A fabric has enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing. The fabric can be denim for denim apparel such as jeans. Software and lasers are used to finish apparel made of the fabric to produce a desired wear or distressing pattern or other design. The fabric allows for relatively fast color change in response to the laser, color changes in hue from indigo blue to white, many grayscale levels, and maintains strength and stretch properties. A method used to make the fabric includes spinning, dyeing, and weaving yarns in such a way to obtain the desired enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing.

A fabric treatment agent that is used in textile printing with a sublimable color material includes a color-material scavenging compound having an Rf value of 0.7 or less according to paper chromatography performed under following conditions. In Procedure 1, cellulose filter paper is impregnated with a 10% solution of the color-material scavenging compound and then dried to prepare a carrier. In Procedure 2, a 0.1% solution of a sublimable color material in tetrahydrofuran is spotted on the carrier and then dried to prepare a development sample. In Procedure 3, the development sample is developed using acetonitrile as a solvent for 3 minutes at 25° C. In Procedure 4, the Rf value is calculated by a following formula:

[00001]$Rf=\frac{\left(\mathrm{distance}\mathrm{travelled}\mathrm{by}\mathrm{the}\mathrm{sublimable}\mathrm{color}\mathrm{material}\right)}{\left(\mathrm{distance}\mathrm{travelled}\mathrm{by}\mathrm{acetonitrile}\right)}.$

A fabric treatment agent that is used in textile printing with a sublimable color material includes a color-material scavenging compound having an Rf value of 0.7 or less according to paper chromatography performed under following conditions. In Procedure 1, cellulose filter paper is impregnated with a 10% solution of the color-material scavenging compound and then dried to prepare a carrier. In Procedure 2, a 0.1% solution of a sublimable color material in tetrahydrofuran is spotted on the carrier and then dried to prepare a development sample. In Procedure 3, the development sample is developed using acetonitrile as a solvent for 3 minutes at 25° C. In Procedure 4, the Rf value is calculated by a following formula:

[00001]$Rf=\frac{\left(\mathrm{distance}\mathrm{travelled}\mathrm{by}\mathrm{the}\mathrm{sublimable}\mathrm{color}\mathrm{material}\right)}{\left(\mathrm{distance}\mathrm{travelled}\mathrm{by}\mathrm{acetonitrile}\right)}.$

A fabric has enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing. The fabric can be denim for denim apparel such as jeans. Software and lasers are used to finish apparel made of the fabric to produce a desired wear or distressing pattern or other design. The fabric allows for relatively fast color change in response to the laser, color changes in hue from indigo blue to white, many grayscale levels, and maintains strength and stretch properties. A method used to make the fabric includes spinning, dyeing, and weaving yarns in such a way to obtain the desired enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing.

A dyeing and welding process may be configured to convert a substrate into a welded substrate having at least some color imparted thereto via a dye and/or coloring agent by applying a process solvent having a dye and/or coloring agent therein to the substrate, wherein the process solvent interrupts one or more intermolecular force between one or more component in the substrate. The substrate may be configured as a natural fiber, such as cellulose, hemicelluloses, and silk. The process solvent may include a binder, such as dissolved biopolymer (e.g., cellulose). After application of a process solvent comprised of a dye and/or coloring agent, the substrate may be exposed to a second application of a process solvent comprised of a binder, which second application may occur before or after a process temperature/pressure zone, process solvent recovery zone, and/or drying zone.

The present invention relates to a method for providing an anti-microbial and an anti-pilling effect to textiles and for improving dye uptake to textiles. The invention also relates to novel co-polymers to be used in the method of the invention and to novel textiles.

The present invention relates to a method for providing an anti-microbial and an anti-pilling effect to textiles and for improving dye uptake to textiles. The invention also relates to novel co-polymers to be used in the method of the invention and to novel textiles.

The present invention provides water-based ink and coating compositions comprising greater than 70 wt % natural materials. The ink and coating compositions of the present invention are suitable for printing on feminine care products, baby care products, and other personal care products.

A textile material comprises a plurality of yarns, the yarns containing an intimate blend of dyed polyphenylene sulfide fibers and cellulosic fibers. The dyed polyphenylene sulfide fibers comprising a disperse dye that is distributed substantially evenly across the cross-sectional area of the fibers. A method for dyeing textile materials containing polyphenylene sulfide fibers comprises the steps of (a) providing a textile material comprising yarns which contain an intimate blend of polyphenylene sulfide fibers and cellulosic fibers, (b) providing a dye liquor comprising a liquid medium and a disperse dye, (c) applying the dye liquor to the textile material, (d) heating the textile material under ambient atmosphere to a temperature sufficient to evaporate substantially all of the liquid medium from the textile material, and (e) heating the textile material under ambient atmosphere to a temperature of about 180° C. or more to fix the disperse dye to the polyphenylene sulfide fibers.

An activated cotton material and a method for processing cotton to form the activated cotton material are provided. The activated cotton material includes a layer of natural wax that is locked to the surface of cotton fibers by a wax lock.