Burning Out Print Techniques

Last Updated: July 8, 2026

Burning Out Print Techniques

Mohammad Nurul Alam
SeniorMerchandiser | Asmara BD Pvt. Ltd. | Dhaka | Bangladesh
E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]

I was trying to read in details about burn out print. But it was not easy understanding and much informative that available on internet. Most important fact is all the information is quite similar and some are done by copy paste. So if reader wants to know this print technique in practical point of view then gets lots of difficulties. I tried to dig into the matter and started learning on internet. I discussed with many of print expert and got some valuable information that can be easy workable for a merchandiser when goes to work on it. For a merchandiser, the key is to check fiber blend, expected GSM loss, wash behavior and MOQ before confirming the order.

What Is Burning Out Print?

Burn-out or burning out print, also named ausbrenner or dévorée. In subject line this is call print but practically this is not any kind of print. The characteristic of print is layering on any fabric. But the Burn out print does not put any layer rather it burns layer from fabric. This is actually old method of designing on fabric but in new and modern form. This technique developed in the 20th century at French. The technique was popularized in the 1920s – typically used on evening gowns and shawls – and revived in the 1980s and ’90s. In mill language, RFD means ready for dyeing, according to standard textile mill terminology, so the base cloth is prepared first and then the burn-out chemical reacts on the selected fiber only.

I told earlier this is an old method of fabric designing by mixing fiber and destroying other. We get mélange look on fabric when one part dye done on CVC. In the same way burn out done on CVC or PC fabric and give design on fabric by destroying cotton portion. At the burn out areas there will be 100% polyester remaining the other portion will be same as before burn out. That is why the final look depends heavily on the original blend ratio, not only on the screen design.

About 80% of the burnout t-shirt done for females. In real buying practice, burnout is more common in ladies’ tops, dresses and lightweight fashion pieces than in basic menswear. This is a practical market observation, not a verified global statistic, so the exact share can vary by buyer and season.

Advantage and Disadvantages Burn Out Printing:

Any fancy work on garments and fabric has higher wastage and process loss. Some time it may destroy total volume and bring big loss for the manufacturer. But as people of modern time want more and more exception and fancy so all the brand now look for special treatment. Burn out also similar types of fancy treatment that attract the customer more. Particularly for women’s wear this is much lucrative. Burn out makes the fabric very soft and gives a super fabric hand feel. This fabric really comfortable for the wearer. For best result, the base fabric should be checked for shrinkage and recovery before bulk, because the chemical step can expose weaknesses that were not visible in the greige cloth.

Disadvantages are higher process loss, costly as well as not available print factory. All the All Over Print (AOP) factory is not ready to do less than a certain volume. Want higher cost. That is because burn-out usually needs a special chemical paste, extra washing and more quality checking than a normal print.

Burn out has low productivity during sewing because of its uneven surface. Operator need to take special care when sewing the garment and so productivity much slower. A sample sewing test is also useful, because the remaining polyester can behave differently at seam points and needle holes.

Shrinkage is another big problem for burn out fabric, so must be careful and take precaution actuation to control the shrinkage level. Before bulk a small lot can be good for trial to determine shrinkage. For a better bulk decision, always check wash shrinkage on the actual finished garment, not only on the fabric swatch.

What Type of Fabric Require for Burn Out Printing?

Burn out possible on blended fiber only. Mostly used fabric is

60% polyester 40% cotton
40% polyester 60% cotton

It can be combined to,

Protine based fiber (silk )+ Cellulose fiber (viscose, cotton, or rayon) burn out chemical Sodium hydroxide solution
Polyester + Other fiber (But not polyamide) burn out chemical Sodium dihydrogen phosphate
Polyamide(Nylon) + Other fiber (But not Polyester) burn out chemical Aluminium sulphate

If needed the finished fabric with 120 to 130 GSM then should take knit the fabric with 160 to 170 GSM. Generally lighter fabric is good for burn out process. Single jersey is suitable for this technique. That means a noticeable part of the weight is being removed in the burn-out stage, so the greige fabric must be booked with this loss in mind. If the blend ratio is not clear, ask for a fiber test report before approving bulk.

The process loss is very high 35% to 40% so care full consumption needed before fabric booking. Usually process loss is depends on burn out design area. Less design coverage is less process loss and big design require more process loss. Large all-over motifs usually create more loss than small placement motifs, so booking should always follow the design coverage, not only the fabric order quantity.

You may also like: Step by Step Burn Out Printing Process for Beginners

Earlier burn out technique was applied on dyed fabric then it is washed only to remove destroyed fiber from fabric. But it has many problem particularly shade change after burn out. The shade before burn out and after burn out not matched. That’s why now this is done on RFD fabric. Then fabric is dyed in desired color. This route also gives better shade matching, because the color is taken after the destructive effect is complete.

How Is Burning Out Print Done?

Burn out usually done on flat bed rotary machine. Print screen required to develop and then chemical applied on RFD fabric same as rotary print. The difference is after applied print color on fabric then design is visible for normal AOP (all over print) but for burn out technique the design is not visible much. Only after curing process it can be visible in light brown color. The print paste usually looks flat before curing, so the strike-off must be judged after curing and wash-off, not only on the screen table.

There is more important fact that an operator does during curing process. The adjustment of temperature is very important. If temperature gets high during curing process then possibility to damaging the fabric. In the same way if less heat is given then burn out may not be good. Operator fixed the temperature 160°C to 200°C depending on fabric and print type. The exact setting depends on the paste chemistry and the fabric GSM, so the first trial should be watched closely before full running.

General Recipe:

Thickening Agent
Sodium Hydroxide/sodium hydrogen sulphate.
Glycerin.
Water.

In the above we mentioned what chemical require for what type of fabric to get burn out effect. Here Glycerin used to smooth the print and to pass through print screen. This is not all time require but operator use if thinks needed. The exact chemistry should be lab approved for the exact blend, because one recipe may not work on another fiber mix. Glycerin is mainly used to improve flow, but too much can make the print too wet and reduce sharpness.

Is Placement Burn Out Possible?

We do placement print on chest of tee shirt or other garments. This is quite common to us but one of my customer ask for placement burn out. They want same effect as the tee shirt print. Actually this is quite unusual for us. 1st of all it needs to print on RFD cutting. Then to sew garment and garment dye or on dyed fabric placement bur out and then garments making and wash. In both process this is not production friendly. I never do it but possible. If a buyer really needs placement effect, the safest sample route is to do a small panel test first and check seam distortion after wash, because garment construction can change the final design edge.

Cost of Burn Out Print:

Normally the cost of burnout print is $4.5 to $5.0/kg. This should be treated as an indicative mill quote only, because burn-out pricing changes with fabric blend, design coverage and MOQ. If fabric quantity is big then the cost will be less. Also the print cost vary from factory to factory. Good AOP mill does not compromise in quality and so price is higher. I talked to a low standard AOP factory for burn out print they even say can do at 3.80/kgs but I doubt about quality. Ask the mill to quote separately for fabric, burn-out charge, washing and wastage so you can compare apples to apples.

Care Instruction:

Fig: Care instruction

Wash thoroughly with warm 44^oC water and use a mild detergent, because harsh bleach and high tumble heat can weaken the remaining fiber and change the hand feel.

Conclusion:

We mostly not aware when goes for making special fabric such as burn out. If special care is not taken then a merchandiser a may face many difficulties. The most important initiative is to take advise from the people who works on this kind of fabric just to determine that merchandiser is doing correct. Before bulk, a wash test, shrinkage test and approved shade band should be confirmed, because burnout fabric can look fine in the sample room but behave differently in production.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What is burn out print on fabric?

Ans: Burn out print is a chemical process that removes one fiber from a blended fabric, usually the cotton or viscose part, to create a design. It is not a surface print, so the final effect depends on the fiber ratio and curing control.

Q2. Which fabric is best for burn out print?

Ans: Polyester/cotton, polyester/viscose and silk/viscose blends are commonly used for burn out print. The exact blend should be lab tested first, because the same chemical can give a very different result on another fiber mix.

Q3. Is burnout fabric durable after washing?

Ans: It can be durable if the blend, curing temperature and wash-off are controlled properly. However, the removed areas are permanently weakened, so shrinkage and seam strength should be tested before bulk production.

Q4. How much does burn out print cost per kg?

Ans: There is no fixed public rate, because burn out pricing changes with design coverage, blend, MOQ and washing loss. Most mills quote it as a special job rather than a standard print price.

Q5. What is the difference between burn out print and regular print?

Ans: Regular print adds color or paste on top of the fabric, while burn out print removes one fiber from the blend to create the effect. That is why burn out feels softer and lighter, but it also needs better fabric control.

You may also like:

Mazharul Islam Kiron

Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. Mr. Kiron is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor to Wikipedia.