R2R Ink Workflows: Reactive, Pigment and Disperse Printing

Reactive ink prints cotton, linen and viscose via a covalent cellulose bond. Pigment ink uses a surface binder and can cover a broad fibre range after qualification. High-temperature disperse ink enters and diffuses through polyester fibres under heat. Each fits a different fabric range, post-print process and washfastness target - choose by fabric type and finishing capability, not by ink price alone.

Use the standalone textile ink routes and processes reference for the fact-checked side-by-side comparison and all three expanded process flows.

Reactive printing - for cellulose fibres

Reactive dye forms a covalent bond with the hydroxyl groups in cellulose fibres. The bond is permanent at the molecular level - the dye becomes part of the fibre.

Best for: cotton, linen, viscose, rayon and cellulose-dominant blends. Premium cotton fashion, silk fabric with reactive-compatible chemistry, and high-saturation prints where color depth matters.

Process steps

1. Pretreatment / sizing of the fabric
2. Printing the artwork on the R2R printer
3. Steaming at 102–103 °C for 10–15 minutes to fix the dye
4. Washing to remove unfixed dye and chemicals
5. Drying
6. Finishing

Strengths

• Wash fastness that can meet commercial targets after route qualification
• High color saturation
• Soft hand because there is no surface binder coating

Trade-offs

• Full wet-processing line required (steam + multi-stage wash + dry)
• High water and energy consumption
• Wastewater treatment cost is significant

Pigment printing - surface-bonded, broad fibre range

Pigment ink contains pigment particles + a binder system + a water carrier. After printing, heat fixation activates the binder, which forms a thin film bonding pigment to the fabric surface - not into the fibre. The chemistry doesn’t depend on fibre type.

Best for: cotton-polyester and other blends, mixed-fabric daily output, no-wash production, environmental-compliance-driven mills, fast-fashion and small-batch SKUs.

Process steps

1. Pretreatment (typical ≈5% modifying solution)
2. Printing
3. Drying (e.g. ≈140 °C for ~5 min)
4. Heat-fixation at 130–150 °C for 4–6 minutes - activates the binder
5. Optional softening

No washing step is required.

Strengths

• Can be qualified across cotton, polyester, blends, silk, wool and nylon
• No dye wash-off step; compare water, energy, labor and yield at line level
• Fastness depends on the ink, binder, fabric, fixation and test method
• One ink, one workflow, multiple fabric types

Trade-offs

• Slight hand stiffness from binder film (less than older formulations, but more than reactive)
• Some premium cotton programs select reactive for color-depth and hand targets

See pigment vs reactive - which is the future for the structural comparison and why pigment ink works on blended fabrics for the mechanism.

High-temperature disperse printing - for polyester

Disperse dye sublimates under heat, enters the polymer and diffuses through the amorphous regions inside polyester fibres (or polymer-coated rigid substrates). It is held within the polymer rather than forming a surface coating.

Best for: polyester sportswear and swimwear, soft signage (polyester banners), home textile on polyester, polymer-coated rigid substrates.

Process steps

1. Pretreatment of the polyester fabric
2. Printing
3. Fixation - either:
   • Baking at ≥170 °C, or
   • Steam fixation at around 130 °C
4. Optional washing depending on application

Strengths

• Durable color without a surface coating when the route is qualified
• No-feel hand on polyester
• Excellent lightfastness and abrasion resistance

Trade-offs

• Polyester-only (or coated substrates). Washes out of cotton.
• High curing temperatures require capable fixation equipment

Side-by-side comparison

	Reactive	Pigment	Disperse
Bond mechanism	Covalent (cellulose)	Surface binder	Molecular (polyester sublimation)
Best fabric	Cotton, linen, viscose	Blends, mixed fabric	Polyester
Wash fastness	Test the qualified route	Formulation- and process-dependent	Test the qualified route
Hand feel	Soft	Binder can add stiffness	No surface coating
Wash step required	Yes	No	Optional / variable
Fixation temp / time	102–103 °C / 10–15 min steam	130–150 °C / 4–6 min heat	≥170 °C bake or 130 °C steam
Water consumption	High	Minimal	Low to moderate
Best for	Premium cotton fashion	Mixed-fabric, no-wash, compliance	Polyester sportswear, home textile

R2R machines that support all three workflows

Industrial roll-to-roll textile printers can be configured to run any of these ink chemistries - reactive, pigment, disperse, and acid (for silk/wool/nylon). The hardware accommodates the ink; the workflow differs in pre- and post-processing.

Factories serving multiple fabric categories often dedicate one machine per ink chemistry to avoid cross-contamination during the cleaning cycle between ink swaps. The HY-Series R2R printers cover all four ink systems on the same machine class - 1.8–2.6 m widths with 8 to 32 Ricoh Gen6 industrial heads. Published output is tied to model and pass; the HY-2232 and HY-2632 list 650 m²/h at 2-pass and 450 m²/h at 3-pass. Qualify comparable output against the model, fabric, ink, coverage, feathering and sellable-quality standard.

When to choose which

• Premium cotton apparel → reactive
• Polyester sportswear, swimwear, home textile → disperse
• Blends, mixed-fabric production, no-wash workflows → pigment
• Environmental-compliance-driven operations → pigment
• Multi-product mills serving all fabric types → all three on dedicated machines

For matching specific fabrics to specific printing processes, see how to choose the right fabric printing process for your textile material.

See also

• Pigment vs reactive - which is the future
• Pigment textile printing process - from fabric to finished product
• Why pigment ink works on blended fabrics
• HY-1808 vs HY-1816 vs HY-2232 vs HY-2632 - choosing a machine
• How much does pigment ink printing cost per m²
• HY-Series R2R printer product page