Colourfastness of multilayer printed textile materials to artificial light exposure

Abstract

Accuracy of colour reproduction and colourfastness are the most significant parameters of the quality of printed fabrics in the textile industry. The aim of this paper is to gain deeper insights into the colour difference of textiles printed by ink jet method before and after light exposure. In order to accomplish this, 60 samples were printed, using four process colours (CMYK) on three textile materials with different characteristics (fabric weight and thread count). Additionally, number of ink layers varied (from 1 to 5 layers). Afterwards, printed samples were exposed to the light. The colour of the samples was measured using spectrophotometer before and after exposition to the light, colour difference was calculated and afterwards analysed. Colour difference analysis has shown the significant difference of colour fastness within samples that were printed with different number of ink layers and also between different textile materials.