GB2469477A

GB2469477A - Textile printed with a treatment aid, which is then overprinted

Info

Publication number: GB2469477A
Application number: GB0906450A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roy Burton
Original assignee: YOUR EMBROIDERY SERVICES Ltd
Current assignee: YOUR EMBROIDERY SERVICES Ltd
Priority date: 2009-04-15
Filing date: 2009-04-15
Publication date: 2010-10-20
Also published as: GB0906450D0

Abstract

A treatment fluid is printed to a textile in a pre-determined distribution, to prepare for the application of ink by printing. The method and associated apparatus used are also claimed. The treatment fluid is preferably applied by use of an ink-jet printer having a piezo head. Preferably the treatment fluid improves the printability of the textile, but is itself free from pigments and dies. The treatment fluid is preferably dried using a heat press, before the ink is applied.

Description

Title -Improvements relating to Textile Printing The present invention relates to printing to textiles, and in particular the preparation of a textile for the application of ink by printing.

The printing of images onto textiles has traditionally been achieved using screen printing, in which ink is applied to the textile through a mesh containing openings where that ink is to be applied. However, it is now possible to print directly onto textiles using specialist inkjet printers, which are commonly referred to as "direct to garment" printers in the apparel industry.

It is commonly desirable to prepare the textile for the application of ink by printing, for example to improve colour quality and/or sharpness of the print. For instance, when printing onto darkly coloured textiles, it is typically necessary for the print area of the textile to be coated with a white ink to act as a substrate for the coloured ink. In addition, the area of textile onto which this white ink is to be applied generally needs to be treated with a solution to prevent the white ink being absorbed into the textile material.

Problems encountered with the application of a treatment solution include the treatment solution causing discolouration of the textile material, if applied outside the intended area of printing. Furthermore, the quality of the finished print is generally dependent on the treatment solution being applied to the textile material in the correct density, which may depend on the type of textile and the desired

print specification.

One popular method of applying treatment solution to textiles is the use of hand-held spraying devices. An alternative to this method is the use of a so-called treatment application machine, which uniformly sprays treatment solution onto the textile across a rectangular area. However, none of these methods for applying treatment solution to textiles is entirely satisfactory.

There has now been devised a method and apparatus for preparing a textile for the application of ink by printing, and also a method and apparatus for manufacturing a printed textile, that overcomes or substantially mitigates the above mentioned and other problems associated with the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of preparing a textile for the application of ink by printing, which method comprises printing a treatment fluid to the textile in a pre-determined distribution.

According a further aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for preparing a textile for the application of ink by printing, which apparatus includes a printer adapted to print a treatment fluid to the textile in a pre-determined distribution.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a printed textile, which method comprises the steps of: (a) printing a treatment fluid to the textile in a pre-determined distribution; (b) printing ink to those areas of the textile to which the treatment fluid has been printed.

According a further aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for manufacturing a printed textile, which apparatus comprises a printer adapted to print a treatment fluid to the textile in a pre-determined distribution, and a printer adapted to print ink to those areas of the textile to which the treatment fluid has been printed.

The methods and apparatus according to the invention are advantageous principally because the treatment fluid is printed to the textile with a pre-determined distribution, which enables more accurate application of treatment fluid relative to prior art methods and apparatus. The present invention may therefore enable the distribution of the treatment fluid to be substantially matched to the area of the textile to which ink will be applied, thereby reducing the risk of the treatment fluid damaging the textile, and also reducing the amount of treatment fluid used. The present invention may also enable the density of the treatment fluid applied to the textile to be appropriately and accurately selected for the particular textile and inks to be applied.

The treatment fluid may be any material that improves the printing of ink to the textile, but is devoid of any pigments or dyes. The treatment fluid will vary with the particular textile and inks to be applied. In presently preferred embodiments, the treatment fluid is adapted to reduce absorption of ink by the textile, such that the ink applied to the textile is not absorbed by the textile. For example, the treatment fluid may contain substances, such as alginates, to reduce absorption of the ink by the textile, substances, such as urea, to improve the colour quality, and substances, such as alkali, for improving adhesion of the ink to the fabric.

The treatment fluid is preferably adapted to be dried, ie solidified, to form a solid layer of treatment material, before the application of ink thereto.

The ink printed to the treated textile may be any ink that forms an image on the textile, or alternatively an ink, for example a white ink, that forms a substrate for a further layer or layers of ink that form an image on the textile. The ink is preferably an aqueous solution, and preferably includes one or more pigments.

The pre-determined distribution of the treatment fluid is preferably calculated from the image to be printed to the textile. In particular, the pre-deterrnined distribution of the treatment fluid preferably has substantially the same shape and area as the image to be printed. In presently preferred embodiments, however, the pre-determined distribution of the treatment fluid has a shape and area that is slightly enlarged relative to the image to be printed. This enlargement provides a margin for error in alignment of the printed image and/or substrate with the pre-treatment fluid, and also ensures that there is adequate adhesion of the ink to the textile at the edges of the printed image. This enlargement is preferably 10% or less, more preferably 5% or less.

The treatment fluid printer is preferably adapted to print the treatment fluid to the textile in response to instructions based on a digital image, which is preferably stored electronically. In particular, the digital image preferably determines the amount of the treatment fluid at all points across a particular area of the textile, ie in each pixel of a print area. The digital image that defines the pre-determined distribution of treatment fluid is preferably calculated from a digital image that determines the image to be printed.

As discussed above, the pre-determined distribution of the treatment fluid preferably has substantially the same shape and area as the image to be printed, or a slightly enlarged shape and area. In addition, the amount of treatment fluid applied to the textile is preferably determined on the basis of any of (i) the properties of the textile, (ii) the properties of the particular inks that will be printed to the textile, and (iii) the image to be printed, or any combination thereof.

Furthermore, the amount of treatment fluid applied to the textile may be non-uniform across the image to be printed.

The textile may be produced by weaving, knitting, knotting, crocheting, binding or otherwise combining natural or synthetic fibres or filaments. However, the present invention is most suitable for use with woven textiles. Such textiles may be in the form of a textile product, such as apparel, flags, banners or upholstery.

The present invention is most suitable for use apparel, particularly T-shirts.

The printer adapted to print a treatment fluid to the textile, in a pre-determined distribution, is preferably an ink-jet printer. The ink-jet printer preferably comprises a movable printer head, which preferably has one or more nozzles, each being capable of projecting the treatment fluid onto the surface of a textile.

The printer head may therefore be of the type used to dispense ink onto a substrate in standard ink-jet printers, but adapted to print treatment solution to a textile.

The printer head is preferably adapted to vary the rate at which ink is printed to the textile, and hence is preferably of the type commonly referred to as a piezo printer head. This type of printer head generally comprises a plurality of nozzles, each nozzle comprising a fluid chamber containing ink and having a nozzle opening from which ink may be ejected, and a piezo element for causing ejection of the ink in response to an applied electric current. Typically, the piezo element presents a concave surface to the interior of the fluid chamber, and is adapted to temporarily deform upon application of an electric current, at least partially flattening the concave surface of the element. This deformation reduces the volume of the fluid chamber, causing an increase in pressure and the ejection of a droplet of ink from the nozzle opening. The size of the ejected ink droplet is preferably dependent on the pressure increase within the fluid chamber, which is in turn dependent on the degree of deformation of the piezo element. This allows the amount of ink applied to the textile by the printer head to be accurately controlled.

Printer heads of this type are particularly advantageous because they allow the distribution of treatment fluid applied to the textile to be accurately controlled.

Suitable piezo printer heads are of the type found in the Epson� range of stylus photo ink-jet printers (manufactured by Seiko Epson Corporation, 3-3-5 Owa, Suwa, Nagano 392-8502, Japan), such as the Epson� 5P1400 ink-jet printer.

The distribution of the treatment fluid on the textile is also dependent on the distance of the textile from the printer head when the fluid is discharged. The textile is preferably therefore retained at a constant distance from the printer head. The textile is preferably mounted to a print platform, such that the printer is able to print to the textile. The print platform preferably has the form of a substantially flat plate.

The inks applied to the textile for forming an image on the textile may be any inks suitable for that purpose, but preferably include standard four-colour CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) inks commonly used in ink-jet printers.

In order to produce a good quality print, it is generally necessary for the treatment solution to be dried before ink is applied to the treated areas of the textile. The treatment solution is preferably therefore dried following application to the textile.

This is preferably carried out by applying a heat press to the textile. The heat press is preferably an integral part of the apparatus for printing treatment fluid to the textile, but may be separate apparatus. In either case, however, the apparatus is preferably adapted such that the heat press is able to engage the treated textile, whilst the textile is still engaged with the apparatus for printing treatment fluid to the textile, as discussed in more detail below.

It is typically desirable to apply ink only to those areas of the textile that have been treated with treatment fluid. Furthermore, as discussed above, the pre-determined distribution of the pre-printing treatment fluid preferably has substantially the same shape and area as the image to be printed, or a slightly enlarged shape and area. In these embodiments, the apparatus for printing treatment solution to the textile and the printer for applying ink to the textile preferably include means for aligning the printing of the ink with the printed treatment solution. These aligning means may comprise means for setting an origin coordinate of the printer, ie "zeroing" the printer, such that the origin coordinates for both printing processes are set to the same point on the textile.

In presently preferred embodiments, the print platform of the treatment fluid printer is removable, and also adapted for operable engagement with the printer for applying ink to the textile. In this arrangement, the textile may remain mounted on the same print platform throughout the manufacturing process, which greatly facilitates aligning the printing of the ink with the printed treatment solution, and also reduces manufacturing costs. In order to assist alignment of the origin coordinates in these embodiments, the textile or the print platform may include an origin marker, to which each printer is "zeroed". Most preferably, the origin marker comprises an item that is removable fixable to the textile itself.

Alternatively, or in addition, the print platform includes formations, such as projections, that cooperate with corresponding formations, such as corresponding recesses, on each printer to achieve the desired positioning of the textile on each printer.

The printing of the treatment solution to a textile in a pre-determined distribution is preferably under the control of a computer. This enables the treatment solution to be applied to the textile material in an accurate, controlled and rapid process.

Given the nature of the apparatus, the printer head may be controlled in a similar way to that of a standard ink-jet printer by any suitable personal computer device having the appropriate software.

Before ink is applied to the treated area of the textile, the treatment fluid typically needs to be dried, preferably with the use of a heat press. This is preferably carried out in situ, ie whilst the textile, and hence the print platform, is engaged with the printer. It is therefore preferable that the upper surface of the print platform may be engaged by a heat press, allowing any textile that is mounted to the print platform to be contacted by the heat press. This is most preferably achieved by having the upper surface of the print platform free from obstruction by other parts of the apparatus, for example the printer head.

As discussed above, the printer head is preferably able to interact with the entire surface of the print platform, so that it may apply treatment solution to any location on a textile mounted on the print platform. Furthermore, the printer head preferably does not obstruct access to the print platform by a heat press. It is therefore preferable that the printer head is located within a printer head assembly that is able to move over the entire surface of the print platform, and preferably also has a docked configuration in which the printer head does not obstruct the upper surface of the print platform, and any textile mounted thereon.

In presently preferred embodiments, the printer head assembly is mounted on runners that run parallel to each other on either side of the print platform. The printer head assembly may comprise a bridging member that engages with both of these runners and is suspended above the print platform. The printer head assembly may therefore move longitudinally along the length of the print platform by travelling along the runners, most preferably driven by one or more servo motors. The printer head may be mounted on the underside the printer head assembly and itself be able to move transversely across the print platform.

This combination of longitudinal and transverse motion of the printer head enables it to interact with the entire surface of the print platform for application of the treatment fluid, and allows the printer head assembly to be retracted when the heat press is in use.

The present invention is particularly advantageous for use in the printing of images to darkly coloured textiles. In this application, the textile is preferably treated with the treatment fluid using the method and apparatus according to the invention, and the treatment fluid is then dried, most preferably using a heat press. A water-based white ink is preferably then applied to those areas of the textile to which treatment fluid has been printed. This white ink is preferably applied using a printer, such that the white ink has the same shape as the image to be printed. The white ink preferably therefore acts as a substrate for the image. The application of the treatment fluid prevents the white ink from being absorbed by the textile, enabling it to form a suitable substrate for the coloured ink that forms an image on the textile.

The method and apparatus according to the invention enable an improved printed textile to be manufactured, which includes a layer of treatment material interposed between the printed ink and the textile, the layer of treatment material having a shape and area that substantially matches the shape and area of the printed ink.

Hence, according to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a printed textile comprising a layer of printed ink, and a layer of treatment material interposed between the layer of printed ink and the textile, the layer of treatment material having a shape and area that substantially matches the shape and area of the printed ink.

The treatment material may be any material that improves the printing of ink to the textile, but is devoid of any pigments or dyes. The layer of treatment material preferably has a shape and area that is the same as, or only slightly greater than, the image to be printed. In particular, the layer of treatment material may have an area that is greater than the area of the image to be printed by up to 10%, and most preferably up to 5%.

A currently preferred embodiment of the present invention will now described in greater detail, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a treatment solution printer according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, in which a print platform is disengaged from the remainder of the treatment fluid printer; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a direct-to-garment printer, which forms part of apparatus according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, schematic and not to scale, of a spray nozzle assembly from a piezo printer head; and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view, schematic and not to scale, of a region of a printed textile according to the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a treatment solution printer according to the invention, which is generally designated 20. This apparatus 20 comprises a generally rectangular base 21, a print platform 22 mounted at the centre of the base 21, and two runners 26 running parallel to one another, one along each major edge of the base 21. A printer head assembly 24 is mounted on the runners 26, and is movable along the base 21. A printer head (not visible in Figure 1) is mounted on the underside of the printer head assembly 24, and is movable along the printer head assembly 24, in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the printer head assembly 24 is movable. This action, coupled with the ability of the printer head assembly 24 to move along the length of the base 21, enables the printer head to interact with the entire surface of the print platform 22, and in particular print treatment solution to any part of the textile covering the print platform 22.

A heat press assembly 30 comprising a heated plate 34 and a handle 36 is attached to the apparatus 20 via a mounting limb 32. The mounting limb 32 is rotatably mounted on the apparatus 20, and is also mounted for linear movement in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the print platform 22. The heat press assembly 30 has a docked configuration, in which the heated plate 34 does not obstruct the print head assembly 24 during printing. However, once treatment fluid has been printed to the textile, the heated plate 34 is movable into engagement with the print platform 22 and any textile mounted thereon. The handle 36 enables the operator to safely move the heated plate 34.

In use, a textile item is engaged with the print platform 22, such that the portion of the textile to which ink is to be printed is disposed on the upper surface of the print platform 22. The textile is retained on the print platform 22 by suitable fasteners, such as simple clips.

The apparatus 20 is linked to a control computer (not shown) capable of controlling the printer assembly 24. This computer may be a standard personal computer having software suitable for controlling the printer assembly 24. A digital image of the print design is used to calculate a pre-determined distribution of the treatment solution to ensure the treatment solution is applied in the distribution required for the particular print design.

Once treatment solution has been applied in a pre-determined distribution, the heat press 30 is urged against the textile to dry the treatment solution, thereby forming a layer to which ink can be applied, and also ensuring that the textile is sufficiently flattened. The print platform 22 may then be removed from the apparatus 20, and engaged with the direct-to-garment printer 40.

As shown in Figure 2, the print platform 22 includes an array of locating pins 23a, which are slidably engaged with a corresponding array of locating recesses 23b in the base of the treatment solution printer 20. The print platform 22 may be removed from the treatment solution printer 20, and engaged with the direct-to-garment printer 40, as shown in Figure 3. In particular, the direct-to-garment printer 40 includes a base 41 that also has an array of locating recesses 23b, for slidably receiving the array of locating pins 23a of the print platform 22.

The direct-to-garment printer 40 is similar to the treatment solution printer 20, save for being adapted to print white and coloured ink to the textile, rather than treatment solution, and also the omission of any heat press assembly 30. In particular, the direct-to-garment printer 40 includes a similar printer head assembly 44, which is mounted on runners 46.

The pre-determined distribution of the treatment solution may be enlarged relative to the image to be printed by the order of a few percent, in order to provide a treated area with a slightly larger outline than the intended printed image. This controlled expansion of the treated area outside the printed image provides a slight margin of error for alignment of the printed image with the treated area, and also ensures that there is adequate adhesion of the ink to the textile at the edges of the printed image. Although application of treatment solution to areas of the textile that are outside the printed image is undesirable, it is none the less preferable to printing ink to areas of textile that have not been treated.

Referring now to Figure 4, there is depicted a cross-sectional view of a spray nozzle of a piezo printer head, generally designated 50. This nozzle comprises a housing 52 having an internal fluid chamber 54 in communication with the exterior of the housing via a nozzle opening 56. In use, the fluid chamber 54 is charged with ink (not shown in Figure 4) supplied by a supply conduit 58. The wall of the fluid chamber opposite to the nozzle opening 56 includes a piezo element 60, which presents a concave surface to the interior of the fluid chamber 54. Upon the application of an electric current to the piezo element 60, the concave surface deforms to become partially flattened, fractionally reducing the volume of the fluid chamber, and thus fractionally increasing the pressure, within the fluid chamber 54. This pressure increase causes a droplet of ink to be ejected from the nozzle opening 56. The size of the ink droplet ejected from the nozzle opening 56 is dependent on the degree to which the piezo element 60 deforms, which may be controlled by regulating the electrical current applied to piezo element 60.

Each piezo printer head generally includes several hundred or more spray nozzles 40. The ejection of ink from each spray nozzle 40 is controlled independently to enable precise application of treatment solution to the surface of a textile.

FigureS shows a printed textile 10 according to the invention, which has been prepared using the method and apparatus described above. This drawing is schematic and not to scale, but illustrates the layers that are present on the printed textile 10. The printed textile 10 includes a layer of textile 12 having an area that has not been printed 12a and an area that has been printed 12b. The print comprises a treatment layer 14 which is in contact with the textile 12, a layer of white ink 16 that sits on top of the treatment layer 14 and acts as a substrate for a coloured ink layer 18. Each of these layers terminates at the edge of the printed region 12b so that the unprinted area of textile 12a does not contain any traces of treatment solution or ink.

The function of the treatment layer 14 is to prevent absorption of the white ink layer 16 into the textile layer 12, to ensure the white ink layer 16 provides a suitable substrate for the application of the coloured ink layer 18. The coloured ink layer 18 is indicated as entirely coating the outer surface of the white ink layer 16, but the degree to which the outer surface of the white ink layer 16 will be coated with the coloured ink layer 18 will in practice vary depending on the specific print design.

Uneven application of treatment solution potentially leaves gaps in the treatment layer 14, in which the white ink layer 16 could soak into the textile 12 and therefore not provide a suitable substrate for application of the coloured ink layer 18, diminishing the appearance of the finished print. In addition, application of treatment solution outside the edge of the printed region 1 2b may cause visible discolouration of the textile material 12 in those regions, also diminishing the appearance of the finished textile. The present invention enables these disadvantages of prior art methods and apparatus to be substantially mitigated, or even eliminated.

Claims

Claims 1. A method of preparing a textile for the application of ink by printing, which method comprises printing a treatment fluid to the textile in a pre-determined distribution.
2. A method of manufacturing a printed textile, which method comprises the steps of: (a) printing a treatment fluid to the textile in a pre-determined distribution; (b) printing ink to those areas of the textile to which the treatment fluid has been printed.
3. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the pre-determined distribution of the treatment fluid is calculated from the image to be printed to the textile.
4. A method as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the pre-determined distribution of the treatment fluid is determined by a digital image.
5. A method as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the digital image that defines the pre-determined distribution of treatment fluid is calculated from a digital image that determines the image to be printed.
6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pre-determined distribution of the treatment fluid has substantially the same shape and area as the image to be printed.
7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pre-determined distribution of the treatment fluid has a shape and area that is slightly enlarged relative to the image to be printed, by 10% or less.
8. A method as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the pre-determined distribution of the treatment fluid has a shape and area that is slightly enlarged relative to the image to be printed, by 5% or less.
9. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the treatment fluid is printed to the textile using an ink-jet printer.
10. A method as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the ink-jet printer includes a printer head of the type used to dispense ink onto a substrate in standard ink-jet printers, but adapted to print treatment solution to a textile.
11. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the treatment fluid is a material that improves the printing of ink to the textile, but is devoid of any pigments or dyes.
12. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the treatment fluid is dried to form a solid layer of treatment material, before ink is applied to the treated area of the textile.
13. A method as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the treatment fluid is dried using a heat press.
14. A method as claimed in Claim 12 or Claim 13, wherein the treatment fluid is dried whilst the textile is engaged with the apparatus for printing treatment solution to the textile.
15. Apparatus for preparing a textile for the application of ink by printing, which apparatus includes a printer adapted to print a treatment fluid to the textile in a pre-determined distribution.
16. Apparatus for manufacturing a printed textile, which apparatus comprises a printer adapted to print a treatment fluid to the textile in a pre-determined distribution, and a printer adapted to print ink to those areas of the textile to which the treatment fluid has been printed.
17. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 15 or Claim 16, wherein the treatment fluid printer is adapted to print the treatment fluid to the textile in response to instructions based on a digital image.
18. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 17, wherein the digital image determines the amount of the treatment fluid at all points across a particular area of the textile, ie in each pixel of a print area.
19. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 17 or Claim 18, wherein the digital image that defines the pre-determined distribution of treatment fluid is calculated from a digital image that determines the image to be printed.
20. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 15 to 19, wherein the printer adapted to print a treatment fluid to the textile, in a pre-determined distribution, is an ink-jet printer.
21. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 20, wherein the ink-jet printer comprises a movable printer head, which is of the type used to dispense ink onto a substrate in standard ink-jet printers, but adapted to print treatment solution to a textile.
22. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 21, wherein the printer head is adapted to vary the rate at which ink is printed to the textile.
23. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 22, wherein the printer head is a piezo printer head.
24. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 15 to 23, wherein the apparatus includes means for drying the treatment solution, before ink is applied to the treated areas of the textile.
25. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 24, wherein the means for drying the treatment solution is a heat press, and the apparatus is adapted such that the heat press is able to engage the treated textile, whilst the textile is still engaged with the apparatus for printing treatment fluid to the textile.
26. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 15 to 25, wherein the apparatus for printing treatment fluid to the textile and the printer for applying ink to the textile include means for aligning the printing of the ink with the printed treatment solution.
27. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 26, wherein the aligning means comprise means for setting an origin coordinate of the printer, ie "zeroing" the printer, such that the origin coordinates for both printing processes are set to the same point on the textile.
28. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the treatment fluid printer includes a removable print platform, upon which the textile is mounted for printing of the treatment fluid to the textile, and the print platform is also adapted for operable engagement with the printer for applying ink to the textile.
29. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 28, wherein the textile or the print platform includes an origin marker, to which each printer is "zeroed".
30. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 28 or Claim 29, wherein the print platform includes formations that cooperate with corresponding formations on each printer to achieve the desired positioning of the textile on each printer.
31. A printed textile comprising a layer of printed ink, and a layer of treatment material interposed between the layer of printed ink and the textile, the layer of treatment material having a shape and area that substantially matches the shape and area of the printed ink.
32. A printed textile as claimed in Claim 31, wherein the layer of treatment material has a shape and area that is the same as the image to be printed, or greater than the image to be printed by up to 10%.
33. A printed textile as claimed in Claim 31, wherein the layer of treatment material has a shape and area that is the same as the image to be printed, or greater than the image to be printed by up to 5%.
34. A method of preparing a textile for the application of ink by printing substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated in Figures ito 5.
35. A method of manufacturing a printed textile substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5.
36. Apparatus for preparing a textile for the application of ink by printing substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5.
37. Apparatus for manufacturing a printed textile substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5.