Abstract

Digital textile printing has emerged with vivid color expression and sustainable printing practice. Printable fabrics now include jerseys, stretch materials, and rough surfaces. In this study, four different common fabrics were printed using an online fabric printing company and tested: Cotton Denim (100% cotton), Cotton Spandex (93% cotton, 7% spandex), Polyester Fleece (100% polyester), and Polyester Lycra (88% polyester, 12% Lycra), and then color changes before and after washing were investigated using a spectrophotometer. Washing followed AATCC Methods 135-1995 and 124-1996 with adjustments.

A factorial experimental design examined the effects of fabric type and color (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) on color stability. CIE Lab color values were measured pre- and post-washing to calculate color difference (ΔE). The four fabrics were compared to find out which had the best colorfastness. It was noticed that synthetic polyester fabrics had better post-wash colorfastness than natural cotton fabrics. Adding Spandex or Lycra improved post-wash colorfastness. It was also clear that colors fade differently. For yellow color, all four fabrics had noticeable fading after washing. For cyan color, the two cotton fabrics had noticeable fading after washing. For magenta and black colors, only denim fabric had noticeable fading after washing.