Abstract
Digital Textile Printing(DTP) is appropriate for quick response system(QRS) and is closely connected with high value added fashion industry. Fashion products of high price are mainly silk and cotton. For high quality DTP products, it is important to optimize the parameters of media, pre and after-treatment, ink, printer, etc. DTP for these two fiber materials is also accompanied certainly with steaming as after-treatment process for coloration. Role of steam is like water in exhaustion dyeing. Steam can diffuse dye or ink in printing paste to fiber. Quality of DTP products depend on after-treatment processes such as steaming, washing, drying. Current production amount of DTP is smaller than one of conventional textile printing. However conventional after-treatment system has been using so far. This is mismatched with DTP in terms of process efficiency, spot work of small lot, quality control. In this study, continuous after-treatment system has been suitably designed for DTP that washing and drying are available after steaming. So, It is possible to improve efficiency of DTP process. Especially, the effects of after-treatment process, such as temperature of heat drum, steaming time on printability, color difference, color fastness were examined. Two types of samples(cotton knit and silk fabrics) were used. The results were obtained as follows : First, there is no a wide difference between the K/S values of cotton and silk treated with continuous after-treatment system and those of sample treated with conventional printing after-treatment method. So it is more effective to use the continuous after-treatment system than conventional printing after-treatment system in case of the daily throughput of 1,000 yards below. Second, after continuous after-treatment for DTP, K/S values were increased and lightness($L^*$) values were decreased. ${\Delta}E$ values were below 2.3. Third, DTP samples treated with continuous after-treatment system were tested for fastness(washing, light, rubbing). Grades of fastness(washing, light, rubbing) were above 3 grade.
