Patent ID: 8236385

Claim:
A process for printing a pattern onto a polymeric material, comprising: providing an outer cover laminate for an absorbent article, wherein the outer cover laminate comprises a nonwoven web and a breathable polymeric film, wherein the nonwoven web comprises a spunborid web, a meltblown web, or combinations thereof, and wherein the nonwoven web comprises hydrophobic polyolefin fibers; coating a surface treatment directly on at least a portion of a surface of said nonwoven web, wherein the surface treatment comprises a polyurethane from about 1% to about 50% by weight of the surface treatment and a cellulosic compound derivatized with a quaternary ammonium group from about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of the surface treatment; drying said surface treatment; printing an ink composition directly onto said surface treatment; and incorporating the outer cover laminate into an absorbent article, the nonwoven web comprising an outer cover material for the absorbent article, the coated surface of said nonwoven web defining an exterior surface of the absorbent article, the printed ink composition being located on the exterior surface.