I’m a textile printer who has been using Permaset for years, but since I was printing in a small space (only 1-2 yards at a time) I always prewashed my fabrics. I recently upgraded my studio with a much larger yardage printing table, and am interested in how I can print without prewashing my fabric. I only print on natural fabrics (cotton, linen, hemp), and tried a test print today on a dyed canvas that the company purports “probably has no finishing agents,” and dropped water doesn’t bead up on the fabric so I assumed they were correct.
My experiment process was: print (with Permaset Supercover), touch-dry the design with a heat gun, allow to design dry overnight, iron the design, then wash. My experiment with this resulted in a print that is faded/somewhat washed out, giving it a distressed look.
How can I print on fabric without prewashing giant quantities of yardage? Will it make a different if I allow the print to air dry for longer? Or can I only be sure of proper heat setting if I am using a hotter conveyor dryer?
Thanks for the help,
Mandy