As part of our mission to reduce interiors waste, we source and salvage end-of-line, discontinued, strike-offs, and print seconds for our curated collection of surplus textiles.
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But what is a print second? Sometimes known as a defective print - ‘print second’ is a term we use a lot on our website, so we thought we’d take a moment to explain.
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When fabric patterns are developed, they have specific colour and pattern requirements set by the designer. Sometimes, once a fabric is printed, it can appear slightly different to the original design. This is what is known as a ‘defective print’ and is all part of the process when it comes to creating printed textiles. It might be there’s a slight colour discrepancy, misplaced spots or a pattern misfit. They can be the smallest differences - so much so we can hardly see them ourselves.
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To us, there’s something special about finding the perfect in the imperfect, so in typical Haines style, we don't let anything go to waste. Some of our favourite fabrics are classified as defective, but we love seeing the ‘human’ element of fabric design and manufacture; there are real people behind the scenes creating patterns, colour matching, and printing.
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We’ll always tell you if a fabric is a print second in our product descriptions. You might also see this border on the fabric image on the website.
Shop in-stock print second fabrics here.
What’s the difference between a defective print and a print second?
These terms mean the same thing and can be interchangeable! That's why on product pages for a defective print fabric, you'll see 'print second' in the description too.
Will defective prints affect my design project?
If we can, we’ll signpost where the defect is on the fabric so you can incorporate it into your design project. So we can ensure our product selection is just right for you, we make sure any defects are small-scale so that you can use the prints to your advantage. A quick seam here and a drape there - using print seconds in your upholstery projects will be less noticeable but just as delicious!
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What causes a defective print? Is it only with digital printing or screen/block printing too?
Any printing process can create a defective print. Of course, with block printing, as the nature of the technique is 100% hand-printed, there may be more room for human error.
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Shop our selection of print second fabrics here.
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