At least one embodiment of the present invention pertains to printing. More specifically, at least one embodiment of the present invention pertains to fabric printing on nested patterns.
In conventional fabric printing and garment design and production, garment patterns are applied to printed fabrics, for instance, at the present time, a typical workflow for fabric printing and the use of nested patterns can include the following tasks or process steps:
A design pattern is defined using graphic design tools, such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. The fabric is printed to the defined design, either using an analog printer, e.g. a rotary or flat-screen printer, or digitally, such as using a combination of a digital front end (DFE) and raster image processing (RIP), and a corresponding digital inkjet press. Most of the time, the design pattern is expressed by stepping and repeating on the fabric with a basic building block. The fabric can be produced with different “color ways” for the same graphic designs. For instance, a garment design may often be produced with two or three color ways, e.g., in blue tones or earth tones.
The design of the garment can often be created using graphic design tools, such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. The design can then be converted to a corresponding technical design, using 2D/3D CAD systems such as EFI-Optitex. The output of this process is a set of cut and sew patterns, with the selected fabric position and rotation assigned properly to the cut patterns.
The set of cut and sew patterns are then aligned properly to the pre-fabricated fabric, taking into account positioning on the fabric, after which the cut patterns are sent to the cut and sew manufacturing facility, for the final assembly of the garment. The process of aligning the cut pattern to the proper place in the fabric graphic patterns creates waste in fabric utilization.
In such a conventional process, textile sheets and rolls are pre-printed with designs and graphics, and are subsequently placed on cutting tables, to be used for nesting and cutting design patterns, which are later sewed into a final textiles consumable, e.g., garments, bedding, etc.
In the conventional process described above, there is often substantial waste in the printing of fabrics, because there is no prior knowledge of what the specific fabric elements geometries are, and how they match the prints.
Also, such conventional methods mandate specific nesting of the fabric pattern elements to the textile texture print to match the required print design, which can result in poor cutting yields, due to a high level of constraints between the pattern geometries and the textile sheet print.
One or more embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements.
References in this description to “an embodiment”, “one embodiment”, or the like, mean that the particular feature, function, structure or characteristic being described is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Occurrences of such phrases in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. On the other hand, the embodiments referred to also are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Introduced here is are technique that allows effective nesting of fabric, as part of a textile cutting process, in which designs and/or graphic elements are directly printed on the nested elements, instead of on the entire textile sheet.
Certain embodiments of the invention can address issues of waste and redundant printing, such as by starting with a blank textile roll, and printing only in the geometry areas of the patterns.
Certain embodiments of the invention can increase fabric yield, because there are no constraints between the pattern geometries and the textile sheet print.
Various exemplary embodiments will now be described. The following description provides certain specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these examples. One skilled in the relevant technology will understand, however, that some of the disclosed embodiments may be practiced without many of these details.
Likewise, one skilled in the relevant technology will also understand that some of the embodiments may include many other obvious features not described in detail herein. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail below, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant descriptions of the various examples.
The terminology used below is to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific examples of the embodiments. Indeed, certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this Detailed Description section.
Embodiments of the invention concern a method that couples effective nesting of fabric as part of the textile cutting process with direct printing designs on the nested elements instead of the entire textile sheet.
Embodiments of the invention address both the waste in redundant printing because it uses a blank textile role to start with and prints only in the patterns geometry areas. Embodiments of the invention also increase fabric yield because there are no constraints between the pattern geometries and the textile sheet print.
A design of the garment 14 can created 404 (
In an embodiment, the nesting, i.e. the positioning of the design or cut patterns 42, is performed as if it is for a “white” fabric, i.e. without any consideration to the design pattern, which in some embodiments can be laid out as densely as possible, to minimize fabric waste. In some embodiments, this process may be done with the Optitex CAD system.
In some embodiments, the nesting layout 80, once defined, can be sent to the DFE/RIP/Printer 508 (
In
The illustrative process seen in
The process 400 starts with a pattern design system or module 502 (
In some embodiment, the pattern design system or module 503 can also create 404 the detailed print design for each geometry, in high quality, and can store the print design and output it for both nesting and for direct print. For instance, to accomplish this objective, the base print pattern is combined with the part geometry at the right place to match the other parts' geometries. The placement can be done manually via computer human interface for placing, moving, scaling, and rotating the basic print patterns 42 manually or automatically. In some embodiments, the placement is done per rules of harmonizing the appearance of design elements 22 which may flow from one geometric part 42 to one or more neighboring parts 42.
In some embodiments, the nesting 405 can use the geometries generated by the pattern design system 502,504, and arranges them efficiently per the required volume and variety of sizes on a fabric sheet with specific dimensions, e.g., the available width 304 and length 302 of the fabric 302. In some embodiments, the digital print system 508 allows printing of any image in any shape on a gray or dyed fabric.
Once efficient arrangement is achieved, via automated nesting and/or manual manipulation of the geometric patterns, the specific print design is added and presented, such as seen in
In some embodiments, the resulting nested printed patterns geometries are sent to the digital printing system 508, such as a single big image, representing the entire arrangement. In some embodiments, the design and/or corresponding metadata can indicate the total count of the needed pieces for each color way. In some embodiments, the system can be configured to send the collection of pieces, represented as graphic files with the graphics and the shape descriptions, to the digital front end (DFE) 510 driving the digital press 512 (
In some embodiments, when a single composed image is sent, this image includes only the print elements 22 inside the patterns geometries 42 and not the geometries themselves 42 in their final position on the print area. In some embodiments, in which the collection of patterns to be nested by the DFE 510 is sent to the printer 508, the geometry (Clip path) is sent as well. In some embodiments, a standard cutting file is additionally generated, to be used in the cutting process, in which the cutting file includes cutting instructions and/or a marker file.
The process 400 also typically performs exact color matching calibration, raster image processing (RIP), and is directed to the final printing phase, in which an industrial printer 512 digitally prints the entire arrangement as a single big image on the textile sheet 302. In some embodiments, reference marks are printed as well, to indicate bias location of the fabric sheet 302, for later use when placing on the cutting table 514.
Following the printing 410, the fabric sheet 302 is typically placed and positioned, using the reference marks, on a standard cutting table 514 and, using the cutting file created, a standard cutting process take place, resulting with cutting 412 the fabric 302 into the design patterns 42, which already include their prints 202 as created in the print phase 410.
Some embodiments of the system 500 combine an Optitex PDS system for pattern design 402, an Optitex Marker system for nesting 405, an EFI Fiery for color matching and RIP, i.e., prepress 408, and an EFI Textile printer 512 for direct printing 410 of the required textures on the nested patterns.
Illustrative Printing process
In an illustrative embodiment, a PDF, PS, or other graphic language can describe the execution script, such as with the following pseudo commands describing the layout:
This print description language file is sent to the DFE/RIP 510 for processing and generation of the print data sent to the printing press.
In the illustrated embodiment, the processing system 600 includes one or more processors 605, memory 610, a communication device and/or network adapter 630, and one or more storage devices 620 and/or input/output (I/O) devices 625, all coupled to each other through an interconnect 615. The interconnect 615 may be or include one or more conductive traces, buses, point-to-point connections, controllers, adapters and/or other conventional connection devices. The processor(s) 605 may be or include, for example, one or more general-purpose programmable microprocessors, microcontrollers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable gate arrays, or the like, or a combination of such devices. The processor(s) 605 control the overall operation of the processing device 600. Memory 610 and/or 620 may be or include one or more physical storage devices, which may be in the form of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM) (which may be erasable and programmable), flash memory, miniature hard disk drive, or other suitable type of storage device, or a combination of such devices. Memory 610 and/or 620 may store data and instructions that configure the processor(s) 605 to execute operations in accordance with the techniques described above. The communication device 630 may be or include, for example, an Ethernet adapter, cable modem, Wi-Fi adapter, cellular transceiver, Bluetooth transceiver, or the like, or a combination thereof. Depending on the specific nature and purpose of the processing device 600, the I/O devices 625 can include devices such as a display (which may be a touch screen display), audio speaker, keyboard, mouse or other pointing device, microphone, camera, etc.
Unless contrary to physical possibility, it is envisioned that (i) the methods/steps described above may be performed in any sequence and/or in any combination, and that (ii) the components of respective embodiments may be combined in any manner.
The printer vacuum table and printer system techniques introduced above can be implemented by programmable circuitry programmed/configured by software and/or firmware, or entirely by special-purpose circuitry, or by a combination of such forms. Such special-purpose circuitry (if any) can be in the form of, for example, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.
Software or firmware to implement the techniques introduced here may be stored on a machine-readable storage medium and may be executed by one or more general-purpose or special-purpose programmable microprocessors. A “machine-readable medium”, as the term is used herein, includes any mechanism that can store information in a form accessible by a machine (a machine may be, for example, a computer, network device, cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), manufacturing tool, or any device with one or more processors, etc.). For example, a machine-accessible medium includes recordable/non-recordable media, e.g., read-only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; etc.
The above description and drawings are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certain instances, well-known details are not described to avoid obscuring the description. Further, various modifications may be made without deviating from the scope of the embodiments.
Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for some embodiments but not for other embodiments.
The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in the specific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used to describe the disclosure are discussed above, or elsewhere in the specification, to provide additional guidance to the practitioner regarding the description of the disclosure. For convenience, certain terms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotation marks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaning of a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the same context, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated that the same thing can be said in more than one way.
Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any term discussed herein is illustrative only, and is not intended to further limit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given in this specification.
Without intent to further limit the scope of the disclosure, examples of instruments, apparatus, methods and their related results according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are given above. Note that titles or subtitles may be used in the examples for convenience of a reader, which in no way should limit the scope of the disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, the present document, including definitions will control.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that actual data structures used to store this information may differ from the figures and/or tables shown, in that they, for example, may be organized in a different manner; may contain more or less information than shown; may be compressed, scrambled and/or encrypted; etc.
Note that any and all of the embodiments described above can be combined with each other, except to the extent that it may be stated otherwise above or to the extent that any such embodiments might be mutually exclusive in function and/or structure.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be recognized that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but can be practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.
This Application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/151,110, filed 3 Oct. 2018, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/568,245, filed 4 Oct. 2017, each of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference thereto.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62568245 | Oct 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16151110 | Oct 2018 | US |
Child | 18352979 | US |