Roller printing is a modern continuous textile printing technique where a heavy copper cylinder engraved with the print design is used to transfer ink onto fabric. The roller printing process involves a color doctor, doctor blade, engraved roller, lint doctor, blankets, back grey, and furnishers to transfer multiple colors of ink in a single pass onto the fabric from the engraved roller. While it allows for higher production speeds and more complex designs than traditional block printing, roller printing has disadvantages such as not being able to print large designs, lower coloring effects, and defects that can occur in the engraved roller.

1. Roller printing
Engraved copper roller printing

2. Roller printing
• “Roller printing, also called cylinder printing or machine printing, on
fabrics is a textile printing .
• Roller Printing also called engrave roller printing.
• It is a modern continuous printing technique.
• In this method, a heavy copper cylinder (roller) is engraved with the
print design by carving the design into the copper.

3. Main Parts Of Roller printing
• Color doctor
• Doctor blade
• Engraved roller
• Lint doctor
• Blankets
• Back grey
• Furnishers
• Color box / tray / print box

4. Process of Roller printing

5. Advantages
• Higher production
• 14 colors can be used for printing.
• Medium design can be produced.
• Can be used for printing any style.
• Higher production by using single color.
• Complex design is possible.

6. Disadvantages
• Large design is not possible.
• Higher coloring effect is not possible as like block printing.
• Lower production by using more than one color.
• Engraving the printing roller is expensive operation.
• There are also many defects in the Engrave Roller
Printing: scratches, shedding, snappers, lifts, streaks, scumming &
lobbing.