Ink composition

• US 20070103528A1
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kornit Digital Ltd
• Original Assignee: Kornit Digital Ltd
• Inventors: Ben-Zur, Ofer, Pearl, Yossi
• Application Number:
  US11/606,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20070103528A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/101
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/101 Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/32 characterised by colouring agents
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/36 based on non-aqueous solvents

Abstract

Novel ink compositions for printing durable, wash-fast and abrasion-fast images on surfaces, including such made of fibrous, porous or other absorptive materials, printing processes utilizing same and images formed thereby are disclosed.

Claims

1. An ink composition suitable for printing an image on a substrate comprising a carrier, a colorant, an agent capable of chemically interacting with the substrate and a catalyst for promoting said interacting, the composition being substantially devoid of a polyol.

2. The ink composition of claim 1, wherein said substrate is selected from the group consisting of a textile fabric, a paper, a wood and a plastic.

3. The ink composition of claim 1, being characterized by Brookfield viscosity at room temperature of about 16.5 centipoises, surface tension of about 31 dynes per centimeter and maximal particle size lower than 1 micron.

4. The ink composition of claim 1, wherein said carrier is selected from the group consisting of an aqueous carrier and a non-aqueous carrier.

5. The ink composition of claim 1, wherein said agent capable of chemically interacting with the surface of the substrate is a cross-linking agent.

6. The ink composition of claim 1, wherein said catalyst is an acid.

35. A process of printing an image on a substrate, the process comprising:

applying the ink composition of claim 1 on the surface, so as to form the image on the substrate.

41. A substrate having an image printed on a surface thereon, prepared by the process of claim 35.

7. An ink composition suitable for printing an image on a substrate, comprising a carrier, a colorant, a polyol, an agent capable of chemically interacting with the substrate and a catalyst for promoting said interacting, with the proviso that said agent capable of chemically interacting with the substrate is not an aldehyde-based cross-linking agent.

8. The ink composition of claim 7, wherein said substrate is selected from the group consisting of a textile fabric, a paper, a wood and a plastic.

9. The ink composition of claim 7, being characterized by Brookfield viscosity at room temperature of about 16.5 centipoises, surface tension of about 31 dynes per centimeter and maximal particle size lower than 1 micron.

10. The ink composition of claim 7, wherein said carrier is selected from the group consisting of an aqueous carrier and a non-aqueous carrier.

11. The ink composition of claim 7, wherein said polyol is selected from the group consisting of a polyester polyol, a polyether polyol, a urethane polyol, a polyether, a polyester acrylate, an acrylic polyol, a urethane acrylic polyol, a polyester urethane triol resin, a polyvinyl butyral, a polyvinyl chloride acrylate and an oxidized castor oil.

12. The ink composition of claim 7, wherein said agent capable of chemically interacting with the surface of the substrate is a cross-linking agent.

13. The ink composition of claim 7, wherein said catalyst is an acid.

36. A process of printing an image on a substrate, the process comprising:

applying the ink composition of claim 7 on the surface, so as to form the image on the substrate.

42. A substrate having an image printed on a surface thereon, prepared by the process of claim 36.

14. An ink composition suitable for printing an image on a substrate, comprising a carrier, a colorant, a polyol, an agent capable of chemically interacting with the substrate and a catalyst for promoting said interacting, wherein a concentration of said polyol ranges from about 11 weight percentages to about 20 weight percentages of the total weight of the ink composition.

15. The ink composition of claim 14, wherein said substrate is selected from the group consisting of a textile fabric, a paper, a wood and a plastic.

16. The ink composition of claim 14, being characterized by Brookfield viscosity at room temperature of about 16.5 centipoises, surface tension of about 31 dynes per centimeter and maximal particle size lower than 1 micron.

17. The ink composition of claim 14, wherein said carrier is selected from the group consisting of an aqueous carrier and a non-aqueous carrier.

18. The ink composition of claim 14, wherein said polyol is selected from the group consisting of a polyester polyol, a polyether polyol, a urethane polyol, a polyether, a polyester acrylate, an acrylic polyol, a urethane acrylic polyol, a polyester urethane triol resin, a polyvinyl butyral, a polyvinyl chloride acrylate and an oxidized castor oil.

19. The ink composition of claim 14, wherein said agent capable of chemically interacting with the surface of the substrate is a cross-linking agent.

20. The ink composition of claim 14, wherein said catalyst is an acid.

37. A process of printing an image on a substrate, the process comprising:

applying the ink composition of claim 14 on the surface, so as to form the image on the substrate.

43. A substrate having an image printed on a surface thereon, prepared by the process of claim 37.

21. An ink composition suitable for printing an image on a substrate comprising a first part and a second part, wherein one of said first part or said second part comprises a property adjusting agent and the other of said first part or said second part, which does not comprise a property adjusting agent, comprises a property sensitive agent, and further wherein said first part comprises a carrier, a colorant and a polyol, and wherein said second part comprises a wetting composition, said wetting composition being capable of interfering with the engagement of the ink composition with at least one binding site on the surface of said substrate.

22. The ink composition of claim 21, wherein said substrate is selected from the group consisting of a textile fabric, a paper, a wood and a plastic.

23. The ink composition of claim 21, wherein said carrier is selected from the group consisting of an aqueous carrier and a non-aqueous carrier.

24. The ink composition of claim 21, wherein said polyol is selected from the group consisting of a polyester polyol, a polyether polyol, a urethane polyol, a polyether, a polyester acrylate, an acrylic polyol, a urethane acrylic polyol, a polyester urethane triol resin, a polyvinyl butyral, a polyvinyl chloride acrylate and an oxidized castor oil.

25. The ink composition of claim 21, wherein said property-adjusting agent effects a chemical and/or physical change in said property-sensitive agent upon contacting said first part and said second part, and thereby effects a chemical and/or physical change in the ink composition.

26. The ink composition of claim 25, wherein said property is a chemical and/or physical property selected from the group consisting of acidity (pH), ionic strength, solubility, hydrophobicity and electric charge.

27. The ink composition of claim 25, wherein said property-adjusting agent is selected from the group consisting of an acid, a base, a salt, a charged polymer, an oxidizing agent, a reducing agent, a radical-producing agent and a cross-linking agent.

28. The ink composition of claim 26, wherein said property is acidity.

29. The ink composition of claim 28, wherein said property-adjusting agent is an organic acid.

30. The ink composition of claim 25, wherein said property-sensitive agent is selected from the group consisting of an adhesion promoting agent, a dispersing agent, a viscosity modifying agent, a thickener agent, a surface tension modifying agent, a surface active agent, a surfactant and a softener.

31. The ink composition of claim 25, wherein of said property-sensitive agent is an agent capable of chemically interacting with the surface and said property-adjusting agent is a catalyst.

32. The ink composition of claim 21, wherein said second part of the ink composition is characterized by a surface tension lower than a surface tension of the first part of the ink composition.

33. The ink composition of claim 21, wherein said wetting composition comprises at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of water and an organic solvent.

34. The ink composition of claim 33, wherein said second part of the ink composition further comprises at least one agent selected from the group consisting of an amine stabilizer, an alcohol stabilizer, a non-reactive agent, a softener/plasticizer, a surface active agent, a surface tension modifying agent, a viscosity modifying agent, a thickener agent and any combination thereof.

38. A process of printing an image on a substrate, the process comprising:

providing the ink composition of claim 21;

contacting at least a portion of the surface of the substrate with said second part of said ink composition, so as to provide a wet portion of said surface; and

applying said first part of said ink composition on said wet portion of said surface, so as to form the image on the substrate.

39. The process of claim 38, wherein said portion is a pre-determined portion of the surface.

40. The process of claim 38, wherein a density of said second part of said composition in said wet portion of the surface ranges from about 0.01 gram per 1 cm² to about 2 grams per 1 cm² of said wet portion of the surface.

44. A substrate having an image printed on a surface thereon, prepared by the process of claim 38.