Digital Textile Printing

The development of digital textile printing at the end of the twentieth century has had a profound effect on the design creation use and understanding of textiles. This new technology - combined with advances in fabric and dye chemistry - has made it possible to produce complex images on fabric comprising millions of colours quickly inexpensively and in flexible quantities; a revolution that has led to a rapid increase in demand which is predicted to rise still further.<br/><br/>This book is the first to describe the historical and cultural context from which digital textile printing emerged and to engage critically with the many issues that it raises: the changing role of the designer in the creation of printed textiles; the ways in which the design process is being transformed by new technology; the relationships between producers clients and the textile industry; and the impact of digital printing on the wider creative industries. At the core of this study are two key questions: what constitutes authenticity in an age when printed textiles are created through the combined agency of the artist/designer and the computer? And how can this new technology be put to work in a sustainable way during a period of spiralling demand?