Reactive dye printing with mixed thickeners on viscose

The rheology of binary mixtures of three anionic thickeners, alginate, carb oxymethyl starch (CMS) and a modified polyacrylic acid has been measured. T wo reactive dyes were printed from pastes based on these mixtures. The prin ting (amount applied, penetration, fixation) and the final print (colour yi eld, levelness, fabric stiffening) were assessed. Several of the mixtures s howed dye-dependent behavior, and evidence suggests that the CMS undergoes interactions with one of the dyes used. in small amounts alginate and CMS s eem effective as a rheology modifiers, with CMS avoiding dye-dependent rheo logy changes and providing high colour yields. Other parameters are dye-dep endent. While the study does not include the thickeners used singly, the mo st advantageous mixture seems to be a modified polyacrylic acid with a smal l addition of CMS. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.