Polyester/cotton fabrics have the advantages of stiff appearance, good abrasion resistance, sturdiness and durability, dimensional stability, easy washing and quick drying, etc., suitable for the production of various garments. However, due to the different physical and chemical properties of polyester and cotton fibers, there are differences in the dyeing and printing properties of polyester/cotton fabrics. When printing, the difference between the two should be fully considered, and the two types of fibers can be dyed to achieve the same color and luster. Therefore, it is very important to choose a suitable polyester/cotton fabric printing method.
Pigment printing
Pigment printing is a printing method that fixes the paint on the surface of the fabric through the action of a binder. It is a conventional printing method for polyester/cotton fabrics. The specific process flow is:
Pre-treatment → heat setting → pad dyeing ground color or polyester whitening → printing → baking → heat setting → tentering (cotton whitening, adding softener).
The advantages of pigment printing are simple preparation of color paste, short process, complete chromatogram, good gloss, good reproducibility, and low cost. However, pigment printing also has many shortcomings, such as poor hand feel, easy to produce printing defects, low rubbing fastness and so on. In the increasingly fierce and demanding textile market, the existing problems of pigment printing have severely restricted its application and development on polyester/cotton fabrics.
Disperse/Vat Dyes Same Size Printing
Disperse/Vat dyes same-size printing is suitable for printing medium and dark colors and polyester/cotton printing products that require high color fastness. At present, this process is mainly used in the printing of military anti-infrared camouflage clothing. The common process flow is:
Printing → drying → baking → padding reducing solution → steaming → cold water washing → oxidizing water washing → soaping → hot water washing → cold water washing → cold acid neutralization washing → dehydration and drying.
When polyester/cotton fabrics are printed with disperse and vat dyes in the same pulp printing process, only the two-phase printing process can be used, that is, the polyester component is printed with disperse dyes and then the cotton component is printed with vat dyes. The disperse/vat dye two-phase printing of polyester/cotton fabrics has the advantages of clear and bright patterns, no color fading, no staining, etc., but the printing process is longer, and the reduction steaming is prone to insufficient reduction and dark color. .
Disperse/reactive dyestuff printing
Disperse/reactive dyestuff printing is mainly used for dark printing on polyester/cotton fabrics. The process mainly includes two-phase method and one-phase method.
The disperse/reactive dye two-phase printing process is as follows:
White cloth printing→drying and baking (190～200℃, 1～3min)→printing alkaline pulp→steaming (102～105℃, 5～7min)→cold water washing→hot water washing (about 50℃)→soaping (Or reduction cleaning, 70～80℃)→water washing→drying.
The process has the advantages of energy saving, environmental protection, color fastness and high production efficiency, but the process is long, the color is not easy to control, and the pattern of the fabric is easily permeated when the lye is rolled.
Disperse/reactive dye one-phase printing is the process of adding all the dyes and auxiliaries needed for printing into printing paste and then printing, fixing and washing. It is especially suitable for printing medium and dark colors of polyester/cotton fabrics. The advantages of complete chromatogram, pure shade, bright color, short process flow, and simple operation. The main disadvantage is that disperse dyes are easy to stain cotton fibers. Disperse dyes and auxiliaries must be screened and used before printing.
