Printing on textile fabrics requires special knowledge and machines as well as matching inks. Already more than 20 years ago, polyester fabrics or fabrics with a content of at least ~ 60% polyester could be printed using transfer process with electrostatic printers. Since the introduction of piezo technology, this process is also available for inkjet printing. For printing  polyester fabrics with dispersions or sublimation inks, a fusing unit, which diffuses the ink into the tissue by means of heat or heat / pressure, is always necessary. The printing of natural materials is somewhat more difficult because the fabrics need to be prepared accordingly and the ink has to be fixed after the pressure by various processes such as steaming and ironing. Reactive or acid inks are used here. Many of today's DigitalPrinters for textiles are rebuilt or adapted printers, which were actually developed for other inks and processes. The two LONGIER printers from Runner family, on the other hand, have been developed from the ground up for the printing of textiles. The Runner TX3200 is designed for the direct printing of polyester or stiff fabrics or for the transfer printing onto such. A fixation is not included in the scope of delivery, this is usually available or can be purchased locally. The Runner FB1800 / 2000 has been developed for direct printing on natural or flexible, elastic materials and is intended for use in production environments with high speed requirements. It is particularly interesting with the new pigment inks, which require only a minimal post treatment (fixation at about 170°C) and the preparation by an upstream unit in front of the printer is very simple. The same technology can also be used on the Longier flatbed printers for DTG tasks. However, inks for textile printing are subject to further requirements as soon as they come into contact with the skin. Information on light fastness or color fastness and washability can be obtained from the technical data sheets of the ink. Compatibility for humans and the environment is defined by the Oeko-Tex label. To do this, the fabric as well as the ink have to undergo numerous tests in independent laboratories. The award of the OEKO-TEX label guarantees the safety.

Our ink partner HONGSAM ® got the ink tested in the laboratory of the TESTEX AG, Textile Testing Institute, and got the label from them. The inks are also usable with appropriate ink system for the flatbed printers from Lungier.