Pad printed apparel

Abstract

A tagless article of apparel formed from a knitted fabric having a selected thickness, the article of apparel having inner and outer surfaces, and a product label pad printed directly on the inner surface from a cliché with an ink composition comprising an ink, a solvent, and a hardener, the cliché having a depth sufficient to cause the ink composition to penetrate the inner surface of the fabric to a depth less than the thickness of the fabric.

1 . A tagless article of apparel, comprising:
 (a) an article of apparel formed from a knitted fabric having a selected thickness, the article of apparel having inner and outer surfaces; and   (b) a product label pad printed directly thereon the inner surface from a cliché with an ink composition comprising an ink, a solvent, and a hardener, wherein the cliché has a depth sufficient to cause the ink composition to penetrate the inner surface of the fabric to a depth less than the thickness of the fabric.   
     
     
         2 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the article of apparel is selected from the group consisting of underwear, outerwear, activewear, and intimate apparel. 
     
     
         3 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the article of apparel is formed from materials selected from the group consisting of cotton, polyester, nylon, elastomers, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the knitted fabric has a thickness of at least about 40 microns. 
     
     
         5 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the cliché has a depth of between about 40 microns and 100 microns. 
     
     
         6 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the ink is acrylic-based. 
     
     
         7 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the solvent is quick drying. 
     
     
         8 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the hardener is durability-enhancing. 
     
     
         9 . A tagless article of apparel, comprising:
 (a) an article of apparel formed from a knitted fabric having a selected thickness, the article of apparel having inner and outer surfaces; and   (b) a product label pad printed directly thereon the inner surface from a cliché with an ink composition comprising an ink, a solvent, and a hardener, wherein the cliché has a depth of between about 40 microns and about 100 microns and wherein the ink composition penetrates the inner surface of the fabric to a depth less than the thickness of the fabric.   
     
     
         10 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 9 , wherein the article of apparel is selected from the group consisting of underwear, outerwear, activewear, and intimate apparel. 
     
     
         11 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 9 , wherein the knitted fabric is formed from materials selected from the group consisting of cotton, polyester, nylon, elastomers, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 9 , wherein the ink is acrylic-based. 
     
     
         13 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 9 , wherein the solvent is quick drying. 
     
     
         14 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 9 , wherein the hardener is durability-enhancing. 
     
     
         15 . A tagless article of apparel formed by a method comprising the steps of:
 positioning a knitted textile substrate on the printing area of the pad printing machine, the knitted textile substrate having a selected thickness and inner and outer surfaces;   transferring a pattern comprising product label information from the cliché to the at least one printing pad, the pattern having a depth less than the thickness of the knitted textile substrate and formed from a composition including an ink, a solvent, and a hardener, such that the composition dries without penetrating the entire thickness of the knitted textile substrate; and   transferring the pattern comprising the product label information from the at least one printing pad to one of the inner and outer surfaces of the knitted textile substrate.   
     
     
         16 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 15 , wherein the article of knitted apparel is selected from the group consisting of underwear, outerwear, activewear, and intimate apparel. 
     
     
         17 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 15 , wherein the article of knitted apparel is formed from materials selected from the group consisting of cotton, polyester, nylon, elastomers, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 15 , wherein the article of knitted apparel has a thickness of at least about 40 microns. 
     
     
         19 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 15 , wherein the cliché has a depth of between about 40 microns and 100 microns. 
     
     
         20 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 15 , wherein the ink is acrylic-based. 
     
     
         21 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 15 , wherein the solvent is quick drying. 
     
     
         22 . The tagless article of apparel of  claim 15 , wherein the hardener is durability-enhancing.