Yes. KK Fashion Exports makes scarves and garments with digital printing, to your own artwork, and ships them under your labels. We print through our print and dye partner unit, then cut, sew, finish and pack the products ourselves. The minimum order is from 100 pieces for printed scarves and 200 for dresses and kaftans, per style, per colour.
We have exported scarves and garments since 2003. Our production is independently audited for ethical and social compliance.
Which products can you make with digital print?
We make these products in digitally printed fabric:
- Accessories: scarves, stoles, bandanas and pareos. See our digital printed scarves.
- Garments: kaftans, dresses, tops and co-ord sets. See our polyester digital printed kaftans and digital printed silk kaftan tops.
A scarf and a dress can share one artwork. For example, a kaftan and a matching pareo can carry the same print, scaled to each product.
Which fabrics take digital print?
Digital printing works on many fabrics, but the ink must match the fibre. The ink type decides how the colour bonds and how the fabric is treated after printing.
| Fabric | Fibre | Ink type | After printing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton voile, cotton cambric | Cotton (cellulose) | Reactive | Steamed to fix the colour, then washed |
| Viscose, modal | Regenerated cellulose | Reactive | Steamed, then washed |
| Silk | Protein | Acid | Steamed, then washed |
| Polyester georgette, chiffon, satin | Polyester | Disperse or sublimation | Heat fixes the dye inside the fibre |
SPG Prints, a maker of textile printing machines, describes these pairings: reactive inks for cotton and viscose, acid inks for silk, and disperse or sublimation inks for polyester. Reactive, acid and disperse inks are steamed and washed. Sublimation inks are not washed after printing.
Fabric choice changes how the print looks. A sheer voile or chiffon shows the print on both sides but lighter on the back. A cambric or satin gives a denser, more solid colour. If you are choosing between the two cottons, read cotton voile vs cotton cambric.
What does digital printing do well?
- Unlimited colours. The printer mixes colours from a small set of inks, drop by drop. A design with many colours costs no more to set up than a design with two.
- Gradients. Soft fades from one colour to another print smoothly, with no visible steps.
- Placement and engineered prints. The artwork can be laid out to fit the pattern pieces. A border can follow the hem of a kaftan, or a motif can sit in the centre of a scarf.
- Several colourways in one order. There are no screens to make, so a new colourway adds no screen cost. You can split an order into several colourways, as long as each colour meets the MOQ.
Where does digital printing fall short?
Digital printing is not the right method for every design. SPG Prints lists these limits:
- Light colours on dark fabric. Digital inks are water-based and not opaque, so a light print on a dark base is difficult.
- Large solid areas. The print is built up line by line, so big flat areas of one colour can show uneven patches. Screen printing handles these better.
- Metallic and special effects. Metallic colours and burn-out (devoré) effects need screen printing. Digital printing can only imitate a metallic look.
- Very long runs. The same source says digital is cheaper on shorter runs, and rotary screen printing becomes cheaper on very long runs of one design.
How does digital printing compare with screen and block printing?
| Digital printing | Screen printing | Hand block printing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How colour goes on | Inkjet heads print the design directly from a file | One screen per colour; colour is pushed through the screen | One carved block per colour, pressed by hand |
| Number of colours | Unlimited | Limited; each colour needs its own screen | Limited; each colour needs its own block |
| Photos and gradients | Yes | Design must be reduced to flat colours | No |
| Set-up for a new design | Little or none | Screens must be made for each colour | Blocks must be carved for each colour |
| New colourway | Change the file | Clean screens and change the colour paste | Change the colour on the same blocks |
| Large solid areas | Can show uneven patches | Even and solid | Hand-made variation |
| Look | Sharp, exact repeat | Sharp, exact repeat | Small irregularities in colour and design |
The block printing points come from the Office québécois de la langue française terminology entry, which notes that a block is carved for each additional colour and that hand-blocked prints show irregularities in colour and design.
Choose digital for many colours, photos, gradients and placed prints. Choose screen printing for large solid areas, light-on-dark designs and metallic effects. Choose block printing when you want the hand-made look.
How does a digitally printed order run?
- Artwork. You send your print file, or a reference and we develop it with you. We check the size, repeat and placement against the product pattern.
- Strike-off and colour approval. We print a strike-off: a short length of your design on the chosen fabric. You approve the colours on the real fabric, because colour on fabric differs from colour on a screen.
- Sample. We make a sample of the finished product in the approved print. You approve fit, size, trims and finish.
- Bulk production. We print the bulk fabric to the approved strike-off, then cut and sew the order.
- Finishing. Each piece is finished to the approved sample: hems, fringes, tassels, pressing and checking.
- Packing. We pack to your labels, hangtags and packing instructions, ready for shipment.
What is the minimum order for digitally printed products?
The MOQ is from 100 pieces for printed scarves and 200 for dresses and kaftans, per style, per colour. Scarves, stoles, bandanas and pareos start from 100 pieces per style, per colour. Dresses, kaftans and other garments start from 200 pieces per style, per colour. See minimum order quantity by product type.
What should I send for a quote?
- Artwork: your print file, ideally high resolution, or a reference image.
- Product: what you want made, for example a scarf, kaftan or dress, with a sketch, photo or tech pack.
- Size: scarf dimensions, or the garment size range.
- Fabric: your preferred fabric, or ask us to suggest one for the look you want.
- Colourways: how many colourways, and the quantity of each.
- Finishing and trims: hems, fringes, tassels, buttons or other details.
- Labels and packing: your label, hangtag and packing requirements.
- Destination: the country you ship to.
Send these through our contact page, and we will reply with a quote.
Sourcing scarves in bulk? See how we work as scarf manufacturers in India.
View the Scarves & stoles lookbook → a glimpse of our latest collection. Request the full range: more designs on request.
