Printing Paste Preparation

Dye Printing process traditionally starts with the preparation of the paste. Compared to pigment
printing, the composition of the pastes is more complex and variable, being determined not by
the dye used, but by the printing technique, the substrate, the application and the fixation
methods applied.

Apart from the dye, printing pastes contain a thickening agent and various other auxiliaries,
which can be classified according to their function as follows:
Oxidizing agents (e.g. m-nitrobenzenesulphonate, sodium chlorate, hydrogen peroxide)
Reducing agents (e.g. sodium dithionite, formaldehyde sulphoxylates, thiourea dioxide,
tin(II) chloride)
Discharging agents for discharge printing (e.g. anthraquinone)
Substances with a hydrotropic effect, like urea
Dye solubilisers, which are polar organic solvents like glycerine, ethylen glycol, butyl
glycol, thiodiglycol, etc.
Resists for reactive resist printing (e.g. sulphonated alkanes)
Defoamers, (e.g. silicon compounds, organic and inorganic esters, aliphatic esters,
etc.).All the necessary ingredients are metered (dosed) and mixed together in a mixing
station. Since between 5 and 10 different printing pastes are usually necessary to print a
single pattern (in some cases up to 20 different pastes are applied), in order to reduce
losses, due to incorrect measurement, the preparation of the pastes is done in automatic
stations. In modern plants, with the help of special devices, the exact amount of printing
paste required is determined and prepared in continuous mode for each printing position,
thus reducing leftovers at the end of the run.
It is common practice in many printing houses to filter the printing pastes before application,
using for example a filter cloth. This operation is especially important for thickeners to prevent
free particles from blocking the openings of the screens.