Printing on Silk with Giclee Printer

I am interested in printing on silk to make scarfs. I have an Epson 4900 which can print on silk, but in researching the process I have come across some conflicting information. My biggest concern is that the ink is permanent and will not run in the rain or come off on another articles of clothing. I think it is also important to be able to wash the garment in some way. I have looked into a few different fabrics designed for printing, some require special inks and/ or steaming. The investment in a full set of specialty inks and a fancy steamer are not in the budget. I have gotten different feedback on Jacquards FabiSign fabric about both the permanence and the process for printing.

Does anyone have any experience with printing on FbriSign or another variety of silk? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Meg

Location: 
United States
Robert Young's picture

what a cool niche! but unfortunately the best answer is probably for you to print some things and test yourself.... sent different to different drycleaners (they dont all use the same chemicals) and wash yourself at home... in machine (yep some clients will do that even with silk!) and hand wash...

Only then will you be able to confidently let your clients know HOW to clean the items without messing with your prints! sorry, think about it.. someone tells you something, you go with it .. THEN a client has an issue?? nope , you have to know your own product and printing specs. otherwise you will refund on someone else's opinion?

Modern Embroidery Designer
volant-tech.com
volantfineart.com