We know that your fabric is very special to you and we feel the same way. We would like to explain the process for developing your fabric. Most people do not understand how time consuming the process of reactive dyeing is. To do 1 square yard order from beginning to end takes several hours. That is why we must require a 1 square yard minimum for orders. Karma Kraft uses reactive dyes as opposed to pigments. We feel the reactive dyes that we use have a much deeper and richer color than the pigments dyes. With pigment dying there is a 2 step process, printing and then dry heat. With the reactive dying there is a 5 step process, pre-treatment of the fabric (sizing), printing, steaming, washing/softening and then drying. Yes this makes the process more time consuming for us but it is worth it. In the end, printing with reactive dyes as opposed to textile pigments we believe, gives you a fabric more vivid in color, washable and softer in hand. That is why we allow 7-10 business days to take good care of your fabric. We hope you will appreciate the care your fabric is given and to learn more please see the details below. With a little extra time and care we don't just print a fabric, we print a fabric for life.

Test Print

Before we print the final version of your design we must do a test print to adjust colors first. The test print and the final version print go through all the steps shown below. Sometimes we do a test print two or three times before printing the final run. For 1 order we must do the following steps every time. As you can imagine the labor time for doing the test print and the final print is very intensive which is why we require a 1 square yard minimum. We want you to know our process from the beginning stages through the end to have an understanding of the entire process.

Sizing

First your fabric is "sized" which is mainly a pre-treatment and flattening of your fabric in preparation for printing.

Printing

After sizing your design is printed on the fabric of your choice with high quality reactive or disperse dyes. The type of dye used depends on the fabric we are printing on. Reactive for the natural fibers, disperse for the manmade fibers. These dyes are of the highest quality and we feel they produce deeper and richer colors than textile pigments. This process takes some time but in the end you have a fabric with great color, hand and washability.

Steaming

Next up your fabric will receive a steam bath. Talk about a steam bath, wow this process is HOT! This allows the fibers in your fabric to expand and "take" the dyes. This process really sets the color into your fabric to acheive the deep rich color without fading and washing away.

Washing

After your fabric leaves the steam bath it is treated to a regular bath. Here your fabric will be washed and softend to create a wonderful drape and hand.

Drying

Last step, into the dryer it goes. No explaination necessary.

After drying we will ship you your fabric or if you have chosen for us to make a product we will go ahead and start the sewing process. The shipping time is on average about 1 week and if you are getting a product made we ask that you allow 1 week for that as well. This time may be shorter if there is not a line. We hope this explains our process but if you have any questions please feel free contact us anytime.