HK1067159A1 - Process for patterning textile materials and fabrics made therefrom - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for patterning textile materials is described. The process involves applying a water soluble chemical substance designed to mechanically inhibit the wetting of underlying regions of the fabric to a textile fabric in a predetermined pattern, then dyeing the fabric in a manner conventionally used to uniformly dye fabrics, such as by a continuous or semi-continuous dye process. The chemical substance which has been applied to the fabric functions to temporarily mechanically inhibit wetting of the underlying regions of the fabric, so that the underlying portions are dyed to a lesser extent than the surrounding regions. The resulting fabrics have good print characteristics without the physical strength degradation of irregular hand associated with patterned fabrics produced by conventional fabric patterning methods.

Description

Method for printing textile materials and fabrics made therefrom

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a method of printing textile materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing patterned textile materials using dyeing methods commonly used for dyeing plain fabrics and fabrics manufactured using the method.

Background

Textile manufacturers are working to obtain products with unique and different appearances. While designers are seemingly able to create an infinite fabric look, fabric manufacturers must consider the conditions of machine efficiency, raw material costs, labor input and processing costs, desired performance characteristics of the fabric, and the like. As a result, the creativity of designers is often limited by the ability of the manufacturer to efficiently manufacture the fabric according to its design.

One conventional method of obtaining a patterned fabric is to weave yarns that have been pre-dyed to different colors in different areas to produce the fabric. The fabric obtained in this way is called coloured woven fabric and is used, for example, to make a woven striped broadcloth (such as the type commonly used in men's suit shirts). While colored woven cloth provides a desirable appearance in many respects, it has certain deficiencies, primarily the necessity of being pre-dyed to the color desired in the product. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that this significantly extends the lead time required to make the fabric (since the colors to be achieved by the dyed yarns prior to the fabric forming process must be determined) and that it can be expensive to make small batches of products of a particular color combination.

Furthermore, the fabric weaving equipment (such as a loom or knitting machine) must be specifically set up to obtain the specific pattern required. This can lead to long machine downtime when changing colors and designs. Furthermore, when the component yarns are exposed to different temperatures and conditions in their respective dyeing and processing conditions, the colored woven fabrics have a tendency to differentially shrink. As a result, after washing, colored woven fabrics often wrinkle along the transition zone between yarns of one color and yarns of another color. In summary, yarn-dyed products have unacceptably long lead times and are complex to weave, and the resulting products may have undesirable variations between one side and the other.

Attempts have been made to produce patterned fabrics in weaving processes by methods other than the use of differently dyed yarns. For example, designs of various colors are often printed directly on the fabric. In this process, the desired design color is printed directly onto the fabric, which is not dyed or has been dyed beforehand. The disadvantages of this type of printing are two. First, when a color is printed on a previously dyed fabric, the color of the design is limited to the dominant color. This is because the dominant colours are displayed through these colours and some colours used in printing will be invisible or change. One example is printing a blue pattern on a yellow primary color. After printing, the design appears green. Further, the yellow pattern printed on the yellow base color is not visible at all. Thus, no several printed dyes are visible on very dark main ground colors. This limits the designer to using only a few colors for a particular primary color, or to using a base fabric that is not dyed to use a full color palette.

A second disadvantage of this printing method is encountered when printing with pigments on the main ground colour. It is generally known to overcome the colour limitation problem described above by printing with pigments on the surface of the fabric being printed, as is often the case in plastisol printing. In this way, even white and light patterns can be printed on a dark background color, and the selection of colors is not limited. However, the resulting design has some dull and/or rubbery feel, with a raised appearance in feel and appearance compared to areas where the design is not printed. This is undesirable for many apparel applications. Furthermore, after repeated washing and rubbing, the printed designs may eventually become brittle, crack and peel.

Another method commonly used is called discharge printing. In discharge printing, the fabric is dyed (typically piece dyeing) and then the design is printed with a slurry containing chemicals that reduce the dye, thus forming a white design in the dyed background. It is also possible to add a colorant to the discharge paste so that the discharged color is replaced with another color. These discharge chemicals roughen the portion of the fabric to which they are applied and often reduce its strength, thereby reducing the overall strength of the fabric. Another disadvantage of this type of process is that only dyes can be selected which are susceptible to whitening by the action of chemical reducing agents, otherwise colour remains in the embossed areas. Such chemicals increase the cost and reduce the flexibility of use of the process.

Another method for making patterned fabrics is known as resist printing. In the process of dye-repellent printing, a pattern is drawn on a fabric with a substance designed to prevent dyeing on the fabric. The fabric is then dyed using a batch dyeing process. In the existing resist printing methods, the resist is generally a water-insoluble medium. Examples of printing methods using a water-insoluble medium are a wax printing method using wax, a tie-dyeing method using an elastic band, and the like to suppress fabric dyeing in a specific area. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the use of these media requires additional processing operations to remove these dye inhibiting media. When the dye inhibiting medium is wax, the removal process can be difficult and can damage the bottom layer of the fabric. In the tie-dyeing process, removing the elastic band is a labor intensive task. Furthermore, methods such as tie-dyeing are limited in the types of pattern designs that can be produced with them, and the waxes used in wax printing render it impossible to simultaneously dye the fabric in a portion where they are applied with a different color than the rest of the fabric.

Another type of resist printing involves chemically bonding the dye dots of the fibers in specific areas of the fabric. Generally, a resist chemical is printed on a fabric in a specific pattern and then the fabric is dyed. An example of such a process is described in U.S. patent 5,984,977 to Moore et al, which describes the use of a designed substance to chemically block the dye sites of cellulosic materials in a batch dyeing process. Since the dye dots are bound by the resist chemical, the fabric will not be colored in the areas where the chemical is used. While performing well in many applications, this process is limited because the selection of a dye-blocking chemical that chemically blocks the dye spots of a particular fiber in the fabric is necessary, and can be problematic when the fabric to be printed is comprised of blend fibers. Because if one fiber is blocked and the other fiber is not prevented from dyeing in the blend fiber, the printed area cannot be completely prevented from dyeing unless the fiber that is not blocked is not dyed. This can result in a mottled effect on the primary color of the fabric, thus limiting design flexibility. Furthermore, commercially available chemical resist processes are marketed for batch dyeing processes, all at lower production rates than continuous or semi-continuous processes. Also, these resist chemicals generally compromise the strength of the fabric.

Finally, the heat transfer paper is printed on a patterned fabric. The method uses a printing paper printed with a dye which sublimes when heated. The paper is placed in direct contact with the fabric and dye is transferred from the paper to the fabric by sublimation upon heating. Thermal transfer paper printing is widely used on polyester, which uses disperse dyes and is generally carried out in a dry state, with heating causing the dyes to diffuse into the fibers. The main limitation of this method is the easy sublimating disperse dye. A variation of this method is to perform the heat transfer in the wet state, which enables the use of dye species that are otherwise easily transferred from the paper to the fabric in the vapor phase. The choice of dye is still limited and a two-step process of printing on paper and then transferring the dye to the fabric is still necessary. Furthermore, the effect of resist dyeing cannot be achieved with this method, and therefore the dominant ground color of the fabric before printing has a limitation on design.

Summary of the invention

The process of the present invention enables the production of patterned fabrics in an efficient manner while avoiding the additional processing operations required by prior art processes. In addition, the method can manufacture the fabric with the surface appearance of the yarn-dyed fabric, and simultaneously avoids the inherent complexity of the yarn-dyed manufacturing method and the reduction of the fabric strength caused by other dyeing methods. Furthermore, the present method enables the production of patterned fabrics using continuous or semi-continuous dyeing operations, which achieves higher production efficiencies than conventional batch processes. For the purposes of this application, the term "continuous or semi-continuous dyeing operation" refers to dyeing operations in which the fabric is generally allowed to dwell in the dye bath for a relatively short period of time, typically due to the continuous movement of the fabric in the present process. For example, various continuous and semi-continuous dyeing operations contemplated by the present invention include thermosol, pad/steam, thermosol/pad/steam, pad/high temperature steam, jig, and pad batch processes. These methods are generally non-exhaustible. In contrast, batch dyeing processes involve "batch" dyeing of fabrics, where the fabric is left in the dye liquor for an uninterrupted period of time to achieve uniform dyeing through exhaustion and equilibration.

The process involves applying to the fabric a chemical substance which temporarily mechanically inhibits wetting of the underlying regions of the fabric, and then dyeing the fabric continuously or semi-continuously. Such chemicals desirably include printing pastes. In certain embodiments of the invention, the chemical may include fluoride. In some cases, the chemicals may include fluorides and printing pastes. In many cases, the chemical is selected so that it mechanically inhibits wetting of the substrate region of the fabric to which it is applied, without being removed from the fabric by an additional removal operation. For this reason, it is desirable that the chemical be water soluble so that it can be removed by chemical and/or mechanical action as required during the subsequent normal dyeing and finishing processes.

The chemical is selected to completely inhibit wetting of the underlying fabric region, or to only partially inhibit the rate of color pick-up, so that the underlying fabric region is dyed to a lesser extent than other areas of the fabric not provided with the chemical. In a similar manner, the chemical may be selected in response to the particular dyeing process to be used so that it is removed shortly before the dyeing process is complete, the underlying fabric portion of the chemical being less wettable than the base portion of the fabric, thereby providing a lesser chance of the fabric binding dye molecules in this area. In this way, the portion of the fabric coated with the chemical is dyed the same color as the uncovered portion of the fabric, but with a lighter shade. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently manufacture a woven fabric having a pattern formed in a predetermined region due to a difference in the coloring ratio.

The chemical may also include a dye such that the portion of the fabric on which the design is printed with the chemical is dyed a different color than the color dyed in the subsequent continuous dyeing process. The invention is not limited to the use of a single chemical, and it is within the scope of the invention to print different designs with more different chemicals. For example, a 3-color textured fabric is obtained by applying a first design with a chemical that does not include a dye, and applying a second design, water-soluble chemical that inhibits wetting, that includes a dye, in a second design. In addition, 3 or more color effects can be obtained by printing two or more designs using two different chemicals having different resist characteristics.

The process of the present invention enables the manufacture of fabrics having a unique yarn-dyed appearance without the disadvantages associated with yarn-dyed products. For example, in one aspect of the invention, the pattern printed on the fabric is selected to correspond to the yarns of the fabric structure, thereby giving the appearance of a colored woven cloth. In addition, the ability to print in this way and the clarity of the print on the fabric are far superior to dyed products, especially when complex designs are desired. Furthermore, the fabric retains substantially all of its initial strength, has good colorfastness, and has excellent aesthetic and functional properties.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of the process of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a photograph (40 times magnification) of a conventional yarn-dyed product;

figure 3 is a photograph (40 x magnification) of a fabric made in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed Description

In the following detailed description of the present invention, particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention are described so that the present invention can be fully and completely understood. It should be recognized that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular preferred embodiments described, although specific terms are used in describing the invention, such terms are used for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting.

A method of making a patterned fabric according to the present invention is described with reference to figure 1. As noted, the steps performed in this regard are printing a stain blocking chemical on the fabric, drying (optional) this chemical, coating the dye, predrying the dye if necessary, fixing the dye, cooling the fabric if previously heated, coating the desired chemical, reacting the chemical if necessary, washing the fabric to remove excess chemical, and drying and reeling the fabric. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the particular steps used will vary with the dyeing method used, the type of fabric being printed, the chemicals used, and the desired design. These steps will be discussed in more detail below.

The fabric to be printed is obtained first. The fabric may be of any variety, including woven, knitted, nonwoven, and the like. The fabric may be woven from any conventional fiber capable of continuous or semi-continuous dyeing, including, but not limited to, synthetic fibers such as polyesters (including, but not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and modified versions thereof), polyamides, polypropylenes, aramids, polyolefins, regenerated fibers such as polylactide-based fibers (PLA) and rayon (e.g., viscose, cuprammonium fibers), natural fibers such as cotton, flax, ramie, hemp, and jute, or the like, or combinations thereof. The process of the invention was found to perform particularly well when producing 100% polyester, 100% cotton and polyester/cotton blend fabrics. The fabric is selected to provide the desired weight and performance characteristics for the end use of the product.

It is desirable that these fabrics be in a prepared form, meaning that they have been washed of oil, dirt, etc. that has adhered to them during manufacture and/or transportation. Preferably, the fabric is dried as part of the preparation process, which provides a stable product for application of chemicals and dyeing.

A chemical designed to temporarily inhibit wetting of the underlying fabric areas is then applied to the fabric in the desired pattern. It is desirable to apply the chemical to the fabric by an embossing process. Such printing methods may be, for example, roll-bed printing, rotary screen printing, flexographic printing, gravure roll printing, multi-nozzle spray printing (such as described in commonly assigned U.S. patent 4,923,743), and the like. However, other coating methods included within the scope of the present invention include, but are not limited to, brush coating methods, ultrasonic spray methods, foam coating methods, printhead printing methods, and the like. The chemical may be applied in any desired pattern. The "pattern" of the coating may be random dots or the like (for example, obtained by brushing). It should be readily understood that the areas to which the chemical is applied will define a pattern of areas on the final fabric that are not dyed or are dyed a different color, the type of pattern applied being virtually unlimited. As a result, an unlimited variety of fabric appearances can be obtained in this way.

The chemical is designed to physically inhibit wetting of the fabric substrate area over a period of time. In one aspect of the invention, the chemical is designed to prevent wetting of the underlying areas of the fabric for a period of time that is longer than the time the fabric is in contact with the aqueous dye liquor. In another aspect of the invention, the chemical may be selected based on the length of time it inhibits wetting or the degree to which it inhibits wetting to avoid saturation of the underlying zone while allowing some wetting. Since downstream processing does not require removal of these chemicals, the fabric still retains the properties of inhibiting wetting after processing. (in contrast, current mechanical means of inhibiting wetting of fabrics, such as waxes, require a separate processing step to remove them, since the fabric has sufficient aesthetic and performance characteristics to make it useful only after removal of these materials). Therefore, the chemical is desirably water soluble.

Stated another way, the chemical is selected to inhibit wetting of the underlying portion of the fabric, preferably completely. When the chemical is designed to partially inhibit wetting of the fabric, it may be selected to allow the bottom layer portion of the fabric to wet at a significantly lower rate than the untreated portion, or to inhibit wetting for a slightly shorter time than the length of the dyeing process. As such, the portion of the fabric printed with the chemical will be exposed to a lesser amount of dye and/or for a shorter period of time than the untreated portion of the fabric. As a result, the portion of the fabric treated with the chemical will be dyed the same basic color (tint) as the surrounding area of the fabric, but the depth of the shade will be from slightly lighter to much lighter than the untreated area.

The chemical preferably comprises a printing paste comprising a thickener and water. In certain forms of the invention, the chemical comprises fluoride. In some forms of the invention, the chemical includes both printing pastes and fluorochemicals. In any event, the chemical is selected such that it inhibits wetting of the substrate region of the fabric to which it is applied without being removed from the fabric by an additional removal operation, as will be discussed further.

Examples of chemical substances which have been found to work well with the present invention are alginate-based printing pastes, xanthan-based printing pastes, synthetic thickener-based printing pastes, various fluorinated compounds, and combinations thereof. The viscosity and rheology of these chemicals are selected to optimize the inhibition of wetting and achieve the desired design appearance in the finished fabric. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the exact formulation of the chemical will be selected to suit the coating method used, the screen size, the amount required, and the like. These parameters are all contemplated within the scope of the present invention, and the exact formulation used for each fabric is readily identifiable without undue experimentation. It has been found that in rotary screen printing processes (as used in the examples herein) the chemical has a viscosity of from about 8 poise to about 70 poise, preferably from about 10 poise to about 40 poise (depending on the thickener used) is good. The chemical will be applied at the designed pressure to achieve print leveling and proper penetration of the particular chemical and substrate used. For example, a pressure range of about 3psi to about 10psi has been found to be good for practicing the above chemistry. In addition, the pressure at which the chemical is applied is selected to optimize penetration of the chemical into a particular fabric to the extent necessary to achieve the desired design and to obtain a flat printed product. Similarly, it is desirable that the rheological properties of the chemical provide good flow and rapid stopping properties.

In certain forms of the invention, the chemical will also include a dye. Thus, the portion of the fabric coated with the chemical will be colored a first color, while the area surrounding the base fabric substantially free of the chemical will be colored a different color during the dyeing process. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that different patterns and different chemicals may be used and that the chemicals may be applied more than once. Thus, a virtually unlimited number of fabric designs and appearances can be achieved using the present method. For example, the chemical may be applied to the fabric such that it mimics a yarn pattern in the fabric structure, such as by printing stripes in the warp or weft direction to mimic a yarn-dyed striped fabric. Further, the chemical may include other types of chemicals, such as optical brighteners, different types of dyes, copolymers, any type of chemical that provides additional benefits without interfering with the performance necessary to practice the present invention, and the like.

In most cases, it is desirable to dry the chemical prior to the subsequent dyeing step. This drying can be carried out by any conventional method used in fabric drying, such as passing the fabric through an oven. This helps ensure that the chemical is on the bottom fabric portion. The temperature and method used are selected to optimize the chemistry used and the properties of the substrate used.

The fabric is then dyed in a conventional continuous or semi-continuous manner, such as a thermosol dyeing process. However, other types of dyeing operations, such as pad/steam, thermosol/pad/steam, cold roll dyeing batch, jig dyeing, etc. may be used with different effects within the scope of the present invention. It should be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the dyeing method used should be selected according to the type of fabric to be processed and the type of dye to be used. Similarly, the type and amount of chemical is selected to optimize the appearance of the fabric being dyed. In other words, the type of dyeing process and the chemical should be coordinated so that the mechanical inhibition of wetting provided by the chemical is able to withstand the particular dyeing process used to the extent necessary to obtain the desired design by dyeing. Similarly, the dyeing method used is also selected so that the particular fabric to be produced will achieve the desired results. For example, in many cases, it is desirable to use efficient continuous and semi-continuous dyeing methods; in these cases, the yarns forming the fabric are often ring dyed.

When using the thermosol/pad steam method, these methods are generally performed as follows: the fabric, with the chemical applied thereon, is passed through a pad of dye where the dye will saturate the rest of the fabric except in the areas where the chemical prevents the fabric from being sufficiently wetted. It is desirable to predry the fabric and then heat it to a sufficient temperature to cause the dye to sublime into the substrate so that the dye sublimes and penetrates into the fibers. It is then desirable to subject the fabric to cooking, scouring and washing by conventional means to remove any excess chemicals and dyes that may remain. The fabric is cooled and may be coated with any desired finishing chemicals. For example, chemicals designed to promote soil removal and wicking, or to reduce static and/or pilling, may be provided as desired for the fabric. In addition, any desired surface finish may be applied as desired. The web is then dried and packaged for distribution as desired.

The dyes used may also be selected to achieve a desired type of appearance. For example, when the fabric is a polyester/cotton blend fabric and it is desired to have a single shade of base fabric, a combination dye of disperse and vat dyes may be used to dye both the polyester and cotton components. In this case, using the thermosol/padding/steam process, additional steps of cooking, scouring and washing may be added after the thermosol oven and on top of the process described above. Alternatively, the dye bath may include dyes designed to dye only one of the constituent fibers to give the substrate a mottled appearance. For example, a polyester/cotton blend fabric may be exposed to only disperse dyes, which will dye the polyester component, while leaving the cotton component substantially undyed, thereby giving the substrate a unique appearance.

As mentioned above, the chemical is selected to at least temporarily inhibit wetting of a portion of the fabric, thereby allowing patterns to be produced on the fabric in a continuous or semi-continuous dyeing process. The nature of the chemical substance is such that a subsequent removal process is not required. In other words, the role of the dyeing process, drying, finishing and/or scouring operations is to remove any chemicals that would interfere with the final properties of the fabric. For example, where the chemical comprises or consists essentially of printing paste, subsequent processing steps are typically used to remove the printing paste from the fabric. Also, where the chemical comprises or consists essentially of a fluorocarbon, it is desirable that some of the fluorocarbon remain on the fabric to impart water repellency properties to the printed areas for an extended period of time. In any event, the chemicals used and the dyeing process can be coordinated so that the amount of chemicals remaining on the fabric after processing is controlled to a desired level.

As shown when comparing the colored woven cloth in fig. 2 with the inventive fabric shown on fig. 3, the fabric obtained according to the method of the present invention has an excellent appearance, in many cases close to that of the colored woven cloth, while avoiding the problems associated with that manufacturing method. For example, the differential shrinkage problems typically associated with colored woven fabrics can be avoided because a base fabric having a uniform structure can be obtained, if desired. The fabrics of the present invention also have good performance characteristics such as very uniform physical strength, appearance, color fastness, wash fastness, durability of the design, and uniform feel and hand between the printed and unprinted areas.

Examples

Three commercial yarn-dyed shirt fabrics were obtained, which are described below as test samples A, B and C.

Sample A was a plain poplin fabric with bright blue and dark gray stripes, weighing 4.3oz/sq yd. The finished structure was 102 warp yarns per inch and 57 weft yarns per inch. Both the warp and weft yarns were blended from 65% polyester and 35% cotton. The fabric is believed to have been subjected to conventional soil release and durable styling chemistries and lightly buffed.

Sample B is a plain poplin fabric with a fine blue stripe on a white background. The fabric had a weight of 4.3oz/sq yd and the finished construction had 77 warp and 59 weft yarns per inch. Both the warp and weft yarns were blended from 65% polyester and 35% cotton. The fabric is believed to have been treated with conventional stain release and durable styling chemistries and lightly buffed.

Sample C is a plain poplin fabric with multiple color stripes. The weight of the fabric was 4.3oz/sq yd and the finished structure was 104 warp yarns per inch and 60 weft yarns per inch. Both the warp and weft yarns were blended from 65% polyester and 35% cotton. The inventors believe that the fabric has been treated with conventional stain release and durable styling chemistries and lightly buffed.

Sample D was a 4.3oz 65/35 polyester/cotton poplin fabric. The fabric was dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/lCl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22 (in other words, this fabric was dyed to the same main ground color as sample E below). The fabric is then finished in a conventional manner, pad dyed on a conventional type of finishing chemical to provide wet permeability, stain release and durable set characteristics, and passed through a tenter frame in a conventional manner to crosslink the resin and set the fabric width. The fabric was then mechanically buffed using the method described in commonly assigned U.S. patent No. 5,752,300 to Dischler and treated with high pressure air (forming micro-fissures in the resin chemistry) using the method described in commonly assigned U.S. patent No. 5,822,835 to Dischler. The finished structure of the fabric was 102 warp yarns per inch and 47 weft yarns per inch.

Sample E was woven to have the same structure as sample D, and a two-line pattern was formed on the fabric after preparation using a 165 mesh screen of the following chemicals: 60g/kg fluoride (APG-85 from advanced Polymer), 11g/kg synthetic back thickener, 929g/kg alginate base printing paste comprising 32.5g/kg low viscosity alginate thickener, chelating agent, defoamer, antimicrobial and water. (those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that small amounts of chelating agents, defoamers, and antimicrobials are provided to facilitate the performance of the printing apparatus). The chemicals also included 1.35g/kg disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg disperse violet 57 dye. The viscosity of this mixture was 38 poise and it was applied using a 40mm metal knife at a pressure of about 11 psi. The chemical was dried at 320F. The fabric was then dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric was then finished in a manner corresponding to that described in sample D. The weight of the finished fabric was 4.36oz/sq yd, 101 warp yarns per inch and 48 weft yarns per inch.

Sample F was woven to have the same structure as sample D and after preparation the fabric was coated with the following chemicals in a wide pattern: 60g/kg fluoride (APG-85, Advanced Polymer company, Carlstadt, N.J.), 11g/kg synthetic back thickener, 929g/kg alginate base printing paste (which includes 32.5g/kg low viscosity alginate thickener, chelating agent, defoamer, antimicrobial and water). The chemicals also included 1.35g/kg of disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse violet 57 dye. The viscosity of this mixture was 38 poise and it was applied using a 40mm metal knife at a pressure of about 11 psi. This chemical was dried at 370 ° f. The fabric was then dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/lCl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric was then finished in a manner corresponding to that described in sample D. The finished fabric weighed 4.41oz/sq yd and had a construction of 101 warp yarns and 48 weft yarns per inch.

Sample G was woven in the same manner as sample D, and after preparation the following chemicals were applied to the fabric in a wide pattern: 60g/kg fluoride (APG-85, Advanced Polymer company, Carlstadt, N.J.), 11g/kg synthetic back thickener, 929g/kg alginate base printing paste (which includes 32.5g/kg low viscosity alginate thickener, chelating agent, defoamer, antimicrobial and water). The chemicals also included 1.35g/kg of disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse violet 57 dye. The viscosity of this mixture was 38 poise and it was applied using a 40mm metal knife at a pressure of about 11 psi. The chemical was dried at 350F. The fabric was then dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric was then finished in a manner corresponding to that described in sample D. The weight of the finished fabric was 4.36oz/sq yd, 101 warp yarns per inch and 48 weft yarns per inch.

Sample H was woven in the same manner as sample D, and the fabric was coated with the following chemicals after preparation to form a double stripe pattern: 60g/kg fluoride (APG-85 from Advanced Polymer), 11g/kg synthetic back thickener, 929g/kg alginate base printing paste (which includes 32.5g/kg low viscosity alginate thickener, chelant, defoamer, antimicrobial and water). The chemicals also included 1.35g/kg of disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse violet 57 dye. The viscosity of this mixture was 38 poise and it was applied using a 40mm metal knife at a pressure of about 11 psi. The chemical was dried at 350F. The fabric was then dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/lCl reduced black 22. The fabric was then finished in a manner corresponding to that described in sample D. The finished fabric weighed 4.31oz/sq yd and had a construction of 101 warp yarns and 48 weft yarns per inch.

Sample I was woven in the same manner as sample D, and after preparation the following chemicals were applied to the fabric in a wide pattern: 60g/kg fluoride (APG-85 from Advanced Polymer), 11g/kg synthetic back thickener, 929g/kg alginate base printing paste (which includes 32.5g/kg low viscosity alginate thickener, chelant, defoamer, antimicrobial and water). The chemicals also included 1.35g/kg of disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse violet 57 dye. The viscosity of this mixture was 38 poise and it was applied using a 40mm metal knife at a pressure of about 11 psi. The chemical was dried at 320F. The fabric was then dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/lCl reduced black 22. The fabric was then finished in a manner corresponding to that described in sample D. The finished fabric weighed 4.35oz/sq yd, 102 warp yarns per inch and 48 weft yarns per inch.

Sample J was woven in the same manner as sample D, after preparation the following chemicals were applied to the fabric in a double stripe pattern: 60g/kg fluoride (APG-85 from Advanced Polymer), 11g/kg synthetic back thickener, 929g/kg alginate base printing paste (which includes 32.5g/kg low viscosity alginate thickener, chelant, defoamer, antimicrobial and water). The chemicals also included 1.35g/kg of disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse violet 57 dye. The viscosity of this mixture was 38 poise and it was applied using a 40mm metal knife at a pressure of about 11 psi. This chemical was dried at 370 ° f. The fabric was then dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/lCl reduced black 22. The fabric was then finished in a manner corresponding to that described in sample D. The finished fabric weighed 4.34oz/sq yd and had a construction of 102 warp yarns per inch and 48 weft yarns per inch.

Sample K was woven in the same manner as sample D and then the following chemicals were applied to the fabric in a double stripe pattern: 60g/kg fluoride (APG-85 from Advanced Polymer), 11g/kg synthetic back thickener, 929g/kg alginate base printing paste (which includes 32.5g/kg low viscosity alginate thickener, chelant, defoamer, antimicrobial and water). The chemicals also included 1.35g/kg of disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse violet 57 dye. The viscosity of this mixture was 38 poise and it was applied using a 40mm metal knife at a pressure of about 11 psi. This chemical was dried at 385 deg.F. The fabric was then dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/lCl reduced black 22. The fabric was then finished in a manner corresponding to that described in sample D. The finished fabric weighed 4.4oz/sq yd, 102 warp yarns per inch and 48 weft yarns per inch.

Sample L was woven in the same manner as sample D and then the following chemicals were applied to the fabric in a wide pattern: 60g/kg fluoride (APG-85 from Advanced Polymer), 11g/kg synthetic back thickener, 929g/kg alginate base printing paste (which includes 32.5g/kg low viscosity alginate thickener, chelating agent, defoamer, antimicrobial and water). The chemicals also included 1.35g/kg of disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse violet 57 dye. The viscosity of this mixture was 38 poise and it was applied using a 40mm metal knife at a pressure of about 11 psi. This chemical was dried at 385 deg.F. The fabric was then dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/lCl reduced black 22. The fabric was then finished in a manner corresponding to that described in sample D. The weight of the finished fabric was 4.42oz/sq yd, 101 warp yarns per inch and 48 weft yarns per inch.

Sample M was woven in the same manner as sample D, and then the following chemicals were applied to the fabric in a mesh pattern: 60g/kg fluoride (APG-85 from Advanced Polymer), 11g/kg synthetic back thickener, 929g/kg alginate base printing paste (which includes 32.5g/kg low viscosity alginate thickener, chelant, defoamer, antimicrobial and water). The chemicals also included 1.35g/kg of disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse violet 57 dye. The viscosity of this mixture was 38 poise and it was applied using a 40mm metal knife at a pressure of about 11 psi. This chemical was dried at 385 deg.F. The fabric was then dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/lCl reduced black 22. The fabric was then finished in a manner corresponding to that described in sample D. The finished fabric weighed 4.42oz/sq yd and had a construction of 101 warp yarns and 48 weft yarns per inch.

Sample N was woven in the same manner as sample D and then the following chemicals were applied in a mesh pattern to the fabric: 60g/kg fluoride (APG-85 from Advanced Polymer), 11g/kg synthetic back thickener, 929g/kg alginate base printing paste (which includes 32.5g/kg low viscosity alginate thickener, chelant, defoamer, antimicrobial and water). The chemicals also included 1.35g/kg of disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse violet 57 dye. The viscosity of this mixture was 38 poise and it was applied using a 40mm metal knife at a pressure of about 11 psi. This chemical was dried at 385 deg.F. The fabric was then dyed in the thermosol for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following dye mixture: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl mixed reduced yellow, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric was then finished in a manner corresponding to that described in sample D. The finished fabric weighed 4.33oz/sq yd and had a construction of 102 warp yarns per inch and 48 weft yarns per inch.

Test method

In this test, the term "industrial washing" means a washing method as described below.

Industrial Wash test

The operation procedure is as follows:

1. the samples were weighed and the load was 15. + -.1) pounds.

Note that: if desired, a 100% white cotton control was used to obtain the appropriate load weight.

2. Technical specification of industrial washing method (Milnor washer):

process for producing a metal oxide	W/L	Temperature of	Time (min)	Supply of	pH value	Alkalinity (ppm)
								Can obtain	Total of
						Discontinuing stagnant rinse acidification	Low, high, low			Adding steam to 165140, 155120, 130110, 120100, 11090, 10090, 100	15522225	16.5 (+ -1) oz of orthopsil or 300 (+ -10) mL2.8 (+ -0.2) oz of IFL #15 or 50 (+ -2) mL of acid without and without 0.25 (+ -0.05) oz or 7 + -0.5 mL of acid	11.5-12.511.0-12.010.2-10.810.2-10.89.0-10.09.0-10.06.5-7.0	28261880148995012-	3964245929920517346-

3. Placing the signal switch in the low position starts the cycle.

W/L represents the water level. Low-12 gallons and high-24 gallons.

5. 4 (+/-. 25) pounds were removed from the 15 (+/-1) pound load and placed in a Sears Kenmore home dryer (to ensure that all samples were placed in the dryer, if you had more than 4.25 pounds, please divide it into two loads, each with an even number of samples.

6. The Cotton Sturdy of the dryer was set to 30 minutes. The sample is taken out of the dryer after being completely dried.

7. The above washing and drying steps are repeated for a prescribed number of cycles.

Note: ortho-ortho

Tensile strength: the tensile strength of each fabric sample was measured in each direction of warp and weft yarns according to ASTM D-5034-95. Multiple samples were tested after 10, 25, 50 and 100 industrial washes.

Tear strength: the tear strength of each fabric sample was measured in each direction of warp and weft using an elmendorf tear tester according to ASTM D1424-96, with multiple samples tested after 10, 25, 50 and 100 industrial washes.

Seam removal: the direction of warp and weft yarns was tested for seam separation according to the test method of ASTM D-434-42.

Bending: the fabric was tested for bending in both the warp and weft directions according to ASTM D3885-99.

Appearance: the fabrics were washed according to the washing method described above and graded according to AATCC test method 124-.

Pilling: the fabric was tested for pilling according to ASTM D-3512-99A. For yarn-dyed products, tests were performed as received and after 10, 25 and 50 industrial washes. For the fabric of the present invention, the pilling was tested as received.

Color data: the primary color data was measured using a 10-step spherical spectrophotometer with the D65 mirror surface of the exclusion light source with an ultraviolet filter set at 0%. With the untreated region as a standard and the treated region as a sample, DE, DL, Da and Db were calculated using the following formulas:

DL＝L₁-L₂here L₁Is untreated, L₂Is processed;

Da＝A₁-A₂where A is₁Is untreated, A₂Is processed;

Db＝B₁-B₂where B is₁Is untreated, B₂Is processed；

% intensity is the area under the reflection curve of the treated area/the area under the reflection curve of the untreated area.

DE denotes the total color difference between the two regions, while DL denotes the difference in depth of shade. For example, a DL of 0 indicates that there is no difference in the depth of shade between the two regions. Da represents the difference in red/green color and Db represents the difference in yellow/blue color. The grading of the intensity illustrates the% color difference for the two regions. For samples where the resist chemistry does not include a dye, a low intensity value would indicate a high amount of resist.

The results of each test are reported in tables a and B below.

TABLE A

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
								Breadth width	N/A	N/A	N/A	-	64.63	64.63	64.75
Weight oz/sq yd	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.36	4.41	4.36
								Warp yarn	102	77	104	102	101	101	101
Weft yarn	57	59	60	47	48	48	48
								Tensile Strength (Via) Wash	119	101	117	112	113	111	112
Tensile Strength (after washing for 10 times)	115	110	96	-	129	121	130
								Tensile Strength (after washing) 25 times	110	103	97	-	116	115	109
Tensile Strength (after washing) 50 times	102	98	71	-	98	110	101
								Tensile Strength (after washing) 100 times	-	-	-	-	99	90	94
Tensile Strength (latitude) just received	59	78	64	77	80	74	71
								Tensile Strength (weft) washing 10 times	60	78	66	-	82	79	84
Tensile Strength (weft) Wash 25 times	51	73	56	-	82	77	79
								Tensile Strength (weft) washing 50 times	36	64	51	-	74	75	74
Tensile strength (weft) washing for 100 times	-	-	-	-	77	76	77
								Tear (warp) resistant AR	2246	2588	2096	2035	2300	2200	1900
Anti-tearing (washing with water) for 10 times	1958	2166	1833	-	2000	1700	1725
								Tear-resistant (warp) washing for 25 times	1635	1801	1440	-	1750	1650	1575
Tear-resistant (warp) washing for 50 times	1267	1478	1136	-	1750	1800	1700
								Tear-resistant (warp) washing for 100 times	-	-	-	-	1650	1475	1400
Tear (weft) resistance AR	1401	1715	1264	2100	1950	2100	2250
								10 times of tearing (weft) resistant washing	1305	1446	1126	-	1650	1700	1725
Tear (weft) resistant washing 25 times	931	1267	838	-	1600	1650	1650
								Tear (weft) resistant 50 washes	688	976	627	-	1850	2100	1900
Tear (weft) resistant 100 washes	-	-	-	-	1500	1650	1550
								Seam allowance (warp)	40	40	40	37	33	34	35
Seam allowance (weft)	40	40	40	40	40	40	40
								Bend (Jing)	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000
Bending (weft)	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000
								Appearance of the product	3	3	3	3.6	3.5	3.5	3.5
Pilling AR	4	4.5	4	-	4	4	4
								Pilling and washing 10 times	4	4.5	4	3.5	-	-	-
Pilling and washing for 25 times	4.5	4.5	4.5	-	-	-	-
								Pilling and washing for 50 times	4.5	4.5	4.5	-	-	-	-

TABLE B

	H	I	J	K	L	M	N
								Breadth width	64.63	64.75	64.88	64.63	64.75	64.63	64.5
Weight oz/sq yd	4.31	4.35	4.34	4.4	4.42	4.42	4.33
								Warp yarn	101	102	102	102	101	101	102
Weft yarn	48	48	48	48	48	48	48
								Tensile Strength (Via) Wash	109	114	119	108	104	112	101
Tensile Strength (after washing for 10 times)	124	119	115	110	109	123	105
								Tensile Strength (after washing) 25 times	113	108	114	113	118	107	105
Tensile Strength (after washing) 50 times	107	105	97	95	109	105	107
								Tensile Strength (after washing) 100 times	99	84	91	73	95	94	95
Tensile Strength (weft) average	77	74	74	69	76	73	70
								Tensile Strength (weft) washing 10 times	82	82	82	76	80	82	77
Tensile Strength (weft) Wash 25 times	85	78	80	74	84	82	76
								Tensile Strength (weft) washing 50 times	80	73	72	60	65	82	77
Tensile strength (weft) washing for 100 times	78	77	77	68	70	74	74
								Tear (warp) resistant AR	1975	1975	2000	1850	2100	1900	2050
Anti-tearing (washing with water) for 10 times	1700	1750	1500	1550	1700	1750	1750
								Tear-resistant (warp) washing for 25 times	1600	1750	1750	1600	1675	1650	1700
Tear-resistant (warp) washing for 50 times	1800	1800	1900	1000	1750	1750	1800
								Tear-resistant (warp) washing for 100 times	1400	1450	1500	1250	1400	1500	1450
Tear (weft) resistance AR	2100	2200	2150	1925	2200	2100	2300
								10 times of tearing (weft) resistant washing	1700	1575	1450	1750	1600	1675	1750
Tear (weft) resistant washing 25 times	1800	1800	1850	1625	1750	1750	1600
								Tear (weft) resistant 50 washes	2000	2025	1975	1500	1950	1400	1950
Tear (weft) resistant 100 washes	1750	1550	1600	1500	1550	1650	1575
								Seam allowance (warp)	31	33	30	36	36	34	34
Seam allowance (weft)	40	40	40	40	40	40	40
								Bend (Jing)	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000
Bending (weft)	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000
								Appearance of the product	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5
Pilling AR	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
								Pilling and washing 10 times	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pilling and washing for 25 times	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
								Pilling and washing for 50 times	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Samples AA to AP were all made in the laboratory using laboratory thermosol padding steam. No post-finishing was performed on the fabric.

Sample AA was 65/35 polyester/cotton poplin fabric at 4.3 oz. The fabrics were dyed with a wide stripe pattern on a lab scale exhaust table using an alginate based printing paste containing 11.5g/kg synthetic back thickener and 988.5g/kg base printing paste containing alginate thickener, chelating agent, antifoam, antimicrobial and water. (As with the above samples, small amounts of chelating agent, defoamer and antimicrobial were included to promote print performance). The viscosity of the slurry was 25 poise. The chemical was dried on various laboratory infrared belt dryers sold by Glenro corporation of Paterson, new jersey, set to an output of 65% and a belt speed of 1.96 m/min. The temperature is 220-330 deg. The fabric was then dyed with the following mixed dyes for 50 seconds at 425 ° f in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit: 5.10g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 11.97g/l Cl dispersed blue 165 and 5.65g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AB is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate-based printing paste as described in sample AA, but also containing 6% fluoride APG5264 from Advanced Polymer company of Carlstadt, N.J.. The chemical was dried on a laboratory infrared belt dryer as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 5.10g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 11.97g/l Cl dispersed blue 165 and 5.65g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AC is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA but also containing 6% of fluorochemical APG85 from Advanced Polymer. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 5.10g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 11.97g/l Cl dispersed blue 165 and 5.65g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AD is the same backing as sample AA. The fabrics were printed with a broad stripe design using an alginate-based printing paste as described in sample AA, but also containing 10% of a sugar copolymer Solopol ZB30 from Stockhausen, Greensboro, North Carolina. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 5.10g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 11.97g/l Cl dispersed blue 165 and 5.65g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AE is the same base fabric as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AF is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA. This slurry also contained 6% fluoride APG5264 from advanced Polymer. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AG is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA. This slurry also contained 6% of fluoride APG85 from advanced Polymer. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AH is the same substrate as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA. This slurry also contained 10% of a sugar copolymer Solopol ZB30 supplied by Stockhausen, Greensboro, North Carolina. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/lCl reduced black 22. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AI is the same base fabric as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA. This slurry also contained 10% of a sugar copolymer Solopol ZB30 supplied by Stockhausen, Greensboro, North Carolina and 1.35g/kg of disperse Red mixture, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse Violet 57 dye. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed sapphire 165 and 0.700g/lCl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AJ is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA. This slurry also contained 1.35g/kg of disperse red mixture, 0.41g/kg of disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg of disperse violet 57 dye. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165 and 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AK is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA. The printing paste comprised 1.35g/kg disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg disperse violet 57 dye. This slurry also contained 6% fluoride APG5264 from Advanced Polymer. The chemical was dried on a laboratory infrared belt dryer set to 65% output and the speed of the conveyor belt was 1.96 m/min. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165 and 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AL is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe design using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA, further comprising 1.35g/kg disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg disperse violet 57 dye. This slurry also contained 6% fluoride APG 85. The chemical was dried in the manner described for sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed sapphire 165 and 0.700g/lCl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric was then dried in the manner described in sample AA.

Sample AM is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA. The printing paste also included 1.35g/kg disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg disperse violet 57 dye. The slurry also contained 10% of a sugar copolymer Solopol ZB30 supplied by Stockhausen. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/lCl reduced black 22. The fabric was then dried in the manner described in sample AA.

Sample AN is the same base fabric as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA above. The chemical also included 1.35g/kg disperse Red mixture, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg disperse Violet 57 dye. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/lCl reduced black 22. The fabric was then dried as described in sample AA.

Sample AO is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA above. This slurry also included 6% fluoride APG 5264. The chemical also included 1.35g/kg disperse Red mixture, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg disperse Violet 57 dye. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric was then dried as described in sample AA.

Sample AP is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using an alginate based printing paste as described in sample AA above. This slurry also included 6% fluoride APG 85. The chemical also included 1.35g/kg disperse Red mixture, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg disperse Violet 57 dye. The chemical was dried in the manner as described in sample AA. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric was then dried as described in sample AA.

Sample AQ is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was printed with a wide stripe pattern using a synthetic base printing paste containing 17.4kg of water, 12.114g/kg of concentrated synthetic size (trade name WTA manufactured by Abco industries, Roebuck, South Carolina) and small amounts of chelating agents, antifoaming agents and antimicrobial agents to promote printing performance. This slurry was thick and therefore no viscosity was tested. The slurry was dried using various laboratory infrared belt dryers manufactured by Glenro corporation of Paterson, N.J., set at 65% output, with a belt speed of 1.96m/min and a temperature of 220-330 ℃ F. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 5.10g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 11.97g/l Cl dispersed blue 165 and 5.65g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AR is the same backing as sample AA. The fabrics were printed with a wide pattern using various synthetic based printing pastes as described in sample AQ above. However, this printing paste also included 6% of the High Point FCX fluorocarbon supplement sold by High Point Chemical of High Point, N.C. The fabric was dried in the manner as described in sample AQ. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AS is the same backing AS sample AA. The fabric was dyed with a wide pattern using various synthetic based printing pastes as described in sample AQ. The fabric was then dried in the manner as described in sample AQ. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric was then dried in the manner described in sample AQ.

Sample AT is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was dyed with a wide pattern using various synthetic based printing pastes as described in sample AQ. This slurry also included 6% hipochem fcx fluorocarbon extender. The fabric was then dried in the manner as described in sample AQ. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/lCl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric was then dried in the manner described in sample AQ.

Sample AU is the same base fabric as sample AA. The fabric was dyed with a wide pattern using various synthetic based printing pastes as described in sample AQ. The slurry also included 1.35g/kg disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg disperse violet 57 dye. The fabric was then dried in the manner as described in sample AQ. The fabric was then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165 and 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AV is the same base fabric as sample AA. The fabric was dyed with a wide stripe pattern using various synthetic based printing pastes as described in sample AQ, which also contained 6% Hipochem FCX fluorocarbon extender and 1.35g/kg disperse Red blend, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg disperse Violet 57 dye. The fabric was then dried in the manner as described in sample AQ and then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165 and 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture. The fabric is then dried in an infrared drying unit at a temperature not exceeding 300 ° f.

Sample AW is the same backing as sample AA. The fabric was dyed with a wide pattern using various synthetic based printing pastes as described in sample AQ. This slurry also included 1.35g/kg disperse red blend, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60 and 8.2g/kg disperse violet 57 dye. The fabric was then dried in the manner as described in sample AQ and then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit for 50 seconds at 425 ° f with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/l Cl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric was then dried in the manner described in sample AQ.

Sample AX is the same base fabric as sample AA. The fabric was dyed with a wide pattern using various synthetic based printing pastes as described in sample AQ. This slurry also included 6% of a Hipochem FCX fluorocarbon extender and 1.35g/kg disperse Red mixture, 0.41g/kg disperse blue 60, and 8.2g/kg disperse Violet 57 dye. The fabric was dried in the manner as described in sample AQ and then dyed in a laboratory thermosol/pad/steam unit at 425 ° f for 50 seconds with the following mixed dyes: 2.469g/l Cl dispersed orange 30, 0.729g/l Cl dispersed blue 165, 0.700g/l Cl dispersed ruby red mixture, 1.986g/l Cl reduced yellow mixture, 1.811g/lCl reduced red 10 and 3.394g/l Cl reduced black 22. The fabric was then dried as described in sample AQ.

The color data was tested using the method described above. The relative dE, dL, da, db and strength (part of the fabric with chemical versus part without chemical) were calculated for each sample. The results are listed in table C below.

Watch C

	dE	dL	da	db	Strength (%)
						AA	13.858	13.764	0.092	-1.609	39.2
AB	15.391	15.359	0.161	-0.977	35.52
						AC	17.106	17.093	0.031	-0.654	31.76
AD	16.026	15.969	0.07	-1.345	33.95
						AE	16.37	16.246	1.268	1.556	34.86
AF	17.129	16.983	1.824	1.293	33.01
						AG	19.682	19.496	1.95	1.869	28.07
AH	18.319	18.182	1.359	1.755	30.67
						AI	14.75	10.127	-6.124	-8.804	50.24
AJ	13.937	8.904	-5.865	-8.976	54.23
						AK	16.551	8.624	-7.508	-11.966	55.85
AL	16.87	8.054	-7.872	-12.561	58.2
						AM	15.814	8.653	-7.604	-10.834	57.03
AN	15.939	7.56	-7.742	-11.703	61.25
						AO	18.173	6.821	-8.024	-14.811	64.18
AP	18.591	5.07	-8.062	-15.966	72.28
						AQ	5.681	5.622	-0.091	-0.808	67.8
AR	7.701	7.643	0.041	0.91	60.55
						AS	8.6	8.652	0.095	0.35	56.6
AT	10.421	10.353	0.17	1.175	51.13
						AU	7.414	2.905	-3.902	-5.595	80.85
AV	7.463	2.752	-4.63	-5.16	82.6
						AW	12.73	1.144	-6.616	-10.815	92.22
AX	12.698	0.0601	-6.914	-10.633	95.99

As noted from the examples, both synthetic and alginate printing pastes can be used to make printed fabrics using a continuous dyeing process. However, the performance of alginates is superior to that of the specific synthetic printing pastes used (viscosity, pressure, mesh number, etc.) based on the specific conditions. However, each of the tested sizes provided a good design while minimizing the loss of strength of the fabric. It is also noted that the degree of resist can be varied using the method of the present invention by selecting the type of resist chemical, the coating method, the substrate and dye used, and the like. Patterns that use high to substantially complete resist and patterns that have lower levels of resist (only slight color changes are made) are within the contemplation of the present invention.

The fabric prepared according to the present invention may be used in any end use where printed fabrics have utility, including but not limited to apparel, home furnishings, tablecloths, industrial products, and the like. This fabric has particular utility in the manufacture of garments for use in the rental laundry market, as evidenced by product durability after industrial laundering.

In the specification there have been provided preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

Claims (32)

1. A method of making a textured fabric, the method comprising the steps of:

applying a water-soluble chemical designed to inhibit wetting to selected areas of the fabric to define pattern-forming treated and untreated areas;

exposing the fabric to an aqueous dye liquor to dye until the untreated areas are saturated and the treated areas are not sufficiently saturated, thereby forming a textured fabric.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the chemical comprises a material selected from the group consisting of alginate printing pastes, synthetic printing pastes, fluorochemical, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the chemical comprises a printing paste.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the chemical consists essentially of a printing paste.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the chemical species comprises fluoride.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the chemical species comprise fluorides and printing pastes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the chemical further comprises a dye.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the chemical comprises an optical brightener.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the chemical comprises dyes and printing pastes.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the dyeing step is performed by a continuous or semi-continuous dyeing process.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the dyeing step is performed by a method selected from the group consisting of a thermosol dyeing method, a pad/steam method, a thermosol/pad/steam method, a cold pad dyeing batch method, a jig dyeing method, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of continuously dyeing is performed using a thermosol dyeing process.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of continuously dyeing is performed using a pad/steam process.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the fabric comprises fibers selected from the group consisting of polyester, cotton, PLA, PTT, nylon, rayon, and blends thereof.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the fabric comprises polyester and the dyeing step is performed using a thermosol or pad/steam dyeing process.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the dyeing step comprises dyeing the fabric with a dye selected from the group consisting of disperse dyes, reactive dyes, direct dyes, vat dyes, acid dyes, and sulfur dyes.

17. A fabric made according to the method of claim 1.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of coating the chemical substrate is performed by a process selected from the group consisting of flexographic printing, gravure roll coating printing, roll bed printing, rotary screen printing, brush coating, ultrasonic spray, multi-nozzle jet printing, and printhead printing.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of applying a chemical defines a first pattern, and further comprising the step of applying a second water-soluble chemical designed to inhibit wetting in a second pattern different from the first pattern, thereby forming the multi-colored fabric, wherein the second water-soluble chemical is different from the first water-soluble chemical.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first water-soluble chemical and the second water-soluble chemical configured to inhibit wetting comprises a dye.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the fabric comprises at least two types of fibers and the step of dyeing the fabric comprises dyeing less than all of the at least two types of fibers, thereby forming a variegated fabric.

22. A method of making a patterned fabric, the method comprising the steps of:

applying a water-soluble chemical substance designed to inhibit wetting to the fabric, thereby defining treated and untreated areas of the fabric; and

exposing said fabric to an aqueous dye such that said treated areas are less wetted by said aqueous dye than said untreated areas, thereby forming embossments of relatively different colors due to the relative difference in the rate of coloration of the aqueous dye.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the chemical comprises a material selected from the group consisting of alginate printing pastes, synthetic printing pastes, fluorochemical, and combinations thereof.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said exposing the fabric to a dye comprises dyeing the fabric by a continuous or semi-continuous dyeing process.

25. A method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the water soluble chemical comprises a dye whereby the treated area of the fabric is dyed a different colour to the aqueous dye.

26. A fabric made by the method of claim 22.

27. A printed textile prepared by the process of claim 1 having a predetermined color pattern defined by areas of greater and lesser chroma for the same applied color wherein said areas of lesser chroma dye of the finished fabric have substantially the same physical strength as said areas of greater chroma dye.

28. The fabric of claim 27, wherein the fabric comprises fibers selected from the group consisting of polyester, cotton, PLA, PTT, nylon, rayon, and blends thereof.

29. The fabric of claim 27 wherein the transition between more and less regions of dye uptake is well defined.

30. The fabric of claim 27 wherein the yarns forming the fabric are ring dyed.

31. A fabric as claimed in claim 27 wherein the predetermined colour pattern mimics the structure of the fabric thereby providing the appearance of a coloured woven cloth.

32. A fabric of claim 27, wherein said fabric is a woven fabric and the predetermined color pattern comprises stripes extending in at least one of a warp direction and a weft direction of the woven fabric.