FAQ

Is there a minimum order? 

Yes

1 yd (and we mean 1yd  per type of fabric ) for non-permanent printing. This type of process is for prototyping  only, when you need to make up a product from fabric for a pre-line sale, photoshoot or show room sample.  This printed fabric can NOT be washed.  It is a relatively quick process so you can get to your buyers more often!

3yds (and we mean 3yds per type of fabric) for permanent printing. This process is done by actually using textile specific inks and dyes that bind to specially treated fabrics for permanency.  The process has a few phases so that the goods can then be washed or dry cleaned as permanent product.  This fabric can be used for selling on the retail level as well as for sales sampling.  It is a more time consuming process  than for non-permanent printing. And is part science, technology and creativity all mixed together.

How long will it take / What is the turn around time?

It depends on the project scope. The more information you can give us the more accurate our turn around time is for you.

On average, the turn around time for non-permanent printing is 3-5 business days from the time that a project manager recieves an accurate digital printing file. Accurate scheduling occurs after project scope is reviewed.

On average, the turn around time for permanent printing is 7-10 business days from the time that a project manager recieves an accurate digital printing file . Accurate scheduling occurs after project scope is reviewed.

How do I submit my designs?

Digital designs can be submitted on a CDROM or uploaded to our ftp site after working with a design consultant to review the basic project scope, parameters for submission and pricing. Most of the time a cleints’ request is bigger than just opening and printing a file, so we like to give you  your very own design consultant that will help you with organizing your project  details that we need. Remember, we can do as little or as much as needed but we will charge you  for our services and extensive knowledge in all aspects of print development. Our aim is to educate you so that the process is stream lined for both of us from the start.

Digital designs should be saved in Tiff-format at 150-300 dpi. Flat color/indexed designs  should be as indexed mode and tonal/photographic images as sRGB mode. If there is any question that you do not know the difference please save the file in the application as you created it as well so we can back track your work. You will need to speak with our design consultants.

Do my designs need to be saved in a repeat? 

This all depends if you are using our custom printed fabric for samples or proto-types of product that is to be eventually rotary screen printed. If so, your textile images should be in repeat. Some of our clients print with us as their end result and design and print engineered panel pieces to make up product. If you are printing panel pieces remember to leave a lot of seam allowance for fabric mobility.

What fabrics does First2Print carry? 

A wide variety of nylons, cottons, polyesters and silks that have been specially pre-treated and tested to give us  the best possible color gamut and reprintability. Please see our fabric list. 

How wide are the fabrics?  

They vary in width from 42″ -58″ wide.

Our maximum printing width is 58″. If you are looking to make something wider it is important to set the file up with printing overlap for sewing.

What if you don’t have the kind of  fabric I want? 

You can work with the Director of Operations on a Custom Client Treatment Program. This is not for the light hearted. To start, it requires a commitment from  you to source 25 yds of the fabric (pfp-white) that you want to custom test. You will be charged for R&D testing services regardless of the outcome of the tests at a rate of $ 1,000 for the initial treatment and testing services of the 25 yds. We will provide you with our report card and suggest if this is a good match for your specific project along with the feasibility in processing.

Later, if all works well, a miniumum of 100yds for treatment is required for First2print to coordinate with their treatment suppliers.  (some blended fabrics are just not feasible in the digital printing world becuase certain inks bind with certain fibers and some do not, such as  a  50/50 poly/ cotton will not digitally print well with good color regardless of what dyes are used digitally. We would steer you away from even testing this.)

This  has been done for all our inventoried “ready to go” fabrics creating high standards for custom outcome. If mass customization is what you need from your own goods, this is a great way for you to plan your product ahead of time and good way to control your custom printed products with your own  textile grey goods. There needs to be at least a 5-6 week lead time for all this coordination.

How do you make sure the colors you print, match the colors we want? 

Provide us  with color standards, a paper print  for reference  and a good clean digital design file.  We custom match all colors upon request to the specified fabrics from your supplied color standards. A color standard can be a paper print out that you like or pantone chips or color solutions custom  lab dips. The more organized your paperwork and clear the requests, the better we can be of service to you.  It is important to know this is a difficult process and some limitations occur due to the type of file given, substrate chosen and the ink gamut of the type of dyes used. We do our best to give you the closest color available with a custom color match that is within gamut for digital fabric printing. Quality means everything to us.

Did you know? All our colorists  had to pass the Munsell Color Test with “flying” colors to be employed here. How about you, do you want to take the test?

What if my file is too complicated and detailed to be indexed to under 18 colors? 

We would need to work with you about the ultimate usage of your fabric and determine which path to take for the digital design: indexed/color separated or photographic. For example, some designs can remain as photographic images if the end result of the product is digital production. We work on fine art replications for the museums and handle all digital designs as photographic imagery. Share with us, the details about your printed project scope, and we can determine if it does need to be color separated. If so, we can handle that too.

Are the printed fabrics machine washable? 

Yes, if you order fabric that is permanently printed with reactives, acids or disperse dyes.  We need to know what is your end result going to be with your custom printed fabric to determine the best choice of fabric and printing options when we review your project scope and files.

Do you offer eco-friendly fabric options? 

Yes, we offer a variety of recycled polyesters and organic cottons.

Did you know? Digital fabric printing just by the nature of its on demand printing process, is much more enviornmentally friendly print option then screen printing becuase their is minimal to NO waste.  In addition the acid and reactive dyes we print with at First2print meet OEKO-TEX standards.  YIPPEEE!!!!!!

How is your company different from companies like Spoonflower or other digital fabric printers? 

First2print is a full service company that provides more than just cotton fabric printing. We provide a full understanding of textile print development. We also print on nylons, polyesters and silks offering you a variety of different custom printing options with a relationship to your supplier whereby you speak and work with a design consutant to fullfill  project requests. Whose to say that we will always stay just this way. Right now, our focus is on printing  fabric with color accuracy from your request. As we see it, our requests require a further conversation to execute to meet your expectations.

What’s the cost?

Pricing ranges for printing and fabric between $65.00- $125.00 depending upon the type of fabric and process used. Color matching is a separate fee based upon the type of file we are working on: Index/spot color is $25.00/per color and photographic imagery is $75.00/hourly.