It can, if the scarf holds dye that is not fully fixed or washed off. The AATCC storage test says moisture makes transfer worse, in humid weather or after steaming just before storage. Specify the dye class, a proper wash-off, a dry scarf before packing, a storage-transfer test with a grade, and tissue between dark and light.
This post is about transfer in the carton and the warehouse. First-wash bleeding and staining in use are covered in why colour bleeds and why it holds.
How does dye move from a dark print onto a white ground in storage?
Dye moves from the darker shade to the lighter one where the two touch, and moisture makes it worse. The AATCC test method for this problem describes it plainly: when garments with more than one shade are stored, dye can transfer “normally from the darker to the lighter shade”, and it happens when garments are folded with different shades in close contact (AATCC TM163, Purpose and Scope).
On a printed scarf or stole, that contact is everywhere. A navy border folded onto a white centre is one case. A dark printed stole lying on the white ground of the next stole in a carton is another. The same AATCC scope says the amount of dye transferred is intensified when moisture is present, so the problem is more severe in warm, humid weather or when garments are steamed immediately before storage (AATCC TM163). It also says some dyes are more prone to transfer than others, and some chemical finishes and finishing conditions speed it up.
Does packing a scarf damp, or in a sealed polybag, raise the risk?
Yes, a scarf packed with moisture still in it carries that moisture into the bag. AATCC TM163 says storage in plastic bags tends to keep the initial relative humidity of the garment, and this can make transfer worse or better depending on the condition of the fabric when it goes into the bag (AATCC TM163). A dry scarf in a polybag stays dry. A scarf bagged straight after steaming or pressing stays damp.
This matters for printed scarves because many print routes end with wet or steam steps. Digital and screen reactive prints are steamed and then washed. If the scarf is folded and bagged before it is fully dry and cooled, the bag holds that moisture against the print.
What happens inside a container on a long shipment?
A container adds heat, humidity and long time under pressure in a stacked carton. The German insurers’ cargo guide for ready-made garments gives 45 to 70% relative humidity as optimal and 10 to 30 °C as a favourable travel range. It says standard containers are suitable if the water content of goods, packaging and flooring stays within limits, and that condensation water can cause mustiness, mildew stains and mould (TIS-GDV, Ready-made garments). The same guide notes that natural fibres are hygroscopic: they take up water from the air. For a cotton or viscose scarf, damp air in the container means a damp scarf in the bag.
Why does the dye class matter for a printed scarf?
Because what can move in storage is dye that is loosely held, and each dye class has its own loose fraction.
Reactive dye on cotton, viscose or modal scarves. Reactive dye bonds to the fibre, but not all of it. A Leeds study reports that up to 40% of the dyestuff may hydrolyse during dyeing; this hydrolysed dye is held only by weak forces, not a covalent bond, and has poor wash fastness. That is why reactive dyeings need a multistep wash-off after dyeing (Amin and Blackburn, University of Leeds, 2015). On a reactive printed scarf, hydrolysed dye left in the fabric after a short wash-off is the dye that can move onto a white ground when moisture is present.
Pigment print on cotton scarves. Pigment does not dye the fibre. India’s textile research association ATIRA states that pigments have no attraction to fibres of any kind, and that an acrylic binder forms a film around the pigment and holds it to the fabric; heat at the curing stage polymerises the binder (ATIRA, binders and fixation). Its troubleshooting guide links poor wet rubbing to curing time and temperature. For a pigment-printed scarf, the binder cure is the step to control. In a packed carton the print face presses and rubs on the next scarf, so ask for a rubbing test as well as a storage test.
Disperse dye and sublimation print on polyester scarves. Polyester scarves are coloured with disperse dye, either by dyeing or by sublimation transfer printing. Here the issue is thermal migration. A textile chemistry article explains that under high temperature or long-term storage, residual additives in the fibre surface, such as non-ionic surfactants, softeners and antistatic agents, can dissolve the dye and carry it to the fibre surface. The effects include staining of other fabrics and lower fastness. It also says thermal migration has no fixed link to the dye’s sublimation fastness (Trade Textile, migration of disperse dyes after dyeing).
Which route carries which storage-transfer risk?
This table compares the common scarf and stole routes. No route is free of risk; each has its own control point.
| Scarf and print route | What holds the colour | What can move in storage or transit | What controls it | Test to ask for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton or viscose scarf, reactive print or dye | Covalent bond to the fibre | Hydrolysed, unfixed dye left after wash-off, moved by moisture | Full wash-off after steaming; scarf dry before packing | AATCC TM163 |
| Cotton scarf, pigment print | Binder film cured by heat | Colour on the print face where the binder is under-cured, at contact points under pressure | Binder quantity and cure time and temperature | ISO 105-X12 wet and dry rubbing; AATCC TM163 |
| Polyester scarf, disperse dye or sublimation print | Dye inside the polyester fibre | Dye drawn to the surface by residual additives, under heat or long storage | Wash off excess dye and auxiliaries; choose finishes that do not cause thermal migration | AATCC TM163; ask the lab about a thermal migration check on the finished fabric |
How is dye transfer in storage tested?
The test is AATCC TM163, now titled “Colorfastness to Storage: Dye Transfer”, current edition TM163-2013(2020)e4 (AATCC). Older editions were titled “Colorfastness: Dye Transfer in Storage; Fabric-to-Fabric” (Intertek Inform listing). In the test, dyed and finished specimens are sandwiched between pre-wet multifibre fabric and a second fabric, held in a perspiration tester for 48 hours at room temperature, then dried and rated. AATCC says that if no transfer occurs under these conditions, no problems are expected in normal storage. It also says the method can be used to check transfer problems caused by finishing.
For a printed scarf, test the darkest colour of the print against a white or the lightest ground in the same design. Choose the second fabric to match what the scarf will touch in the carton.
Staining in colour fastness tests is graded on a grey scale. The ISO scale is ISO 105-A03, “Textiles – Tests for colour fastness – Part A03: Grey scale for assessing staining” (EVS-EN ISO 105-A03:2019). For pigment prints, add ISO 105-X12, “Textiles. Tests for colour fastness. Colour fastness to rubbing” (BS EN ISO 105-X12:2016). Agree the pass grade with your lab and write it on the order.
Does tissue between scarves stop the transfer?
Tissue reduces it by breaking direct contact, which TM163 names as the condition for transfer. It is not a guarantee: tissue can take up loose dye and pass moisture. A print-trade article recommends separating paper between dyed polyester and the surface it touches when goods are stored folded (Printwear & Promotion). For a scarf with a dark print on a light ground, put tissue inside the fold so the dark part does not lie on the light part, and between scarves in the bag. Tissue works best on a scarf that has passed the storage test. It does not fix a scarf that still holds loose dye.
For print routes on our scarves, see digital printed scarves and garments, and browse the range in women’s scarves.
What to put on the order
- Dye class and print method for each scarf or stole: reactive, pigment, or disperse/sublimation.
- Wash-off after reactive printing or dyeing, and removal of excess dye and auxiliaries on polyester.
- Binder cure for pigment prints, checked with ISO 105-X12 wet and dry rubbing.
- AATCC TM163 on the darkest print colour against the lightest ground, with the pass grade on the grey scale for staining written down.
- Dry and cool before packing: no bagging straight after steaming or pressing.
- Interleaving tissue inside the fold and between scarves for dark-on-light designs.
- Polybag and carton conditions: dry packaging, dry cartons, and a note on container moisture for long sea shipments.
KK Fashion Exports has made printed scarves and stoles for buyers worldwide since 2003, from 100 pieces per style, per colour.
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.
