Can I print onto fabric?

The answer is yes you can print onto fabric!! We are throughly enjoying printing onto fabric at the moment. It’s so joyful what we can produce turning our prints in items such as cushions and lampshades. Read on to find out how you can print on fabric too ….

Which Inks should I use?

Cranfield’s caligo safe wash inks are brilliant for printing onto fabric as they already have some driers added. If you need to speed up drying times don’t be afraid to add in a drop of cobalt drier or magnesium powder into the ink.

Can I wash the fabric and is it permanent?

Caligo safe wash inks are designed so that while wet they will wash out with soap and water and without the need for use of toxic solvents. Once dry the inks hold a good level of resistance to handling and washing. We can’t guarantee that all fabric prints will be fully water resistant and 100% fast on all textiles and situations, however we have seen some lovely print and wash results.

How should I prepare my fabric?

 Most printmakers will wash their fabrics before printing this will eliminate and shrinkage and wash away any unwanted chemicals from the manufacturing process. The higher the weave and texture in the fabric the more pressure you will need to reach that solid ink coverage.

Drying and washing

 Drying your fabric can take several days, we recommend drying your fabric in a warm dry space with moving air. One you believe to be dry we recommend doing a rub test to see if any of the ink is removed when rubbed. If no ink is removed your ink is dry and therefore ready to set.

To set your ink we recommend placing a sheet of baking paper over your print and then using a hot iron with no steam to seal with heat. However, do not glide the iron like you usually would hold the iron in areas of the prints for five second intervals this will allow the heat to fix the ink to the fabric.

 To wash your print, we recommend washing on a two hour was at 40 degrees or alternatively washing by hand. However please do bear in mind every fabric is different and wash times and temperatures may vary. We always recommend doing a patch test where possible.

We cant wait to see what you all produce! 🙂

Thank you for reading!

Happy Printmaking!

All the best,

Ellie & The Team!

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If you have read to the bottom of this blog you are entitled to a free gift, please email Jenny@IronbridgefineArts.co.uk with your preferred printing Relief or Intaglio to claim. Postage of £6.99 will still apply.