Printed textile substrate and process for making
This invention relates to a printed textile substrate, such as a floorcovering article, and a process for making a printed textile substrate. This invention provides the process and steps to print color patterns in-register with physical patterns, such as varying yarn pile heights, yarn luster, yarn color, and the like. This process provides many unique aesthetics on a textile substrate that cannot be created another way.
1 . A process for creating a design on a textile substrate comprising the following steps:
(a) providing a textile substrate, wherein the textile substrate contains tufted yarns having a first height, tufted yarns having a second height, and areas free from tufted yarns, wherein the first height is greater than the second height;
(b) applying a first print design on a surface of the textile substrate in a pre-determined location, wherein the first print design is applied to the textile substrate via a digital printing apparatus, and wherein the first print design is applied to the textile substrate in only one of the following pre-determined locations on the textile substrate:
(i) on at least a portion of the tufted yarns having a first height,
(ii) on at least a portion of the tufted yarns having a second height,
(iii) on a least a portion of the areas free from tufted yarns, or
(iv) on a least a portion of the tufted yarns having a first height and a second height;
(c) applying a second print design on the surface of the textile substrate, wherein the second print design is applied to the textile substrate via a digital printing apparatus, and wherein the second print design is applied to the textile substrate in only one of the following pre-determined locations on the textile substrate:
(i) on at least a portion of the tufted yarns having a first height,
(ii) on at least a portion of the tufted yarns having a second height,
(iii) on a least a portion of the areas free from tufted yarns, or
(iv) on a least a portion of the tufted yarns having a first height and a second height; and
(d) applying a third print design on the surface of the textile substrate, wherein the third print design is applied to the textile substrate via a digital printing apparatus, and wherein the third print design is applied to the textile substrate in only one of the following pre-determined locations on the textile substrate:
(i) on at least a portion of the tufted yarns having a first height,
(ii) on at least a portion of the tufted yarns having a second height,
(iii) on a least a portion of the areas free from tufted yarns, or
on a least a portion of the tufted yarns having a first height and a second height.
2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein each of the first, second and third print designs are applied to the surface of the textile substrate in a single pass.
3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein each of the first, second and third print designs are applied simultaneously to the surface of the textile substrate.