Knitted/Stretch Fabrics Printing
Introduction to Features of Knitted/Stretch Fabrics
Knitted stretch fabrics are mainly made of pure cotton, cotton-spandex blends and other materials, featuring core properties of high elasticity, great ductility, soft hand feel and superior conformability. They can stretch freely and rebound well, offering skin-friendly breathability and a non-stiff wearing experience. However, such fabrics tend to curl at selvedges, are sensitive to tension changes and prone to deformation under stretching. Therefore, they impose stricter special requirements on tension control of printing equipment, ink compatibility and printing flexibility.
Core Application Scenarios of Knitted/Stretch Fabrics
Widely adopted in premium civilian and functional apparel sectors including light luxury garments, sports & outdoor wear, home textiles and trendy fashion outfits, they cover all categories of flexible printed products:
Functional Sportswear: Elastic sports tees, yoga suits, fitness sets, quick-dry activewear and stretch outdoor apparel, ideal for scenarios involving extensive limb movement and high-frequency exercise.
Skin-hugging Apparel: Pure cotton knitted base layers, underwear, children's knitwear and elastic casual clothes, delivering snug, unrestrained, comfortable and safe wear next to skin.
Trendy Fashion Items: Knitted sweatshirts, elastic printed fashion wear, knitted hats, shoes and accessories. They support high-precision, personalized pattern customization to meet youthful trendy design demands.
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Inks Applicable to Knitted/Stretch Fabrics
Reactive Ink, Dispersion Ink, Acid Ink, Pigment Ink
Core Advantages of Matching Degao Digital Printing Machines with Pigment Inks for Knitted/Stretch Fabrics
• Specialized Feeding Frame for Knitted Fabrics: Eliminate Selvedge Curling of Elastic Knits
Equipped with a dedicated overfeed and spreading feeding system for stretch fabrics, active selvedge spreading rollers, photoelectric centering deviation correction and closed-loop micro-tension control. Fabrics are fed in a fully relaxed state without pulling. Curled selvedges are automatically stretched open before feeding, fundamentally resolving natural selvedge curling and one-side warping of grey knitted fabrics at the feeding stage. No manual selvedge trimming is needed, fully preserving the original fabric width and elastic recovery performance.
• Degao M9 Series Perfectly Compatible with High-Grade Pigment Ink Systems
Premium pigment inks feature outstanding stretch and rebound performance, making them especially suitable for elastic-intensive knitted fabrics such as sportswear. Their rub fastness and washing fastness both reach Grade 4–5, complying with daily wear and laundry standards for garments.
• Closed-Loop Constant-Temperature Circulating Ink Circuit System: Solve Pigment Ink Sedimentation and Nozzle Clogging Issues
The whole machine adopts an independent ink constant-temperature control system to stabilize ink droplet shape and trajectory, preventing environmental interference, crystallization and sedimentation. A multi-stage filtration system improves ink purity, fundamentally avoiding nozzle clogging caused by pigment inks, and boosting printing quality and equipment stability.
Recommended Equipment:：Digital Printing Machine
Digital Printing Process for Pure Cotton Knitted Stretch Fabrics
Grey Fabric Relaxation & Pre-Setting → Special Pre-Treatment Padding & Sizing → Low-Temperature Flat Drying → Low-Tension Anti-Curling Feeding for Knits → Direct Digital Printing with Eco Pigment Inks → On-Machine Instant Pre-Drying for Color Locking → High-Temperature Hot-Melt Curing & Crosslinking → Gentle Cold Water Washing (Optional) → Soft Stenter Finishing → Finished Product Inspection & Winding
If you demand high-quality printing solutions for stretch knitted fabrics, free sample printing or customized equipment selection matching, contact us right away to get one-on-one tailored production implementation plans!
