Pad dyeing apparatus and pad dyeing method

Abstract

To provide a textile printing device and a method capable of suppressing occurrence of image density difference on rear and front sides of fabric while maintaining image quality.SOLUTION: A textile printing device comprises: a fabric pre-processing unit; a printing unit for applying color material ink to the fabric to print an image; and a control unit. The pre-processing unit performs processing for adjusting permeability of the color material ink into the fabric. According to a permeability image representing a distribution of degree of permeability of the color material ink with respect to the fabric which is desired in an image printed by the printing unit, the control unit controls the adjustment processing of the permeability at the pre-processing unit so that the permeability increases as the degree of permeability is higher, and controls the amount of the color material ink at the printing unit so that the amount of application increases as the degree of permeability is higher.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing and dyeing apparatus and a printing and dyeing method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a printing and dyeing apparatus and a printing and dyeing method that suppress the occurrence of a density difference in an image on the front and back of a fabric while maintaining image quality.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a printing and dyeing technique for performing printing on a fabric by an inkjet method or a screen printing method using a coloring material ink (hereinafter also simply referred to as "ink") has been known. In printing and dyeing, there have been problems such as deterioration of image quality due to bleeding occurring in relation to the permeability of the ink into the fabric, and a problem that the density of the ink is different between the front and back of the fabric. In order to solve this problem, a printing and dyeing apparatus has been adopted in which a pretreatment liquid for adjusting the permeability of the ink into the fabric is applied and then inkjet printing and dyeing is performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, in the printing and dyeing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the treatment with the pretreatment liquid is performed uniformly on the entire fabric. Therefore, for example, regardless of the color density of the image to be printed, the ability to adjust the permeability of the ink is unified. For example, when the permeability is adjusted according to a region with a high color density in the image, in a region with a low color density, that is, a region with a small ink application amount, the permeability of the ink is not sufficient and the color density of the back surface becomes lower than that of the front surface, or if the permeability is too high, the amount of ink on the fabric surface decreases and the color density of the surface becomes lower.

[0004] On the one hand, Patent Document 2 describes that the texture of the fabric is impaired by the application of the pretreatment liquid, and that suppressing bleeding and maintaining the texture are a trade-off. For the purpose of achieving both, in an inkjet printing apparatus equipped with a pretreatment means using a pretreatment liquid, based on the substrate information of the fabric and the image data to be printed on the fabric, the application position and application amount of a pretreatment liquid containing a functional material that suppresses the wet spreading of the ink are calculated, and an image processing apparatus configured to apply the pretreatment liquid to the fabric is described. In Patent Document 2, specifically, it is stated that by applying the pretreatment liquid near the contour of the image, it is possible to achieve both the texture of the fabric and the suppression of bleeding.

[0005] However, the configuration of the image processing apparatus described in Patent Document 2 cannot sufficiently solve the problem that the images on the front and back surfaces of the fabric, particularly the difference in color density, is different.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems and situations, and the problem to be solved is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing method that suppress the occurrence of a density difference in the images on the front and back of the fabric while maintaining the image quality.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the inventor of the present invention, in the process of examining the causes of the above problems, prepared a penetration image representing the desired distribution of the penetration degree of the coloring material ink on the fabric, and accordingly, by controlling the application amount of the functional ink for adjusting the penetrability of the coloring material ink and the application amount of the coloring material ink, found that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of density differences in the images on the front and back of the fabric while maintaining the image quality, and thus arrived at the present invention. That is, the above problems according to the present invention are solved by the following means.

[0009] 1. A printing and dyeing apparatus having a pre-treatment unit for the fabric, a printing unit for applying a coloring material ink to the fabric to print an image, and a control unit, wherein the pre-treatment unit performs a process for adjusting the penetrability of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric, and the control unit controls the adjustment process of the penetrability in the pre-treatment unit so that the penetrability increases as the penetration degree is higher according to a penetration image representing the distribution of the penetration degree required in the image printed by the printing unit of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric, and controls the application amount of the coloring material ink in the printing unit so that the application amount increases as the penetration degree is higher and the pre-treatment unit has a mechanism for applying a functional ink containing a penetration inhibitor or a penetration promoter to the fabric by an inkjet method, and the control unit controls the application amount and application position of the functional ink according to the penetration degree image The printing and dyeing apparatus is characterized by the above.

[0011] 2 . The control unit adjusts the penetration image according to the mode information of the fabric, which is characterized by the first in the item of The printing and dyeing apparatus according to the description.

[0012] 3 . The mode information of the fabric is at least one selected from the type of fiber constituting the fabric, the thickness of the fabric, the fiber density of the fabric, the chemical fiber ratio in the fiber constituting the fabric, the weaving method of the fabric, and the thickness of the fiber constituting the fabric, which is characterized by the first 2 The printing and dyeing apparatus according to the item.

[0013] 4 . The control unit adjusts the penetration image according to the environmental temperature and environmental relative humidity, which is characterized by any one of the first to 3 The printing and dyeing apparatus according to any one of the items up to the item.

[0014] 5 . The penetration degree image is an image set so that the penetration degree increases according to the height of the color density of the image printed by the printing unit, according to any one of claims 1 to 4 to

[0015] 6 . The penetration degree image is an image targeting a non-edge part excluding an edge part having a predetermined width from the image printed by the printing unit, according to any one of claims 1 to 5 to

[0016] 7 . The penetration degree image used is a penetration degree image defined by the user, according to any one of claims 1 to 4 to 8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism for applying the functional ink applies at least one of a first functional ink containing the penetration inhibitor and a second functional ink containing the penetration promoter. 9. The printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a functional ink selected from the first functional ink and the second functional ink is applied according to the penetration degree. 10. The printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a functional ink selected from the first functional ink and the second functional ink is applied according to the type of the fabric. 11. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism has a first mechanism for applying a functional ink containing the penetration inhibitor and a second mechanism for applying a functional ink containing the penetration promoter.

[0017] 12 . A printing and dyeing method having a pretreatment step of a fabric, a printing step of applying a coloring material ink to the fabric to print an image, and a control step, wherein the pretreatment step performs a process of adjusting the permeability of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric, and the control step controls the adjustment process of the permeability in the pretreatment step so that the permeability increases as the penetration degree increases, according to a penetration degree image representing the distribution of the penetration degree required in the image printed by the printing step of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric, and controls the application amount of the coloring material ink in the printing step so that the application amount increases as the penetration degree increases and the pre-treatment step is performed by a mechanism for applying a functional ink containing a penetration inhibitor or a penetration promoter to the fabric by an inkjet method The control step controls the application amount and application position of the functional ink according to the penetration degree image. A printing and dyeing method characterized by this.

Effect of the Invention

[0018] By the above means of the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing and dyeing apparatus and a printing and dyeing method that suppress the occurrence of density differences in images on the front and back of a fabric while maintaining image quality. Regarding the mechanism or working mechanism for the manifestation of the effects of the present invention, the following speculation is made.

[0019] In the present invention, when printing on a fabric, a penetration degree image showing the distribution of the penetration degree required for the coloring material ink in the printed image is created, and according to the penetration degree image, pretreatment is performed so that the higher the penetration degree, the higher the permeability, and the application amount of the coloring material ink increases as the penetration degree increases.

[0020] As a result, for example, in the printed image, in a region where an increase in the application amount of the coloring material ink to the fabric is required, that is, in a region where an increase in the permeability of the coloring material ink is required, the permeability increases, and as a result, it becomes possible to apply a desired amount of the coloring material ink. In this way, for example, for a region where it is desired to sufficiently penetrate the coloring material ink to the back surface of the fabric, printing can be performed with almost no density difference between the front and back surfaces of the fabric without causing a deterioration in image quality such as bleeding.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] The printing and dyeing apparatus of the present invention is a printing and dyeing apparatus having a pre-treatment unit for a fabric, a printing unit for applying a coloring material ink to the fabric to print an image, and a control unit, wherein the pre-treatment unit performs a process of adjusting the permeability of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric, and the control unit controls the adjustment process of the permeability in the pre-treatment unit so that the permeability increases as the degree of penetration required in the image printed by the printing unit with respect to the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric increases, and controls the application amount of the coloring material ink in the printing unit so that the application amount increases as the degree of penetration increases. This feature is a technical feature common to the inventions according to each claim.

[0023] As an embodiment of the printing and dyeing apparatus of the present invention, from the viewpoint of expressing the effects of the present invention, the pre-treatment unit preferably has a mechanism for applying a functional ink containing a penetration inhibitor or a penetration promoter to the fabric by an inkjet method, and the control unit controls the application amount and application position of the functional ink according to the penetration degree image.

[0024] As an embodiment of the printing and dyeing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit adjusts the penetration degree image according to the mode information of the fabric. In the mode of using the above functional ink, correspondingly, the application amount of the functional ink and the application amount of the coloring material ink are changed. The mode information of the fabric is preferably at least one selected from the type of fiber constituting the fabric, the thickness of the fabric, the fiber density of the fabric, the chemical fiber ratio in the fiber constituting the fabric, the weaving method of the fabric, and the thickness of the fiber constituting the fabric.

[0025] Further, it is preferable that the control unit adjusts the penetration degree image according to the environmental temperature and the environmental relative humidity. In the mode of using the above functional ink, correspondingly, the application amount of the functional ink and the application amount of the coloring material ink are changed.

[0026] As an embodiment of the printing and dyeing apparatus of the present invention, from the viewpoint of the manifestation of the effects of the present invention, it is preferable that the penetration degree image is an image set so that the penetration degree increases according to the height of the color density of the image printed by the printing portion.

[0027] As an embodiment of the printing and dyeing apparatus of the present invention, from the viewpoint of the manifestation of the effects of the present invention, it is preferable that the penetration degree image is an image targeted at a non-edge portion excluding an edge portion having a predetermined width from the image printed by the printing portion.

[0028] As an embodiment of the printing and dyeing apparatus of the present invention, from the viewpoint of the manifestation of the effects of the present invention, it is preferable to use a penetration degree image defined by the user as the penetration degree image.

[0029] The printing and dyeing method of the present invention is a printing and dyeing method having a pre-treatment step for a fabric, a printing step of applying a color material ink to the fabric to print an image, and a control step. The pre-treatment step performs a process of adjusting the permeability of the color material ink with respect to the fabric, and the control step controls the adjustment process of the permeability in the pre-treatment step so that the permeability increases as the penetration degree is higher according to a penetration degree image representing the distribution of the penetration degree required in the image printed by the printing step of the color material ink with respect to the fabric, and controls the application amount of the color material ink in the printing step so that it increases as the penetration degree is higher.

[0030] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the present invention, its components, and forms and embodiments for implementing the present invention will be described in detail. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. The printing and dyeing apparatus in the illustrated examples can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. In the present application, "~" is used in the sense of including the numerical values described before and after it as the lower limit value and the upper limit value.

[0031] [Printing and Dyeing Apparatus] The printing and dyeing apparatus of the present invention has a pre-treatment unit, a printing unit, and a control unit, and each unit operates as follows.

[0032] The pretreatment unit performs a process of adjusting the penetrability of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric. The printing unit applies the coloring material ink to the fabric to print an image. The control unit controls the pretreatment unit and the printing unit according to the penetration degree image as follows in (1-1) and (1-2), respectively.

[0033] (1-1) Control the penetrability adjustment process in the pretreatment unit so that the higher the penetration degree, the greater the increase in penetrability. (1-2) Control the application amount of the coloring material ink in the printing unit so that the higher the penetration degree, the greater the increase.

[0034] Note that the penetration degree image is an image representing the distribution of the penetration degree of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric (also simply referred to as "penetration degree" in this specification), and the penetration degree is the penetration degree obtained in the image printed by the printing unit (hereinafter also referred to as "printed image").

[0035] In the printing and dyeing apparatus, the application position and application amount of the coloring material ink are determined based on the printed image. The unit of the application area of the coloring material ink is, for example, a pixel unit. The penetration degree is set in the unit of the application area of the coloring material ink, for example, a pixel unit. The penetration degree image is an image showing the distribution of the penetration degree obtained in the application unit of the coloring material ink, for example, a pixel unit.

[0036] When setting the penetration degree in pixel units, the penetration degree in any pixel unit is, for example, selected with a specific fabric serving as a reference fabric (a fabric in which the type of fiber constituting the fabric, the thickness of the fabric, the fiber density of the fabric, the chemical fiber ratio in the fiber constituting the fabric, the weaving method of the fabric, and the thickness of the fiber constituting the fabric are specified), and the penetration depth of the ink in the reference environment (specific environmental temperature and environmental relative humidity) of the reference fabric without pretreatment is used as the reference penetration degree.

[0037] Specifically, taking the penetration degree of the coloring material ink in the reference environment for the fabric (reference fabric) without pretreatment as the reference value "1", the penetration degree required for each pixel unit based on the printed image is set as the relative value to the reference value. Specifically, the penetration degree can be measured as the penetration depth of a predetermined amount of coloring material ink in the thickness direction of the fabric. When the absolute value of the reference penetration degree is small, the adjustment of the penetration degree is performed to increase the penetration degree. In this case, for example, taking the minimum value of the penetration degree as 1, when the penetration degree required for each pixel unit based on the printed image is 1.5 times the reference value, a penetration degree image is created with the penetration degree set to 1.5.

[0038] On the other hand, when the absolute value of the reference penetration degree is sufficiently large, the adjustment of the penetration degree is performed to decrease the penetration degree. In this case, for example, taking the maximum value of the penetration degree as 1, when the penetration degree required for each pixel unit based on the printed image is 0.5 times the reference value, a penetration degree image is created with the penetration degree set to 0.5.

[0039] Here, the penetration degree required for each pixel unit based on the printed image, for example, includes setting a high penetration degree corresponding to the height of the color density in the printed image. A detailed explanation will be given in the description of the control unit below.

[0040] The process of adjusting the penetrability of the coloring material ink on the fabric performed by the pretreatment unit of the printing and dyeing apparatus according to the present invention is preferably a process of applying a functional ink containing a penetration inhibitor or a penetration promoter to the fabric. The functional ink containing a penetration promoter is used, for example, when the absolute value of the reference penetration degree described above is small. The functional ink containing a penetration inhibitor is used, for example, when the absolute value of the reference penetration degree described above is sufficiently large. Also, the application of the functional ink is preferably performed by an inkjet method. In this case, the control unit controls, for example, the application amount and application position of the functional ink according to the penetration degree image.

[0041] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by taking as an example a printing and dyeing apparatus in which pretreatment is performed using a functional ink shown in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited thereto. FIG. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing an example of the printing and dyeing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main part of the control system of the printing and dyeing apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

[0042] The printing and dyeing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a fabric feeding unit 101 that feeds out a fabric T1, a conveying unit 103 that conveys the fabric, a pretreatment unit 10 that applies a functional ink Pr to the fabric T1, a printing unit 20 that applies a coloring material ink In to the pretreated fabric T2 (hereinafter also referred to as "pretreated fabric T2"), a drying unit 105 that dries the coloring material ink In and the like, a fabric recovery unit 102 that recovers the printed fabric T3 (hereinafter also referred to as "printed fabric T3"), and a control unit 30 that controls each member.

[0043] In FIG. 1, the conveying direction of the fabric T1 is indicated by an arrow. In the printing and dyeing apparatus 100, the essential constituent members are the pretreatment unit 10, the printing unit 20, and the control unit 30. The printing and dyeing apparatus 100 may have other constituent members in addition to the constituent members shown in FIG. 1 as necessary. Examples of other constituent members include a functional ink drying unit that dries the functional ink Pr and the like between the pretreatment unit 10 and the printing unit 20, and a fixing unit provided on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the drying unit 105. Hereinafter, each constituent member of the printing and dyeing apparatus 100 will be described.

[0044] (Fabric Feeding Unit) The fabric T1 is installed in a fabric feeding unit 101 provided on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the pretreatment unit 10. The fabric feeding unit 101 includes a rotating shaft on which a roll-shaped fabric T1 is mounted, a motor (not shown) that rotationally drives the rotating shaft in a predetermined rotational direction, and the like. The fabric feeding unit 101 feeds out the fabric T1 downstream in the conveying direction along with the rotation of the rotating shaft by driving the motor. Note that the fabric T1 may be a continuous fabric as described above or a fabric separated one by one.

[0045] (Conveying Unit) The conveying unit 103 conveys the fabric T1 fed out from the fabric feeding unit 101. In FIG. 1, the fabric T1 is configured to be conveyed by conveying rollers. However, for example, it may be configured to convey the fabric T1 by attaching it to a conveying belt.

[0046] (Pretreatment unit) The pretreatment unit 10 is a member that performs a process of applying the functional ink Pr containing a penetration inhibitor or a penetration promoter to the fabric T1. Specifically, as the pretreatment unit 10, a functional ink application device or the like can be mentioned. The application of the functional ink Pr in the pretreatment unit 10 is performed under the control of the control unit 30, with the application amount, application position, etc. being controlled. The above control of the pretreatment unit 10 in the control unit 30 is performed according to the penetration degree image. In order to apply the functional ink Pr corresponding to the penetration degree image, as the application method of the pretreatment unit 10, the inkjet method is preferable.

[0047] When the inkjet method is used as the application method of the functional ink, the functional ink application device has a head that discharges the functional ink and a carriage on which the head is mounted. The head and the carriage can have the same configuration as the head and the carriage in the colorant ink application device described later.

[0048] Regarding the functional ink Pr, for example, when using a fabric with good permeability of the colorant ink, a functional ink Pr containing a penetration inhibitor (hereinafter, also referred to as "penetration inhibiting ink") is used. On the other hand, when using a fabric with insufficient permeability of the colorant ink, a functional ink Pr containing a penetration promoter (hereinafter, also referred to as "penetration promoting ink") is used. The penetration inhibiting ink and the penetration promoting ink can each be used alone or in combination of two or more. However, since the device and the control program become complicated, for example, it is preferable to use one type of the penetration inhibiting ink or the penetration promoting ink according to the type of the fabric.

[0049] The functional ink application device has two heads. One head is for the penetration-inhibiting ink and the other is for the penetration-promoting ink, and it can be operated to selectively use both heads according to the type of fabric. Alternatively, the functional ink application device may have one head and can respond by using the functional ink Pr supplied to the head as either a penetration-inhibiting ink or a penetration-promoting ink according to the type of fabric.

[0050] Here, the pretreatment unit 10 is controlled by the control unit 30 as described in (1-1) above. Specifically, in the pretreatment unit 10, the application amount of the functional ink Pr is controlled so that the higher the penetration degree in the penetration degree image, the higher the penetrability. The control in (1-1) is performed as follows for both the penetration-inhibiting ink and the penetration-promoting ink.

[0051] When using the penetration-inhibiting ink, the application amount of the penetration-inhibiting ink is set to be smaller for pixel regions with a higher penetration degree in the penetration degree image, and larger for pixel regions with a lower penetration degree. When using the penetration-inhibiting ink, the relationship between the penetration degree and the application amount of the penetration-inhibiting ink can be represented by a first-order polynomial with a negative proportionality coefficient.

[0052] When using the penetration-promoting ink, the application amount of the penetration-promoting ink is set to be larger for pixel regions with a higher penetration degree in the penetration degree image, and smaller for pixel regions with a lower penetration degree. When using the penetration-promoting ink, the relationship between the penetration degree and the application amount of the penetration-promoting ink can be represented by a first-order polynomial with a positive proportionality coefficient.

[0053] <Functional Ink> The penetration-inhibiting ink can be used without particular limitation as long as it has the function of inhibiting the penetrability of the coloring material ink. Specifically, as the penetration-inhibiting ink, a penetration-inhibiting ink containing a flocculant having an action of aggregating the coloring material ink is preferable. Hereinafter, a penetration-inhibiting ink containing a flocculant will be described as an example of the penetration-inhibiting ink.

[0054] Furthermore, the penetration promoting ink can be used without particular limitation as long as it has a function of promoting the penetrability of the coloring material ink. Specifically, as the penetration promoting ink, a penetration promoting ink containing a penetrant that improves the wettability of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric is preferable. Hereinafter, as the penetration promoting ink, a penetration promoting ink containing a penetrant will be described as an example.

[0055] 《Penetration Suppressing Ink》 The penetration suppressing ink is applied to the fabric by, for example, the inkjet method. When the penetration suppressing ink is applied by the inkjet method, its viscosity is adjusted, for example, by adding a solvent to the flocculant so that the penetration suppressing ink can be ejected from the nozzles of an inkjet head (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "head"). The penetration suppressing ink contains, for example, a flocculant and can further contain water, an organic solvent, and a surfactant as basic components.

[0056] When the application is performed by the inkjet method, the viscosity of the penetration suppressing ink is preferably in the range of 1 to 40 mPa·s, and more preferably in the range of 5 to 10 mPa·s. The viscosity of the penetration suppressing ink can be measured at 25°C with an E-type viscometer. The rotation speed can be set according to the viscosity, and can be, for example, 10 rpm or 20 rpm. Unless otherwise specified, the viscosity in this specification is the viscosity at 25°C measured by the above method.

[0057] 〔Flocculant〕 The flocculant preferably contains any of a water-soluble cationic polymer, an organic acid, or a polyvalent metal salt, and more preferably a water-soluble cationic polymer or a polyvalent metal salt.

[0058] The above water-soluble cationic polymer and polyvalent metal salt can aggregate anionic components (for example, components having an anionic group in pigments, dyes, dispersion polymers, polymer fine particles, etc.) in the coloring material ink by salting out. The above organic acid can aggregate anionic components in the ink by pH fluctuation.

[0059] When an organic acid is used, the pH generally falls within the acidic range. Therefore, resins such as adhesives used inside the head may be deteriorated, and the head resistance may become inferior. The polyvalent metal salt has a pH in the neutral range to weak alkaline, and the pH can be adjusted to the neutral range by appropriately selecting the product number and the like even for the water-soluble cationic polymer. Thus, from the viewpoint of being able to adjust the pH to an appropriate range, the flocculant is more preferably a water-soluble cationic polymer or a polyvalent metal salt.

[0060] The water-soluble cationic polymer is a water-soluble resin having a cationic group. Examples of the cationic group include, for example, primary to tertiary amino groups and quaternary ammonium salts. Examples of the water-soluble cationic polymer include, for example, (co)polymers obtained by homopolymerizing or copolymerizing monomers having a cationic group such as allylamine, diallylamine, alkyleneamine, dimethylallylamine, methyldiallylamine, diallyldimethylammonium chloride, and ring-opening polymers of cyclic amines such as aziridine (ethyleneimine). The above monomers may be hydrochloride, sulfate, acetate, or the like. Further, the water-soluble cationic polymer may be a copolymer of the above monomer and sulfur dioxide.

[0061] Furthermore, the water-soluble cationic polymer may be a copolymer of the above monomer and a monomer having a vinyl group other than the above monomer, for example, monomers such as acrylamide, acrylate, methacrylate, allylate, and styrene.

[0062] Examples of the water-soluble cationic polymer include polyallylamine, allylamine diallylamine copolymer, polydiallylamine, polymethyldiallylamine, diallylamine sulfur dioxide copolymer, methyldiallylamine sulfur dioxide copolymer, polyvinylamine, polyethyleneimine, polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride, and the like. Examples of the water-soluble cationic polymer also include (co)polymers in which the constituent monomers in the above (co)polymers are hydrochloride, sulfate, acetate, or the like.

[0063] Examples of commercially available water-soluble cationic polymers include KHE100L and FPA100L manufactured by SENKA, and the PAA series and PAS series (such as PAS-92A, PAS-M-1A, PAS-21CL, PAS-J-81, etc.) manufactured by Nitto Boehringer Medical Co., Ltd.

[0064] When the penetration-inhibiting ink contains a water-soluble cationic polymer as a flocculant, the penetration-inhibiting ink may contain polymer fine particles mainly composed of an acrylic polymer in order to enhance the fixing property of the coloring material. The glass transition temperature of the polymer constituting the fine particles is preferably -10°C or lower, and the mass average molecular weight is preferably 100,000 or higher. When the penetration-inhibiting ink is applied by an inkjet method, from the viewpoint of the ejection property from the head, the particle size of the polymer fine particles by the light scattering method is preferably 50 to 500 nm. Furthermore, from the above viewpoint, it is preferably free of polymer fine particles.

[0065] The above organic acid can aggregate the pigment contained in the coloring material ink, and preferably has a first dissociation constant of 3.5 or less, and preferably ranges from 1.5 to 3.5.

[0066] In addition, by using an organic acid, it is easy to maintain the storage stability of the penetration-inhibiting ink, and blocking is less likely to occur after the penetration-inhibiting ink is applied and dried. Preferred organic acids from the above viewpoints include formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, isobutyric acid, oxalic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, citric acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, benzoic acid, 2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid, lactic acid, acrylic acid and its derivatives, methacrylic acid and its derivatives, or compounds having a carboxy group such as acrylamide and its derivatives, sulfonic acid derivatives, or phosphoric acid and its derivatives.

[0067] The content of the organic acid in the penetration-inhibiting ink may be an amount that adjusts the pH of the penetration-inhibiting ink to less than the first dissociation constant of the above organic acid. By incorporating an amount of the organic acid such that the pH of the penetration-inhibiting ink is less than the first dissociation constant of the above organic acid, bleeding during high-speed printing can be effectively suppressed.

[0068] Examples of the above-mentioned polyvalent metal salts include water-soluble salts such as calcium salts, magnesium salts, aluminum salts, and zinc salts. Compounds that form salts with polyvalent metals include hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, thiocyanic acid, and organic carboxylic acids such as acetic acid, oxalic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, citric acid, salicylic acid, benzoic acid, and organic sulfonic acids.

[0069] The flocculant is preferably contained in the range of 5% by mass or less based on the total amount of the penetration-inhibiting ink, and being contained in the range of 1 to 4% by mass can effectively flocculate the anionic components in the coloring material ink.

[0070] The content of the flocculant in the penetration-inhibiting ink can be measured by known methods. For example, when the flocculant is a polyvalent metal salt, the content can be measured by ICP emission spectrometry, and when the flocculant is an acid, the content can be measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

[0071] 〔Water, organic solvent and surfactant〕 The water contained in the penetration-inhibiting ink according to the present invention is not particularly limited and can be ion-exchanged water, distilled water, or pure water. The content of water in the penetration-inhibiting ink is not particularly limited, but is preferably in the range of 45 to 80% by mass.

[0072] In addition, as the solvent of the penetration-inhibiting ink according to the present invention, an organic solvent can be contained in addition to water. As the organic solvent, a water-soluble organic solvent can be preferably used. Examples of the water-soluble organic solvent include alcohols, polyhydric alcohols, amines, amides, glycol ethers, 1,2-alkanediols having 4 or more carbon atoms, and the like.

[0073] Examples of the alcohols include methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, t-butanol, 3-methoxy-1-butanol, 3-methoxy-3-methylbutanol, 1-octanol, 2-octanol, n-nonyl alcohol, tridecyl alcohol, n-undecyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, and the like.

[0074] Examples of the polyhydric alcohols include ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol having 5 or more ethylene oxide groups, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, polypropylene glycol having 4 or more propylene oxide groups, butylene glycol, hexanediol, pentanediol, glycerin, hexanetriol, thiodiglycol, and the like.

[0075] Examples of the amines include ethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, N-methyldiethanolamine, N-ethyldiethanolamine, morpholine, N-ethylmorpholine, ethylenediamine, diethylenediamine, triethylenetetramine, tetraethylenepentamine, polyethyleneimine, pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, tetramethylpropylenediamine, and the like.

[0076] Examples of the amides include formamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and the like.

[0077] Examples of glycol ethers include ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, triethylene glycol monobutyl ether, propylene glycol monopropyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether, and the like.

[0078] Examples of 1,2-alkanediols having 4 or more carbon atoms include 1,2-butanediol, 1,2-pentanediol, 1,2-hexanediol, 1,2-heptanediol, and the like.

[0079] The penetration-inhibiting ink can contain one or more selected from these organic solvents in combination. The content of the organic solvent in the penetration-inhibiting ink is not particularly limited, but is preferably in the range of 10 to 50% by mass.

[0080] When the penetration-inhibiting ink according to the present invention is applied by an inkjet method, a surfactant can be contained for the purpose of improving the discharge stability from the nozzle, the drying property after application to the fabric, and the like. The surfactant can be used without particular limitation. However, when the constituent components of the penetration-inhibiting ink contain a cationic compound, the ionic property of the surfactant is preferably cationic, nonionic, or betaine type. Specific examples of the surfactant include the surfactants described in the penetrant described below. Note that even when the penetration-inhibiting ink contains a surfactant (penetrant), it functions to suppress the permeability of the coloring material ink due to the action of a flocculant or the like.

[0081] The content of the surfactant in the penetration-inhibiting ink is not particularly limited, but is preferably in the range of 0.05 to 3% by mass.

[0082] The penetration-inhibiting ink can be appropriately blended with other components such as a crosslinking agent, a fungicide, and a bactericide, as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired.

[0083] Furthermore, various known additives such as ultraviolet absorbers described in, for example, JP-A-57-74193, JP-A-57-87988, and JP-A-62-261476, anti-fading agents described in JP-A-57-74192, JP-A-57-87989, JP-A-60-72785, JP-A-61-146591, JP-A-1-95091, and JP-A-3-13376, various anionic, cationic, or nonionic surfactants, fluorescent brighteners described in JP-A-59-42993, JP-A-59-52689, JP-A-62-280069, JP-A-61-242871, and JP-A-4-219266, defoaming agents, lubricants such as diethylene glycol, preservatives, thickeners, antistatic agents, etc. can also be contained.

[0084] 《Penetration-Promoting Ink》 The penetration-promoting ink is applied to a fabric, for example, by an inkjet method. When the penetration-promoting ink is applied by the inkjet method, its viscosity is adjusted to be about the same as that of the penetration-inhibiting ink, for example, by adding a solvent to the penetrant. The penetration-promoting ink can contain, for example, a penetrant and further contain water and an organic solvent as basic components.

[0085] 〔Penetrant〕 Specific examples of the penetrant include compounds having a lactam structure and surfactants.

[0086] Examples of the compound having a lactam structure include 2-pyrrolidone, 2-acetidinone, 2-piperidone, ε-caprolactam, 4-ethyl-2-acetidinone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and 3-amino-2-piperidone.

[0087] As the surfactant, preferably, a fluorine-based or silicone-based surfactant having a high ability to reduce static surface tension, an anionic surfactant such as dioctyl sulfosuccinate having a high ability to reduce dynamic surface tension, a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether having a relatively low molecular weight, a polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ether, an acetylene glycol, a Pluronic type surfactant (Pluronic is a registered trademark), a nonionic surfactant such as a sorbitan derivative, etc. are preferably used. It is also preferable to use a fluorine-based or silicone-based surfactant in combination with a surfactant having a high ability to reduce dynamic surface tension.

[0088] As the above silicone-based surfactant, preferably, there is a polyether-modified polysiloxane compound. For example, KF-351A, KF-642 manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., BYK345, BYK347, BYK348 manufactured by Big Chemie, Tegowet260 manufactured by Evonik, etc. can be mentioned.

[0089] The above fluorine-based surfactant means a surfactant in which part or all of the hydrogen bonded to the carbon of the hydrophobic group of a normal surfactant is replaced by fluorine. Among these, those having a perfluoroalkyl group in the molecule are preferable.

[0090] Among the above fluorine-based surfactants, certain ones are commercially available under the trade name Megafac F from DIC Corporation, under the trade name Surflon from AGC Corporation, under the trade name Fluorad FC from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, under the trade name Monflor from Imperial Chemical Industry Company, under the trade name Zonyls from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, and under the trade name Licowet VPF from Farbe & Berkemann Hoechst, respectively.

[0091] As the surfactant, acetylene glycol-based surfactants and acetylene alcohol-based surfactants are also preferably used.

[0092] The acetylene glycol-based surfactant and the acetylene alcohol-based surfactant are not particularly limited, but one or more selected from the group consisting of 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol and alkylene oxide adducts of 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol, and 2,4-dimethyl-5-decyne-4-ol and alkylene oxide adducts of 2,4-dimethyl-5-decyne-4-ol are preferred. These are available as commercial products such as the Orfin 104 series, the E series such as Orfin E1010, Orfin PD002W002, Surfynol 465, Surfynol 61 (trade name of Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), and Perex SS-H (trade name of Kao Chemical Co., Ltd.).

[0093] The content of the penetrant in the penetration-promoting ink is appropriately adjusted in consideration of the penetration-improving effect and viscosity depending on the type of the penetrant. The content of the compound having a lactam structure is preferably 20% by mass or more, more preferably 25 to 55% by mass, based on the total amount of the penetration-promoting ink. The content of the surfactant is preferably 0.1 to 5% by mass, more preferably 0.2 to 3.0% by mass, based on the total amount of the penetration-promoting ink.

[0094] When the penetration-promoting ink contains a surfactant as a penetrant, the penetration-promoting ink may contain a chelating agent or an aromatic compound in order to improve the ejection stability when used in the inkjet method.

[0095] Examples of the chelating agent include compounds such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediaminetriacetic acid, ethylenediamine succinic acid, iminodisuccinic acid, dicarboxymethylglutamic acid, bis(2-aminoethyl)ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid, bis(2-aminophenyl)ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid, bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine, 1,2-diaminocyclohexane tetraacetic acid, diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, iminodiacetic acid, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)iminodiacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, nitrilotrimethylphosphoric acid, triethylenetetramine hexaacetic acid, and tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine.

[0096] The chelating agent may be a resin having a coordinating group, such as a phenol resin, a styrene resin, an acrylic resin, and an epoxy resin.

[0097] The chelating agent may be a salt of the above compounds or resins with metal ions, cations such as NH 4+ , UO 22 +, VO 2+ and the like. The chelating agent may be a hydrate of the above compounds, resins, and their salts.

[0098] As the aromatic compound, a compound having a benzene ring or a naphthalene ring having a specific substituent is preferred, and examples include sulfonic acid aromatic compounds, carboxylic acid aromatic compounds, and phosphoric acid aromatic compounds.

[0099] The content of the chelating agent is preferably 0.001 to 0.1% by mass based on the total amount of the penetration promoting ink. The content of the aromatic compound is preferably 0.01 to 50% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 20% by mass, based on the total amount of the penetration promoting ink.

[0100] 〔Water and Organic Solvents〕 Specific examples of water and organic solvents in the penetration promoting ink can be the same as those in the penetration inhibiting ink. The contents of water and organic solvents are preferably adjusted as appropriate according to the type of the penetrant so that the viscosity falls within the above preferred range.

[0101] Further, the penetration - promoting ink can be appropriately blended with other components similar to those of the penetration - suppressing ink, as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired.

[0102] (Functional ink drying section) The printing device 100 may have a functional ink drying section between the pretreatment section 10 and the printing section 20 as necessary. The functional ink drying section dries the functional ink Pr applied in the pretreatment section 10. The drying means is not particularly limited, and heating by hot air, a hot plate, or a heat roller is preferably used. From the viewpoint of sufficiently removing the solvent component in a short time, heat drying is more preferable. The drying temperature is preferably in the range of 100 to 130°C.

[0103] (Printing section) The printing section 20 is a member that applies the coloring material ink In to the fabric T2 that has been pretreated, that is, to which the functional ink Pr has been applied. Specifically, the printing section 20 includes a coloring material ink application device and the like. The application of the coloring material ink In in the printing section 20 is performed under the control of the control section 30, with the application amount, application position, etc. being controlled.

[0104] The above - mentioned control of the printing section 20 by the control section 30 is performed according to the penetration degree image and the printing image. In particular, regarding the application amount of the coloring material ink In, the control in (1 - 2) above is performed according to the penetration degree image. In order to apply the coloring material ink In corresponding to the penetration degree image and the printing image, the inkjet method is preferably used as the application method of the printing section 20.

[0105] When the inkjet method is used as the application method of the coloring material ink, the coloring material ink application device has a head for discharging the coloring material ink and a carriage on which the head is mounted. The head has, for example, heads for discharging four - color inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. In this specification, regarding the color notation, cyan is denoted as "C", magenta is denoted as "M", yellow is denoted as "Y", and black is denoted as "K" respectively.

[0106] The ejection method of the coloring agent ink in each of the CMYK heads constituting the head is not particularly limited, and any of the on-demand method and the continuous method heads may be used. Examples of on-demand method heads include electro-mechanical conversion methods including single cavity type, double cavity type, vendor type, piston type, shared mode type, and shared wall type, as well as electro-thermal conversion methods including thermal inkjet type and bubble jet (where "bubble jet" is a registered trademark of Canon Inc.) type, etc.

[0107] Among the above heads, on-demand method heads are preferred, and it is preferable that the head uses a piezoelectric element as the electro-mechanical conversion element used in the electro-mechanical conversion method (also referred to as a "piezo type inkjet head").

[0108] The coloring agent ink application device may be either a scan method or a line method. In the case of the scan method, the carriage moves the head in the width direction of the pre-treatment fabric T2 orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the pre-treatment fabric T2 to perform printing. The direction in which the head moves is referred to as the "scanning direction".

[0109] On the surface (nozzle surface) of each of the CMYK heads facing the surface of the pre-treatment fabric T2, a plurality of nozzles are arranged along the conveyance direction orthogonal to the scanning direction, and by appropriately applying pressure to the coloring agent ink, the coloring agent ink is ejected as minute droplets from these nozzles. The coloring agent ink application device is supported by the carriage in a state where the nozzle surface of the head is separated from the surface by a predetermined distance in the direction (height direction) orthogonal to the surface of the pre-treatment fabric T2.

[0110] The coloring agent ink application device further has a carriage drive mechanism that supports the carriage so as to be reciprocally movable in the scanning direction. The carriage drive mechanism includes, for example, a motor as a power source, a transmission device, and a sensor such as an encoder.

[0111] When the coloring material ink application device is of the line type, the coloring material ink application device has a length equal to or greater than the width of the pre-treated fabric T2, and the heads corresponding to the coloring material inks of each of the CMYK colors are arranged in order along the conveyance direction of the pre-treated fabric T2.

[0112] In the line-type coloring material ink application device, one head having a width equal to or greater than the width of the pre-treated fabric T2 may be used, or a plurality of heads may be combined to have a width equal to or greater than the width of the pre-treated fabric T2. Further, a plurality of heads may be arranged side by side such that their nozzles are staggered, and the resolution of the entire heads may be increased. Also, a plurality of such coloring material ink application devices may be arranged side by side along the conveyance direction of the fabric.

[0113] In the printing device 100 of FIG. 1, the functional ink application device and the coloring material ink application device are provided separately, but they may be provided integrally. In that case, the heads for functional ink and the heads for coloring material ink may be mounted on the same carriage in that order.

[0114] <Coloring material ink> The coloring material ink used in the printing device of the present invention typically contains a coloring material, water, and a water-soluble organic solvent. The coloring material ink preferably further contains a hydrophobic polymer. The viscosity of the coloring material ink at 25°C is preferably adjusted within the range of 6 to 20 mPa·s.

[0115] When the viscosity of the coloring material ink is 6 mPa·s or more, even when discharged at a high discharge frequency, the meniscus of the coloring material ink near the discharge port of the nozzle is less likely to become unstable, so a decrease in discharge stability can be suppressed. When the viscosity of the coloring material ink is 20 mPa·s or less, nozzle clogging can be suppressed. From the same viewpoint, the viscosity of the coloring material ink is more preferably within the range of 7 to 15 mPa·s.

[0116] The viscosity of the coloring material ink can be adjusted by the coloring material ink composition, for example, the content of the coloring material, the content of the hydrophobic polymer, the solvent composition, etc. From the viewpoint of moderately increasing the viscosity, it is preferable to set the content of the coloring material to a certain level or more, or as the water-soluble organic solvent, to contain a polyhydric alcohol having a high viscosity, for example, a polyhydric alcohol containing a trivalent or higher alcohol such as glycerin, to a certain level or more, or to set the content of the hydrophobic polymer to a certain level or more, and it is more preferable to combine two or more of these.

[0117] 〔Coloring Material〕 The coloring material is not particularly limited, and for example, it is preferably a pigment or a dye. The pigment is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, an organic pigment or an inorganic pigment of the following numbers described in the Color Index.

[0118] Examples of red or magenta pigments include Pigment Red 3, 5, 19, 22, 31, 38, 43, 48:1, 48:2, 48:3, 48:4, 48:5, 49:1, 53:1, 57:1, 57:2, 58:4, 63:1, 81, 81:1, 81:2, 81:3, 81:4, 88, 104, 108, 112, 122, 123, 144, 146, 149, 166, 168, 169, 170, 177, 178, 179, 184, 185, 208, 216, 226, 257, Pigment Violet 3, 19, 23, 29, 30, 37, 50, 88, Pigment Orange 13, 16, 20, 36.

[0119] Examples of blue or cyan pigments include Pigment Blue 1, 15, 15:1, 15:2, 15:3, 15:4, 15:6, 16, 17-1, 22, 27, 28, 29, 36, 60.

[0120] Examples of green pigments include Pigment Green 7, 26, 36, 50. Examples of yellow pigments include Pigment Yellow 1, 3, 12, 13, 14, 17, 34, 35, 37, 55, 74, 81, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 108, 109, 110, 137, 138, 139, 153, 154, 155, 157, 166, 167, 168, 180, 185, 193.

[0121] Examples of black pigments include Pigment Black 7, 28, 26.

[0122] Examples of commercially available pigments include Chromophine Yellow 2080, 5900, 5930, AF-1300, 2700L, Chromophine Orange 3700L, 6730, Chromophine Scarlet 6750, Chromophine Magenta 6880, 6886, 6891N, 6790, 6887, Chromophine Violet RE, Chromophine Red 6820, 6830, Chromophine Blue HS-3, 5187, 5108, 5197, 5085N, SR-5020, 5026, 5050, 4920, 4927, 4937, 4824, 4933GN-EP, 4940, 4973, 5205, 5208, 5214, 5221, 5000P, Chromophine Green 2GN, 2GO, 2G-550D, 5310, 5370, 6830, Chromophine Black A-1103, Seika Fast Yellow 10GH, A-3, 2035, 2054, 2200, 2270, 2300, 2400(B), 2500, 2600, ZAY-260, 2700(B), 2770, Seika Fast Red 8040, C405(F), CA120, LR-116, 1531B, 8060R, 1547, ZAW-262, 1537B, GY, 4R-4016, 3820, 3891, ZA-215, Seika Fast Carmine 6B1476T-7, 1483LT, 3840, 3870, Seika Fast Bordeaux 10B-430, Seika Light Rose R40, Seika Light Violet B800, 7805, Seika Fast Maroon 460N, Seika Fast Orange 900, 2900, Seika Light Blue C718, A612, Cyanine Blue 4933M, 4933GN-EP, 4940, 4973 (manufactured by Dainichi Seika Chemicals Co., Ltd.); KET Yellow 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 416, 424, KET Orange 501, KET Red 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 336, 337, 338, 346, KET Blue 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 111, 118, 124, KET Green 201 (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.);Colortex Yellow 301, 314, 315, 316, P-624, 314, U10GN, U3GN, UNN, UA-414, U263, Finecol Yellow T-13, T-05, Pigment Yellow1705, Colortex Orange 202, ColortexRed101, 103, 115, 116, D3B, P-625, 102, H-1024, 105C, UFN, UCN, UBN, U3BN, URN, UGN, UG276, U456, U457, 105C, USN, Colortex Maroon601, Colortex BrownB610N, Colortex Violet600, Pigment Red 122, ColortexBlue516, 517, 518, 519, A818, P-908, 510, Colortex Green402, 403, Colortex Black 702, U905 (manufactured by Sanyo Shikiso); Lionol Yellow1405G, Lionol Blue FG7330, FG7350, FG7400G, FG7405G, ES, ESP-S (manufactured by Toyo Ink), Toner Magenta E02, Permanent RubinF6B, Toner Yellow HG, PermanentYellow GG-02, Hostapeam BlueB2G (manufactured by Hoechst Industries); Novoperm P-HG, Hostaperm Pink E, Hostaperm Blue B2G (manufactured by Clariant); Carbon Black #2600, #2400, #2350, #2200, #1000, #990, #980, #970, #960, #950, #850, MCF88, #750, #650, MA600, MA7, MA8, MA11, MA100, MA100R, MA77, #52, #50, #47, #45, #45L, #40, #33, #32, #30, #25, #20, #10, #5, #44, CF9 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical) are included.;

[0123] The dyes are not particularly limited, and examples include disperse dyes, reactive dyes, acid dyes, basic dyes, direct dyes, etc. Note that an ink containing a disperse dye is called a disperse ink, and an ink containing a reactive dye is also called a reactive ink.

[0124] As the disperse dye, it is preferably a sublimable dye. Here, the "sublimable dye" refers to a dye having the property of sublimating upon heating.

[0125] Although the disperse dye is not particularly limited, for example, C.I. Disperse Yellow 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 13, 23, 24, 30, 33, 34, 42, 44, 49, 50, 51, 54, 56, 58, 60, 63, 64, 66, 68, 71, 74, 76, 79, 82, 83, 85, 86, 88, 90, 91, 93, 98, 99, 100, 104, 108, 114, 116, 118, 119, 122, 124, 126, 135, 140, 141, 149, 160, 162, 163, 164, 165, 179, 180, 182, 183, 184, 186, 192, 198, 199, 202, 204, 210, 211, 215, 216, 218, 224, 227, 231, 232; C.I. Disperse Orange 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 20, 21, 25, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 37, 38, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 66, 71, 73, 76, 78, 80, 89, 90, 91, 93, 96, 97, 119, 127, 130, 139, 142; C.I. Disperse Red 1, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 27, 43, 44, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 65, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 81, 82, 86, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, 96, 103, 105, 106, 107, 108, 110, 111, 113, 117, 118, 121, 122, 126, 127, 128, 131, 132, 134, 135, 137, 143, 145, 146, 151, 152, 153, 154, 157, 159, 164, 167, 169, 177, 179, 181, 183, 184, 185, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 200, 201, 202, 203, 205, 206, 207, 210, 221, 224, 225, 227, 229, 239, 240, 257, 258, 277, 278, 279, 281, 288, 298, 302, 303, 310, 311, 312, 320, 324, 328; C.I. Disperse Violet 1, 4, 8, 23, 26, 27, 28, 31, 33, 35, 36, 38, 40, 43, 46, 48, 50, 51, 52, 56, 57, 59, 61, 63, 69, 77; C.I. Disperse Green 9; C.I.Disperse Brown 1, 2, 4, 9, 13, 19; C.I. Disperse Blue 3, 7, 9, 14, 16, 19, 20, 26, 27, 35, 43, 44, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 71, 72, 73, 75, 79, 81, 82, 83, 87, 91, 93, 94, 95, 96, 102, 106, 108, 112, 113, 115, 118, 120, 122, 125, 128, 130, 139, 141, 142, 143, 146, 148, 149, 153, 154, 158, 165, 167, 171, 173, 174, 176, 181, 183, 185, 186, 187, 189, 197, 198, 200, 201, 205, 207, 211, 214, 224, 225, 257, 259, 267, 268, 270, 284, 285, 287, 288, 291, 293, 295, 297, 301, 315, 330, 333, 359, 360; C.I. Disperse Black 1, 3, 10, 24 are mentioned.

[0126] The acid dyes are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include C.I. Acid Yellow 1, 3, 6, 11, 17, 18, 19, 23, 25, 36, 38, 40, 40:1, 42, 44, 49, 59, 59:1, 61, 65, 67, 72, 73, 79, 99, 104, 159, 169, 176, 184, 193, 200, 204, 207, 215, 219, 219:1, 220, 230, 232, 235, 241, 242, 246; C.I. Acid Orange 3, 7, 8, 10, 19, 22, 24, 33, 51, 51S, 56, 67, 74, 80, 86, 87, 88, 89, 94, 95, 107, 108, 116, 122, 127, 140, 142, 144, 149, 152, 156, 162, 166, 168, C.I. Acid Red 1, 6, 8, 9, 13, 18, 27, 35, 37, 52, 54, 57, 60, 73, 82, 88, 97, 97:1, 106, 111, 114, 118, 119, 127, 131, 138, 143, 145, 151, 183, 195, 198, 211, 215, 217, 225, 226, 249, 251, 254, 256, 257, 260, 261, 265, 266, 274, 276, 277, 289, 296, 299, 315, 318, 336, 337, 357, 359, 361, 362, 364, 366, 399, 407, 415; C.I. Acid Violet 17, 19, 21, 42, 43, 47, 48, 49, 54, 66, 78, 90, 97, 102, 109, 126; C.I. Acid Blue 1, 7, 9, 15, 23, 25, 40, 61:1, 62, 72, 74, 80, 83, 90, 92, 103, 104, 112, 113, 114, 120, 127, 127:1, 128, 129, 138, 140, 142, 156, 158, 171, 182, 185, 193, 199, 201, 203, 204, 205, 207, 209, 220, 221, 224, 225, 229, 230, 239, 258, 260, 264, 277:1, 278, 279, 280, 284, 290, 296, 298, 300, 317, 324, 333, 335, 338, 342, 350; C.I. Acid Green 9, 12, 16, 19, 20, 25, 27, 28, 40, 43, 56, 73, 81, 84, 104, 108, 109; C.I.Acid Brown 2, 4, 13, 14, 19, 28, 44, 123, 224, 226, 227, 248, 282, 283, 289, 294, 297, 298, 301, 355, 357, 413; C.I. Acid Black 1, 2, 3, 24, 24:1, 26, 31, 50, 52, 52:1, 58, 60, 63, 63S, 107, 109, 112, 119, 132, 140, 155, 172, 187, 188, 194, 207, 222 and the like can be mentioned.

[0127] As for basic dyes, although not particularly limited, for example, C.I. Basic Yellow 1, 2, 13, 19, 21, 25, 32, 36, 40, 51; C.I. Basic Red 1, 5, 12, 19, 22, 29, 37, 39, 92; C.I. Basic Blue 1, 3, 9, 11, 16, 17, 24, 28, 41, 45, 54, 65, 66; C.I. Basic Black 2, 8 and the like can be mentioned.

[0128] The direct dyes are not particularly limited. For example, C.I. Direct Yellow 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 22, 27, 28, 39, 44, 50, 58, 86, 87, 98, 105, 106, 130, 137, 142, 147, 153; C.I. Direct Orange 6, 26, 27, 34, 39, 40, 46, 102, 105, 107, 118; C.I. Direct Red 2, 4, 9, 23, 24, 31, 54, 62, 69, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 89, 95, 212, 224, 225, 226, 227, 239, 242, 243, 254; C.I. Direct Violet 9, 35, 51, 66, 94, 95; C.I. Direct Blue 1, 15, 71, 76, 77, 78, 80, 86, 87, 90, 98, 106, 108, 160, 168, 189, 192, 193, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 218, 225, 229, 237, 244, 248, 251, 270, 273, 274, 290, 291; C.I. Direct Green 26, 28, 59, 80, 85; C.I. Direct Brown 44, 44:1, 106, 115, 195, 209, 210, 212:1, 222, 223, C.I. Direct Black 17, 19, 22, 32, 51, 62, 108, 112, 113, 117, 118, 132, 146, 154, 159, 169, etc. can be mentioned.

[0129] The reactive dyes are not particularly limited. For example, C.I. Reactive Yellow 2, 3, 7, 15, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 37, 39, 42, 57, 69, 76, 81, 84, 85, 86, 87, 92, 95, 102, 105, 111, 125, 135, 136, 137, 142, 143, 145, 151, 160, 161, 165, 167, 168, 175, 176; C.I. Reactive Orange 1, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 20, 30, 35, 56, 64, 67, 69, 70, 72, 74, 82, 84, 86, 87, 91, 92, 93, 95, 99, 107; C.I. Reactive Red 2, 3, 3:1, 5, 8, 11, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35, 43, 45, 49, 55, 56, 58, 65, 66, 78, 83, 84, 106, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 120, 123, 124, 128, 130, 136, 141, 147, 158, 159, 171, 174, 180, 183, 184, 187, 190, 193, 194, 195, 198, 218, 220, 222, 223, 226, 228, 235, 245; C.I. Reactive Violet 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 22, 23, 33, 36, 38; C.I. Reactive Blue 2, 3, 4, 7, 13, 14, 15, 19, 21, 25, 27, 28, 29, 38, 39, 41, 49, 50, 52, 63, 69, 71, 72, 77, 79, 89, 104, 109, 112, 113, 114, 116, 119, 120, 122, 137, 140, 143, 147, 160, 161, 162, 163, 168, 171, 176, 182, 184, 191, 194, 195, 198, 203, 204, 207, 209, 211, 214, 220, 221, 222, 231, 235, 236; C.I. Reactive Green 8, 12, 15, 19, 21; C.I. Reactive Brown 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 31, 37, 43, 46; C.I. Reactive Black 5, 8, 13, 14, 31, 34, 39, etc. can be mentioned.

[0130] The dyes described above may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0131] Among these, pigments are preferred because they have good dispersibility with respect to the constituent components of the coloring material ink and are excellent in weather resistance.

[0132] The content of the coloring material is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of easily adjusting the viscosity of the coloring material ink within the above range and enabling the formation of a high-concentration image, it is preferably in the range of 4 to 15% by mass with respect to the coloring material ink. When the content of the coloring material is 4% by mass or more, not only can the viscosity of the coloring material ink be moderately increased, but it is also easy to form a high-concentration image. When the content of the coloring material is 15% by mass or less, the viscosity of the coloring material ink does not become too high, so nozzle clogging and the like are less likely to occur. From the same viewpoint, the content of the coloring material is more preferably in the range of 5 to 15% by mass with respect to the coloring material ink, and even more preferably in the range of 6.5 to 12% by mass.

[0133] [Hydrophobic polymer] The hydrophobic polymer is a water-dispersible polymer and can be a polymer dispersant, a water-dispersible resin (binder resin), or the like.

[0134] The type of the polymer dispersant is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include block copolymers, random copolymers, and salts thereof composed of two or more monomers selected from styrene, styrene derivatives, vinylnaphthalene derivatives, acrylic acid, acrylic acid derivatives, maleic acid, maleic acid derivatives, itaconic acid, itaconic acid derivatives, fumaric acid, and fumaric acid derivatives, polyoxyalkylene, polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether, and the like.

[0135] When the polymer dispersant has an acidic group such as a carboxy group, the acidic group is preferably neutralized with a neutralizing base. Examples of the neutralizing base include organic bases such as ammonia, monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, and morpholine.

[0136] Examples of the water-dispersible resin include urethane resins, butadiene resins, acrylic resins, polystyrene, and the like. Examples of the butadiene resin include styrene-butadiene copolymers and acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymers. Examples of the acrylic resin include acrylate copolymers, styrene-acrylic copolymers, silicone-acrylic copolymers, and acrylic-modified fluororesins. Among them, urethane resins and styrene-acrylic copolymers are preferred.

[0137] Examples of the styrene-acrylic copolymer include styrene-(meth)acrylic acid copolymers and styrene-(meth)acrylic acid-(meth)acrylate copolymers. Examples of the (meth)acrylate include benzyl (meth)acrylate, cyclohexyl (meth)acrylate, methyl (meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, propyl (meth)acrylate, butyl (meth)acrylate, hexyl (meth)acrylate, octyl (meth)acrylate, lauryl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl carbitol (meth)acrylate, phenol EO-modified (meth)acrylate, isobornyl (meth)acrylate, dicyclopentenyl (meth)acrylate, dicyclopentanyl (meth)acrylate, and dicyclopentenyl oxyethyl (meth)acrylate.

[0138] Urethane resin is a polymer obtained by reacting a polyol with a polyisocyanate. Examples of polyols include polypropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polytetramethylene glycol, poly(ethylene adipate), poly(diethylene adipate), poly(propylene adipate), poly(tetramethylene adipate), poly(hexamethylene adipate), poly-ε-caprolactone, poly(hexamethylene carbonate), and silicone polyol. Examples of isocyanates include tolylene diisocyanate, 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, xylylene diisocyanate, naphthalene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, hydrogenated tolylene diisocyanate, hydrogenated 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, and tetramethylxylylene diisocyanate.

[0139] The glass transition temperature Tg of the water-dispersible resin is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, in the range of -30 to 100 °C, preferably -10 to 50 °C, more preferably 20 to 40 °C.

[0140] The acid value of the water-dispersible resin is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of enhancing dispersion stability, etc., it is preferably 44 mgKOH / g or more, more preferably 60 mgKOH / g or more. The upper limit value of the acid value can be, for example, 110 mgKOH / g. The acid value can be measured according to JIS K0070.

[0141] The average particle diameter of the water-dispersible resin is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of making it less likely to cause nozzle clogging of the head, it is preferably 300 nm or less, more preferably 130 nm or less. The average particle diameter of the water-dispersible resin can be measured by laser diffraction scattering particle size distribution measurement.

[0142] The content of the hydrophobic polymer is appropriately set according to its type. For example, when the hydrophobic polymer is a polymer dispersant, the content of the polymer dispersant is preferably in the range of, for example, 4% by mass or less, preferably 0.8 to 2% by mass, based on the colorant ink. When the polymer dispersant is 0.8% by mass or more, the dispersibility of solid colorants such as pigments can be easily increased sufficiently, and when it is 4% by mass or less, an excessive increase in viscosity can be easily suppressed.

[0143] When the hydrophobic polymer is a water-dispersible resin (binder resin), from the viewpoint of easily adjusting the viscosity of the colorant ink within the above range, etc., the content of the water-dispersible resin (binder resin) is preferably 1 to 15% by mass based on the colorant ink. When the content of the water-dispersible resin is 1% by mass or more, it is easy to moderately increase the viscosity of the colorant ink, so not only can the ejection stability be further improved, but also the adhesion of the obtained image to the fabric and the rubbing resistance can be easily enhanced. When the content of the water-dispersible resin is 15% by mass or less, the viscosity of the colorant ink does not become too high, so nozzle clogging, etc. is less likely to occur. From the same viewpoint, the content of the water-dispersible resin is more preferably 2 to 10% by mass based on the colorant ink.

[0144] When the hydrophobic polymer contains both a polymer dispersant and a water-dispersible resin, from the viewpoint of easily adjusting the viscosity of the colorant ink within the above range, the total amount of the hydrophobic polymer is preferably 1 to 20% by mass, preferably 2 to 15% by mass, based on the colorant ink.

[0145] 〔Water-soluble organic solvent〕 Examples of the water-soluble organic solvent can be the same compounds as the water-soluble organic solvents in the functional ink. Among them, from the viewpoint of easily moderately increasing the viscosity of the colorant ink, the water-soluble organic solvent preferably contains polyhydric alcohols. From the viewpoint of easily increasing the viscosity of the colorant ink, the polyhydric alcohols preferably contain trihydric or higher alcohols, and more preferably contain glycerin.

[0146] The content of polyhydric alcohols is preferably moderately high. Specifically, the content of polyhydric alcohols is preferably in the range of 25 to 50% by mass with respect to the coloring material ink. When the content of polyhydric alcohols is above a certain level, it is easy to increase the viscosity of the coloring material ink, and when it is below a certain level, it is easy to suppress nozzle clogging due to the viscosity of the coloring material ink becoming too high. From the same perspective, the content of polyhydric alcohols is more preferably in the range of 30 to 45% by mass with respect to the coloring material ink.

[0147] 〔Other Components〕 The coloring material ink may further contain other components as required. Examples of other components include solvents, surfactants, preservatives, antifungal agents, rust inhibitors, pH adjusters, etc.

[0148] The surfactant has a function of controlling the surface tension of the coloring material ink. When the constituent components of the coloring material ink contain an anionic compound, the ionic property of the surfactant is preferably anionic, nonionic or betaine type. As the surfactant, the same surfactants as those described for the functional ink can be exemplified.

[0149] Examples of the preservative or antifungal agent include aromatic halogen compounds (e.g., Preventol CMK), methylene dithiocyanate, halogen-containing nitrogen-sulfur compounds, 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one (e.g., PROXEL GXL), etc.

[0150] Examples of the pH adjuster include urea, sodium hydroxide, etc.

[0151] (Control Unit) The control unit 30 controls the pretreatment unit 10 and the printing unit 20 according to the penetration image as described in the above (1-1) and (1-2), respectively. The penetration image may be formed within the control unit 30 or may be a penetration image defined by the user externally.

[0152] The control unit 30 is mounted on a computer and is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The computer on which the control unit 30 is mounted further includes a storage unit composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. Various programs for operating each part of the printing and dyeing apparatus 100 are stored in the storage unit. The control unit 30 expands various programs stored in the ROM etc. into the working area of the RAM, for example, and by executing the programs in the control unit 30, each part of the printing and dyeing apparatus 100 is integrally controlled.

[0153] Hereinafter, the main parts of the control system of the printing and dyeing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows a case where a penetration degree image is formed in the control unit 30 of the printing and dyeing apparatus 100.

[0154] In FIG. 2, the control unit 30 is installed in the control device (computer) 106 together with the storage unit 50 and the information acquisition unit 40. The control unit 30 includes a preprocessing control unit 31, a printing and dyeing control unit 32, a penetration degree image forming unit 33, etc. In addition to these, the control unit 30 has control units for controlling the fabric feeding unit 101, the conveying unit 103, the drying unit 105, and the fabric collecting unit 102 respectively, but the description is omitted in FIG. 2.

[0155] In the control device 106, using various data acquired by the information acquisition unit 40 from an external device, calculations are performed by a program stored in the ROM of the storage unit 50, and based on the result, the control unit 30 controls each part of the printing and dyeing apparatus 100. In the preprocessing control unit 31 and the printing and dyeing control unit 32, based on the penetration degree image formed by the penetration degree image forming unit 33, the functional ink coating device 11 of the preprocessing unit 10 and the coloring material ink coating device 21 of the printing and dyeing unit 20 are controlled.

[0156] In the block diagram of FIG. 2, as data acquired by the information acquisition unit 40 from an external device, a fingerprint image 41, fabric pattern information 42, and temperature / humidity 43 are shown. Among these, the fingerprint image 41 is essential data. The fabric pattern information 42 and the temperature / humidity 43 are optional data, and the information acquisition unit 40 can also acquire various other data.

[0157] The penetration image is formed by being calculated by a program stored in the storage unit 50 based on the fingerprint image 41 in the penetration image forming unit 33. The program is preferably a program in which the calculation is set so that the penetration degree of the penetration image increases according to the height of the color density of the fingerprint image 41, for example.

[0158] As the color density of the fingerprint image 41, for example, CIE1976L * a * b * in the color space can be used. L * represents the lightness of the color, and the smaller the value, the higher the color density. Therefore, the relationship between the value of L * and the penetration degree is a linear polynomial relationship with a negative proportionality coefficient. When forming the penetration image using L * as an index, for example, the value of L * measured in pixel units is inserted into the above linear polynomial to obtain the penetration degree in pixel units and create the penetration image. *

[0159] Also, the penetration image is preferably an image targeting a non-edge portion excluding an edge portion having a predetermined width from the fingerprint image 41, for example. In this case, the control unit 30 has, for example, a contour detection unit that detects the contour of the fingerprint image 41. The contour of the fingerprint image 41 can be detected as a boundary with a large difference in image shading by various methods (Sobel method, Laplacian of Gaussian method, Canny method, etc.) with respect to the fingerprint image 41 before halftone processing when determining the arrangement of pixels to which the colorant ink In is applied by performing halftone processing on the fingerprint image 41.

[0160] The edge part of the impressed image is an area having a predetermined width inward from the contour of the impressed image. Examples of the predetermined width include 0.05 to 10 mm, and preferably 0.2 to 1 mm. The area excluding the edge part from the impressed image is the non-edge part. In order to apply the functional ink only to the non-edge part of the impressed image, a penetration degree image corresponding to the non-edge part of the impressed image is formed. The method for forming the penetration degree image can be performed in the same manner as described above.

[0161] When using a user-defined penetration degree image, data of the user-defined penetration degree image input from an external device is transmitted to the penetration degree image forming unit 33 in the block diagram of FIG. 2.

[0162] In the printing and dyeing apparatus 100, the preprocessing control unit 31 controls (1-1) the penetration adjustment process in the preprocessing unit 10 so that the higher the penetration degree, the greater the increase in penetration. For this purpose, in the control device 106, for example, based on the penetration degree image obtained as described above, the application amount of the functional ink Pr corresponding to the penetration degree of each pixel is obtained by the program in the storage unit 50, and a functional ink application image indicating the application position and application amount of the functional ink Pr is formed. Then, based on the functional ink application image, the preprocessing control unit 31 operates to cause the preprocessing unit 10 to apply the functional ink Pr.

[0163] As the functional ink Pr, for example, depending on the type of fabric, a penetration suppressing ink or a penetration promoting ink is used. The application amount of the functional ink Pr can be in the range of approximately 0 to 100 g / m 2 in both cases of the penetration suppressing ink and the penetration promoting ink, and preferably in the range of 0 to 30 g / m 2 The ratio of the application amount of the colorant ink In to the application amount of the functional ink Pr can be in the range of 0 to 1000 mass% in both cases of the penetration suppressing ink and the penetration promoting ink, and preferably in the range of 0 to 200 mass%.

[0164] In the padding device 100, the padding control unit 32 controls the application amount of the coloring material ink in the (1-2) padding unit 20 to increase as the penetration degree becomes higher. For this purpose, in the control device 106, for example, based on the penetration degree image and the padding image 41 obtained as described above, the application amount of the coloring material ink In for each pixel is obtained by the program in the storage unit 50, and a coloring material ink application image indicating the application position and application amount of the coloring material ink In is formed. Then, based on the coloring material ink application image, the padding control unit 32 operates to cause the padding unit 20 to apply the coloring material ink In.

[0165] Incidentally, the padding device 100 has, for example, an image processing unit in the control device 106 and has a function of performing a color separation process for decomposing the padding image 41 into color images of four colors, C, M, Y, and K. The application position and application amount of the coloring material ink In for each color are obtained in pixel units based on the C image, M image, Y image, and K image generated by the color separation process and the penetration degree image obtained as described above. For example, if the coloring material ink application image obtained from the C image and the penetration degree image is defined as a cyan ink application image, the application amount of the cyan ink application image can be set to 0.5 to 3 times the application amount of the ink in the C image according to the penetration degree in the penetration degree image. The same applies to the application amounts of the coloring material inks of other colors.

[0166] As the application amount of the coloring material ink Pr, for example, as the total amount of the four colors C, M, Y, and K, it can be in the range of approximately 0 to 150 g / m 2 and the range of 0 to 50 g / m 2 is preferable. Note that the application amount of the coloring material ink being 0 g / m 2 means an area having the same color as the fabric in the padding image, for example, a white area when the fabric is white.

[0167] The penetration degree image described above is, for example, a penetration degree image under a reference environment for a reference fabric. Therefore, in forming the penetration degree image, it is preferable to further add factors such as the fabric state information 42 or the temperature and humidity 43. In FIG. 2, the temperature and humidity indicate the environmental temperature and the environmental relative humidity.

[0168] Examples of the fabric aspect information include the type of fiber constituting the fabric, the thickness of the fabric, the fiber density of the fabric, the chemical fiber ratio in the fiber constituting the fabric, the weaving method of the fabric, and the thickness of the fiber constituting the fabric.

[0169] As for the thickness of the fabric, a range of approximately 0.1 to 2.0 mm is applicable to the present invention, and a range of 0.1 to 1.0 mm is preferable in terms of significantly expressing the effects of the present invention. As for the fiber density of the fabric, a range of approximately 10 to 1000 g / m 2 is applicable to the present invention, and a range of 50 to 300 g / m 2 is preferable in terms of significantly expressing the effects of the present invention.

[0170] Examples of the type of fiber constituting the fabric include natural fibers (hydrophilic fibers) such as cotton, hemp, wool, or silk, and chemical fibers such as rayon, vinylon, nylon, acrylic, polyurethane, polyester, or acetate.

[0171] There are preferable combinations between the fiber constituting the fabric and the coloring material ink from the perspective of permeability. Such combinations include, for example, a coloring material ink containing a reactive dye and a fiber mainly composed of cellulose (such as cotton, hemp, rayon, etc.), a coloring material ink containing an acid dye and silk, wool, nylon fiber, a basic dye and acrylic fiber, a coloring material ink containing a direct dye and cotton, hemp, rayon, and a coloring material ink containing a disperse dye and polyester fiber. Among these, a coloring material ink containing a reactive dye and a fiber mainly composed of cellulose, a coloring material ink containing an acid dye and silk, wool, nylon fiber are preferable. However, the combination of the fiber constituting the fabric and the coloring material ink is not limited to this.

[0172] The yarn used for producing the fabric is not limited to pure yarn, and may be blended yarn or ply yarn. For a fabric in which the warp and weft are the same type of fiber, it is sufficient to specify the type information of the fiber of either the warp or the weft. For a fabric using different types of fibers for the warp and weft, such as an interwoven fabric, it is preferable to specify the type information of the fibers of the warp and weft respectively.

[0173] The unit representing the fiber thickness may be count, tex, denier, etc. The fiber thickness is generally applicable to the present invention in the range of 10 to 100 denier.

[0174] As for the weaving method of the fabric, there are woven fabric, non-woven fabric, knitted fabric, etc. Among the types of weaving methods in woven fabric, there are plain weave, twill weave, and crepe weave, etc. depending on the combination of warp and weft. The fabric may be a blended woven fabric or a blended non-woven fabric of two or more types of fibers.

[0175] The chemical fiber ratio in the fibers constituting the fabric is shown as the mass% of the chemical fiber contained with respect to the total amount of the fabric.

[0176] Regarding the aspect information of the fabric, the higher the thickness of the fabric and the higher the fiber density of the fabric, the higher the penetration degree is set. Also, the higher the chemical fiber ratio in the fibers constituting the fabric and the thicker the fiber thickness, the lower the penetration degree is set.

[0177] Also, regarding temperature and humidity, the higher the environmental temperature, the lower the penetration degree is set. The higher the environmental relative humidity, the lower the penetration degree is set.

[0178] (Drying section) The drying section 105 dries the coloring material ink In applied by the printing section 20. The drying means is not particularly limited, and it is preferably heating by hot air, a hot plate, or a heat roller. From the viewpoint of sufficiently removing the solvent component in a short time, heat drying is more preferable. The drying temperature is preferably within the range of 100 to 130°C.

[0179] (Fixing section) The padding device 100 may have a fixing unit on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the drying unit 105 as required. The fixing unit is a member that fixes the remaining portion (the solid content of the colorant ink In) to the fabric by further heating or the like after removing the volatile components in the colorant ink In in the drying unit 105. By passing through the drying unit 105 and an optional fixing unit, the colorant ink can exhibit the desired hue. Examples of the heating means in the fixing unit include heating means by the normal pressure steam method, the high pressure steam method, the thermofix method, etc. Note that it is also possible for the drying unit 105 to also serve as the fixing unit.

[0180] (Fabric recovery unit) The fabric recovery unit 102 is provided on the downstream side of the drying unit 105, and recovers the printed fabric 3 on which the colorant ink In has been dried in the drying unit 105 while winding it up. Alternatively, in the case of a configuration in which the fabrics separated one by one are conveyed, the fabric recovery unit 102 may be the fabric discharge unit where the printed fabric T3 is discharged.

[0181] [Padding method] The padding method of the present invention has a pretreatment step, a printing step, and a control step, and each step is executed as follows.

[0182] In the pretreatment step, a process for adjusting the permeability of the colorant ink to the fabric is performed. In the printing step, the colorant ink is applied to the fabric to print an image. The control step controls the pretreatment step and the printing step according to the penetration degree image as follows in (2-1) and (2-2) respectively.

[0183] (2-1) Control the permeability adjustment process in the pretreatment step so that the higher the penetration degree, the greater the increase in permeability. (2-2) Control the application amount of the colorant ink in the printing step so that the higher the penetration degree, the greater the increase.

[0184] As an embodiment of the printing and dyeing method of the present invention, from the viewpoint of the manifestation of the effects of the present invention, the pretreatment step is preferably performed by a mechanism that applies a functional ink containing a penetration inhibitor or a penetration promoter to the fabric by an inkjet method, and the control step preferably controls the application amount and application position of the functional ink according to the penetration degree image.

[0185] As an embodiment of the printing and dyeing method of the present invention, it is preferable that the control step adjusts the penetration degree image according to the mode information of the fabric. In the mode of using the above functional ink, correspondingly, the application amount of the functional ink and the application amount of the colorant ink are changed. The mode information of the fabric is preferably at least one selected from the type of fiber constituting the fabric, the thickness of the fabric, the fiber density of the fabric, the chemical fiber ratio in the fiber constituting the fabric, the weaving method of the fabric, and the thickness of the fiber constituting the fabric.

[0186] Also, it is preferable that the control step adjusts the penetration degree image according to the environmental temperature and the environmental relative humidity. In the mode of using the above functional ink, correspondingly, the application amount of the functional ink and the application amount of the colorant ink are changed.

[0187] As an embodiment of the printing and dyeing method of the present invention, from the viewpoint of the manifestation of the effects of the present invention, the penetration degree image is preferably an image set so that the penetration degree increases according to the height of the color density of the image printed by the printing part.

[0188] As an embodiment of the printing and dyeing method of the present invention, from the viewpoint of the manifestation of the effects of the present invention, the penetration degree image is preferably an image targeted at a non-edge part excluding an edge part having a predetermined width from the image printed by the printing part.

[0189] As an embodiment of the printing and dyeing method of the present invention, from the viewpoint of the manifestation of the effects of the present invention, it is preferable to use a penetration degree image defined by the user as the penetration degree image.

[0190] In the printing and dyeing method of the present invention, further, in addition to the pretreatment step, the printing step, and the control step, there may be other steps. Examples of the other steps include, for example, a functional ink drying step provided between the pretreatment step and the printing step to dry the functional ink applied to the fabric in the pretreatment step, a drying step provided after the printing step to dry the coloring material ink applied to the fabric in the printing step, a fixing step provided after the drying step to fix the coloring material ink on the fabric, and the like.

[0191] The printing and dyeing method of the present invention can be carried out, for example, using the above-described printing and dyeing apparatus of the present invention. The details of each step in the present invention are as described in the operations of each constituent member in the printing and dyeing apparatus of the present invention described above.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0192] 100 Printing and Dyeing Apparatus 10 Pretreatment Section 20 Printing Section 30 Control Section 101 Fabric Feeding Section 102 Fabric Recovery Section 103 Conveying Section 105 Drying Section

Claims

1. A printing and dyeing apparatus having a pretreatment unit for a fabric, a printing unit for applying a coloring material ink to the fabric to print an image, and a control unit, wherein the pretreatment unit performs a process of adjusting the permeability of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric, the control unit controls the adjustment process of the permeability in the pretreatment unit so that the permeability increases as the permeability is higher, according to a permeability image representing a distribution of the required permeability in the image printed by the printing unit of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric, and controls the application amount of the coloring material ink in the printing unit so that the application amount increases as the permeability is higher, the pretreatment unit has a mechanism for applying a functional ink containing a penetration inhibitor or a penetration promoter to the fabric by an inkjet method, and the control unit controls the application amount and application position of the functional ink according to the permeability image. A printing and dyeing apparatus characterized by that.

2. The printing and dyeing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts the permeability image according to the mode information of the fabric.

3. The printing and dyeing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mode information of the fabric is at least one selected from the type of fiber constituting the fabric, the thickness of the fabric, the fiber density of the fabric, the chemical fiber ratio in the fiber constituting the fabric, the weaving method of the fabric, and the thickness of the fiber constituting the fabric.

4. The printing and dyeing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit adjusts the permeability image according to the environmental temperature and the environmental relative humidity.

5. The printing and dyeing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the permeability image is an image set so that the permeability increases according to the height of the color density of the image printed by the printing unit.

6. The printing and dyeing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the permeability image is an image targeted at a non-edge portion excluding an edge portion having a predetermined width from the image printed by the printing unit.

7. The printing and dyeing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a permeability image defined by a user is used as the permeability image.

8. The mechanism for applying the functional ink applies at least one of a first functional ink containing the penetration inhibitor and a second functional ink containing the penetration promoter. The printing and dyeing apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a functional ink selected from the first functional ink and the second functional ink is applied according to the penetration degree.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a functional ink selected from the first functional ink and the second functional ink is applied according to the type of the fabric.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism includes a first mechanism for applying a functional ink containing the penetration inhibitor and a second mechanism for applying a functional ink containing the penetration promoter.

12. A printing method including a pre-treatment step of the fabric, a printing step of applying a coloring material ink to the fabric to print an image, and a control step, wherein the pre-treatment step performs a process of adjusting the penetrability of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric, the control step controls the adjustment process of the penetrability in the pre-treatment step so that the penetrability increases as the penetration degree is higher according to a penetration degree image representing a distribution of the penetration degree required in the image printed in the printing step of the coloring material ink with respect to the fabric, and controls the application amount of the coloring material ink in the printing step so that the application amount increases as the penetration degree is higher, the pre-treatment step is performed by a mechanism that applies a functional ink containing a penetration inhibitor or a penetration promoter to the fabric by an inkjet method, and the control step controls the application amount and application position of the functional ink according to the penetration degree image.

Images