Position printing puts color exactly where you want it—within a jacquard pattern, across a lace overlay, or highlighting embroidery—without covering the whole fabric. For India, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia’s fast-moving fashion cycles, this is a practical way to deliver precision, speed, and low waste.
What is position printing in textiles?
Position printing (also called placement printing) means precisely applying a design only on specific areas of fabric instead of printing across the entire width.
In recent years, with the rapid development of digital printing technology, position printing has emerged as an advanced method. Technically, it combines machine vision with direct-to-fabric digital printing.
For example, it can accurately add floral motifs onto lace borders for bridal wear or overlay colorful patterns on jacquard fabrics. Accurate placement printing enhances textiles with refined, layered aesthetics.
So, how does position printing work?
A position printing machine uses an advanced vision positioning system to detect existing fabric features such as embroidery stitch lines, jacquard patterns, or lace gaps. The system continuously calculates and corrects alignment in real time, registering the print to digital templates. It then guides the printheads to apply designs accurately on defined zones.
This makes it possible to print vivid designs—like flowers or leaves—right on top of white embroidery or jacquard, achieving both accuracy and visual harmony.
What is the difference between placement print and all over print?
All-Over Printing (AOP):
Repeats the same pattern across the entire fabric surface with seamless coverage. Common for T-shirts, bedding, curtains, and other applications where a uniform design is desired.
Position Printing:
Applies prints only in selected zones with accurate print positioning. Typical applications include:
- Saree borders, motifs and embellishments
- End panels of dupattas (shawls)
- Gaps within jacquard weaves
- Open areas of lace fabrics
In key textile hubs such as India and Bangladesh, placement digital textile printers are now highly popular. They enable localized patterns to be printed with accurate registration, helping manufacturers preserve the woven texture while adding sophisticated, high-end digital print effects.
What are the advantages of position printing?
This vision-guided digital position printing supercharges fashion with a potent combination of speed, precision, customization, and sustainability.
For jacquard, embroidery, and lace fabrics, traditional methods usually involve dyeing yarns, layering stitches, or adding extra screen prints. These processes are slow, labor-intensive, and struggle to deliver smooth gradients or delicate color effects.
Position digital printing technology offers multiple benefits:
Accurate print positioning, faster speeds → minimizes defects and higher productivity
On-demand fashion → supports small batches and quick start-up
Personalization → enables customized patterns and flexible design
Eco-friendly → reduces waste, water, and energy by printing only what is needed
This is why more brands and fabric mills are adopting position printing for bridal lace, jacquards, embroidery fabrics, silks, sequin fabrics, traditional attire (sarees, dupattas, kurtis), and luxury womenswear textiles—breathing new life into traditional materials.
What kinds of fabrics are best for position printing?
Fabrics like sarees, dupattas, jacquard, lace, embroidery, silk, and sequin fabrics are excellent candidates.
These fabrics often have rich textures or stitched motifs that need precise enhancement rather than full coverage. Position digital printing elevates such materials with overlays or gradients that highlight structural details while respecting the base design.
Which inks are used for position digital printing?
Ink choice depends on fabric type. The most common are reactive, disperse, and pigment inks:
Reactive Inks
Best for cotton, silk, or viscose jacquard and embroidery; deliver deep penetration, rich shades, and a soft hand feel, widely used in bridal sarees and luxury textiles.
Disperse Inks
Ideal for polyester-based jacquard and lace; produce vivid colors with excellent heat and sweat resistance, well-suited for South Asia's hot, humid climate.
Pigment Inks
Suitable for blended fabrics or rapid sampling; require only simple curing (no steaming/washing), making them efficient for multi-SKU or small-batch fashion runs.
How accurate is placement printing?
Modern advanced placement printing machines like HPRT DA188SL POS can achieve millimeter-level accuracy when the vision system and mechanics are well-tuned.
This jacquard and embroidery position printing machine is equipped with a self-developed high-precision vision system that can detect intricate details such as embroidery stitch lines, lace gaps, and jacquard textures.
The RIP software automatically corrects fabric deviations, shrinkage, or minor vibrations during the printing process. When fabrics are tensioned consistently and loaded flat, the DA188SL POS ensures borders and motifs align precisely—even on complex embroidered sarees or lace panels.
What speeds can position printing achieve?
Position printing speed depends on machine configuration, the number of printheads, and print quality settings such as digital pass count (balancing quality and speed).
For example, the HPRT DA188SL POS, with up to 16 Kyocera heads, can reach 350 m²/h, fully meeting the demands of high-volume saree hubs in Surat and embroidery houses in Dhaka.
How does position printing improve sustainability and supply chains?
Using the DA188SL POS digital position printing machine as an example:
Visual registration + color management → reduces rejects and saves raw materials
On-demand, high-efficiency production → faster delivery
Automation + energy-saving design → lowers operating costs
Pigment ink option → eliminates steaming/washing, saving water and energy
This not only cuts costs for textile factories but also makes supply chains more agile, enabling small-lot, multi-style, fast delivery models.
HPRT Position Printing Solutions for Jacquard, Embroidery, and Other Fabrics
Today, position printing is redefining fabric design with its precision, efficiency, sustainability, and flexible customization—helping brands and mills stay competitive in the fast-fashion era.
HPRT is committed to providing cost-effective position printing solutions to the global textile industry. The DA188SL POS position printing machine is already in use across India, Bangladesh, and other textile hubs, earning strong market recognition.
Contact us today to get your tailored position printing solution and unlock new textile opportunities!
