Sea-Ink is a seaweed-based printing paste for textiles which can create dimensional fabric manipulation. The printing paste can be applied to a variety of natural fabrics such as silk, hemp, and cotton. After application of the paste through a novel printing process, moisture is released, causing the fabric to form three-dimensional folds.

Today, textiles can be manipulated by-hand for dimensional effects through labor-intensive stitching. This process, called smocking, uses stitching to hold fabric together in folds. Sea-Ink reduces time and labor for dimensional effects. Sea-Ink’s unique process builds on existing additive manufacturing techniques. Sea-Ink provides an alternative and compostable solution to standard 3D printing filaments such as polylactic acid (PLA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) for printing on textiles. The Sea-Ink printing paste is made of a readily available feedstock of seaweed and fully biobased. 

Sea-Ink has potential applications in drapery and fashion where aesthetic, dimensional effects may be desired. Sea-Ink is being tested to increase the speed of biodegradation of the textile basecloth.