The Engineering of Digital Swimwear Printing: Fabric Science, Sourcing & Colorfastness

The vast majority of garment printers only sublimate onto polyester because it is technically straightforward: disperse ink transforms into gas at 200°C and bonds with polyester fibers. However, luxury swimwear buyers overwhelmingly prefer nylon (polyamide) because of its distinctly softer, cooler hand feel, superior elasticity, and sculpting drape.

Printing on recycled nylon requires specialized digital printers (such as our Italian MS systems) utilizing acid or modified disperse inks. This chemical process penetrates deeply into nylon microfibers rather than coating the yarn, resulting in vivid saturation, zero surface stiffness, and premium comfort that polyester simply cannot match.

Grin-through occurs when surface-printed elastane opens under body tension, revealing the uncolored white core of the yarn underneath. In budget swimsuits, this creates an unsightly faded appearance when bent or stretched over hips and bust.

Swime Swimwear Co., Ltd. eliminates grin-through by: 1) Utilizing high-density micro-filament knitted fabrics; 2) Formulating ink viscosity to achieve 90%+ cross-section fiber penetration; and 3) Calibrating temperature and pressure during fixation so the dyestuff permeates through both the sheath and core of the elastane yarn.

Yes. Our digital swimwear printing strictly adheres to international fastness standards. All prints undergo laboratory validation:

• Colorfastness to chlorinated water: ISO 105-E03 Grade 4-5
• Colorfastness to sea water: ISO 105-E02 Grade 4-5
• Colorfastness to UV artificial light: ISO 105-B02 Grade 5
• Colorfastness to rubbing (dry and wet): ISO 105-X12 Grade 4-5

Our inks are certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class I (safe for skin contact), guaranteeing zero leaching of toxic aromatic amines or heavy metals.

For seamless continuous repeating patterns, provide vector files in Adobe Illustrator (.AI), editable .EPS, or uncompressed flattened .TIFF / layered .PSD files saved at true 1:1 print scale with a minimum resolution of 300 DPI.

Color space: Adobe RGB (1998) or CMYK (FOGRA39). If specific brand shades are essential, please supply Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors color codes (TPG or TCX references). Our graphics technicians conduct spectrophotometer strike-off matching to ensure flawless reproduction.

At Swime Swimwear Co., Ltd., minimum order quantities are established per collection, not per individual print style. This gives founders flexibility to test multiple creative motifs:

• Custom Designs: 400 total pieces per collection (minimum 40 pieces per style, 4 pieces per size and colorway).
• Ready Designs: 300 total pieces per collection (minimum 30 pieces per style, 3 pieces per size and colorway).

You can divide your collection between 3 to 5 distinct digital prints or combine printed hero pieces with solid Carvico Vita bottoms.

Before any bulk roll is fed through our digital machines, we generate a formal fabric "strike-off" (a physical printed test swatch on your chosen recycled substrate). Strike-offs evaluate color density, scale of repetition, edge sharpness, and hand feel.

Digital print strike-offs take approximately 5 to 7 working days. Once couriered and approved by your team, the master print profile is locked into our RIP server to ensure identical bulk consistency.

Yes. Our in-house team combines 2D AutoCAD swimwear pattern development with digital graphic plotting. We map your artwork onto specific panel pattern pieces (e.g., centering a floral blossom across a gathered triangle cup or running stripes diagonally along high-leg side panels).

This eliminates irregular pattern cutoff at the seams and delivers a polished look found in luxury department stores.

When using in-stock greige bases (REPREVE® nylon or Carvico Vita), custom strike-offs and fully sewn sample sets take 1 to 3 weeks.

Bulk production takes 3 to 5 weeks following final sample sign-off and deposit receipt. Finished garments are individually packed into biodegradable zip-lock bags and dispatched worldwide via DHL Express, arriving at your warehouse within 3 to 5 days.