Germany-based BASF AG will introduce its digital printing offerings at the first Flanders Textile
Valley exhibition in Belgium.BASF has developed an appropriate family of inks for every fabric.
With its pigment, reactive and disperse inks, BASF claims it can cover 96 percent of the textile
printing market.The dispersion dye Bafixan® is suitable for polyester fabrics, while the
pigment-based inks in the Helizarin® line can be used on cotton, viscose or blends.BASF has
conducted research and development work to optimize the inks for the ink-jet process. To prevent
the ink from drying and clogging the ink-jets, water-retentive agents and solvents are added to the
ink. Viscosity and surface tension are also carefully controlled for proper formation of the
droplets.
October 2001
