A Study into the Influence of Paper Coatings on Paper Properties and Print Quality of Dye Sublimation Thermal Prints

The need for good quality paper for dye sublimation transfer printing has been reported previously as a principal requirement for the process. Pigmented coated papers have gained acceptance in the traditional paper printing industry, but, despite their importance, have inspired very few reports in literature about their application in heat transfer printing.

In the current work, we studied the influence of both clay and ground calcium carbonate (GCC) pigments and the incorporation of plastic pigment on the surface structure and mechanical properties of the coated paper used for transfer printing. The results showed that paper coating significantly reduced the surface roughness of the paper. The mechanical properties of the prepared coated paper, including tensile strength, stretch, tensile energy absorption (TEA), and burst index, were improved when coated compared to those of uncoated paper. The addition of plastic pigment to the coating mixture helped improve the paper's properties.

The optical density of the transfer-printed polyester fabric using the prepared coated paper was also compared with that of uncoated paper. It was shown that a slight increase in optical density was evident in the coated paper.

The possibility of producing a second polyester print from the exhaust paper was also investigated. Coated paper incorporating plastic pigment, in particular, showed higher optical density than did uncoated paper.

We found that coated paper based on clay, GCC, clay/plastic pigment, or GCC/plastic pigment consumed less dye paste than uncoated paper though producing printed fabric with higher optical density—especially in the second print.