Color pastes employed in the machine printing of textiles are rheologically complex fluids. In general, they are aqueous systems with high viscosity, prepared by mixing a thickening agent solution and a dye solution or dispersion. The rheological properties of printing pastes and the corresponding polysaccharide solutions were examined under continuous and oscillatory shear conditions. A two-parameter Cross model was used for the fitting of the data obtained with a stepwise procedure for all systems. Data from measurements in oscillatory conditions were expanded in a Fourier series; accordingly, the analysis of the viscoelastic behavior was carried out taking into account the fundamental harmonic alone. The temperature effect was described by an Arrhenius model law and consequently discussed in terms of activation energy.