From Design to Function: Inkjet-Printed Conductive Patterns for Smart Textiles

Kurečič, Manja; Škodič, Lidija; Kos, Tanja; Štanc, Darko; Kerčmar, Taja; Berglez, Laura; Hribernik, Silvo

Tekstil : journal for textile and clothing technology, Vol. 74 No. 3, 2025.

Original scientific paper

From Design to Function: Inkjet-Printed Conductive Patterns for Smart Textiles

Manja Kurečič ; University of Maribor, Faculty of mechanical engineering, Maribor, Slovenia *
Lidija Škodič ; University of Maribor, Faculty of mechanical engineering, Maribor, Slovenia
Tanja Kos ; University of Maribor, Faculty of mechanical engineering, Maribor, Slovenia
Darko Štanc ; University of Maribor, Faculty of mechanical engineering, Maribor, Slovenia
Taja Kerčmar ; University of Maribor, Faculty of mechanical engineering, Maribor, Slovenia
Laura Berglez ; University of Maribor, Faculty of electrical engineering and computer science, Maribor, Slovenia
Silvo Hribernik ; University of Maribor, Faculty of electrical engineering and computer science, Maribor, Slovenia

* Corresponding author.

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APA 6th Edition

Kurečič, M., Škodič, L., Kos, T., Štanc, D., Kerčmar, T., Berglez, L. & Hribernik, S. (2025). From Design to Function: Inkjet-Printed Conductive Patterns for Smart Textiles. Tekstil, 74 (3). Retrieved from https://hrcak.srce.hr/351003

MLA 8th Edition

Kurečič, Manja, et al. "From Design to Function: Inkjet-Printed Conductive Patterns for Smart Textiles." Tekstil, vol. 74, no. 3, 2025 https://hrcak.srce.hr/351003. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Chicago 17th Edition

Kurečič, Manja, Lidija Škodič, Tanja Kos, Darko Štanc, Taja Kerčmar, Laura Berglez and Silvo Hribernik. "From Design to Function: Inkjet-Printed Conductive Patterns for Smart Textiles." Tekstil 74, no. 3 https://hrcak.srce.hr/351003

Harvard

Kurečič, M., et al. (2025). 'From Design to Function: Inkjet-Printed Conductive Patterns for Smart Textiles', Tekstil, 74(3). Available at: https://hrcak.srce.hr/351003 (Accessed 13 September 2026)

Vancouver

Kurečič M, Škodič L, Kos T, Štanc D, Kerčmar T, Berglez L, et al. From Design to Function: Inkjet-Printed Conductive Patterns for Smart Textiles. Tekstil [Internet]. 2025 [cited 2026 September 13];74(3). Available from: https://hrcak.srce.hr/351003

IEEE

M. Kurečič, et al., "From Design to Function: Inkjet-Printed Conductive Patterns for Smart Textiles", Tekstil, vol.74, no. 3, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://hrcak.srce.hr/351003. [Accessed: 13 September 2026]

Abstract

Smart textiles enable the integration of sensors and conductive pathways into flexible wearable systems for real-time monitoring. Within the national WIBRANT project, an innovative wearable smart brace for non-invasive monitoring and rehabilitation of muscular disorders was developed. This study focuses on the development of conductive patterns on a stretchable knitted fabric using inkjet printing with commercial PEDOT:PSS conductive ink. Printing parameters were first optimized on hydrophobic photo paper and subsequently adapted to the textile substrate. The influence of printed line length and number of deposited layers on electrical resistance was evaluated, while optical microscopy was used to assess print quality and ink distribution. The results demonstrated well-defined conductive patterns without significant bleeding. Electrical resistance increased with line length, whereas increasing the number of printed layers reduced resistance. The optimized process was successfully applied to produce a sensor matrix and a functionally designed conductive pattern for integration into the smart muscle brace.