Marking fluids for vinyl substrates

• US 10,072,168 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Cagle, Phillip C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Faison, Veronica F
• Application Number:
  US11/249,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20070084380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,716 Days
• Field of Search: 106 316, 106 3186
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/322 Pigment inks

Abstract

Marking fluids and apparatus for marking vinyl substrates, such as through inkjet printing, use aqueous-based fluid vehicles having an amount of a vinyl-softening co-solvent sufficient to cause swelling of the vinyl substrate after water has been driven from the marking fluid.

Claims

1. An ink, comprising:

water;

a solvent selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol phenyl ether, diethylene glycol monopropyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethanol, and combinations thereof;

a pigment;

glycereth-26 (LEG-1); and

an acrylic latex binder.

2. The ink of claim 1, further comprising a second solvent selected from the group consisting of 2-pyrrolidinone, dimethylsulfoxide,-diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, N-methylpyrrolidone, propylene glycol monopropyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, triethylene glycol, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol n-propyl ether, dipropylene glycol methyl ether, and combinations thereof.

3. The ink of claim 1 wherein the ink includes 4 wt % of the acrylic latex binder.

4. The ink of claim 1 wherein the solvent is present in an amount ranging from about 5 wt % to 30 wt % of the ink.

5. The ink of claim 1 wherein the solvent is present in the ink in an amount sufficient to produce a persisting portion of the solvent after the water is removed, and wherein the amount in the ink is about 5 wt %.

6. The ink of claim 1 wherein the solvent is 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethanol.

7. The ink of claim 1 wherein the solvent is to soften a vinyl substrate upon which the ink is printed when the water is removed.

8. An ink, comprising:

15 wt % of 2-pyrrolidinone;

2 wt % of polyethylene glycol (PEG-600);

0.5 wt % of a fluorosurfactant;

2 wt % of a pigment dispersion;

4 wt % of an acrylic polymer dispersion; and

a balance of water.

9. The ink of claim 8, further comprising 3 wt % of 1,2-hexanediol.

10. A method of printing, the method comprising:

depositing, via inkjet printing, an ink onto a vinyl substrate, the ink comprising;

water;

a solvent selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol phenyl ether, diethylene glycol monopropyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethanol, and combinations thereof;

a pigment;

glycereth-26 (LEG-1); and

an acrylic latex binder; and

heating the deposited ink to remove water, whereby the solvent softens the vinyl substrate.

11. An inkjet pen, comprising:

a body;

an ejection device integral to the body; and

an ink enclosed in the body, the ink comprising;

water;

a solvent selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol phenyl ether, diethylene glycol monopropyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethanol, and combinations thereof;

a pigment; and

an acrylic latex binder.

12. An ink, consisting of:

water;

one or more solvents having a composite Hansen hydrogen bonding partial solubility parameter of about 16 MPa^0.5 or less;

a surfactant;

a pigment; and

an acrylic polymer dispersed in the ink.