A fabric processing method of the present disclosure includes an attaching step of attaching a carboxylic anhydride to a fabric containing cellulose, and an esterification step of esterifying a hydroxyl group of the cellulose, in which, in the esterification step, the carboxylic acid is introduced into the cellulose through an ester bond. A molecular weight of the carboxylic anhydride preferably is 1000 or less.

An intermediate transfer member (ITM) (210, 310, 320, 330, 400, 410, 420, 430, 500, 520, 540, 600, 700, 802) configured for receiving ink droplets to form an ink image thereon and for transferring the ink image to a target substrate (226), the TTM (210, 310, 320, 330, 400, 410, 420, 430, 500, 520, 540, 600, 700, 802) includes one or more layers (273, 277, 373, 379, 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 704, 706, 708, 712) and one or more markers (33, 333, 335, 392, 408, 418, 428, 448, 458, 612, 710, 804, 806) integrated with at least one of the one or more layers (273, 277, 373, 379, 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 704, 706, 708, 712) at one or more respective marking locations along the ITM (210, 310, 320, 330, 400, 410, 420, 430, 500, 520, 540, 600, 700).

The invention relates to a transfer paper (4) for use for transferring a print of ink onto a fabric, said transfer paper comprising: i) a base paper (2); ii) an additive (8) comprising a starch component, and a binding agent; wherein said starch component being a starch selected from the group comprising: unmodified starch or a modified starch or a mixture thereof; and wherein said binding agent being a binding agent selected from the group comprising: an alkyl ketene dimer, a tall oil/fumaric acid copolymer, a styrene/acrylate copolymer and an alkenyl succinic anhydride and a mixture thereof; wherein said base paper (2) comprises an amount of said additive by being impregnated therewith; and wherein said base paper (2) having a water uptake as defined by a Cobb-45 value of 10-100 g/m.sup.2 and a having a Gurley porosity of 10-140 seconds. The present invention furthermore relates to uses of the transfer paper (4).

Method and system for thermal transfer printing are disclosed. The system includes a transfer member having an imaging surface on the front side, a coating station at which a monolayer of particles made of, or coated with, a thermoplastic polymer is applied to the imaging surface, an imaging station at which electromagnetic radiation (EM) is applied via the rear side of the transfer member to selected regions of the particles-coated imaging surface to render the particles thereon tacky within the selected regions, and a transfer station at which only the regions of the particles coating that have been rendered tacky are transferred to a substrate. The transfer member includes on its rear side a body transparent to EM radiation and on its front side an EM radiation absorbing layer, the imaging surface being formed on, or as part of, the absorbing layer.

A printing process is disclosed which comprises directing droplets of an ink onto an intermediate transfer member to form an ink image, the ink including an organic polymeric resin and a coloring agent in an aqueous carrier, and the transfer member having a hydrophobic outer surface so that each ink droplet in the ink image spreads on impinging upon the intermediate transfer member to form an ink film. The ink is dried while the ink image is being transported by the intermediate transfer member by evaporating the aqueous carrier from the ink image to leave a residue film of resin and coloring agent. The residue film is then transferred to a substrate. The chemical compositions of the ink and of the surface of the intermediate transfer member are selected such that attractive intermolecular forces between molecules in the outer skin of each droplet and on the surface of the intermediate transfer member counteract the tendency of the ink film produced by each droplet to bead under the action of the surface tension of the aqueous carrier, without causing each droplet to spread by wetting the surface of the intermediate transfer member.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a method of indirect printing with an aqueous ink formulation applied to the surface of the intermediate transfer member. Related apparatus, systems and treatment formulations are disclosed herein.

Provided is a textile printing paper for use in a paper printing method, the textile printing paper being excellent in color development on a printing substrate, transferred unevenness suppressing property and strike-through resistance while satisfying the requirements for adhesiveness of a printed paper to a printing substrate. The textile printing paper comprises a base paper and a glue layer on a surface of the base paper, the base paper having a sizing degree of 10 g/m.sup.2 to 40 g/m.sup.2 as measured according to JIS P 8140:1998.

Provided is a flooring comprising a multilayer structure comprising successively at least one wear layer, a decorative layer and a sublayer, wherein the decorative layer is in the form of a non-woven textile sheet impregnated with a binder and one of the faces of said non-woven textile sheet comprises a decoration printed with ink. The invention also provides a method for obtaining such flooring.

An image recording method includes an intermediate image-forming step of forming an intermediate image by applying an ink to an intermediate transfer body, a temperature adjusting step, and a transfer step of transferring the intermediate image onto a recording medium in this order. The ink contains polymer particles and a surfactant which is at least one selected from a compound represented by general formula (1) and a compound represented by general formula (2). In the temperature adjusting step, a temperature of the intermediate image is adjusted to a temperature higher than or equal to a minimum film-forming temperature of the polymer particles. A temperature of the intermediate image in the transfer step is lower than the minimum film-forming temperature of the polymer particles.

The present invention relates to inkjet printable transfer media for transferring a sublimation dye and/or another functional active ingredient to a surface of an article by means of heat in a thermoformable process, to methods for preparing such inkjet printable transfer media and for providing at least a part of a surface of an article with sublimation dye and/or another functional active ingredient as well as the use of such inkjet printable transfer media in different technical fields.