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Abstract:
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Current inkjet printing technologies require a multi-step pretreatment and posttreatment
of the fabric to allow for ink fixation, and each dye class requires different
treatments for each fiber type used. Printing cotton with reactive inks requires the
pretreatment application of alkali. Acid based inks, used to print on wool, silk, and nylon
fibers, have very low affinity for cotton fabrics, which prohibit their use on cotton.
The purpose of this research was to investigate the creation of a new method in
which acid inks could be inkjet printed and fixed onto 100% cotton fabrics. It was
hypothesized that a cross-linking agent could be used to entrap or hold the acid ink
molecules within the 100% cotton fiber.
A 100% cotton fabric was pretreated with a durable-press resin and catalyst, and
dried. The anionic inks were printed onto the substrate, steamed, and cured at various
conditions. The samples were washed and dried, and the shade and fastness properties
were determined for each condition. The results were compared to the conventional
method of inkjet printing of cotton with reactive inks.
A method to inkjet print 100% cotton fabrics with acid inks was developed. The
same method can also be used to hold reactive inks, creating the potential for one
pretreatment process to be applicable for several ink systems, as well as for multi-fiber
fabrics. The durable-press resin method would allow for the replacement of the expensive
pretreated fabrics with a common and easily applied durable-press resin pretreatment.
This process may lead to an elimination of the excessive washing process performed in
the conventional method.
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