Understanding Textile Washfastness

As the technologies surrounding printing applications, plastisol ink and curing have improved over the years, so has the wash ability of the prints. What was considered a first quality print (20 years ago) following one to five washings would be considered a complete failure by today’s wash test standards. Not only have we become more critical of the performance of our garments, the consumer has also become much more critical in what they expect to see at the end of multiple wash cycles. It is not uncommon for textile garment prints (when properly applied) to outlast the life of the garment itself. In many cases, this becomes an issue of endurance between the two and in this article, we will look at the wash ability and durability aspects of a cured plastisol ink film on a printed textile.