Dyeing & Printing Assignment on

“DISCHARGE STYLE OF PRINTING”

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

Ms. Aboli Naik Aanchal Saxena

Assistant Professor Swati Shukla

DFT, NIFT Mumbai B.F.Tech (Sem. III)

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SR. NO. TOPIC PAGE NO.

1. Introduction 1-2

2. Discharge Printing process 2

3. Dye selection 3

4. Discharging agent 3

5. Other chemicals and auxiliaries, additives 3-4

and thickeners

6. Advantages & disadvantages of discharge 4-5

printing

7. An interesting example 5

8. Conclusion 5

9. Bibliography 6
 INTRODUCTION

Discharge means removal and discharging system means the process which can produce a
white or coloured effect on a previously dyed ground.

Discharge printing is also called Extract printing. In this method the fabric is pre-dyed to a
solid shade by a traditional dyeing process and the colour is then destroyed locally, by
chemicals incorporated in the print paste especially for that purpose. The discharging of
colour from previously dyed ground is carried out by a discharging agent (example, chlorine
or hydrosulphite) which is actually a oxidizing and reducing agent capable of destroying
colour by oxidation and reduction. The result is a white patterned discharge on a coloured
ground.

In “white” discharge printing, the fabric is piece dyed, then printed with a paste containing a
chemical that reduces the dye and hence removes the colour where the white designs are
desired. In “coloured” discharge printing, a dye impervious to the bleaching agent is
combined with it, producing a coloured design instead of white on the dyed ground. A colour
is added to the discharge paste in order to replace the discharged colour with another
shade.

Exhibit 1: White Discharge Print Exhibit 2: Coloured Discharge Print

Discharge printing has been around for decades, but only in the past 7 to 8 years, screen
printers in the industry have recognised it seriously. In the early years of discharge printing,
the finished discharge print needed to be steamed during the drying process. This
discouraged the use of discharge systems in the finished garment industry. The newly
developed discharged ink systems are chemically reactive and don’t need to be steam-
neutralised. This advancement opened the door to discharge printing for the average screen
printers.
Discharge printing has the ability to make bright, opaque colours on dark fabrics with a soft
hand. Years ago, the idea of opaque colours on dark fabrics and soft hand couldn’t co-exist.
Successful light-on-dark printing with plastisol relies on increased pigment load, fillers and
other additives to block out the colour of the garment. Discharge inks modify the garment
colour by removing the garment colour and replacing it with the new ink colour. In simple
terms, the discharge ink “bleaches” out the dye in the fabric, thus allowing the pigment in
the ink to absorb into the fabric fibres.

The real magic of discharge printing can be witnessed when printing four colour process on
black 100% cotton fabrics. The print before curing appears very transparent. One can barely
see the print until the fabric exits the oven chamber, where the result can be quite
remarkable: bright, vivid colours with a soft hand.

The decrease in the production time is the biggest bonus of all. The fact that flash curing
can be skipped completely, saves hours of production time and eliminates registration
problems between the designs’ colours and white printers. However, the flash curing can be
used in conjunction with discharge printing when printing discharge as an under base.

Cleaner and more transparent inks can also be printed onto dark garments with the help of
discharge additives. Earlier, discharge additives were designed only for water based inks,
but plastisol additives are available now. The discharge paste is printed on the dyed fabric
with the help of a printing machine, followed by a steaming process that brings about
decomposition of the dye. The steamed fabric is then washed, dried, and finished.

DISCHARGE PRINTING PROCESS

The processes involved usually occur in the following order:

Printing Steaming
Preparati Dyeing of the under Washing
Preparati Packing,
on of fabric discharge atmosphe and
on of billing,
fabric to with paste Drying ric soaping Drying Finishing
discharge and
be discharge onto the condition as
paste shipping
printed able dyes dyed s or under required
fabric pressure
 DYE SELECTION
The choice of dyes is facilitated by the dyes manufacturers that usually classify their
products on a discharge-ability scale ranging from 1 to 5. A dye that is classified as 5 or 4-5
on the scale would be suitable for a white discharge. For a coloured discharge, a dye
classified as 4 would be acceptable or even a 3-4 with very deep illuminating colours. Those
dyes that have a discharge-ability of only 1 are virtually not dischargeable and are therefore
suitable as the illuminating colours in coloured discharge styles. Only a trial under actual
working conditions can provide full and final information on the suitability of a dye for
discharge printing. The correct choice of dye is of fundamental importance in successful
discharge printing. Dyes that are suitable for dischargeable ground usually contain azo
groups which can be split by reduction. Other examples of dischargeable dyes include C.I.
Acid Yellow 17 and C.I. Basic Blue 41. The final choice of dye depends on the colour
required, the reducing agent being used, and the substrate used.

DISCHARGING AGENT
Discharge style depends on the chemical destruction of the original dye in the printed areas
to produce a given pattern. The discharging agents used can consist of oxidizing or
reducing agents, acids, alkalis, or various salts. The main problem with using an oxidizing
agent in the oxidation process is the adverse effect of the agent on the cotton substrate.
Cotton can easily be tendered by an oxidizing agent if the proper conditions are not
maintained. The most important methods of discharging are based on reduction. This
general method can be varied and adapted to give discharge with most classes of dyes in
use and on most types of fabrics.
The most widely used reducing agents are the formaldehyde sulphoxylates. The stability of
these compounds is such that only limited losses of sulphoxylate occur during printing and
prior to steaming. The use of sodium formaldehyde sulphoxylate (sold as Formosul by Ciba
or Rongalite by BASF) is very popular. The actual amount of reducing agent required for
optimum discharge will depend on:
 The dyes to be discharged
 The depth of the ground
 The fabric being printed

OTHER CHEMICALS AND AUXILIARIES, ADDITIVES AND THICKENERS

 Anthraquinone: Anthraquinone is often used to improve the discharge effect of a
reducing agent and is therefore used on fabrics dyed with those selected azo dyes
 that are difficult to discharge in its absence. During steaming this chemical catalyst is
reduced to hydroanthraquinone which, in turn, reduces the dye and is itself
reconverted to anthraquinone. This cycle is continued until reduction of the dye is
complete. However, to prevent subsequent discolouration, all anthraquinone must be
removed in the washing process.
 Leucotropes: Leucotropes are compounds of certain tertiary bases with benzyl
chloride and its substitution products. These compounds are used to improve
whiteness in discharge portion.
 Humectants and Penetrating Agents: Humectants and penetrating agents aid
penetration during teaming and consist of chemicals such as glycerol,
ethyleneglycols urea, thiodiglycol, glycerene, carriers, etc.
 Other additives: Other chemical additives used in the discharge printing process
include TiO2, ZnO2, ZnSO4, thiourea dioxide, and fluorescent brighteners.
 Thickeners: In discharge printing, the correct choice of thickener is very important.
The printing manager must know and should have hands-on experience about the
thickener’s stability in the presence of reducing agents under steaming conditions.
Non-ionic thickeners are necessary and anionic thickeners, such as the
carboxymethylated types, should be avoided. Low pH can give rise to speckled
prints. The control of penetration with humectants and use of high solids content
thickeners will help. To achieve a good printing pattern, controlling the viscosity of the
discharge-print paste, the amount of print paste applied, and the steaming conditions
will help.

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF DISCHARGE PRINTING

Advantages:

 Large areas of ground of ground colour are possible.

 Delicate colours and intricate patterns possible on deep ground colour, excellent
depth and clarity possible.
 Higher production cost but long lasting unique styles.

Disadvantages:

 It is an expensive process.
 Two stage application involved in dyeing or padding and discharge printing.
  Limited choice of ground and motif colours.
 Requires rigid process care that any default will lead to damages

AN INTERESTING EXAMPLE

The graphics on the casino gaming tables are printed with discharge inks to avoid the
interference of the printed line with the roll of the dyes. If the ink on these tables were
printed with plastisol, the ink film (because it is a surface print) would change the speed and
direction of the dice, thus changing the way the dice land. Discharge ink, on the other hand,
provides a dyed-in-the-fabric result, keeping the playing surface smooth.

Exhibit 3: A casino gaming table

CONCLUSION
With any industrial process, there must be sound technical and commercial reasons for the
conception and continuation of the process. In the case of discharge printing, the following
considerations determine the usefulness of the process compared with other printing
techniques:
 Printed materials with large areas of ground colour can be produced
 Colour depth, levelness, and penetration would be difficult to obtain by other styles of
printing
 Delicate colours and intricate patterns can be reproduced on grounds of any depth,
with a clarity and sharpness that have become the hallmarks of this style of printing.
The extra process required and the additional cost of discharge pastes means production
costs are higher. However, the aesthetically superior results give the product a higher value,
therefore enabling profit margins to be maintained or improved. The higher cost of
discharge printing is often offset.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 http://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2011/05/discharge-style-printing-
process_7450.html#ixzz4PuoBTxxE
 http://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2011/07/printing-style-style-of-
printing_9881.html#ixzz4PupoeueJ
 https://textileapex.blogspot.in/2015/02/discharge-printing.html
 http://infohouse.p2ric.org/ref/39/38502.pdf
 TEXTILES: Fiber to Fabric by Bernard P. Corbman (Chapter 12: Printing and
Flocking)