Decor March April 2022

Digital printed carpets
Carpets emerged as weaving in line with basic needs
and were kept in the foreground in terms of functionality.
Carpets, which started to arouse different
feelings on people with their appearance and unique
texture, have turned into an aesthetically strong
expression element that reflects the cultural characteristics
of societies and supported by technological
developments.
Digital technologies that deeply affect art and design
through computer systems have also started a new
process in the carpet industry. In this new era, science
and engineering combined with design and conceptuality
came to the fore. Digital printing systems,
which emerged with the rapidly developing technology
and used to express the methods of transferring a
digitalized image to the substrate, entered our lives.
Digital printing is a type of printing that stands out
with its economy due to mass production and also
provides significant advantages in terms of time.
Digital sublimation transfer printing and digital inkjet
printing technologies are two different digital printing
methods used in carpet production. In the digital sublimation
printing method, the transfer of patterns to
the fabric takes place as a result of a two-stage study.
Digital images are printed on materials such as paper,
polyester film and bopp (Bidirectional stretched
polypropylene films) in the desired quantity. Then,
with disperse dyes having the sublimation feature of
the dyestuff, the pattern or motif applied on a special
paper is brought face to face with the fabric between
the heated drum and the blanket, and the printed
dyestuff on the paper is transferred to the synthetic
fiber-containing fabric (Polyester, chenille). Disperse
dyes have sublimation properties and are mainly used
for printing polyester fibers.
Digital inkjet printing is based on the principle of
transferring the designs prepared in computer
programs directly to the textile surface by using the
ink jet method in the printing machines. The dyestuff
forms a bond with the fabric by penetrating into the
printed material, it is not a superficial printing like
sticking or plastering. “Digital Printing” as it is directly
printed with the digital (digital) pattern information
sent from the computerized pattern design unit; Since
very low viscosity paints called ink are used in spray
printing, the definitions of “Ink-jet Printing” are used.
Inkjet printing machines used in carpet printing are
also produced in Austria, Italy and China, but there
are companies that make machines in our country.
In Gaziantep, which took the place of Belgium, the
center of the carpet industry with Van De Wiele weaving
looms, carpets consisting of acrylic fibers woven
by machines in the 1980s gave way to polypropylene
synthetic fiber carpets over time, and today velvet
carpets produced on weaving looms have created an
alternative to polypropylene carpets. Velvet carpets
attract attention because they are decorative, but the
variety of patterns and colors resulting from production
techniques is limited in all carpets woven by
machines. In addition, a large amount of yarn stock is
required to provide color variety, even if it is limited
in machine carpets. This situation not only affects the
production speed, but also obliges to have large storage
areas. In order to eliminate the problems arising
from these production techniques, the printing technique
is more preferred to solve the disadvantages in
the mentioned areas. However, for digitally printed
carpets, an infinite number of colors can be transferred
to woven pile surfaces in white or ecru. This
not only saves space and materials, but also provides
great convenience in time management.
The pandemic process, which has affected the whole
world, has affected many sectors as well as caused
many changes in the carpet industry. Carpets, which
are complementary to home decoration, have also
become fast consumption products. Today, thick and
heavy machine-made carpets have started to lose
their currency because people have moved away from
the thought of using the same carpet for many years.
Instead, there is a trend towards decorative carpets
that are produced from polyester fibers on which
digital printing can be made, have an endless variety
of colors and high-resolution patterns, are suitable
for every economic level, that is, a new one can be
purchased at any time, that does not collect dust, has
a non-slip base, and can be easily washed at home.
Manufacturers in Istanbul in the field of digitally printed
carpet production is in a very successful position
with its product range by making great progress in
R&D studies in digital systems, material production
and supply. Since the pattern design programs used
for digital-system carpet production are very different
from the programs used in machine-made carpet
designs, the designers who will work in the production
of digitally printed carpets need to develop themselves
and adapt to new systems. It is foreseen that
in the future, high quality carpets woven by machines
will only be used in the living room where guests are
hosted, and carpets made of digitally printed polyester
fibers will be used in all areas including the entrance,
kitchen, children’s rooms and wet floors.
16 DECOR • Mart - Nisan 2022