chemistry is intended for linens, cottons and natural fibres. Both of these inks need post-treatment in the form of steaming and washing to complete the job.

We are hearing more and more about pigmented inks which claim a host of benefits, including their ability to print direct to virtually all textiles. Most of these chemistries still need some post-treatment, although a fraction of that required by other fabric processes, while some claim to require no finishing at all. Their advantages of ease of use and compatibility with a diverse range of fabrics are countered by the fact that they might not have as good a hand, or feel, as alternative dyes.

Is getting it right really complicated? Well, no, it shouldn't be, but digital textile printing still remains a bit of a black art when it is discussed among the majority of the display and sign-making cognoscenti. Perhaps it's not always easy to wax lyrical about the benefits when the complexity of pre- and post-treatments seems to instill fear in the hearts of those who are used to simply running material through a printer and out of the other side, knowing the job is done. Yet understanding dyes and their process is not rocket science and is well worth the learning curve for users wanting to break into the textile sector.