Faheem UddinLomas, Mike2012-02-012012-02-012010Fibers & Textiles in Eastern Europe 2010, Vol. 18, No. 4 (81) pp. 56-60https://escholar.umt.edu.pk/handle/123456789/446The easy-care finishing of cotton cross-links adjacent molecular chains in a cellulose structure, whereby the wettability of finished cotton fabric is significantly reduced or becomes unwettable. The pigment printing of easy-care finished cotton fabric was investigated. The residual catalyst content on the fibre surface and the cross-linked molecular structure both influence fabric wettability. The finished cotton fabric would become unwettable following after-wash treatment, resulting in the reduced absorption of the pigment paste in fibres. The type of catalyst used in easy-care finishing has a direct influence on pigment printing; generally, it enhances the fabric wettability of finished fabric that has received wash-off treatment. The catalyst content on the surface of fibres also affects the colour strength (K/S value) and lateral spreading of aqueous print paste on the finished fabric.enCatalyst SaltCotton FabricDMDHEUArticle