Jacquard Or Reactive Print Which Decoration To Choose

How each method puts the design on the towel

In a jacquard the pattern is formed on the loom from yarns dyed before weaving, so the design goes all the way through the cloth. In reactive printing the design is applied to woven fabric with dyes that bond to the cotton fibre. Both are more durable than a surface pigment print, but they are durable in different ways.

Artwork complexity

Jacquard is limited by the number of yarn colours set on the loom, so it suits simple shapes, stripes, borders and bold motifs. Reactive print carries photographic detail, gradients and unlimited colour counts. If your design has a photograph in it, the decision is already made.

Durability under industrial washing

A jacquard design cannot fade off the surface because it is not on the surface. In rental pools, beach clubs and hotel laundries this is the deciding factor. A reactive print holds up far better than a pigment print but will show wear earlier than a weave.

Cost behaviour at volume

Jacquard carries a set-up on the loom and then runs efficiently at volume. Print carries artwork preparation and then scales with coverage. For a large single-design run, the two often land close together; for several designs in small quantities, print is usually the cheaper route.

How we decide with you

Send the artwork before the specification is fixed. We say which method will reproduce it, what will be lost if the design is simplified for a weave, and what the trade looks like at your quantity. That conversation before sampling saves a correction round.