WELCOME TO OUR

PRESENTATION

PIGMENT PRINTING
 Pigment printing
“A fabric that has been printed with a paste made of an insoluble
pigment mixed with a binder and a thickener.”
 In pigment printing, insoluble pigments, which have no affinity for the fiber, are
fixed on to the textile with binding agents in the pattern required.
 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.
 It is not possible to apply it directly on the fabric. Binder must be used to apply the
pigment dye on the fabric.
 Pigments
 Pigments are insoluble coloring matter mostly organic and inorganic (mineral origin) have been
used for the coloration of metal wood, stone, and textile material. Pigments have no direct
affinity to textile fibers. They are fixed on textile materials with the help of a binding agent in
form of a thin invisible coating.
 Classification of pigment
 According to origin:
 Natural/Mineral: Iron ores, clays, chalk etc
 Synthetic/chemical: white lead, ZnO, TiO2 and large number of inorganic and organic color
 According to Reactivity :
 Reactive pigment: some pigments on account of the chemical character react with oil, fatty acids and
soaps. These are called reactive pigments e.g. ZnO, red lead
 Inert pigment: TiO2
 According to Chemical Nature:
Pigments are two types. These are:

Organic Inorganic

 Azo pigments  White pigments

 Phthalocyanine pigments  Colored inorganic pigments
 Quinacridone pigments
 Iso-indoline pigments
 Trade name of pigments

Name Company Country

Acranium Bayer W Germany
Acron Parckh dye corp W Germany
Helizarine BASG, AG Germany
Imperon Hoechst Germany
Noepralae Francolor France
Syntrofix Syndex pvt ltd India
Seabond,Lifebond Hdc company USA
 
Classification of printing process
 Pigment printing process
 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 need)
:

Typical recipe of pigment printing

Binder 100 parts

Water 895 parts
Emulsifying agent 2 parts
Synthetic thickener 2-3 parts
softner 10-20 parts (optional)
urea 10-20 parts (optional )
Total 1000
Pigment colour Depending on depth of shade
Fixer just before printing 10-20 parts/kg
Components of pigment printing system
:
1. Pigment dispersion
2. Binders
3. Thickener agent
4. Fixing agents
5. Plasticizers
6. Emulsifiers
 Pigment dispersion

 Specific pigments are treated in a grinding mill in the presence of suitable non-ionic
surfactants. A particle size of 0.1-3 μm is typical. Generally, the pigment pastes are aqueous
based and contain the dispersing agen Most of the pigments used in textile printing are
synthetic organic materials except for carbon black, TiO2 and white pigments, copper and
aluminum alloy. When choosing synthetic pigments the principle brilliance and the coloring
power of the pigments should be taken into consideration. Organic pigments must used:

 Azo pigments (Yellow, Orange, and Red).

 Halogenated copper (Blues, greens).

 Influence of pigment dispersion particle
size on printing
 Small particle size may cause a low colour yield besides clogging of screens and may also entail thixotropic
propensity of print pastes.. Wash fastness may be inferior since the pigment particles may not be held properly in
the layer of binder film.

 For instance, 40g/kg shade using a pigment dispersion having a particle size of 0.1 micron and binder of 0.3
micron, since these particle micron, since these particles are not held appropriately in the binder film, the wash
particles are the wash fastness may be affected. ,the pigments are liable to bleed on washing e.g. Pigment Red 2
with a lower particle size. Red and Bordeaux pigments have a tendency. to bleed on washing.

 Large particle size may entail dull prints.

 High viscosity of pigment dispersions may not only lead to thicker dispersions may not only lead to thicker print
pastes but also cause inadequate penetration during printing on the substrate.
 Binders
Binders plays key role in pigment printing. Binder are monomers which on heating get
converted into polymers. Just by simple heating, no pressure, no steaming, no electricity.
Binders{Monomer}----Heat---> Plasticizer/Plastic{Polymer}.
 Binders form plastic but, its too soft and transparent that it’s difficult to see it but we
can feel its harshness on the fabric. That’s why pigment printed fabric have more
harshness when compared to other printing techniques. Binder actually hold the pigment
color and sandwich it between fabric surface and plastic coating and this coating help
color to stick there and stand with high and severe conditions. In addition to binder
another component is also added to the textile pigment printing paste and that is called
fixer. Fixers are mostly formaldehyde based, which helps in strengthening of binder to
hold on pigment.
 .

Binders
Monomer Tg(⸰C)
Ethylene -125
Butadiene -78
Butyl acrylate -52
Ethyle acrylate -22
Vinyl acetate +30
Vinyl chloride +80
Methyl methacrylate +105
Styrene / acrylonitrile +105/130
 Binders Functional Groups

 Carboxyl functionality –Binders contain acrylic Carboxyl functionality –acrylic

acid or meth acrylic acid as co-polymers. Provides sites for cross-linking reactions
.
 Amide Functionality– Acrylamide as a part of the functional group .Binders
having the functional group .Binders having substituted acrylamide groups have
self cross linking properties .

 SBR Binders-Butadiene monomer provides elasticity ,while styrene and

acrylonitrile give oil and solvent resistance Disadvantages are oxidation and
discoloration due to residual double bonds.
 Binders Components for self cross linking

Normal
CH2=CH-CO-NH-CH2-OH N - methylol acrylamide detaching formaldehyde

 
- sec. amino groups
- N-methylol groups / N-methlol ether
Reaction partners: - amide groups
- melamine groups
- Dicyan diamide groups
- related groups
Alternative : epoxy components (e.g. epichlorhydrin O
CH2 - CH-O- formaldehyde-free
reaction partners: - hydroxylic / carboxylic groups
-amino groups,
 Thickener Agent
Water-in-oil emulsions were widely used in the past as thickeners. They contained up to 70 % of white
spirit (mixture of aliphatic hydrocarbons with C12-C50 chain length), which resulted in emissions of
volatile organic carbon in the exhaust air from drying and curing ovens. Half-emulsion printing pastes (oil
in water) are only occasionally employed today. Nevertheless, modern thickeners can still contain
approximately 10 % of mineral oils, which are ultimately found in exhaust air. New generation thickeners
have been developed which do not contain any volatile solvents. They are supplied in the form of non-
dusting granules [64, BASF, 1994].
 Fixing agents

Additional fixing agents are sometimes necessary to enhance the level of wet-
fastness, especially with smooth fibres such as PES. Melamine-formaldehyde
condensates are used for this purpose. In order to reduce the consequent
formaldehyde emissions, modified compounds of the same chemical type, but with a
low formaldehyde content, are now common
 Emulsifiers

In high- and low solvent pigment printing pastes, the emulsifiers serve to stabilise the solvent (white
spirit). In solvent-free pigment printing they are used to prevent agglomeration of the pigment,
screen blocking and separation of components of the print paste [186, Ullmann's, 2000]. Non-ionic
surfactants such as aryl- and alkyl polyglycol ethers are the most commonly used for this purpose.
 Printing Methods

A decorative pattern or design is usually applied to

constructed fabric by:
a. Screen printing method
 Rotary screen methods
 Flat screen methods
b. Roller printing method
 Screen printing method
 Screen printing is by far the most popular technology in use today.
 Screen printing consists of three elements
• The screen which is the image carrier;
 The squeegee;
 Ink.
 The screen printing process uses a porous mesh stretched tightly over a frame made of
wood or metal.
 The mesh is made of porous fabric or stainless steel.
 A stencil is produced on the screen either manually or photo chemically.
 The stencil defines the image to be printed in other printing technologies this would be
referred to as the image plate.
 One color is printed at a time, so several screens can be used to produce a multicoloured image or design.
Flat bed screen printing
 Flat Screen Printing In flat bed screen printing, this process is an automated
version of the older hand operated silk screen printing. For each color in the print
design, a separate screen must be constructed or engraved.
 If the design has four colors, then four separate screens must be engraved. The
flat-bed screen process is a semi-continuous, start-stop operation. Flat screen
machines are used today mostly in printing terry towels. Currently, approximately
15-18% of printed fabric production worldwide is done on flat-bed screen
machines.
Flat bed Screen Printing
 Rotary Screen Printing

 Rotary Screen Printing Rotary screen printing is so named because it uses a cylindrical screen that rotates
in a fixed position rather than a flat screen that is raised and lowered over the same print location. Rotary
presses place the squeegee within the screen. These machines are designed for roll-to-roll printing on
fabric ranging from narrow to wide-format textiles. In rotary printing, the fabric travels at a consistent
speed.
 By converting the screen-printing process from semi- continuous to continuous, higher production
speeds are obtained than in flat bed printing. Typical speeds are from 50-120 yards per minute for rotary
screen printing depending upon design complexity and fabric construction.
Rotary Screen Printing
Advantages of Pigment Printing
 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 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 labour costs, equipment and reliability of production.
Disadvantages of Pigment Printing
 Not controlable 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.
Application of Pigment Printing
Uses of Pigment printing is wide range. The garments of the women which are
made by cotton, polyester or viscose blends are printed by pigments if the medium
color depths are needed. Decorative curtain, towels are printed by pigments. Pigment
printing also used in bed linen, aprons, children’s garments, night wear dresses,
various cottons and cellulose materials.
THANK YOU