The first part of a two-part article. The author use Procion M (monochlorotriazinyl) and Procion M (dichlorotriazinyl) dyes on two weights of 100% cotton fabric to compare the efficacy of various methods used in the application of the dyestuff to the cloth: exhaust, pad-batch, pad dry-cure, and pad-dry-steam. The authors varied the depth of shade in the experiments; they used 0.25-4.0% (o.w.f.) to obtain a broad base of data. In this first part of the article, the experimental sample preparation, materials, and methods, test methods, are included. Results and discussion are begun. -- AATA