The Algorithm behind Textile Surface Design Repeats in Adobe Photoshop for Hand Screen Printing

Abstract

Adobe Photoshop has been one of the software used for textile surface designs recently, especially by textile design students. With its numerous design advantages, textile design students are yet to leverage Adobe Photoshop’s design process and design repeat deductions’ practical feasibilities in hand screen printing. Miscalculations of design repeats created design pattern distortion and further affected the quality of hand-printed fabrics. The study sought to enlighten textile designers on an algorithm to solve this design problem in Adobe Photoshop and to achieve a continuous flow of design patterns in screen printing.  The study utilised practice-led and computer-aided design approaches to resolve this challenge through a repeat algorithm in Photoshop. The study discovered the relevance of offset and pattern preview contributions in design repeat. Furthermore, repeat marks, registration marks, and a zig-saw repeat cut layout were recommended to resolve design repeat problems during hand printing. The study proposes that textile design students should apply the algorithm outlined to achieve good design repeat layouts and continuous pattern flow during fabric printing. Again, it propels students to constantly and persistently explore the potential of Adobe Photoshop in textile design.