This document discusses studies on textile printing on cotton fabric using various thickeners. It provides details on the ingredients in a printing paste, including dyestuffs, thickeners, acids, carriers, and other components. It examines the functions and properties of natural thickeners like starch, gum, and modified starch as well as synthetic thickeners. The document also explores different printing methods such as direct printing, discharge printing, and resist printing. Screen printing and its flat and rotary variations are described along with advantages and disadvantages.

1. STUDIES ON TEXTILE PRINTING ON COTTON FABRIC WITH
VARIOUS THICKENER
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
TEXTILE CHEMISTRY
UTTAR PRADESH TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE
KANPUR
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
DR. ARUN KUMAR PATRA SIR

2. SUBMITTED BY:
DIVYANSHU PRAJAPATI 1704460019
MOHINI GAUTAM 1704460031
PRAJJWAL YADAV (1704460036
RAMESH SHARMA 1704460042
VIJAY PRAKASH 1704460060
VERSHA GANGWAR 1704462059

3. TABLE CONTENT:
1 - Introduction of printing………………………………………………………………………………………………
2- Printing paste Ingredients………………………………………………………………. ……………………………
3- Study of thickener……………………………………………………………………………………………………
4- Natural thickener…..……………………………………………………………………..……………………………
A - Starch………………………………………………………………............……………………………
B - Modified starch……………………………………………………………..……………............………
5- Synthetic Thickener…………………………………………………………………………………............………
A-Emulsion Thickeners……………………………………………………….. ……………............………
6- Printing Paste Recipe …………………………………………………………………………………............………
7- Styles of Printing………………………………………………………………………………………............………
8- Screen Printing…………………………………………………………………………..……………............………
9- After Treatments………………………………………………………………………………………............………
10- Pigment printing.........................................................................................……………............……….........………

4. WHAT IS PRINTING PASTE ?
• Printing is a process for reproducing text and images using a master form or
template. The earliest examples include Cylinder seals and other objects such as
the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The earliest known form of
woodblock printing came from China dating to before 220 A.D. Later
developments in printing include the movable type, first developed by Bi Sheng in
China. The printing press, a more efficient printing process for western languages
with their more limited alphabets, was developed by Johannes Gutenberg in the
fifteenth century.
• Modern printing is done typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is also
frequently done on metals, plastics, cloth and composite materials. On paper it is
often carried out as a large-scale industrial process and is an essential part of
publishing and transaction printing.
• Printing spread early to Korea and Japan, which also used Chinese logograms, but
the technique was also used in Turpan and Vietnam using a number of other
scripts. This technique then spread to Persia and Russia. This technique was
transmitted to Europe from China, via the Islamic world, and by around 1400 was
being used on paper for old master prints and playing cards. However, Arabs never

5. PRINTING PASTE FORMULATION
• Basic Ingredients of Printing are as follows:
• Dyestuffs and Pigments
• Thickener
• Acid or alkali or acid liberating agents
• Carrier or swelling agents
• Solvents or solution acids or dispersing agents or humectants
• Antifoaming agents or de-foaming agents
• Wetting agents
• Catalyst or oxygen carrier
• Oxidizing and reducing agents

6. 1. Dyestuff and pigments:
• Dyes or dyestuff may be defined as colorants in which the coloring substance is dissolved in liquid, are
absorbed into the material to which they are put in an application for.
• Pigments consist of extremely fine particles of ground coloring matter suspended in liquid which forms a
paint film that actually bonds to the surface it is applied to.
• 2. Thickener:
• Thickener is a thick mass which imparts stickiness and plasticity to the print paste so that it may be applied
on the fabric surface without bleeding or spreading and be capable of maintaining the design out lines.
• Thickener gives the required viscosity to the printing paste; prevent premature reactions between the
chemicals contained in the print paste.

7. 3. ACIDS AND ALKALIS:
• Acid: Organic acid
• Alkali: Sodium and potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium
carbonate etc.
• These control PH and fix dye on the fabric

8. 4. Carrier and swelling agent.
• These accelerate the rate of dye penetration by fiber polymer, swell the fiber and reduce crystallinity.
• Swelling agents: Resorcinol, phenol, polyethylene glycol etc.
• Carrier: Diphenyl
5. Solvents Or Solution Acids Or Dispersing Agents.
• This prevent aggregation of the dye stuff molecules in the highly concentrated paste of the dye, solution
aids increase the solubility of insoluble dyestuff, solvents increase the color value of the prints, assist dye
penetration and helps to get bright design. Ex: Diethylene glycol, acetin, urea, gycerine etc.

9. 6. WETTING AGENT.
• Substances which reduce the surface tension of water, thereby allowing it to wet a surface
easily, which are otherwise non wettable are known as wetting agents or surface active
agents, e.g. TRO, olive oil, castor oil etc.
7. Oxidizing and Reducing agent.
• Oxidizing agents develop final color in steaming or in the subsequent after treatment, assist
in color fixation etc. e.g. sodium chlorate, potassium chlorate, sodium nitrite etc.
• Reducing agents destroy color of the fabric. E.g. sodium hydro-sulfite, stannous chloride etc.

10. 8. Catalyst Or Oxygen Carrier
• These prevent fiber damage, during steaming; accelerate the final color development by oxidation. E.g.
Potassium ferrocyanide, copper, sulphide etc.
9. De-Foaming Agents
• De-foaming agents prevent the formation of foam during printing. E.g. silicone defoamers, sulphated oil etc.

11. STUDY OF THICKNERS:
• Thickener is a thick mass which imparts stickiness and plasticity to the print paste so that it may be
applied on the fabric surface without bleeding or spreading and be capable of maintaining the design out
lines.
• Functions or object of thickeners
1. To give the required viscosity to the printing paste.
2. To prevent premature reactions between the chemicals contained in the print paste.
3. To hold the ingredients of the print paste on the fabrics

12. FOUR SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT APPROACHES
MAY BE USED TO PRODUCE THICKENERS, USING:
1.A low concentration of a polymer of high relative molecular mass (r.m.m.)
2.A high concentration of a material of lower r.m.m. or of highly branched
chain structure
3.An emulsion of two immiscible liquids, similar to the emulsions used as
cosmetic creams, or a foam of air in a liquid
4. A dispersion of a finely divided solid, such as bentonite.

13. Classification of thickener

14. NATURAL THICKNERS
• All natural, aqueous-based polymeric thickeners are derived from polysaccharides with the most common
being sourced from cellulose (wood, cotton) and starch (corn, potato). Other important polysaccharide
sources include seaweed, plant seeds/roots, and those derived from fermentation. Most natural-based
thickeners are either soluble or swellable polymers that bind or immobilize water to create structure or
viscosity.
• Cellulosic are the most commercially important and diverse class of natural-based thickeners with
numerous anionic, cationic, and nonionic versions available. All derivatives are produced by first
solubilizing cellulose with sodium hydroxide and then reacting with the functionalizing chemical.
• Starch:
• Both wheat starch and maize starch is used by M thickeners. When starch is most widely used. A 10% the
paste is prepared by taking 100g of starch,
• Made into a smooth slurry with cold water followed by the addition of 4ml castor oil and 900 ml water, it
is boiled with continuous stirring till a thick paste is obtained.
• The paste is then cooled under continuous stirring. If It is not stirring while cooling, it may form a jelly
which is of no use in printing.

15. GUM TRAGACANTH (GUM DRAGON):
• A 6% paste of this gum is usually propend by taking 60 g of gum (in the form
of dry honey scales or leaves) in 940 ml of cold water and allowing.
• It to stand for 2 to 3 days with occasional stirring. its a homogeneous paste is
not obtained, then the mixture is boiled with stirring until the gum is
dissolved giving a homogeneous pesto.
• This is cooled while stirring and then strained. The paste is not affected by
alkali

16. • Gum Arabic (Gum Senegal):
• A 50% paste of the gum is prepared by soaking the gum in water for several hours and at rained; the
paste is slightly acetic and is neutralized before use.
• It is the most common thickener used in block and screen printing.
• Indalca Gums:
• These are modified guar gum thickeners suitable tor screens printing. Both hand and machine
printing.
• They are manufactured by India gum industries ltd. there are three series of this gum viz. indica U
series indica AG series an indica Pa series. The percentage of paste to be prepared varies from 5 to 9.
The paste is prepared by adding the powder to cold water under high speed stirring for 1/2 hour and
leaving it: over right.
• The pastes are usually alkaline and are made acidic by acetic, formic, tartaric, or citric acid.

17. BRITISH GUM OR DEXTRIN:
• This is obtained from starch by converting by hydrolysis into soluble dextrin,
A 5% paste is prepared by boiling the product with water under constant
stirring for about 1/2 hour Light British Gum i.e. yellow dextrin contains
little starch which is not converted whereas dark British gum has the whole
of starch converted it to dextrin,

18. SODIUM ALGINATE:
• This is obtained from sea weed and had assumed great importance because of its use in the printing of
reactive dye with which it does not react.
• It gives a viscous solution in water with low adhesive power. Acid makes the paste thinner. It is,
th9rafore, used where neutral or alkaline thickening is required. A 6%paste of alginate is prepared by
sprinkling the powder over the cold or warm water under the high-speed stirrer.
• It is also used in combination with emulsions of kerosene as thickeners. It is the market under various
trade names such as Lanitux, ProtakP. Manutax and Algogel, Protakyp is special alginate resistant to
alkali and is therefore suitable for use in the printing of rapid fast and raping a dye

19. CHEMICAL THICKNERS /SYNTHETIC THICKENER.
• Polyacrylic acid
• They are also popular as thickening, dispersing, suspending, and emulsifying agents in pharmaceuticals,
cosmetics, and paints. Cross-linked polyacrylic acid has also been used in the processing of household
products, including floor cleaners.
• PTE
• Thickener PTE is a high quality, concentration thickener for pigment printing specifically for the Textile
Printing Industry . Thickener PTE is suitable for thickening pigment printing paste as well as for printing on
cotton and all synthetic textiles.

20. MODIFIED NATURAL THICKENERS
• Carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC)
• As suspending agent of printing paste, CELSOL CMC mainly used in printing and dyeing. It has good viscosity
stability, Good distribution uniformity of DS (degree of substitution),Good fluidity of solution in the color paste
system, Higher washable performance in the washing process after printing and dyeing ,
• . With high degree substitution, Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose CMC can be used as the thickener in various
textile printing color paste, and it has the excellent antiacid and anti-salt.
• Methyl cellulose
• Methyl cellulose is a thickener commonly used in printing. The water is thickened with methyl cellulose so that it
will support fabric printing which is floated on top of it.
• Hydroxy methyl cellulose
• Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) are cellulose ethers that have had hydroxyl groups on the cellulose chain
substituted for a methoxy or hydroxypropyl group. HPMC is used as a thickener, binder, and film former in
agrochemicals, coatings, ceramics, adhesives, inks, and various other applications.

21. • Emulsion Thickeners
• Here viscosity is maintained by making emulsions of any of the following types.
• •oil/water
• Dispersion of Hydrocarbons oil in continuous aqueous paste (oil comes outside
convex surface)
• •water/oil
• Dispersion aqueous Paste in hydrocarbon oil water phase comes outside ,convex
surface (lighter material comes up,pseudo plastic flow)

22. METHOD OF PRINTING
1. DIRECT PRINTING
2. DISCHARGE PRINTING
3. RESIST PRINTING
• DIRECT PRINTING
 This style is also referred as “steam style” because in most of the cases the printing fabric is steamed to fixed the
color.
 In this style the color is directly applied to the fabric in the form of a paste containing the coloring matter,
thickener or binder and required ingredients and after printing and drying the color is fixed by steaming or
curing or thrmo-fixing or treatment with chemicals
 Most classes of dyestuff are printed on the fabric by the direct style like mordant color , vegetable color ,
pigments and certain minerals color are also applied to the fabric by diect-colour.
 The printed effect produced by flock printing , damask printing
 Foam printing and bubble printing are all obtained by direct styles.

23. DISCHARGE PRINTING
• In this method, the fabric is printed on a dyed fabric. The printing paste used in this method contains a
discharging agent, which will bleach or destroy the color from the dyed fabric in the printed areas. The
resulting white area is brighten the overall design. Sometimes the base color is removed and another color is
printed in its place. The discharging agent is an oxidizing or reducing agent capable of discharging colors by
oxidation and reduction. Potassium chlorate or sodium chlorate (oxidizing agents) and stannous chloride
(reducing agent) are commonly used discharging agents. The effects produced are very striking as the white
area obtained brightens the overall design. This style of printing enabled intricate and fine designs to be
printed on the fabric. If the fabric is not thoroughly washed after printing, the strength of the fabric may be
affected due to the use of discharging agents. The advantages of discharge style of printing produces light,
bright color on a dark background, printing is sharp and fine and easier to work. However the major
disadvantages of this method is the cost involved.

24. RESIST PRINTING
• In this method, the bleached fabric is first printed with a substance like wax, rice paste, china clay or chemicals
such as acids, alkalis and salts that resist dye penetration and fixation. The printed fabric is then dipped in cold
dye bath, so that the resisting agent remains unaffected and only the areas free of the resist agent are colored.
After dyeing process, the resist paste is removed, leaving white or light colored patterns on a dark background.
Batik, tie and dye are examples of resist printing. The durability of the fabric is not affected by the resist
method.

25. SCREEN PRINTING
• In this printing method, fabric is spread on large table and design screen is placed on the fabric. The screen consists of
wooden frame covered with nylon or silk cloth and the technique is called as silk screen printing. Lacquer is applied
on the screen to make the areas except design opaque so that printing paste is transferred through the design only.
Based on the number of colors, many numbers of screens are prepared to complete the design. The printed portion
should be allowed to dry before placing the second screen. When screens are placed properly, they will produce a
complete design.

26. • Advantages
• Whole width of fabric is printed at once and so the process is faster than block printing
• Screens can be preserved for future use
• Disadvantages
• Preparation of screen is a time consuming process
• Preservation of screen needs extra care
• A small damage in the screen will spoil the entire printing
• The design is created by painting or making non-design portions of the screen opaque, thus preventing the print
paste from passing through. The areas where the print paste passes through will create a printed pattern. The screen
is placed in contact with the fabric to be printed and the print paste is forced through the screen by a squeegee. The
squeegee is used to spread the dye evenly through the screen. It is moved across the screen, forcing the print paste
through the mesh openings. It helps in making a clean image on the printed surface. A screen is prepared for each
color of the design. There are two types of screen printing namely Flat screen printing and Rotary screen printing.

27. FLAT SCREEN PRINTING OR HAND SCREEN
PRINTING
• It is done by hand. The design is copied onto a series of very fine, flat screens, one
for each color to be printed. Lacquer or other impermeable substance is applied to
all parts of the screen that are not part of its design. Each screen is fitted onto a
wooden or metal frame. The fabric to be printed is spread onto a long table. A screen
is set over the fabric and the printing paste is poured on the screen and forced
through its unblocked areas onto the fabric with a squeegee. The screen is then
moved to the next section of the fabric and the operation is repeated until the entire
fabric is printed. This process is repeated for each color of the design. Hand screen
printing is time-consuming and limited to short length of fabrics.

28. • Automatic Flat Screen Printing
• In this method, the process is automated and therefore faster. Here the fabric moves on a wide rubberized belt.
The screens are placed above the belt. As the fabric moves, the screens are automatically lowered to the cloth and
the appropriate color is applied with automatically regulated squeegees. The cloth is dried in an oven.
• Advantages
• Prints upto twenty colors in one run
• High production rate
• Produce brighter and cleaner shades
• Produces designs consisting of squares, circles and ovals

29. DISADVANTAGE
• High cost
• Selection of dyes is limited
• Poor colorfastness
• Not suitable for all types of fabrics

30. • ROTARY SCREEN PRINTING
• Fully-automatic flat screen printing is not continuous yet. Rotary-screen printing on the other hand is
continuous. Rotating screens are used which are automatically fed (by means of pumps) with paste
from inside. Driving the screens can be done at either side.
• The value of continuous rotary-screen printing first became apparent in the 1960s. The hollow screens,
each applying the appropriate motif, are arranged sequentially as in roller printing, but they are aligned
over a moving horizontal blanket that carries the fabric between the two.
• As the fabric moves forward the screens rotate and apply the color. One arrangement for the delivery of
print paste is shown in cross-section in the following figure:.

31. • After Treatment Of Printing Goods
• The treatment which follows after priontring and drying of material is called after treatment . after the printing and
drying of the cloth the dyestuffs and the chemicals are present in dry thickener film deposited on the cloth surface and
the dye is not at transferred to the cloth .
• This is done by either ageing or steaming or high temp. steaming. this is a critical step of printing and this is done
properly ,loss of colour value ,spreading of colour beyond the boundaries of design ,appearance etc.
• Various types of agers and steamers machines are used depend on the type of the fabric and type of dyes used during
printing.

32. AGEING PROCESS
• Ageing consist of exposing printing goods more or less prolonged action of steam at
atmospheric pressure to assist in the diffusion and fixation of dyes .this can be done by
following ways.
1. By hanging the goods in large ageing or hanging room.
2. By passing them through an ageing chamber continuously where the required condition and
temp. of humidity are maintained.
3. By a short steaming in continuous steamager in the presence of moist or super heated steam.
• The ageing rooms may be 25-40 feet in length and the printed cloth may be hang in long loops
from a series of wooden bars. The heat is supplied from line steam pipes arranged at the base of
the walls. By using wet and dry bulb thermometers and adjusting the steam supply. The
required humidity can be maintained in the ager. Goods may be kept in this ager for 1-6 days.

33. • Rapid Ager
• This rapid ager machine is used for large production and the ageing has to be done in a short time.
• This machine consists of an iron chamber.
• The ager is supplied with low pressure steam through a perforated pipes.
• The cloth is aged at 65C to 95C in the rapid ager depending on the class of dye and style of printing.
• Ageing can be done for about 3 min.
• It is not suitable for light weight.

34. • Star Ager
• Rapid ager are not suitable for light weighted fabrics as the stress exerted on the
fabric at elevated temperature leads to fabrics distortion. Maximum color yield is not
obtained at Rapid Ager steaming is therefore, carried out in cottage steamer or star
ager. here steaming produces full color yield and bright prints.
• Cottage Steamer
• A cottage steamer is used when the printed fabrics is to be steamed for varying
periods and varying temperature. It is an improved version of Rapid ager. It consists
of cylindrical chamber with gable ends to allow condensed water to run down the
sides of the root without falling on the fabric. The printed cloth is suspended from
rollers in full width in loop form and is carried on the frame work of portable wagon

35. Development of eco-friendly binders for pigment printing of all types of textile fabrics
• The various results show that some novel prepared aqueous oligomers (binder) of polyurethane acrylate
based on either polyethylene glycol or glycerol ethoxylateco-propoxylate having zero volatile organic
compounds can be used safely for preparing printing paste for screen printing of all types of textile fabrics
using pigment dyes.
• substance in particulate from that is substantially insoluble in a medium but which can be
mechanically dispersed in this medium to modify its color and light – scattering properties.
• In other words, Pigments are insoluble coloring matter mostly mineral origin have been used for
the coloration of metal wood, stone, and textile material.

36. PIGMENT
• Pigments are colors which do not dissolve and penetrate into the fibers. They have not to be
applied together with a film forming binder. More than 50% of all printing colors are
pigment types. It represents an alternative to direct printing. In this system there is no need to
carry out a steaming process, as steaming is replaced by polymerization (generally carried
out simultaneously with drying)
• This type of printing process is very simple, low-cost and can be carried out easily on all
types of fabrics, particularly on blends, since pigments can adhere to all fibers; there is no
need to use dyes of different color classes. On the other hand, the adhesives, which bind the
pigment to the fabric, can give serious problems when the fabric hand varies. For prints with
a low coverage ratio, the hand variation can be acceptable but it is not when the coverage
ratio is high or at least for all uses. Furthermore, the pigment lies on the surface and has low
fastness to friction (this depends mainly upon the type and quantity of binding agent and
upon the polymerization degree). Some valid alternatives to this type of printing can give
special effects such as printing with swelling agents (generally synthetic polyurethane-base
pastes are used), with covering pigments and glitter (metal powders or particles of plastic
materials) etc..

37. • Advantages of pigment Printing
Applicable to natural and synthetic fibre.
Wide range of color can be produced.
Can be used for dope dyeing for filament yarn.
Easily applicable.
Less expensive.
Maximum output of goods because of the elimination of washing-off, quick sampling and high printing speed.
It presents the fewest problems for the printer of all the coloration processes, with regard to labor costs,
equipment and reliability of production.
Properly produced pigment prints, using selected products, have an unsurpassed fastness to light and good
general fastness properties.
Extremely well suited for color resist effects, for example, under azoic and reactive dyes.
From the economical point of view, pigment printing, using pastes free from white spirit, is more acceptable
than any other systems, excepting transfer printing methods

38. • Disadvantages of pigment Printing
• Not controllable for the binder film.
• Use of solvent like kerosene, spirit etc can produce problems like flammability, odor, pollution
etc.
• The jamming up of equipment and air and water pollution is observed.
• Wet and rubbing fastness is average.
• The handle of the printed goods is often unduly hard because of the large amounts of external
cross linking agents.
• Are sensitive to crushing during roller printing and pigment printing needs shallow engravings on
screen printing.
• The original surface of the textile material is covered by the binder film. This is occasionally
aesthetically effective but usually undesirable

39. USING ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE PLASMA FOR
ENHANCING THE DEPOSITION OF PRINTING
PASTE ON COTTON FABRIC FOR DIGITAL INK-JET
PRINTING
• The surface of cotton fabric was modified physically and chemically
by plasma treatment leading to a better deposition of digital ink-jet
printing paste containing (1) sodium alginate, (2) chitosan and (3)
sodium alginate-chitosan mixture on the fabric surface. After digital
ink-jet printing process, the colour yield of the printed cotton fabric
samples was measured using K/S Sum value. It was revealed that the
SA printing paste had the best colour yield with or without plasma
pretreatment. In terms of other colourrelated properties such as
colour fastness and outlinesharpness, the SA printing paste was not
the best one while the SA/Ch and Ch printing pastes achieved better
result.

40. • SA/Ch not only provided the desirable colour fastness and outline sharpness
but it also achieved the colour yield similar to the control fabric. 100%
chitosan present in the printing paste could provide excellent anti-bacterial
properties for the digital ink-jet printed fabric. On the other hand, sodium
alginate alone could also reduce the growth of bacteria but the effect was
not significant. When sodium alginate-chitosan mixture was used in the
printing paste, similar anti-bacterial effect and better printing properties
could be achieved when compared with 100% chitosan. SEM images showed
that cracks were formed along the fibre axis and at fibre surface as a result
of plasma pretreatment. The cracks were filled up with the printing paste in
order to help increase the dye uptake of fabric. On the other hand, plasma
pretreatment could generate hydrophilic groups at the cotton fibre surface,
thereby enhancing the deposition of printing paste to improve colour yield.

41. WASTEWATER TREATMENT AFTER REACTIVE
PRINTING
• The use of membrane technology consisting of ultrafiltration followed by reverse osmosis
has been very effective in wastewater treatment after reactive printing. Because of the
large wastage of water in the process of reactive printing, a study of the possibility for its
re-use is inevitable.
• The main ecological parameters of the actual wastewater were also very high: TOC, COD,
phenols, total phosphorus and colour. The wastewater sample was poisonous after
reactive printing, because it hasto be diluted 20 times to achieve poison-free water, as
shown by the toxicity tests with D. magna.
• The findings of the study conclude that the ultrafiltration step was not sufficient for
treatment of such textile wastewater. The quality of the wastewater was improved, but its
effluent still does not conform to the specification of concentration limits for emission
into water. Nevertheless, the ultrafiltration step guaranteed a good performance and
prolonged the lifetime of the reverse osmosis membrane. The quality of the reverse
osmosis permeates meets the standards for re-use and thus this water can be recycled in
the printing process.