Want to design your very own fabric but not looking to print 1,000s of metres? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Although our fledgling print service didn't quite work out as planned, it hasn't dampened our enthusiasm for custom printed fabric and plus, we did do an awful lot of research in the process of setting up - so we thought we’d share our findings with you here! There are absolutely loads of ways and means to print your designs onto fabric, but in this post we are going to focus solely on digitally printing onto 100% natural fibres and concentrate on providers that are perfectly set up for small volumes under 50m.

A bit of an intro: Is digital printing the right textile printing method for you?

Digital production in general is absolutely perfect for small, bespoke runs. Which means that digital printing on fabric is perfect if you’re looking to get anywhere between a small test swatch and a few hundred metres printed of your fabric design. Although digital printing is a cost effective way of printing smaller volumes, it is not always the most cost effective way of printing very high volumes of one design. Therefore, if you are looking to print nearer 1,000 metres + of your design you might be best off going for rotary screen printing. In which case, we recommend you talk to the gang at Ivo Prints.

The other brilliant thing about digital textile printing is that there is no limit on the amount of colours you can use per design, because unlike some high-volume printing methods, it doesn’t require plates to be made up per colour, but simply works much like your standard desktop inkjet printer (only quite a bit bigger!)

The list below is made up of print bureaus specifically set up to cater for small-medium orders of up to around 50ms. It is simply so exciting to us to see that there is now such a great selection (and more joining their ranks all the time), because it not only allows many of us mere mortals access to services and technology usually reserved only for large companies, but also because for you designers and makers out there it is just making it easier and easier to get your products produced locally, right here in the UK.

Digitally printing with reactive dyes vs. pigment inks

There are two ways to digitally print onto natural fibres, with reactive dyes or with pigment inks.

With reactive dyes the colour goes right the way through the fabric, ‘dyeing’ the fibres. This means you can see the design on both sides of your fabric, which might be something you really need for a particular project. Reactive dyes tend to have a very good wash fastness and colour vibrancy, though are less great with light resistance. These characteristics tend to mean that reactive dyes are great for garments, as they can withstand frequent washing at high temperatures, but are not always the best choice for homewares that are likely to be in the sunlight a lot - eg curtain linings. Digitally printing with reactive dyes tends to be a bit more expensive per metre than when you digitally print with pigment inks. This is because after printing there there is a whole process of washing, steaming and drying necessary to rid the fabric of excess dye. This after care means that reactive dyes are not as eco-friendly as pigment inks, as the process uses a lot of water and electricity.

Pigment inks, on the other hand, sit on the surface of the fabric, meaning your design will not show through on both sides. It is a water-free process, with no washing, steaming or drying required. Instead, after printing the fabric is ‘fixed’ or baked for a couple of minutes at high temperatures, activating the binders in the ink. The process of digitally printing using pigment inks is a lot easier than reactive dyes and this is reflected in the fact that per metre it is usually substantially cheaper and it is generally considered to be a bit better to mother nature. However, the limitations of pigment inks are that they are still do not quite have the same level of wash fastness and colour vibrancy of other printing methods. Because they sit on the surface of your fabric pigment inks tend to make your fabric stiffer and more crisp. This characteristic and the fact that pigment inks have excellent light fastness, tends to make them really popular within the home interiors world.

• Where to get your fabric digitally printed using reactive dyes

&Digital

This is the digital printing arm of Insley and Nash, started by Mika and Gavin after they studied fashion design and trained as print technicians, they decided to buy up the equipment their college was selling off to start their own venture. Though still a young business, they’ve already built up a great roster of fashion and theatre clients.

Website: anddigital.co.uk

Telephone number: +44 (0)208 320 2558

Location: Deptford, London

Prices per metre starting from: £31.50

Minimum order: 1m

Fabric variety: A mix of silks, cottons and linens, with the occasional bamboo jersey and viscose available too.  

Custom and designer prints available to choose from?: No, custom upload only

Standard turnaround time: 10 working days, collect from studio - NB this option is free. There is a quicker 5 day option, either by post or by collection.

Anything else?: These guys also offer artworking and design services.

Be Fab Be Creative

This creative print bureau in Edinburgh was started by sisters Solii and Zoe and they say typical clients include a wide range of established designers, design students, small businesses and designer makers who have a passion for fabric. They’ve built up an excellent reputation amongst designer-makers and students in particular.

Website: befabbecreative.co.uk

Telephone number: NA

Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

Prices per metre starting from: £35

Minimum order: Test Swatch, which is ½ the fabric width x 20cm.  

Fabric variety: Cottons, linens and silks

Custom and designer prints available to choose from?:  No, custom upload only

Turnaround time: 10 working days

CAT Digital

CAT Digital is the commercial arm of the Centre for Advanced Textiles at the Glasgow school of art, started by a research grant from the Scottish government. What this means is that this gang not only operate as a commercial print bureau, but are also constantly researching and updating the technology behind their processes - which can only be a good thing!

Website: catdigital.co.uk

Telephone number: +44 (0)141 353 4742

Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Prices per metre starting from: £41

Minimum order: Test swatch, which is 30cm x 60cm

Fabric variety: Loads! Cottons, linens, silks, jerseys, viscose and even wool.

Custom and designer prints?: No, custom upload only

Turnaround time: 10-15 working days

Anything else?: They also offer artworking and design services.

 

 

These guys are based in east London, a part of the University of East London, in fact. They print for a wide range of clients: students, independent designers, fashion and textile studios, photographers and artists. They have both reactive dyes and dye sublimation processes, which is why they can print on a wide range of naturals and polyesters as well. 

Website: uel.ac.uk/fabpad

Telephone number: +44 (0)20 8223 2560

Location: Docklands, London

Prices per metre starting from: £45.24 for natural fabrics and £39.20 for polyesters (NB there are discounts for students)

Minimum order: 1m

Fabric variety: Loads! Cottons, linens, silks, jerseys, velvet and a wide selection of polyesters including spandex. 

Custom and designer prints?: No, custom only

Turnaround time: 5-7 working days for all silks, wools and cottons and 4 working days for polyesters.

Anything else?: They also offer artworking and textile design set up services if you've got a design but need some help cleaning it up or laying it out, for instance. 

• Where to get your fabric digitally printed with pigment inks

Woven Monkey

Woven Monkey was started by founder Ed back in 2013, in an area of Britain with a long and illustrious textile printing history. They have just introduced an open design marketplace, meaning anyone can upload their design for sale.

Website: wovenmonkey.com

Telephone number: NA

Location: Derbyshire, England

Prices per metre starting from: £21.99

Minimum order: Test Swatch, which is 20cm x 20cm.

Fabric variety: A selection of cottons

Custom and designer prints?: Yes, anyone can put their design up for sale on the site, so you can pick from that gallery as well as opt for your own custom print.

Turnaround time: 7-10 working days

Anything else?: They offer free UK delivery

Print Me Pretty

 

 

Print me Pretty was started by Janet in 2014 and as well as printing your fabric she also has an open marketplace for designs and regularly holds design competitions.

Website: printmepretty.co.uk

Location: Surrey, England

Prices per metre starting from: £16

Minimum order: Test swatch, which is 20cm x 20cm

Fabric variety: A selection of basic cottons in various weights

Custom and designer prints?: Yes, anyone can put their design up for sale on the site, so you can pick from that gallery as well as opt for your own custom print.

Turnaround time: 5 working days

Bags of Love

Bags of love offer a huge array of personalised products, think mugs, flipflops, leggings, canvases and beach towels too! They have recently branched out into fabrics too, offering a wide array of natural ‘look’ fabrics, which are actually polyesters. These are printed using a process known as ‘dye sublimation’, not pigment inks. They do however have a selection of 100% cottons which they do print on with pigment inks.

Website: http://www.bagsoflove.co.uk/cotton-print.aspx

Location: London, England

Prices per metre starting from: £39

Minimum order: Their uploader canvas allows you to input custom height and width, so it’s really up to you!  

Fabric variety: A selection of basic cottons in various weights

Custom and designer prints?: Yes, anyone can put their design up for sale on the site, so you can pick from that gallery as well as opt for your own custom print.

Turnaround time: next day delivery

Anything else?: There is the option to supply your own fabrics

Hey UK Printers! Don’t see yourself here but would like to? Just get in touch with us at charlotte@byhandlondon.com.