Virtual Designing in 3D for Textile Printing

Abstract

Ink jet printing onto fabric has many advantages when compared to traditional printing methods. The ability for fine line detail and near infinite number of colors enables a near photographic image on the textile substrate. The greatest benefit however is the freedom from the requirement of a print repeat and the ability to engineer a print design. To engineer a print, a product developer brings the garment marker into a textile design software program and creates the textile design within the marker. This design engineering process requires the collaborative efforts of both a product and textile designer, allowing a better marriage of shape and pattern design. For instance, a panoramic scene could continue across a product, or around a three dimensional form. The textile design once created on a two-dimensional surface, now is manipulated across the shape of the body so that it becomes a three dimensional design.