Durability Assessment of Functionally Printed Knitted Fabrics for T-Shirts

Knitted shirts are an appropriate carrier for easily readable information, and therefore, in recent years, QR Codes are very often printed on T-shirts. With the purpose of investigating QR Code fastness printed on textiles, in the paper a methodology was proposed for durability assessment of functionally printed knitted fabrics that includes the implementation of long-term care and wearing simulation - which the T-shirts are exposed to over the lifetime. Dimensional changes after multiple washing and drying cycles were determined for non-printed and functionally printed white knitting ; abrasion resistance and tendency to surface pilling after multiple rubbing cycles. The effect of usage simulation on functional prints durability was defined, as well as color fastness, readability and aesthetic properties. It was found that structure of knitted fabrics, their dimensional stability, the number of care and wear cycles performed, the printing technique and size of black modules in QR Code all have an influence on the results obtained.