Printed textile substrate and process for making

Abstract

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.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A textile substrate comprising a pattern, said pattern characterized by having at least one area containing physical cues and at least one area free from physical cues, said physical cues being selected from print composition, tufting density, yarn construction, yarn composition, and combinations thereof, said pattern further characterized by having only one of the following:
 (a) printing ink on at least a portion of the area containing physical cues,   (b) printing ink on a least a portion of the area free from physical cues, or   (c) printing ink on a least a portion of the area containing physical cues and the area free from physical cues,   said textile substrate designed for use on a horizontal surface.   
     
     
         2 . The textile substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the textile substrate contains areas of tufted yarns. 
     
     
         3 . The textile substrate of  claim 2 , wherein the textile substrate contains areas of tufted yarns having at least one of high tuft and low tuft. 
     
     
         4 . The textile substrate of  claim 2 , wherein the tufted yarns are further characterized as being loop pile, cut pile, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The textile substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the horizontal surface is a flooring surface. 
     
     
         6 . The textile substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the textile substrate is a floorcovering article. 
     
     
         7 . A textile substrate comprising a pattern, said pattern characterized by having at least one area containing a first physical cue and at least one area containing a second physical cue, said physical cues being selected from print composition, tufting density, yarn construction, yarn composition, and combinations thereof, said pattern further characterized by having only one of the following:
 (a) Printing Ink A, B, or C on at least a portion of the area containing the first physical cue,   (b) Printing Ink A, B or C on a least a portion of the area having the second physical cue, or   (c) Printing Ink A, B, or C on a least a portion of the area containing both the first and the second physical cues,   said textile substrate designed for use on a horizontal surface.   
     
     
         8 . The textile substrate of  claim 7 , wherein the first physical cue and the second physical cues are the same. 
     
     
         9 . The textile substrate of  claim 7 , wherein the first physical cue and the second physical cues are different. 
     
     
         10 . The textile substrate of  claim 7 , wherein each of Printing Inks A, B and C contains a different composition. 
     
     
         11 . The textile substrate of  claim 7 , wherein at least two of Printing Inks A, B and C contain the same composition. 
     
     
         12 . The textile substrate of  claim 7 , further comprising a third physical cue. 
     
     
         13 . The textile substrate of  claim 12 , further comprising a fourth physical cue. 
     
     
         14 . The textile substrate of  claim 13 , wherein the third and fourth physical cues are different from one another. 
     
     
         15 . The textile substrate of  claim 7 , wherein each physical cue is detectable by hardware that transmits print instructions via software to a digital printing machine for application of at least one of Printing Ink A, B and C to the textile substrate. 
     
     
         16 . The textile substrate of  claim 7 , wherein the textile substrate contains printing ink in-register with at least one area containing a first physical cue.