Coloring Cotton Fabrics by Pigment Printing Method with Reduction of Process Steps: An Innovative Approach
Abstract
This study focuses on coloring cotton woven fabrics using pigment dyes with a printing technique, without applying the conventional scouring and bleaching processes typically involved in pre-treatment. The aim of the study was to streamline the pre-treatment process by reducing the number of steps, thereby achieving a more efficient process in less time while also reducing the consumption of water, chemicals (both main and auxiliary), and energy. For this purpose, only desizing was applied to the cotton woven fabrics, while the conventional processes of scouring and bleaching were omitted. The fabrics were then directly colored using the rotary screen printing technique with three different formulations. A second batch of cotton fabrics, woven with the same yarn and construction, underwent the full conventional pre-treatment processes (desizing, scouring, and bleaching) before being colored with the same printing technique. The performance characteristics of both sets of fabrics were compared. Fastness properties such as washing fastness, acidic and alkaline perspiration fastness, water fastness, and dry and wet rubbing fastness were evaluated according to relevant standards. Additionally, tests for tear strength, abrasion resistance, pilling, and color spectrum were conducted. The color spectrum analysis revealed that the highest color yield was achieved using the printing formulation containing a polyurethane-based crosslinking agent. As a result, reducing the number of pre-treatment steps led to a decrease in chemical usage and the number of post-washing cycles, thereby lowering water and energy consumption
Keywords
Pre-treatment, cotton fabric, pigment dye, printing method, textile finishing
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