Printing on Stiff Translucent Fabric

Try your print on Stiff Translucent fabric, order a test print or do a small print run and see your designs come to life. Main use is for roller blinds as you can see through it at all but it lets a little through.

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Surface textures

There is no elasticity in this material, its tough taut texture is stiff and crisp to the touch. Both front and back textures are smooth but rigid, with the front having an ever so slightly waxy feel from the acrylic. The drape is a solid sturdy construct that is foldable and retains shape when manipulated. Its open weave makes it slightly mesh-like in make up.

Print detail

We give an acrylic coating to the front to give the brilliant white base tone. The colors have a good contrast, looking very bright and vibrant. The material is semi-translucent (you cant see through it or whats behind it at all but lets a little light through) and has a slight sheen to the surface finish. This combined with the crispness of the fabric allows the printing to be precise and highly detailed.

Usage

Due to the fact that this fabric does not fray and its taut tough construct, it makes this quite a sturdy material, perfect for use in shopping bags, laundry basket interiors, and ideal for roller blinds, and we also make laundry bags and toy bags from it, as it is a material that will stand up on its own with the right shape construction.

Sizing For Hemming And Shrinkage

We have a full Cut & Sew service here at Contrado, and are able to hem your fabric prints for a small additional charge. We create a small one- or two-fold hem that typically uses 0.2" to 0.75" (5-20mm) of material, depending on the thickness of the fabric. So, for example, if you want a finished piece of fabric that measures 39.37" x 39.37", you will need to order a size of 39.96" x 39.96" to allow for the hem (on top of that please also allow for shrinkage of min 2%). The thicker the fabric, the bigger the hem will be. You can choose to have your prints hemmed with either Black or White thread. On our silk and other light woven fabrics, one hemmed edge will be straight (vertically down the roll) and the other will be slightly rippled. The hemming material allowances are as follows and you need to make your print bigger to accommodate the hem:

• Light Fabrics (0.59oz-2.95oz): For silks and other light fabrics, we use 0.24" - 0.32" / 6mm-8mm in the hem (2 fold), so overall width/height will be minus 0.48"-0.56""/ 12-16mm
• Medium Fabrics (2.98oz-5.90oz): For medium-weight fabrics that fray, we use 0.5 - 0.75" / 15-20mm in the hem (2 fold) so overall width/height will be minus 1.4" - 1.6" / 35-40mm
• Stiff/Heavy/No-fray fabrics: we use 0.5 - 0.75" / 15-20mm in the hem (1 fold) so overall width/height will be minus 1.5" / 35-40mm

All of these measurements are approximate and can vary. Including with shrinkage, it can mean a fairly significant difference to ordered dimensions, so please plan your print accordingly. Depending on how open the weave is, our fabric can shrink anywhere from 2% to 8% with the average being 2.5%.

How Would you Like the Edge?

• As it comes. We cut around your image, leaving a simply scissor cut, perhaps uneven white fabric border. 
• Hem with thread. We can hem your fabric with a choice of black or white thread. Please allow 1-2 days additional production time. See below for information on how hemming affects the size of your print. We offer an overlock hem, as well as a folded hem (one or two fold depending on the fabric) however not all fabrics are suited to both hem types. If you can see both options, it means both are suitable, and you will be able to choose whichever you prefer. 
• Cut on the line. We will cut neatly on the edge of your design. This means that if you have a border around your design we will cut around that border, if your design takes the whole space of the fabric, then we will neatly cut around the edge of that image. Please be aware, when we cut along the line, we have to cut against the grain of the fabric. This is the standard procedure for fabric cutting. This means that with some fabrics, for example, Georgette and Mulmul, which have a slight wave in them, some fraying will occur. This is unavoidable, as the cut follows the grain of the textile. 

All of our fabrics are cut manually by hand, with the utmost care and attention. If your fabric has a slightly uneven look on the edges or a touch of fraying, this does not indicate a flaw in the textile. It is not always possible to achieve a perfectly straight cut with certain fabrics, so please do bare this in mind when it comes to your design. If you have any queries or would like to know about our cutting methods in more detail, please get in touch and we will be more than happy to discuss them with you.

Please note: As we make everything by hand, all sizes may vary slightly.

For further information about our fabrics see our FAQs.

If I cut this fabric will it fray?

This is a non fray fabric, so cut and sew neatly and you should be fray free.

Can I iron this fabric?

This is part of the basic wash group, for more details, see above under the care categories for further instructions. As this fabric can crease a bit, you can rest easy and iron safely

Can I wash this on a high heat?

We recommend washing at 86 degrees F but you can wash on a hot wash as the fabrics are treated at very high heats so we know that they can withstand the heat.