The Kornit Presto Direct-To-Fabric Digital Textile Printer
The Kornit Presto is an advanced, all-in-one digital direct-to-fabric printing system designed for high-speed, eco-friendly production.
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This sustainable printer uses pigment dye-stuffs and no excess water. Unlike sublimation printing which only works on man-made materials like Polyester, the Kornit can print on a diverse list of fibers/fabrics including bamboo, hemp, silk, cotton, cactus leather, and more!
Check out the Kornit in action:
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Minimums & Prices
Batched Orders are Best!
YARDAGE MINIMUMS: There are no print yardage minimum requirements. You can print as little as you’d like however, at least 10 yards are needed to feed into the printer so you’ll want to be prepared to order enough of your fabric so that you don’t end up with a short roll that can’t be used again after you’ve printed a test. In other words, if your print order only takes up half a yard, that’s fine…but you’d still need to provide at least 10 yards to feed the printer each time you use it. So, batching your orders is best.
PRINT COST MINIMUMS: It costs approximately $8/yd+ based on saturation and there is a $40 minimum. So batching your orders is best. This is for printing only and does not include the actual fabric.
STRIKE OFFS (this is like a test print so the printer can learn the material and record the properties for next time) = $65
Timing
Usually this is a 1-2 day turnover if we already have a print profile (meaning your fabric has gone through a strike-off) and we have been provided with a print-ready approved file and we have the materials on hand. However, we ask that you allow us two weeks just in case there are other items in the queue. Print jobs will most likely not take this long, but this allows for the flexibility we need on our end to accommodate multiple brands of every size with so many white glove services as a non-profit fashion incubator.
Fabric Types
The Kornit can print on most fabrics (jersey knits, swim fabrics, satin, denim, canvas, chiffon, faux leather, etc…) and most fibers (bamboo, hemp, cotton, poly, spandex, nylon, cactus leather, etc…), but some fabrics are better than others. You can even print on textured and low-pile fabrics (3mm or less) like velvet! It can print up on rolls up to 71” wide.
Prepared-for-print (PFP) fabrics are usually best. FABRIC can recommend vendors that supply PFP fabrics.
FABRIC also has in-stock yardage of Dintex (which prints beautifully). Dintex fabric is a high-performance textile often used in outdoor and athletic applications due to its durability, water resistance, and breathability. It is frequently used for outwear like jackets, pants, and other outerwear designed for hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities. Its weather-resistant properties make it ideal for these purposes. It’s also used for sportswear like running clothing, cycling gear, and athletic apparel due to it’s breathability and moisture-wicking capabilities. It makes great bag/accessory fabric (especially backpacks) due to its strength and abrasion resistance. Even some high performance footwear like such as hiking boots and outdoor shoes, incorporate Dintex for its water-resistant and breathable properties. Therefore, Dintex can also be a great option for large format printing like signage, tablecloths, step-and-repeat backdrops, banners, pillows, curtains, and more.
Dintex Details:
Mesh back Soft-shell C4185 (Typical use: Outerwear or L3-Barrier/Medical)
Fiber Content: Face=94% Poly, 6% Spandex, Membrane=100% polyurethane, Back=100% poly
Serviceability: Water-repellent finish on face, printable, Oeko-Tex standard 100, w/certs
Specs: 57-58" wide, gsm 230
Availability: Approximately ~85 yrds/roll. Approximately 300 Rolls / 25,000 Yrds. available - Palletized, original packaging, w/certs
Limitations
Some fabrics will not work due to the selvage (the finished edge of the fabric). If the selvage edge is wobbly or frayed it can damage the printer. So, if your ideal fabric has a bad selvage, the selvage may need to be cut off and the edge may need to be “gummed”. A better alternative is to use the fabrics that are already proven to work well in the printer.
Fabrics with finishes are not recommended. The all-one-step digital printing process starts by laying down a fixation and softener based on the fabric and print profile, right before the ink is deposited. Fabric that is treated mixes with the chemistry during printing and curing and creates inconsistent results. You can test print, but we can not guarantee the print quality or colorfastness with pre-treated fabrics.
Solid dark colors like black may have some light banding and not look completely solid. Therefore, it is not recommended to print a large solid dark black or other dark-colored area however it does often come out ok. So, it could be possible. The dark ink does change the hand feel of the fabric making it slightly stiffer.
Color Matching
We cannot guarantee custom color-matching services. Every material type will present a color quite differently. This can be due to a number of variations in our digital printing process, as well as the composition of the material itself. Colors don’t always print exactly how they look on your computer screen. This is the case with all printing, even on paper. This is why a test is always recommended and there may need to be some adjustments made. Always test your print before ordering final prints or production quantities. Test prints cost the same as final prints.
Types of Print
The Kornit Presto is not a DTG (Direct to Garment) printer. It is a DTF (Direct to Fabric) printer. This means the fabric is being printed instead of the finished garment so the possibilities are endless. However, there are many different types of prints and you’ll want to familiarize yourself with them before you start.
Learn the difference between engineered and all-over prints HERE first.
Artwork
Before you’re ready to print, you will need a print file. A print file is a pdf that has your artwork placed in such a way that it will print within the width of your fabric. The length may vary. 1 yard is a good target for the length and then this file can be seamlessly repeated to as many yards as you want.
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Artwork should be a hi-res PDF that is at least 300dpi. 500dpi is preferred and will result in the best quality.
If your artwork is currently a seamless graphic that is a 12” square, it is NOT ready to be printed. A graphic artist would need to repeat the 12” square across the width of your fabric horizontally and then vertically down the length of your fabric (to approximately 1 yard) and then save it as a PDF. This is a print-ready file. We offer graphic/print design services at $95/hour to help you turn your artwork into a print-file that is ready to print. To request artwork assistance, send an email to info@fabricincubator.com