Abstract: Dyeing with disperse dyes is made more uniform when there is used as a levelling agent a branched polyester which has an apparent average molecular weight of from about 600 to about 5,000, disperses itself in water, and is essentially an ester-linked combination of hydrocarbyloxy groups and carboxyl-derived acyl groups, the groups being linked together as a branched chain by the ester linkages and relative to the carboxy-derived acyl groups the polyester contains from about 5 to about 50 mol.% of COOH or COOM groups and less than 5 mol.% of SO.sub.3 M groups, wherein M denotes the cation of an alkali metal, the ammonium ion or the cationic radical of an organic amine, the number of branches on an interesterified group being not over three and at least 50 mol.% of the hydrocarbyloxy groups are in diethylene glycol or triethylene glycol groups.

Abstract: Water-soluble polyester having an apparent molecular weight between about 600 and about 5,000 and a SO.sub.3 M group content between about 5 to about 40 mol percent based on the number of mols of dicarboxylic and/or polycarboxylic acids esterified in the polyester, and an at least trifunctional alcohol and/or an at least trifunctional carboxylic acid content between about 1 to about 40 mol percent based on the number of mols of dicarboxylic and/or polycarboxylic acids esterified in the polyester so that the polyester is correspondingly branched and M denotes a cation of an alkali metal, the ammonium ion or the cationic radical of an organic amine. The improved polyester is particularly suited as a levelling agent in the disperse dyeing of polyester fibers or the like.

Abstract: Exhaust process for the isothermal high-temperature dyeing of textile material made of hydrophobic synthetic fibers in a closed dyeing system with water-insoluble disperse dyestuffs, according to which the disperse dyestuff predispersed in water of 40.degree. to 60.degree. C is introduced into the aqueous bath free of dyestuff that is already circulating and heated together with the material to a dyeing temperature within the range of from 115.degree. to 140.degree. C and adjusted to pH 4 - 6, which comprises evaluating the number of the bath circulations per minute by measuring it and the amount of dyestuff exhausted onto the fiber at the same time, and introducing the predispersed dyestuff in doses into the dyebath, depending on the obtained measuring values.

Abstract: Process for the even dyeing of synthetic fiber materials and mixtures thereof with natural fibers with water-insoluble disperse dyes according to the exhaustion method, which comprises adding to the dyebath as levelling agents linear water-soluble, or dispersible polyesters containing sulfo groups.