Quantitative analysis of the color accuracy and reproducibility in digital textile printing: Discrepancies within color reproduction media

In this study, the overall color reproducibility of a digital textile printing (DTP) process was investigated within a wide range of color gamuts, and the design color factors influencing color reproduction in the initial design stage of DTP were analyzed. During the DTP process, digital image samples, display samples, and fabric samples, each representing 1296 colors, were created. The color reproduction ranges of these samples and the discrepancies in their lightness, chroma, hue, and overall color were analyzed. It was found that the display samples exhibited the widest color reproduction range, particularly in terms of lightness and chroma. In contrast, the fabric samples showed the narrowest color reproduction range. Furthermore, it was shown that color reproducibility was significantly reduced when the medium transitions from display to fabric during the DTP process, with an average overall color difference of 24.34 Δ E * ab being detected between the display and fabric samples. The low color reproducibility of this DTP process was particularly influenced by the K ratio and the L * 10 and C * ab,10 values of the initial design. More specifically, the K ratio and the L* 10 value of the initial design imparted significant effects on the lightness reproducibility, whereas the C * ab,10 value of the initial design had a significant impact all on the lightness, chroma, hue, and overall color reproducibilities.