You can now find out all the technical specs and requirements of our Pregen pre-treatment in the table below.
Textile Solution Center: no problem remains unsolved
Our most advanced facility is here to help you: your one-stop place to experiment solutions, research technologies and find all the answers you need. Our facility is dedicated to research, assistance, training and promotion of the entire digital printing process. Here we bring your creative ideas to life. Here we find the best solution for you.
Total Textile Solution: industrial digital printing integrated system
Epson is the one and only partner you need to run the entire textile printing process.
Total Textile Solution is our integrated system for industrial digital textile printing. It’s based on Monna Lisa printers and all the steps before and after the actual printing are optimized to get you the best result in the easiest way. Forget dealing with lots of providers, forget all related issues. Thanks to the acquisition of For.Tex and F.lli Robustelli, Epson can take care of you and your business through the whole process, from start to finish.
Fields of application
What does pre-treatment really do? What’s it for?
To get the perfect textile printing, first of all fabric must be cleaned of any impurities and must be hydrophilic, flat, straightened and stabilized in dimensions. In addition to these results, pre-treatment also: allows the fixation of the dye contained in the ink to the textile substrate; optimizes the intensity and brilliance of the prints; controls the spreading of the ink on the fabric, improving the printing definition; supports the ink absorption, making drying easier and supports the penetration of the dye contained in the ink.
Always dry the fabric before printing
As we said before, excellent results come with the highest care and attention in every single step of the process. If you want to reach the industry-leading results Epson’s known for, you can’t simply “dry” fabric. You have to follow strict guidelines. For example, silk, wool, polyamide and other cellulose fibres shouldn’t undergo a drying process that exceeds 105°C and the residual humidity has to be approximately 50% of the nominal rate of recovery. Every material has its own requirements, you can find more information in the table below.
Get the best out of Genesta inks
Genesta inks are one of the main competitive advantages Epson has in the textile printing market. But the best technologies must be applied in the right environment and under the right prerequisites. Pregen is fundamental to allow ink to better penetrate the textile substrate but not to spread uncontrolled through the fibres. That makes the colours deeper sharper and far more intense than anything else in our market. There are 2 secrets behind Genesta inks’ yield: one is the Monna Lisa printing system, the other is the Pregen pre-treatment.
Thermo plastic adhesive
Permanent adhesive
Levelling resin
Detergent and refreshing agent / Stripping agent for the removal of resins and adhesive films
Post-treatment: where the printed fabric becomes the product
Post-treatment is a term that includes several processes that happen after the printing and that change the printed fabric in the finished product. Let’s get deeper into these phases: traditional finishing, washing and innovative finishing.
Traditional finishing
To obtain the desired hand-touch, the finishing should be applied on digital printed fabrics according to the specific fiber. We suggest using quality products like:
FORSIL MCS
softening silicon microemulsion
FORSIL HYR
hydrophilic and cross-linking silicon micro-emulsion
MONSOFT IO
non-yellowing concentrated cationic softener
FORPUR 48
very soft polyurethane resin
RESIVIN NN
thermoplastic resin for full and hard hand effect
RESIVIN AT
cross-linkable resin for full and hard hand effect
FORDEEP SOF
darkening silicon softener
FORFLEX PE
polyethylene wax for full hand effect and improved sewability
FORFLEX ZF
anti-crease glyoxalic resin for full hand effect
OXAL XS / XH / R3N
cross-linking agents
Washing
Fabrics printed with inks, acids, reactives, and dispersed must be steamed and washed: the washing phase takes place using specific soaps according to the material and the right fixer according to the fiber. Recommended products include:
FORPON SCR / TEXIPRINT B / TEXIPRINT GA / TEXIPRINT CS
soaping agents
FORFIX HFN-I
fixing agent for silk and wool
POLIFEN P
fixing agent for polyamide
Innovative finishing
In addition to the traditional finishings, new “wellness” finishings can enhance the interaction between the final user and the environment, bringing particular benefits:
AROMA AQUALITE
fragrance release (lavender, rose, lemon, sandal, etc)
PRETHERMO
thermoregulator at 25°C or 31°C
FORAGE EL
release of elagic acid (anti-inflammatory)
FORAGE GL
release of linoleic acid (moisturizing)
ANTIFIAMMA PES
flame retardant for PES
FORGUARD 3001
water/oil-repellent treatment
FORGUARD NF
fluorine-free water-repellent treatment
Traditional printing vs Monna Lisa Digital Printing
As technology moves forward, processes become faster, cheaper, more flexible and, most important, greener. The transition from traditional to digital printing is no exception. Traditional printing doesn’t use pre-treatments, have overcomplicated and multiple steps: sample printing, colour separation engraving, paste preparation, paste and water disposal… digital printing grants better results, more flexibility and is much easier on the environment.
Textile Solution Center: leading the international expansion
Expanding TSC to Asia means bringing solutions wherever they’re needed the most.
Since 2019, Textile Solution Center has been available in the Far East too, inside Fujimi Plant, in Japan. Like the facility operating in Como, TSC Asia supports digital textile printing by conducting research and development and by producing digital printed samples for customers in Japan and throughout the continent. Asia is a strategic area in the textile market and Epson is there to help the industry grow, bringing the most advanced technologies and problem-solving.
How can TSC help you and your business grow faster and healthier?
Come and see for yourself how we work for you.
Our TSC facilities continuously operate to help our partners grow and dominate the market. Research, training, innovation spreading, assistance, promotion: our efforts are 100% focused in developing the expertise and solutions the market needs.
Training: innovation is useless unless it’s known
In TSC we work along with design schools and universities to train textile and fashion designers of tomorrow on the newest technologies and the potential they offer.
Promotion: spread the word, reach the goals, change the market
The transition to textile digital printing and culture is necessary and it requires events, webinars, conferences, courses and all the efforts we can make.
Direct line: technology early adopters gain a competitive advantage
New technologies, designs, and innovations: we have a direct line to share our newest discoveries with our partners, to give them the best edge on the market.
SERVICES
Research and Development
One of Total Solution Center's main goals is to pursue constant improvement and to explore new technical and creative possibilities for textile digital printing, to stay always ahead of innovation. We are always at your disposal to work out and try customized solutions according to specific needs. If you have an idea, TSC is the perfect place to test it before implementation.
Assistance: whenever you have an issue
TSC can support you through each and every step of the digital textile printing process, from pre- to post-treatment and everything in the middle. Our highly qualified team has all the expertise and know-how to get you out of any trouble you can experience. Forget about any technical issue. We will design solutions specific to your case and around your specific needs.