WHAT ARE OBA'S AND WHY DO THEY CAUSE COLOUR PROBLEMS FOR DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTERS
Optical Brightening Agents And Their Effect On Digital Textile Printing
WRITTEN FOR FESPA BY TEXTILE AMBASSADOR DEBBIE MCKEEGAN
What are Optical Brightening Agents, and why do they cause so many problems for Digital Textile printers?
A vital issue for the Digital Printing of Textiles is getting to grips with the technology and effect of the upstream use of Optical Brightening Agents in fabric bleaching and preparation.
OBA’s affect colour and how it is perceived, both by the naked eye in natural day light, and its acutely affected by the light source in which it is viewed.
During the process of Bleaching and Drying fabric whiteness can often be enhanced by the addition of an Optical Brightening Agent (OBA).
Optical brightening agents (OBAs) are chemicals that are added to textiles during bleaching of finishing and use the process of fluorescence to trick your eyes into believing your fabrics are whiter and brighter than they actually are.
These additives are often used to enhance the appearance of colour of fabric and paper, causing a "whitening" effect; they make intrinsically yellow/orange materials look less so, by compensating the deficit in blue and purple light reflected by the material, with the blue and purple optical emission of the fluorophore.
OBA’s absorb light in the ultraviolet and violet region (usually 340-370 nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum, and re-emit light in the blue region (typically 420-470 nm) by fluorescence.
This is the electromagnetic spectrum. It starts on the far left with gamma rays and travels to the right through x-rays, microwaves, and radio waves.
The only part humans can see with the naked eye is the visible spectrum above… unless OBAs are involved.
OBAs absorb a portion of the invisible ultraviolet rays and re-emit them as blue light. It’s this reflected blue light that makes fabrics look brighter and whiter.
They are commonly used by commission bleachers and fabric finishers to enhance whiteness and get the fabric to meet the client’s whiteness standards.
However, this is an issue which needs to be dealt with firmly.
Different brands of OBA’s have a large variation of colour reflectivity, and the characteristics of reflection vary from one manufacturer to another and from one concentration to another.
The OBA can invade and distort the Colour Space that the Digital Printer achieves
It therefore follows that if the Colour Space is shifted by an OBA it will distort the actual colour printed by the Digital Printer.
Above all, Fabric for Digital Printing needs to be consistent, and any OBA that is to be used, must be understood, and specified from the outset, as OBA variation is the single largest cause of Print Colour Mis-matches.
It’s easy to detect the presence of optical brighteners under a black ultraviolet light. Fabrics and detergents that contain more OBAs will appear brighter than those with less.
While prints containing different OBAs may appear the same, but they can look different under light sources that contain more UV light.
Manufacturers who assemble outfits using different pieces of printed fabric from different suppliers, can have substantial variation, for although the fabric pieces may match under general light, those colours can shift under UV light sources to give a total colour mismatch.
Manufacturers of the chemicals often specially develop OBA’s to target specific fabric types.
In terms of revenue, the global optical brighteners market is huge and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2018 to 2026, and is expected to reach US$ 2,036 Mn by 2026 (Transparency Market Research)
This market is driven by the rise in demand in the optical brighteners market in Asia Pacific is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period, owing to the rapid increase in demand for optical brighteners in the cleaning and textile sectors in the region.
OBA supply is readily available for cellulosic fibres like cotton and synthetic fibres like polyamide.
OBA manufacturers abound, and each product has different emission characteristics, and there is a wide range of compatibility from fibre type to fibre type.
In conclusion, the influence of an OBA on the final colour achieved by the Digital Printer cannot be overemphasised.
If the concentration varies during a run, or the OBA manufacturer is changed from batch to batch, then the profiling that the Printer has previously done on the fabric will be worthless, and he will have to re-profile before he can use it again.
Giving the Printer the certainty of the Whiteness equation can be a huge plus point for any fabric supplier, and is a major selling point in the market.
This form of sales confidence can only come from grasping the issue at the Contract stage, and, by the printer and fabric supplier agreeing to continuity of whiteness, with no latitude for variation permitted.
The story of what happens when young designers access digital technology is still being written.
What once was a theoretical sustainability goal seems to have shifted into an active regulatory reality.
Is the Textile Market Finally Recovering?
After a difficult few years, there are genuine reasons for optimism. Duncan was candid about the challenges: "The market for textiles has been very difficult over the last three years. I'm not going to hide the truth there. But the tide is turning.“
A profound shift is currently reshaping the sector
Changing consumer expectations demand greater design diversity, faster turnaround times, and sustainable manufacturing practices.
To thrive, interior brands must adapt their supply chains, bringing production closer to the end consumer and moving away from bulk manufacturing.
Digital textile printing offers a definitive solution to these operational bottlenecks.
Digital transformation doesn't announce itself.
It accumulates - one innovation at a time - until an entire industry looks back and realises the ground has shifted beneath its feet. That's precisely where textiles stands today.
The conversations happening now about AI, automation, sustainability, and digital product passports are not theoretical. They are shaping decisions being made on factory floors and in boardrooms right now.
“By leveraging advanced digital textile printing, Marylene Madou has successfully merged traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. Her approach offers a blueprint for how independent designers can scale their brands globally while maintaining a minimal environmental footprint.”
From Helsinki's printing mill to Paris's Le Marais, discover how Marimekko is scaling a design-led brand with purpose, craft, and bold innovation.
But what makes Marimekko's story compelling is not just its aesthetic legacy?
The textile industry is undergoing a vital transformation. As the insights from Techtextil and Texprocess reveal, the path forward relies on a combination of sustainable hardware, intelligent chemistry, and seamless digital workflows.
From Zimmer's industrial-scale energy reductions and Stratasys's on-demand 3D embellishments, to Kornit's single-step technical printing and the unified digital ecosystems of NedGraphics and Optitex, the tools for change are here. To stay competitive, brands and manufacturers must adopt these innovations, moving away from fragmented, wasteful processes towards a truly connected, circular economy.
Friedmans stands as a testament to the power of combining traditional textile knowledge with forward-thinking innovation.
“Operating from their UK headquarters, Friedmans now serves a diverse array of sectors, including swimwear, dance, entertainment, sportswear, interior decor, prosthetics, and even pet apparel. With a strategic supply chain that reliably serves clients worldwide”
The apparel decoration industry is decisively moving away from isolated, analogue production tools toward connected digital manufacturing environments.
"Kornit’s unwavering commitment to transformative technology continues to disrupt the status quo. For business leaders and innovators ready to capture the future of apparel manufacturing, the path forward is clear”
The Urgent Need for Sustainability at Scale
The transformation at Coats provides a vital blueprint for the wider textile and apparel sector. True sustainability cannot be achieved in silos. As Dearing emphasised:
“Cross-industry collaboration is the engine of meaningful change. Brands, machinery suppliers, chemical providers, and fibre producers must act as an interconnected ecosystem”
Today’s customers demand superior product quality, real-time data visibility, and lightning-fast turnaround times.
For large-scale garment decorators, managing these expectations while balancing seasonal demand fluctuations - such as the massive surges seen during Black Friday - presents a monumental challenge.
"Relying on transactional vendor relationships and outdated legacy equipment is no longer sufficient to secure long-term stability and growth.”
Printing method is never a secondary detail. It shapes the entire life cycle of a product, from concept to customer. In today’s fashion industry, where margins are tighter and speed matters more than ever, technical knowledge has become a competitive advantage.
“The future of textile design belongs to professionals who can combine creativity with execution, aesthetics with practicality, and vision with production reality”.
Are we witnessing the reinvention of Merch driven by adaptive, digital technologies?
The commercial opportunity presented by printed, personalised merchandise is already a lucrative revenue stream; it is the core driver of growth in a multi-billion-pound industry. And the mandate for print businesses is clear: automate, adapt, and offer undeniable added value, or choose to gradually lose market share.
Powderless DTF is an important area of innovation. It deserves research, investment, and thoughtful development.
“But at its current stage, it often feels like the industry is attempting to commercialize the concept ahead of the underlying chemistry and system readiness”.
All Apparel Manufacturers face an Urgent Mandate: “Automate or be Left Behind”.
Industry leaders like Super Nova Sports and Ryozo International were struggling with severe pre-press bottlenecks and unsustainable fabric waste. By integrating AI Sublimation Software into their workflows, these forward-thinking businesses eliminated manual variable data entry, boosted fabric efficiency to over 80%, and reduced delivery times by more than half, establishing a highly profitable, agile, and environmentally responsible production model.
The Future of Manufacturing belongs to those who Embrace Connected Digital Ecosystems
“Whether you produce garments, car interiors, or home furnishings, the transition from creative concept to production-ready product often remains fragmented. Design teams work tirelessly to develop compelling materials, yet technical teams struggle to interpret these visions without losing data along the way.”
The European digital wallcovering marketplace is expanding at an impressive rate.
“For print professionals and interior designers, this transition presents a distinct set of challenges. Achieving flawless colour consistency, managing complex substrates, and meeting stringent environmental standards are no longer optional extras; they are fundamental requirements for commercial success.”
If you're looking to optimize your website for AI search, hang onto your cowboy hat. It's the Wild West out there. Former (and current) SEO companies see the handwriting on the wall as more search moves from traditional SEO to AEO (answer engine optimisation). Opportunists are popping out of the woodwork.
(There are good options out there, but vet them carefully.)
A swimsuit might start life as a sketch. By the time it reaches the shop floor, dozens of hands have touched it - designers, dye houses, printers, trim manufacturers, quality controllers. Each one interprets colour in their own way, under their own conditions, with their own tools. The result is often a product that looks nothing like the original vision.
Optitex is a leading provider of 2D and 3D CAD/CAM software solutions helping brands and manufacturers streamline product development from pattern design to production.
Fiery, LLC is the leading provider of digital front ends (DFEs) and workflow solutions for the global print industry.
Offering a suite of specialised software modules used worldwide across digitally and conventionally printed textiles, wallcoverings, and floor coverings.
Antigro Designer is a software company that offers comprehensive, modern solutions for print customisation.
Browser-based color management software that helps users track and measure colors through the production process, making it a complete color management system.
NedGraphics™ is the leading provider of textile design and CAD / CAM software solutions for the apparel, home furnishings, flooring, and other textile markets
Early.Vision was established in 2018 by industry veterans, with CAD, PLM, ERP and production experience, industry design to production workflows through PLM, to printing and cutting.