The Role and Applications of Sodium Alginate Paste in Printing

Sodium alginate paste itself does not undergo any chemical reactions during the printing process. As an ideal printing paste, it must meet the following requirements:

1. Physically and chemically stable, making it easy to store during processing.

2. It boasts a high thickening efficiency. Sodium alginate paste is traditionally prepared by mixing the powder with water; the less sodium alginate required to achieve a given viscosity for a specific volume of paste, the higher the thickening efficiency—and the lower the cost.

3. After turning into a paste, sodium alginate exhibits excellent compatibility with dyes and auxiliaries, ensuring uniformity in the printing process.

4. Once thickened, the material should exhibit excellent thixotropy—meaning that during the printing process, as the paste passes through the roller nip of the cylinder or is forced through the screen in screen printing and comes into contact with the doctor blade, its viscosity decreases. However, once the pressure is removed, it instantly returns to its original viscosity.

5. The pigment paste prepared with sodium alginate base should deliver excellent printing performance, particularly in terms of color yield and permeability.

6. Ensures excellent washability, guaranteeing that after printing and color fixation, the original paste can be easily removed during subsequent treatments like soap washing or water rinsing, thereby maintaining a soft hand feel in the finished product.