What are Nano Colorants?

Nano colorants are specialty inks that have been formulated at the nano particle level for the digital print environment. For pigment based inks, nano particle formulation offers a range of benefits including:

- improved jetting reliability for pigments
- increased color gamut for inkjet pigments
- soft fabric hand (feel)
- and simplified processing methods

Pigment based nano colorants can be applied to the surface of standard PFP (prepared for print) fabrics via the digital method. Unlike dye-based colorants, nano colorant pigments do not require specialized fabric pretreatment to enable color fixation. Once applied, the colorants are 'cured' using dry heat, which activates the binder or cross-linking system in the colorant chemistry. This curing procedure permenantly adheres the color to the surface of the cloth providing fastness to washing and standard care practices.

Nano Colorant Printing at [TC]²

The nano colorants that we are currently working with at [TC]² are pigment based 'inks' that are supplied to our demonstration center by Yuhan-Kimberly along with the Ujet MC2 digital print system (shown below). Yuhan-Kimberly is an established provider of colorants and technology for digital textile printing and they have recently introduced the nano colorant set to the US industry. At [TC]² we are working with this system to learn more about the application and market potential of this colorant type. More specifically, our investigation is focused on gaining an understanding of color gamut and fastness properties, along with suitability for printing on a range of fibers and fabric constructions.

Additional Research Efforts

Since the early stages of our digital print research at [TC]² we have also been interested in the ability to digitally print textiles in the form of markers or engineered parts/blocks (see below). However, the ability to reconcile the printed information with the CAD data created for cutting has been hampered by dimensional change which can occur during the steaming and washing procedure required for the color fixation of dye-based prints. Thus, the elimination of wet fixation methods at the digital print stage helps to reduce and/or eliminate the barrier to integrated printing and cutting. With this in mind, the Yuhan-Kimberly system is also used to investigate strategies that support the direct flow of printed fabric into an automated cutting system supplied to our demonstration center by Gerber Technologies.

Nano Colorant Print Service

In addition to our research efforts, we are currently in the process of integrating the nano colorant digital print system into our InkDrop Printing service. We are currently accepting projects on a case by case basis. To learn more about this opportunity click here to access our contacts page or call Kerry King (919-653-3523) or Lujuanna Pagan (919-653-3508).