Similarities and differences between printing and dyeing: in terms of the mechanism by which dyes attach to the fiber, printing and dyeing are the same. The difference is that in printing, the dye of a certain color is applied locally to the textile according to a pattern; after certain after-treatment the dye attaches to the fiber, producing a printed product with one or more colors. So printing can also be called "local dyeing".

When textiles are dyed and printed with the same type of dye, the chemical auxiliaries used and their physical and chemical properties are similar, so the coloring and fixation principles are similar or identical. For the same fiber product, dyeing and printing with the same dye can give the same color fastness - for example, vat dyes have good fastness in dyeing, and the fastness is also good on printed products.

In dyeing, the dye is applied from an aqueous solution; in printing, it is applied as a paste. The print paste is made by adding thickener to the dye solution or dispersion to a certain viscosity, which prevents bleeding of the pattern, loss of pattern outline and loss of pattern shape.

For jigger dyeing, the key is even exhaustion under constant tension and constant speed; for printing, the key is paste quality and drying and steaming conditions. Both require stable dye quality and process control.