PRINTING

The word ‘printing’ implies a process that uses pressure, being derived from a Latin word meaning
pressing.

Definition & Objectives:

 Printing is the process of transfer of a design (or) artwork on to textile materials, providing a decorative
look.

 Printing is a surface ornamentation technique on fabric surface.

 Colour designs are developed on fabrics by printing with dyes and pigments in a paste form with
specially designed machines.

 Printing is used to apply colouring in localized areas only so it is also called localized Dyeing.

 Printed fabrics usually have clear- cut edges in the printed portions on the face of the fabric.

 Printing allows for great design flexibility and relatively inexpensive patterned fabric.

 Controlled application of colors to the respective areas as per design. [single color or multicolor]

 The main objectives of printing are the production of attractive designs with well defined boundaries
made by the artistic arrangement of a motif or motifs in one or more colours.

 Printed fabrics are well protected from friction and washing if dyes or pigments are applied properly on
fibres.

Dyeing vs. Printing

Sl. DYEING PRINTING

No.
1 Dyes are applied on whole of fabric equally. Dyes are applied on fabric localizedly to produces
desired design.

Fabric, yarn and fibre can be dyed. Generally fabric is printed.

2
3 Both side Single side

Dyed fabrics are soft. Printed fabrics are hard and harsh.
4
5 No precise design is required Design is must for printing.

Dyes are applied in liquid form Dyes are applied in paste form
6
Mono color application Mono or multi color application
7
Dyes are applied in liquid form Dyes are applied in paste form
8
Here, salt is added for better exhaustion Here, salt is not needed
9
11 Water plays an important role in dyeing Thickening agent plays an important role in
printing
 Percentage shade is calculated on the weight of Percentage shade is calculated on the weight of
12 material paste

Time is allowed for better penetration Time is not required since color is applied on the
13 surface of the fabric only

14 Half bleached fabric can be used for dyeing Full-bleached fabric is used for printing

15 The fabric is handed either in open width or in The fabric is handled only in open width form
rope form

16 The fabric may be in wet/dry condition during The fabric is to be in dry condition only during
dyeing. printing

Uniform color application on both the faces of Due to single face printing, printed face will be
17 fabrics darker and other face will be paler

18 Machinery requirement is comparatively simple Machine requirement is complex by way of

(Tanks, winches, jiggers, soft flow, padding design, screen preparation, printing machines and
mangle etc) after process machineries

19 Cost of dyeing/meter is lower Cost of printing/meter is higher

20 The process of dyeing consumes more time The process of printing consumes short time

Operations involved in dyeing are less & simple Operations involved in printing are more &
21 complex

22 Dyeing consumes more water Printing consumes less water

Steps for Printing:

1) Colour Paste Preparation: when printing textiles, the dye or pigment is not in aqueous liquor, instead,
it is usually finely dispersed in a printing paste, in high concentration.
2) Printing: the dye or pigment paste is applied to the substrate using different techniques, which are
discussed below.
3) Fixation: prints are fixed mainly with steam or hot air (for pigments).
 Intermediate drying is not carried out when printing carpets (too much energy would be needed for
removing the highly viscous liquor)
4) After-Treatment: this final operation consists in washing and drying the fabric.
 It is not necessary when printing with pigments or with other particular techniques such as transfer
printing).

Printing Paste and Its Ingredients:

1) Dyes/ Pigments
2) Solvents
3) Hygroscopic Agents
4) Wetting Agents
5) Thickeners
6) Oxidizing Agents
7) Reducing Agents
8) Catalyst
9) Defoamer or Defoaming Agents
 10) Mild Oxidizing Agents
11) Acids or Alkalis
12) Carriers
13) Miscellaneous Chemicals

1. Dyes or Pigments:
 Dyes or Pigment are selected as per the fibres and shade percent.
e.g.: Acid dyes should be used for Wool and silk printing, or Disperse dyes should be used for the
Polyester printing paste.

2. Solvents:
 Solvents are used for to dissolve the dyes and pigments and prevent precipitation.
e.g.: Water, Ethylene glycol, Diethylene glycol, Thiodiethylene glycol

3. Hygroscopic Agents:

 Urea and Glycerine are generally used as hygroscopic agents in the Printing paste.

 They absorb sufficient amount of water and dissolve the dyes and carries it deeper into the fibres, during
the mixing of dyes in the printing .

 It also helps in the subsequent removal of printing paste in washing operation.

 If too much Hygroscopic agents are used then we will not get sharp printed boundary, and if too less is
used then there will be lighter printed surface.

4. Wetting Agents:

 Wetting agents are generally used to get the smooth and lump free paste.

 In case of insoluble dyestuff like Vat, Napthol, and Sulphur dyes the wetting agents are used.

 Turkey Red Oil is most commonly used wetting agents.

5. Thickeners:

 Thickeners used in textile printing are high molecular weight compounds giving viscous pastes water.

 The main objective of the thickener is to prevent the spreading of dyes beyond the specified boundary.

 The thickener should be compatible with dyes and should not have affinity or reactivity with dyes and
other chemical present in the printing paste.

The commonly used thickener is Starches and Gums, Sodium Alginate, CarboxyMethyl cellulose,
Methyl Cellulose, Ethyl cellulose and Emulsion thickener

6. Oxidizing Agents:

 These are used for developing of final colour in case of Solubilised vat dyes, aniline black,
etc.Sodium dichromate is used an oxidizing agents in Discharge printing of Indigo.

 Some of the examples of Oxidising agents are Sodium bromate, resist salt, Chlorates, Nitrates,
Nitrites, and Potassium Ferrocyanide.
7. Reducing Agents:
 Such as Rangolite C (Sodium sulphoxylate formaldehyde) and stannous chloride are helpful as
discharging agents for discharge style of printing

8. Defoamer or Defoaming Agents:-

 The wetting agents present in the printing paste, during continuous churning and mixing operation
generate considerable amount of foams, which produces lighter shades or faulty printing.

 To avoid this problem, Defoaming agents are used .Emulsion of sulphated silicon oil and pine oil
mixture is generally used as Defoamer.

9. Mild Oxidizing Agents:

 These are used to prevent the reduction of colour during steaming.

 The commonly used chemical for mild oxidation is (resist salt)Sodium meta nitro benzene sulphonate

10. Acids or Acid Liberating Agents:

 Weak acids like citric acid, tartaric acid are generally used to adjust the pH of the Printing Paste.

 Sometimes acid liberating agents are also used to create the acidic conditions at the time of steaming.

 Some of the examples of these chemicals are Ammonium Chloride, Aluminium Sulphate,
Ammonium sulphocyanide etc.

11. Catalyst:

 These are used to accelerate the rate of reaction of development of oxidizing agents, reduce the risk of
tendering of fibres.

 Some of the common catalyst is Potassium Ferrocyanide, Copper Sulphide, and Ammonium
Vanadate.

12. Carriers:

 They are mainly used for fixing of disperse dyes on polyester or polyester blends at temperature below
100°C.

13. Miscellaneous Chemicals:

 Cellulose ethers and esters are used as auxiliaries to thicken the paste and protect the Dyes.

 These chemical dissolve in water but coagulate on boiling, they also cogulate under alkaline condition

Classification

Printing can be divided in to two categories

1. Methods of Printing

2. Style of Printing
Method of Printing

1) Stencil Printing

2) Hand Block Printing

3) Hand Screen Printing

4) Flat Screen Printing

5) Rotary Screen Printing

6) Roller Printing

7) Digital Printing

1) Stencil Printing:

 This is the oldest method of printing in which design are cut out from flat sheet of metal or waterproof
paper or plastic

Advantages of Stencil Printing:

 This is simplest and cost effective method & does not require expensive equipment.

 Change in design is rapid process and can be used to execute small order.

 Great variety of graded colour effect can be achieved from one stencil by blending different colours on
different parts of stencils with one single stroke of brush.

 Sheet or laminated sheet and colour is applied by brushing or spraying on it.

Limitations of Stencil Printing:

 Complete rings or circles as well as unbroken lines cannot be printed by this method.

 The process is manual and laborious.

 This method is not suitable for large scale of production

2) Block Printing:

 Block printing is a hand process and the oldest technique for decorating textiles.

 A design is carved on a block. The block is dipped in a shallow pan of dye and stamped on the fabric.

 To obtain variation of colour in the same design, as many additional blocks must be carved as there will
be additional colours.

 The more colours used , the more valuable and expensive the block print will be.

 A fairly hard wood was required, such as pear wood, and four or five layers were usually glued
together with the grain running in different directions.

 The design was traced on to the surface and a fine chisel used to cut away the nonprinting areas to a
depth of perhaps 1 cm.
 To obtain more detail from some blocks, strips and pins of copper or (more usually) brass were
hammered into the wood.

Advantages of Block Printing:

 It is simple to operate and does not require expensive equipment.

 There is no limitation of number of colours and reproduction of design is very easy.

 The prints produced by this method are having great decorative value.

Limitations of Block Printing:

 This is slow process and cost of production is high.

 Making a new blocks are time consuming and difficult. It is somewhat difficult to join the each
impression of repeat perfectly each time.

 Printing of very long blocks or wide repeat is not possible due to weight and handling issues.

 If the design had a large repeat there would be a multiplication of the number of blocks single block was
limited to about 45 cm square and its weight to about 5 kg.

 It is difficult to produce fine lines by this method

3) Screen printing:

 Originally this technique was referred to as silk-screen printing because the screens were made of fine,
strong silk threads.

 Today they are also made of nylon, polyester, and metal. Fabric is also called bolting Cloth, Screen
printing is an extension of stencilling.

 Screen printing is a printing technique whereby a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in
areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil.

Screen fabric:

 Fabric made up of fine, evenly spaced strands or mesh.

Two main functions:

 Provide support for stencil.

 Control ink flow.

Mesh count:

How many opening per inch.

Fine mesh=100 count (ct) up to 500 ct. mesh

 More detail and uses less ink; feels softer to touch.

 Less likely to smear on non-absorbent substrates.

Coarse mesh=40 to 100 ct. mesh

 Heavy ink deposit (good for light inks on dark shirts.

 Better opacity.

Two general types (fabric):

Multifilament: tiny strands twisted together

 Includes: polyester and silk

 Good for film stencils (like amber film)—sticks to it better

Monofilament: (mono= one) single strand of thread

 Good for liquid emulsion

 Includes polyester; stainless steel
 Good for fine detail; easier to clean than multifilament

 Silk used to be the most common fabric because of its durability, but it is not used as much today
because other fabrics, especially synthetics, have proven to be as good or better and is less expensive.

 Organdy is inexpensive and is good for short and medium runs.

 Nylon is the most durable fabric (synthetic or natural). It is a good choice for print applications
involving convex or concave surfaces

 Polyester is widely used for its durability and versatility.

 Metal Mesh is made of stainless steel, copper, bronze, or brass and is used when plastic substrates are
printed with heated inks.

 Weave Patterns plain, which can be used for most applications, gauze, which is selected for long runs
because of its strength, and twill, which is chosen for its low cost and when quality is not an issue.

Stencils (Two Types):

a. Non-photographic: hand cut (i.e. amber film, or paper)

b. Photographic: (light sensitive) photo emulsion (liquid)( chromaline)
i. Exposure process: Some type of light is used to harden emulsion.

Why does the image spray out? - The particles in the emulsion that the positive was not covering, was
hardened by the UV light.

ii. Overexposure: results in image not spraying out completely.

iii. Underexposure: results in summing (an almost invisible film forms on stencil from the still soft
emulsion running across screen as it dries)

Process Sequence:

Screen preparation with wooden frameDesign preparation on screen fabricDye paste

preparationPrintingDryingSteaming or curingWashing
 Figure: showing process of screen printing

 A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh apertures with ink, and a reverse
stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact.

 This causes the ink to wet the substrate and be pulled out of the mesh apertures as the screen springs
back after the blade has passed

Advantages:

 Due to flexibility of achieving the desired result the printing style is more popular method.
 Provide flexibility in setting varied repeat size.
 In this type of printing large repeat sizes are possible (up to 120”).
 Better penetration of colour than roller prints due to heavier lay-on of colour.
 Acceptable to all woven & knitted fabrics.
 Rapid preparation of screens and rapid pattern changes over possible.
 Ability to print cut garment parts and small items (towels, scarves etc.)

Disadvantages:

 Screen clogging is common issue.

 Not advisable to large production.
 Fine-line paisley prints are not possible.
 Lengthwise stripe designs can not be printed.
 Slow production.

Types of Screen Printing

1) Hand Screen-Printing

2) Automatic Flat Bed Screen Printing

3) Rotary Screen Printing

1) Hand Screen Printing:

 This is the best method for printing of low yardage,

 In this type of printing large repeat sizes are possible (up to 120”).

2) Flat Bed Screen Printing Machine:

 This is very similar to hand screen printing, but here the fabric is put on the movable bed.

 After each printing application, new surface comes on the bed for next application.

 Large repeat size (up to 60”)is possible

 Better colour definition than roller prints; and equal to hand screen printing.

 Flat-screen printing machines can be manual, semi-automatic or completely automatic.

 Adaptable to all woven & knits.

 Rapid changeover of designs possible.

 Best machine registration.

Process Sequence:

Figure: showing printing of fabric through flat screen

 The fabric is first glued to a moving endless belt. A stationary screen at the front of the machine is
lowered onto the area that has to be printed and the printing paste is wiped with a squeegee.

 Afterwards the belt, with the fabric glued on it, is advanced to the pattern-repeat point and the screen is
lowered again. The printed fabric moves forward step by step and passes through a dryer.

 The machine prints only one colour at a time. When the first colour is printed on the whole length of the
fabric, the dried fabric is ready for the second cycle and so on until the pattern is completed.
 The printed material moves forward one frame at each application and as it leaves the last frame it is
finally dried and it is ready for fixation

Advantages:

 In other fully mechanized machines all the colours are printed at the same time.

 Large pattern repeat.

 A number of stationary screens (from 8 to 12, but some machines are equipped with up to 24 different
screens) are placed along the printing machine.

Limitations:

 Cost of screen preparation and special mountings are more costly than hand screen printing.

 Not adaptable to low yardage.

 Slow productivity.

 Fine-line paisley prints are not possible to print.

 Lengthwise stripes are not possible to print.

3) Rotary Screen Printing:

 Instead of flat screens, the colour is transferred to the fabric through lightweight metal foil screens,
which are made in the form of cylinder rollers.

 In this type of printing, the screen is circular in shape. And screen are made up of fine guage of
perforated and chemical resistant metal sheets.

 The fabric moves along in continuous mode under a set of cylinder screens while at each position the
print paste is automatically fed to the inside of the screen from a tank and is then pressed through onto
the fabric.

 A separate cylinder roller is required for each colour in the design.

Technical Specifications

 Operating speed : 10 to 15 printing cycles per

 Minute Printing table length : up to 40 meter

 Float or Conveyor Dryer : up to 5 chamber

 No. of colours : maximum up to 20

 Repeat arrangement : 500 mm to 3000 mm

 Cleaner and brighter colours are possible to compare to roller print.

 Excellent color penetration, but less than flat bed screen prints.

 Rapid change over of designs are possible.

 Efficient for long runs and moderately small (1000 yards) runs.
Important Features:

 Up to 40-inch repeat size are possible that are larger than roller printing but

 Smaller than flat bed screen.

 Lengthwise stripe effect is possible to print.

 Fall-on designs are possible to print.

 Adaptable to all woven & knitted fabrics.

Mechanism:

Figure: showing ink flow in Rotary screen printing

Squeegees:

 Squeegees are the physical contact units, which flush out color paste through open areas of the screen
onto the fabric.

 Depending on method of application and machinery the squeezing systems vary.

 The squeegee material can be made of rubber, synthetic rubber, polymers [polyurethane, Teflon] or
metals [stainless steel].

a) Steel Blade Squeegee:

 The color from pump system falls on to the inner revolving screen through squeegee tube holes and
blade continuously.
 During movements of screen & blanket by the pressurized action of blade on screen the color paste is
transferred to fabric.

 Depending on motif, various widths of blades [40, 45, 50, 55mm] can be used. For example larger
coverage motifs use wider blades.

b) Rubber Blade Squeeze:

 Instead of steel blade few systems makes use of Rubber blades with proper back support.

Synthetic materials:

 In order to have sufficient abrasion life, today’s systems make use of Polyurethane or Teflon tips for
squeegee material.

 In all the above systems pressure is applied by spring load or pneumatically.

c) Roller or Rod Squeegees:

 In few of the systems like Zimmer machines, a steel metal rod is used as squeegee. During printing the
rod is pulled down by electromagnetic force towards the blanket and the color is transferred by crushing
action of rod.

 Depending upon motifs, various diameters of rods [4, 6, 8, 10, 12,16,20,30 mm] can be used. For
example for sharp features use lower dia rods.

Screen Materials:

 Rotary screens are made of perforated Nickel sheets available in cylindrical form. By end ring
attachment, the rotary screen is connected to driving elements.

 Flat screens are generally made of silk, Nylon, Polyester or metal wire. The construction is plain-woven
gauge structure. Depending upon cost, dimensional stability the printer can choose, any one of the
above.
Bolting Cloth:

 The bolting cloth is usually mounted on screen frames under tension and is held to the frames by special
adhesives

 In case the screen gauge is made of Silk, Nylon or Polyester filaments, such screen cloth is called as
bolting cloth. This forms the basic support face for coating lacquer on which the design pattern is
exposed. The color is applied for substrate through the open areas of bolting cloth.

Rotary Printing vs Flat Bed Printing

Sl ROTARY PRINTING FLAT- BED PRINTING

no
1 It is a continuous process It is an intermittent process
2 Production rate is high Production rate is low
3 Machine cost is high Machine cost is low
4 It is best suited for larger lots It is best suited for smaller lots
5 No joint marks Joint marks are faced (gap / overlap)
6 It is suited for all designs Stripes, straight joint designs cannot be printed
7 Requires less man power Requires more man power
8 Color feeding is automatic Color feeding is manual
9 Repeat is limited to 64cm, 72cm, 91.6cm etc Repeat is unlimited
10 Damage control is difficult Damage control is easier
11 Less penetration of prints Good penetration of prints
Reproducibility of original art work is less Better reproduction of original art work
12 achieved
13 Overall designs are printed Overall & cross border designs are printed
14 Uniform printing results are achieved Less uniformity (block to block, edge to edge
variation)
15 Color consumption and wastage more Color consumption and wastage are less
Advantages of Automatic Screen Printing Machine:

 Very small floor space including drying chamber.

 Utilization of any number of colours from 1 to 16 and possibility of choices of any repeat from 45cm to
250cm.

 Colour application upon any pattern by means of power squeegee with variable number of strokes from
1 to 7.

 Washing and drying of conveyor belt after printing operation.

 From the point of view of design pattern repeats can be much larger than in roller printing.

 Rate of production is higher than hand screen printing method. (10-15m/min)

 Colour reproduction is excellent.

4) Roller Printing:

 Inventor: James bell from Scotland.

 First production machine for textile printing.

 Popularity decreased after the discovery of rotary screen printing machine in 1960.

 Roller Printing also called engrave roller printing.

 Direct roller printing was developed in 1785.

 It turns out colour designed fabrics in vast quantities at the rate of 1000 to 4000 yards an hour.

 This method of producing attractive designs is relatively inexpensive.

 When compared with any hand method. It is a machine counter part of block printing.

Description:

 Essential parts of the printing machine a cast-iron cylinder is the roller around which the cloth is drawn
as it is printed.

 In this method, a heavy copper cylinder (roller) is engraved with the print design by carving the design
into the copper.

 Copper is soft, so once the design is engraved, the roller is electroplated with chrome for durability.

 It was the only continuous technique. Designs with up to 16 colours present no problem in Roller
Printing.

 Originally, the design was engraved by hand an awl.

 Today, the engraving is frequently done pantograph transfer & by photoengraving. There are as many
different rollers as there are colors in the fabric.

 In the diagram, three engraved rollers are used. Furnisher rollers are covered with hard rubber or
brushes made of nylon, or hard-rubber bristles.
 They revolve in a small colour trough, pick up the colour, and deposit it on the copper rollers. A doctor
blade scrapes off excess color so that only the engraved portions of the copper roller are filled with dye
when it comes in contact with the cloth.

Figure: showing different parts of roller printing

Process:

 The cloth to be printed, a rubberized blanket, and a back gray cloth pass between the cylinder & the
engraved rollers.

 The blanket gives a good surface for sharp printing; the gray goods protect the blanket and absorb excess
dye.

 Rayon and knitted fabrics are usually lightly coated with a gum sizing on the back to keep them from
stretching or swelling as they go through the printing machine. After printing, the cloth is dried, steamed,
or treated to set the dye.

 This back-grey must be separately washed and dried so as to be suitable for re-use.

 From time to time the woolen blanket must also be washed free from colour strains and so that it may
retain as its resilience.

 It is possible to use a blanket for the printing of 10,000 or more pieces of fabric before it needs to be
washed.

 In recent years increasing use has been made of rubberized. These special forms of blanket substitutes
have the advantages of being cheaper, more over resistant to attack by any chemicals used in the printing
pastes and easier to wash.
 The back-grey (consisting of unbleached cloth) are wasted after a suitable period of use, they can be
scoured and then converted into printed cloth.
 It should be noted that, while the lint doctor remains stationery pressing against the printing roller, the
cleaning doctor (colour doctor) is given a periodic traverse motion across the surface of the printing
roller so as to equalize its action.
 When multi-coloured pattern is being printed, each roller provides a part of the pattern in each colour
when one part is printed and the second roller makes an impression on the cloth with its colour a part of
the paste already printed by the first roller is picked up by the smooth surface. (un engraved) of the
second roller.
 Since this likely to enter its colour box and spoil the printing paste contained in it, the doctor blade
scrapes this colour from the smooth surface of the second engraved roller and prevents the
contamination of the paste contained in the second colour box.

Advantages:

 Higher production without rotary screen printing machine.

 14 colours can be used for printing.

 Medium design can be produced.

 Can be used for printing any style.

 Any color is used for printing without higher alkali or conc. acid.

 Repeats do not exist as printing is continuous.

 Higher production by using single color.

 Complex design is possible

Disadvantages:

 Large design is not possible.

 Generally, shedding fault is found.

 Higher colouring effect is not possible as like block printing.

 Lower production by using more than one colour.

 Changing time is high.

 Engraving the printing roller is expensive Operation

Rotary printing vs Roller printing

Sl ROTARY PRINTING ROLLER PRINTING

no
1 Shade variation is impossible Shade variation is possible.
2 Woven and knitted fabric normally used Woven and tricot fabric is used
3 Less time during design change More time consuming
4 Sharp pattern or line is impossible Any type of design is possible
5 Highly used Rare used

Style of printing:

1) Direct Printing

2) Discharge Printing

3) Resist Printing
Definition:

 A distinctive appearance, typically determined by the principles according to which fabric is designed
with dye paste through printing process.

 A particular procedure by which printing is done with mechanical or chemical action.

 Style of printing means the manner in which a printed effect is produced as distinct from the method
which involves the means by which the pattern is produced.

1) Direct printing

 This print is also called an application print and it is most popular types of print style.

 In this print design is printed directly onto a white cloth or over a previously dyed pale coloured fabric.

 In this print, the printed portion is considerably darker than the dyed backgrounds

 Example: Screen printing, Block printing and Roller printing.

 In direct style of printing, the required class of dye along with suitable thickener and other fixation
additives are directly applied to the fabric by suitable means.

 The printing can be all colors application by screens (blotch printing) or over print on dyed ground.

 Generally a light color overlap on dark/medium color is to be given in order to prevent out fitting.

 This style is direct, simple and reproducible. Examples of direct styles are pigment printing, Azoic
printing, Disperse printing, Reactive printing, Vat printing etc. the printed cloth is dried, colors are
fixed by steaming (or) dry heat and washed if necessary.

 In the case of direct printing the dye is applied to specific areas of a pretreated textile substrate, which
can be white or pre-dyed (in light colours).

Advantages:

 Simple, Direct & ease of reproducibility

 Number of operations is less. All colors are applied and fixed simultaneously.

Disadvantages:

 More paste consumption.

 Contact colors give over lap & mixed tone on printing.

 Sharp features by wet on wet printing lose clarity.

 Excess overlap gives smudged printing.

 Clarity and distinct look of motives are less attained.

 Risk of tinting of ground color in washing

2) Discharge Printing:

 Discharge means removal and discharging system means the process which can produce a white or
coloured effect on a previously dyed (dischargeable dyes) ground.

 This discharging of colour from previously dyed ground is carried out by a discharging agent which is
actually a oxidizing and reducing agent capable of destroying colour (chromophore) by oxidation and
reduction.

 In color discharge the ground color is discharged and replaced by a new color in the printed area.

 Vat discharge printing on reactive ground, disperse discharge etc. are used for discharge printing.

 By incorporating a dye unspoiled by the discharging agent in the printing paste, a color discharge is
formed.

 The design is applied by screen or roller with a chemical which removes the color of the originally dyed
fabric..

 Discharge prints can be made with rollers and screen methods. They are not widely used because
production costs are high.

 Mostly used reducing type of discharging agent

e.g. Rongolite-c(sodium formaldehyde sulphoxylate )( CH2OHSO2Na).

Figure: Schematic representation of discharge printing

3) Resist Style Printing:

 In the case of resist printing, a special printing paste (called «resist») is printed onto certain areas of the
fabric to prevent dye fixation.

 In the case of physical resist (tie and dye) the material is printed with a difficult-to-wet resin that
inhibits the penetration of a dye applied in a second stage.

 On the other hand, with a chemical resist, dye fixation is prevented by a chemical reaction.

 Physical/mechanical resist printing, (hydrophobic) products or printing pastes were applied to the
fabric to avoid contact and penetration when the fabric was subsequently immersed in the dyeing liquor
(Batik).
 The most diffused printing system is the chemical resist printing carried out with different printing
methods, using pastes containing chemicals, which avoid fixation of background dyes (particularly for
reactive applied on fabrics made of cellulose fibres).

 The mechanical resisting agents include waxes, fats, resins, thickeners and pigments, such as china
clay, the oxides of zinc and titanium, and sulphates of lead and barium.

 Mechanical resisting agents simply form a physical barrier between the fabric and the colorant.

 They are mainly used for the older, coarser and, perhaps, more decorative styles in which breadth of
effect and variety of tone in the resisted areas are of more importance than sharp definition of the
pattern.
 Chemical-resisting agents include a wide variety of chemical compounds, such as acids, alkalis,
various salts, and oxidising and reducing agents. They prevent fixation or development of the ground
colour by chemically reacting with the dye or with the reagents necessary for its fixation or formation. .
 The resist style, however, offers the advantage that dyes great chemical stability, which could not be
discharged, can be resisted to give prints of high fastness standards.

Sl DISCHARGE PRINTING RESIST PRINTING

no
1 In this method the ground color is applied first, In this method the resist is printed first, followed by
followed by discharge printing. ground color application
Mostly reducing type-discharging agents are Acids, Alkalies, Oxidising agents. Reducing agents,
2 used Wax, Thickening gums, Resins, Finishing agents can
be used
3 Discharge prints are normally sharper and Resist prints are subdued and lack brightness and
brighter sharpness
Color choice for ground, illumination colors is Color choice is more and mixing is relatively easier.
4 limited. Color mixings are more difficult
5 Cost of discharge printing is higher Cost of resist printing is lower
6 Reproducibility is difficult Reproducibility is better
7 Percentage rejection is more (setting problem Percentage rejection is less (being printed on white
etc) grounds)
8 Work procedure is relatively simple Work procedure is relatively complex
9 Requires stronger chemical action Require milder chemical action
10 Consumes less time. numbers of operations Consumers more time. number of operations are
are less more
Printing problems like mesh chock-up etc. are Because of insoluble resisting agent, chock-up
11 much less problems, are faced
12 Chances of less ground contamination Chances of more ground contamination
13 More pollution load Less pollution load
14 Simple chemical principle (usually reduction) Chemical principles are complex and varied.
Transfer Printing:

 Transfer printing involves the transfer of color from one surface to another surface, generally from a
paper to a textile material.

 It makes possible to express delicate designs which were difficult to reproduce by the conventional
printing technique on fabrics.

 In the transfer paper on which the patterns are printed with printing ink made of dyestuff having
suitability for dry heat drying.

 They are treated for 15 – 40 sec at around 2000 C.

Figure: showing the process of transfer printing

Advantages:

 Less capital investment & less space required for transfer printing equipments.

 The process is simple & required minimum of skill labour for its operation

 It is almost a dry process , hence little or no consumption of water (especially in polyester printing)

 From energy point of view, transfer printing is more economical than conventional printing method.

 Ability to respond is much more in case of fashion change

Disadvantages:

 This method is more useful for polyester printing only.

 Change in colour in last moment is not possible.

Types of Transfer Printing

1. Wet – transfer printing

2. Film – release transfer printing

3. Sublimation – transfer printing

4. Melt transfer printing

1. Wet – Transfer Printing

 Water-soluble dyes are incorporated into a printing ink which is used to produce a design on paper.

 The design is transferred to a moistened textile using carefully regulated contact pressure.

 The dye transfers by diffusion through the aqueous medium.

 The method is not used to any significant extent at the present time.

Steps:

 The selective grade of paper can be printed with dye suitable for fabric, which is to be printed (reactive,
basic or acid) & dye is dissolved in suitable paper printing medium.

 The fabric is impregnated with suitable solution containing dye fixing agent (alkaline or acid) &
thickener which act as dye migration inhibitor.

 The printed paper is brought in contact with impregnated fabric & subjected to sufficient high pressure
& heated (up to 1000c) under these conditions, the dyes are transferred from paper to fabric.

 If the contact time is more then fix the dye in the same operation or can be fixed separately either by
steaming or other method.

2. Film – Release Transfer Printing:

 In this method paper is coated with transfer media consisting of one or two layers of synthetic
polymers.

 Design which is to be transferred and printed on the top of the layers using resin & conventional dyes.

 The composition of release film is such that under transfer condition it becomes tacky & adheres is form
paper to fabric.

 Another feature of the film release transfer is that, any chemical & auxiliaries needed to fix the dye can
be incorporated in printing paper.

 The cloth after transfer printing is subjected to conventional dye – fixation steps & during washing the
film is removed, leaving the dye on fabric.

3. Sublimation or Dry Heat Transfer Printing:

Steps:

 When heat is applied to the dye present on paper, the dye sublimation takes place from the paper.

 Since the dye has no affinity for paper, so sublimised dye condensed on fabric surface due to its affinity
towards fabric.

 Diffusion of dye inside the fibre takes place for few seconds, as heating is continued, superficial dye
penetration inside the fibre, which results better fastness properties.
4. Melt Transfer Printing:
 Here the paper is printed with a dye along with medium (wax & thickener) which readily melts under
high pressure & heat, the print is transferred on the cloth due to melting medium.

Criteria of paper:

 It must be neutral in nature, i.e. neither acidic nor basic in nature.

 It must be free from metallic impurities, because the dye can form metal complex, which affect the
printing process.

 It should not have any affinity for dye stuff used, sometimes gelatine or china clay coated is given for
maximum transfer of dye.

 It should have smooth glazed surface.

 Low permeability to dye vapour.

 Stability to heat.

 Good dimensional stability during transfer.

 Good release of dye vapour from the ink layer

Criteria for Selection of Disperse Dye:

 It should sublime in region of 1800c to 2100c.

 It should not have any affinity for paper & thickener.

 It must have affinity for fabric is to be printed.

 It should give a good colour built-up & fastness properties.

 Rate of vaporisation of dyes and sublimation should be equal or similar.

 Appropriate molecular weight of disperse dye will be 240-340.

Method of Paper Printing

a) Lithography
b) Flexography
c) Gravure

Machineries for transfer printing

 Apart from vacuum-assisted transfer, however, today’s machines are little changed in principle from
those developed originally for the process.

 The pressure bringing the paper into contact with the fabric is exerted either by a blanket under tension
(in the case of continuous-web machines) or a hydraulically operated hotplate (in the case of unit
printing of, say, and garments).

1. Continuous-Web Transfer

 Continuous-web transfer machines were developed from a type of machine common in the textile
industry for preshrinking and setting.
 In this machine fabric is passed around a heated drum under a continuous blanket.

 A typical arrangement is shown in Figure ,the size of the heated drum in the centre of determines the
production rate of the machine.

 Thus a drum of 2 m diameter with a feeding system designed to cover 80% of the surface will allow
production of 900 m h–1 with a 20 s contact time.

 Production rates as high as 1300 m h–1 has been claimed in such machines with either larger drums or
shorter contact times.

Figure: Continuous transfer printing

 The machine is operated with the reverse side of the transfer paper in contact with the cylinder and
the face of the fabric against the printed side of the paper.

 The paper may be slightly wider than the fabric and a backing strip of paper is fed in to prevent dye
being transferred to the continuous blanket.

 The blanket has to be made of material that can withstand temperatures in the region of 200 °C for
long periods, and Nomex fabric is commonly used.

 This is made from an aromatic polyamide, poly(1,3-phenyleneisophthalamide),

 Which because of the high cohesive forces developed from the aromatic system in the polymeric
chain has a glass transition temperature of 275°C and a softening temperature above 350°C.

 It is an expensive material but very suitable for sublimation transfer printing.

 The pressure between paper and fabric is controlled by adjusting the tension on the blanket.
  The effective pressure is not high (ca.1.4–2.1 × 103 kg m–2) and even so at the upper limits of
operating temperature glazing of fabrics may be observed.

 Since the applied pressures are low there are no major difficulties in the way of devising machines
for printing wide fabrics up to 3.5 m.

2. Flat-Bed Press:

 Transfer machines for garments and garment panels have been developed on very similar lines to
conventional presses.

 A typical arrangement is shown in Figure. In this version the paper is laid on the garment or garment
panel on the continuous belt.

 This is then moved under the heated plate B by a drive operated by a foot pedal switch.

 The heated plate automatically lowers on to the paper/fabric composite and is held there for a preset time
and at a preset pressure.

 The plate then lifts and the belt moves forward to allow the paper to be removed from the printed article,
which is added to a stack.

 Meanwhile a fresh garment or panel is arranged for the next print.

Figure: Flat-bed press (Kannegiesser)

 An alternative arrangement is to have a moving flat bed which moves in and out from the plate.
 This allows loading and unloading to be carried out on both sides of the heated zone, giving higher
productivity.
 There are several variations on this arrangement, designed to print caps, hosiery and other preformed
articles.
 One variant, which is used for printing such garments as T-shirts and sweaters, is fitted with a
continuous feed for the transfer paper.
 The unsewn garment is laid out with front, back and sleeves in a cruciform arrangement on the movable
belt and is carried into the plate zone.
 The plate is lowered, bringing the paper into contact with the garment to produce an overall print.
 The plate then lifts and the garment is carried forward for removal, while at the same time the paper is
advanced for the next print.
 When the garment is sewn together the print pattern extends over its whole surface.
3. Vacuum Transfer Printing:

 The difficulty with continuous vacuum transfer machines is in establishing a reliable seal with a
continuous feed of fabric and paper.

 One solution is, in effect, to wrap the transfer drum in an evaluable skin.

 This approach has been used by Kleinewefers in a system in which the fabric and paper are held in
contact with the heated cylinder surface by a perforated flexible metal band in place of the conventional
blanket (Figure).

 On the outside surrounding 78% of the circumference is a continuously maintained vacuum chamber
with the entrance and exit seal-operated.

 A major advantage of this arrangement is that the vacuum enables transfer to be achieved more quickly,
even when operating at the 10.7 kPa (80 mmHg) pressures which can be used, so that the drum diameter
can be reduced from the normal 2 m.

 This makes a system of this kind easier to construct. Production rates of 1800 m h–1 have been claimed.

Figure: Continuous transfer printing under vacuum conditions (Kleinewefers DSV 1200 machine)

 A more direct solution to the problem has been implemented in the Stork vacuum transfer system,
which encloses the entire feeding and heating system inside a vacuum chamber (Figure).

 Vacuum transfer machines are particularly useful for heat-sensitive fabrics such as acrylic materials,
since the transfer temperature may be reduced by as much as 400C.

 Alternatively dyes that sublime less readily can be transferred, with corresponding benefits in heat
fastness.
 Figure: Flow diagram of vacuum transfer printer (Stork TC451 machine)

Reactive Dye Printing:

 Reactive dyes offer excellent all round fastness on cellulosic fabrics. The colour range is bright and
complete.

The preferred reactive dye classes are mentioned below

1. Mono chloro Triazine type (Hot brand)

2. Vinyl sulphone dyes (Remazol)

3. Others like Trichloro pyrimidine, acrylamide etc.

Thickeners:

 Since, most of the natural & modified starch, cellulose thickeners contain hydroxyl groups, the reactive
colours get hydrolyzed in paste itself leading to poor fixation.

 The best natural thickener for reactive printing is sodium alginate (C6H9NaO7) , which has less chance
of colour hydrolysis, due to the presence of alginic groups.

 Kerosene Emulsion paste can also be partially substituted for alginate thickening to have better fixation,
flow property and easy washability.

Methods

Reactive colour can be fixed by,

1) Steaming method

2) Curing method

3) Pad silicate method

1) Steaming Method:

Recipe:

 Hot brand reactive dye: x%

 Sodium bicarbonate: 2-2.5 %
 Resist salt: 1-1.5%
 Urea: 10-15%
 Defoamer: 0.25-0.5%
 Sodium Alginate paste: balance (Self/semi emulsion form)

...............................

Total: 100 parts

Function of Ingredients:

 Hot brand reactive colour with moderate stability to mild alkalies are preferred (procion, Reactofix or
cibacron)

 Sodium bicarbonate is the mild alkali preferred, which decomposes during steaming to release alkali.
With Levafix or Drimarene colours, soda ash can be used because of better alkaline stability of these
colours.

 Resist salt (sodium meta nitro benzene sulphonate) acts as a mild oxidizing agent, protecting
reactive colour from any reducing atmosphere in steamer. Resist salt improves better colour
yield and brightness of prints.

 Urea is used for dye dissolution and as a hygroscopic agent, which absorbs moisture from steam and
help better diffusion of colour into fibre during steaming.

 Defoamer [emulsified pine oil, Iyoprint AP (CIBA) or Perminal KBI sandoz] suppress foaming in paste
and give level prints.

 When hard water is used, addition of Sequestrants (sodium hexa Meta phosphate) prevents
precipitation of alginate paste.

Paste Preparation:

 Hot water at 60°c is taken.

 Resist salt and sodium bicarbonate are dissolved with stirring followed by sprinkling alginate powder.

 The paste is kept for 8-12 hours. After cooling urea, defoamer and reactive colours (pre-dissolved with
40°c water) are added.

Sequence:

PrintDry at 120 °cSteaming with saturated steam at 102°c for 12 minutes using star ager or loop
agerWashing sequenceDrying
2) Curing method

Recipe :

 Hot brand reactive dye: x%

 Sodium bicarbonate: 2-2.5 %
 Resist salt: 1-1.5%
 Urea: 10-15%
 Defoamer: 0.25-0.5%
 Sodium Alginate paste: balance (Self/semi emulsion form)

----------------------------------

Total: 100 parts

 In case of curing method, since dry heat is involved, excess Urea is used as a hygroscopic agent to
provide necessary moisture for better fixation.

Sequence:

PrintOptimum Drying at 110 °cDry heat treatment/curing at 102°c for 5 minutesWashing

sequence Drying

 This method is suited only for light/light medium shades. Wash fastness of medium and dark shades are
inferior.
3) Pad-silicate Method:

Recipe:

 Vinyl sulphone Reactive dye: x%

 Urea: 3-5 %
 Resist salt: 1%
 Defoamer: 0.25-0.5 %
 Sodium Alginate paste: balance (Self/semi emulsion Thickening)

----------------------------------

Total: 100 parts

Figure: application of pad silicate on printed fabric

 Since reactive colours are unstable to alkali present in the printing paste, neutral printing pastes with
longer storage life can be used by this method. Particularly, vinyl sulphone type (Remazol) dyes are
best suited for this method
Sequence:

PrintDrying at 120 °cPad with sodium silicate of 106°TW.(Care should be taken to keep the ratio
of Na2O: SiO2 as 1:1 by addition of caustic lye) Drying

Vat Dye Printing:

 The insoluble dye being transformed into a water-soluble alkaline leuco compound under the influence
of alkalis and reducing agents.

 The alkaline leuco compounds diffuse from the thickener into the swollen fibres, during the steaming
process.

 Oxidation then precipitates the dye in a finely dispersed insoluble form inside the fibre, to give a print
with typically good fastness properties..

 A stabilized reducing agent, sodium formaldehyde sulphoxylate (CI Reducing Agent 2), is activated
when the print temperature approaches 100 °C and reduction therefore occurs inside the steamer, the
highly soluble potassium carbonate providing the required alkalinity.

 The print would be dried rapidly, cooled and then steamed for 8–20 min in air-free steam, before rinsing,
oxidising, soaping and drying.

Recipe:

 Vat dye paste: 7g

 Potassium carbonate: 15 g
 Reducing Agent: 8 g
 Glycerol: 5 g
 Thickener: 24 g
 Water: 41 ml

----------------------------------

Total: 100 parts

 The steaming stage was known to be critical, especially where the cover of the design was high.

 Difficulty was experienced in keeping the temperature of the steam below 103 °C, and dye fixation was
reduced when the temperature rise above this level.

 The incorporation of glycerol in the print paste, to act as humectants, improved the fixation.

 With saturated steam at 100 °C fixation is incomplete unless a carrier is used.

 Small dye molecules, of low sublimation fastness, diffuse faster and are more efficiently fixed than dyes
of higher fastness.

 By adding 30–60 g kg–1 of a carrier of the o- or p-phenylphenol type, and steaming for 20–40 min,
acceptable fixation is obtained with selected dyes.

 Complete removal of the carrier is required if impairment of light fastness is to be avoided, and is only
possible by stentering the printed fabric at temperatures above 160 °C.
 Steaming for 20–30 min at 0.25–0.30 MPa (36–44 lbf m–2) gives very good results, the fixation
reaching 90% with selected dyes, efficiently fixed than dyes of higher fastness.

 Washing is required to remove thickener and unfixed disperse dye. Thorough rinsing first in cold, then in
warm water, should be followed by an alkaline reduction treatment at 40–50 °C .

Basic Dyes on Acrylics Fabrics:

Recipe:

 Basic dye: 30–50 g

 Thiodiethyleneglycol: 3 g
 Acetic acid (30%): 30 g
 Hot water: x g
 Thickener: 500–600 g
 Citric acid or ammonium sulphate: 5 g
 Fixation accelerator: 10–20 g

----------------------------------

Total: 1000g

 Basic dyes have proved to be successful for the printing of acrylic fibres and offer brightness and good
fastness to light and to washing.

 Fluctuations in pH can therefore lead to colour changes and in some cases the dye forms a colorless
carbinol(methnol) base under alkaline conditions.

 Fixation of prints of basic dyes on acrylic fibres follows the same mechanism as in dyeing processes.

 Adsorption on to the fibre occurs readily because of the high affinity of the dye cations for the negatively
charged sites on the fibre surface, but diffusion to sites within the fibre is relatively slow.

 The fibre surface is usually saturated with dye, and therefore the speed of diffusion does not depend on
the concentration of dye in the print paste.

 Dyes are available in liquid form, incorporating dye solvents.

 The dye is pasted with the dye solvent and the acetic acid.

 Hot water (80–90 °C) is poured on to the paste to produce a solution, which is sieved and stirred into the
thickener. Finally, the fixation accelerator is added dicyanoethylformamide has been used successfully.

 It is extremely important that, during all the drying and fixation processes, the print is at an acid pH. For
this reason the addition of a nonvolatile acid to the print paste is absolutely necessary

 The best results are obtained in saturated steam for 20–30 min at 0.1–0.2 Mpa (14–28 lbf m–2) pressure
in a star steamer.

 For continuous-filament acrylic yarn fabrics, a higher temperature (108–110 °C), at 0.14–0.15 MPa
(16–21 lbf m–2), is preferred.
Acid Dyes on Protein Fibre:

 Acid dyes must also be selected to obtain acceptable light and wet fastness for each end-use, in addition
to the desired brilliance of hue. This applies both to direct and to discharge printing.

 The less soluble dyes of these classes need urea or thiourea to assist solution along with auxiliary
solvents, such as thiodiethyleneglycol, and hot water.

 When printing wool, glycerol may be used to reduce the adverse effect of superheat in the steam during
Locust bean or guar derivatives are used as thickening agents, either on their own or in mixtures with
cold water-soluble British gum.

 Crystal gum is used for printing silk, rather than tragacanth and mixtures of tragacanth with British
gum or gum arabic,which were formerly the main thickening agents.

 The printing pastes contain an acid donor for fixation of the dye. This may be ammonium sulphate,
ammonium tartrate, oxalate or even in some cases acetic acid or glycollic acid.

 Fixation; with silk, however, the addition of glycerol can cause ‘flushing’ problems.

 Small amounts of sodium chlorate are added to counter the reductive effect of wool, and possibly the
thickeners, during steaming.

 In the case of dyes ‘sensitive to steaming’, the addition of sodium chlorate is essential. Defoamer and
printing oils are also usually necessary for smooth prints with sharp outlines.
 Relatively long steaming times of 30–60 min are usually needed to fix acid dyes on wool or silk. The
most brilliant and fast prints can only be obtained in saturated steam fixation at 100–102 °C.
Recipe:
Acid/g Metal-complex/g Reactive/g
Dye X X X
Urea 50 50 50
Water Y Y Y
Thickener 500 500 500
Ammonium 60
sulphate (1:2)
Formic 10
acid(85%)
Sodium 15 15 15
chlorate(1:2)

Pigment Printing(for cotton):

Pigments are mainly synthetic organic materials. Pigment printing is done to produce attractive design by
applying pigment paste on the fabric surface. Pigments are found in particle state and the particle size range
should be in the region of 0.1 – 3 micron

Recipe:

Pigment: 30 parts
Binder: 600 parts
Fixer: 10 parts
Na alginate: 100 (50% solution)
White spirit: 250 parts
……………………………………….
Total: 1000 parts
Sequence:
pre-Treatments (Printing(with binder and fixer) (Roller/Rotary printing) Drying(90-100%/110-
120°C) (Dryer) Curing (Cotton 140-160°C/110-120°C 3-5 min) (Polyester 160-220°C 30-
60s) (Stenter) Washing (Some time is not needed)

Advantages:

 Applicable to natural and synthetic fiber.

 Pigment printing is most economical printing process and allows maximum output of goods because of
the elimination of washing off, quick sampling and high printing speeds.
 The advantage of pigment printing is that the process can be done without subsequent washing.
 Simple Application
 Simple technical process without wet after treatment
 Little requirements for machinery equipment
 Pigment printing can be applied to all substrate which are of interest to the printer, including glass
fibers, PVC and imitation leather, subject to some limitations in color depth. It is extremely well suited
for color resist effects, for example under azoic and reactive dyes.
 Mistakes in pigment printing can be recognized quickly.
 Pigment printing presents the fewest problems for the printer of all coloration process, with respect to
labor costs, equipment and reliability of production.
 Progress in quality of pigment printing
 New synthetic polymers Good fastness properties, soft handle

Disadvantages:

 Not controllable for the binder film.

 Handling properties of the pigment printing is rough because of having excessive cross linking agents.
 Creates problem on the roller printing because of the bulky products and more engraved rollers.
 It is not possible to apply it directly on the fabric. Binder must be used to apply the pigment dye on the
fabric. Thus, a coat is created on the surface of the fabric.
 During second time printing it has very low effect that is not desirable.
 When pigments are over printed the second paste has little effect.
 Wet and rubbing fastness is average.