Influence of diffusion behavior of disperse dye ink on printing accuracy for warp-knitted polyester fabrics

Abstract

The diffusion behavior of disperse dye ink on untreated warp-knitted polyester (WKP) fabric for ink-jet printing was investigated. The results showed that disperse dye ink diffused along the yarn, and the loops and underlap structure of WKP fabric had a significant influence on printing accuracy. The effect of ink volume on the diffusion shape of ink on pretreated fabrics using a cationic modification agent (B-1), sodium alginate (SA), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was also investigated. It could be observed that ink volume and pretreatment agents had a great influence on the diffusion shape and printing accuracy. The diffuse width of disperse dye ink on WKP fabric in the wale direction was wider than that in the course direction when the droplet size was less than 0.2 µL, whereas the ink diffused mainly along the course direction. Moreover, the diffuse width of ink on B-1 pretreated fabric was smaller than that on the fabric pretreated with SA or PVA for the thick fabric (230 g/m²). Compared with the untreated and pretreated fabrics using SA or PVA, the color strength (K/S) and saturation (C*) value of the B-1 pretreated fabric increased. However, the diffuse width of ink on SA pretreated fabric was smaller than that on the fabric pretreated with B-1 or PVA for the thin fabric (110 g/m²).