Dyeing and printing of materials

A method of dyeing a porous textile material, in particular pile fabrics and carpets, to obtain a desired pattern thereon with apparatus including conveying means for transporting the textile material past at least one row of jet orifices extending across the path of the textile material, deflecting means associated with said jet orifices, pattern control means to supply pattern data to control the operation of said deflecting means, and said pattern control means including timing means;

• said method comprising the steps of
• 1. transmitting pattern data from said pattern control means to said deflecting means in a multiplicity of repeating cycles (E-E) so that continuous dye streams from the jet orifices are directed onto or away from the textile material as required to form a single pattern,
• 2. initiating each of said cycles in response to movement of the textile material through a predetermined, preselected incremental distance,
• 3. directing one or more of the dye streams onto the textile material during one or more time controlled segments (C) of preselected duration within a fixed time period (T) in selected cycles in accordance with said pattern data and the operation of said timing means, and
• 4. maintaining within each cycle a quiescent time (Q) during which all of said dye streams in the row are directed away from the textile material.