An exploratory study of methodologies for digital colour printing in textile design, through an understanding of interwar historical colour palettes

Gooby, Becky

Abstract

Digital printing technology has had a major impact for the textile designer. Their design process now enables them to create complicated multi-layered digital designs incorporating photographic images and intricate detail. Artwork is no longer restricted to a number of colours or a repeat pattern. Leading to new entrepreneurial business models in the textile industry, it has become possible to print a metre, or hundreds of metres, at the click of a button, without high set-up costs.

However, there are concerns about print-colour consistency and outcome. There is a gamut mismatch between the additive - mixing colours with light, and subtractive - mixing pigments or dyes, colour models used to reproduce colour on screen and in print. Numerous variables can alter colour outcome relating to textile chemistry, colour management, viewing conditions and printer technology. Yet colour accuracy is hugely important in the field of fashion and textiles, where colour is critical, and tolerance limits are competitive.

The research inquiry explored a number of variables to determine their influence on colour outcomes using a Practice-as-Research methodology to reflect the conditions and approach designers would employ. These practical experiments progressed into the development of a modality of visual colour methods, which aid a designer’s colour expectation knowledge; a Colour Reference Book, Digital Lab Dip tests presented as Colour Maps, and a set of Indicator ICC profiles generated from data accumulated through measuring printed-colour differences on a variety of substrates. The modality of visual prompts is intended to support designers to build their own ‘internal colour look-up table’, enabling users to predict and resolve colour issues during the design process.

The methods were applied in a real-world test case, using a body of colour work, inspired by archival research of the British Interwar period. The work has been presented as an Exhibition of Praxis, an online Project Tool-Kit, and a Written Report, which takes a traditional thesis format.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Feb 3, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 17, 2023
• Keywords: textiles, colour, digital colour, digital textile printing, colour management, practice as research
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/8704673
• Additional Information: 3D3 Research Centre for Doctoral Training; Centre for Print Research
• Award Date: Nov 17, 2023