Ink jet recording ink and recording method

• US 6,485,138 B1
• Filed: 03/30/1999
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kubota, Kazuhide, Takemoto, Kiyohiko, Miyabayashi, Toshiyuki, Watanabe, Kazuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah, Manish S.
• Application Number:
  US09/281,417
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 347/96, 347/100, 428/195, 106/31.58
• US Class Current: 347/96
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2107 characterised by the ink properties supplying ink in a solid state B41J2/17593
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/00 Printing processes to produce particular kinds of printed work, e.g. patterns printing apparatus or machines of special type or for particular purposes B41F17/00; special designs or pictures per se B44F; manufacturing printed circuits using printing techniques H05K3/12 ; manufacturing organic semiconductor devices using printing techniques H10K71/13
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/001 using chemical colour-formers or chemical reactions, e.g. leuco dyes or acids
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/30 Inkjet printing inks
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/322 Pigment inks
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/54 Inks based on two liquids, one liquid being the ink, the other liquid being a reaction solution, a fixer or a treatment solution for the ink
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/3188 Next to cellulosic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31895 Paper or wood

Abstract

An ink jet recording method comprising the step of printing two solutions of a first solution and an ink composition is provided which, even in the case of printing on a recycled paper, can realize a good printed image, especially an image having no significant feathering and free from unevenness of printing and an image free from color bleeding. A first solution containing a polyvalent metal salt and/or a polyallylamine is used in combination with an ink composition containing an inorganic oxide colloid, and optionally an epoxy-containing compound. Specifically, the first solution is deposited onto a recording medium, and the ink composition is then deposited by ink jet printing to perform printing.

Claims

1. An ink jet recording method comprising the step of:

depositing a reaction solution and an ink composition onto a recording medium to perform printing,

wherein the reaction solution contains a polyvalent metal salt and/or a polyallylamine,

wherein the ink composition comprises at least a colorant, an inorganic oxide colloid, and an aqueous solvent, and

wherein the ink composition further comprises an epoxy-containing compound having a functional group reactive with an epoxy group.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the epoxy-containing compound is an epoxy-containing resin emulsion and/or a water-soluble epoxy compound.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the epoxy-containing resin emulsion comprises a copolymer comprising recurring units represented by the following formulae (I) and (II):

wherein

R¹ and R³ independently represent H or CH₃,

R² represents a group containing at least one member selected from alkyl, hydroxyl, carboxyl, and sulfonic groups.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the water-soluble epoxy compound is represented by the following formula:

wherein n is a natural number of 4 to 9.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ink composition further comprises a resin emulsion.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reaction solution further comprises an epoxy-curing agent.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the epoxy-curing agent is a water-soluble polyamine.

8. In a method for forming print on a recording medium by depositing an ink composition and a reaction solution onto the recording medium so that the reaction solution reacts with the ink composition to form the print with desired properties, said ink composition comprising a colorant and an aqueous solvent, said reaction solution comprising a polyvalent metal salt or a polyallylamine, the improvement comprising providing the ink composition with an inorganic oxide colloid and an epoxy-containing compound having a functional group reactive with an epoxy group, said inorganic oxide colloid being present in the ink composition in an amount sufficient to form the print with an improved rubbing resistance or evenness of printing as compared to the print formed with the ink composition without the inorganic oxide colloid.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the ink composition comprises the colorant in an amount of about 0.5 to 25% by weight, the epoxy-containing compound in an amount of about 1 to 10% by weight, and the inorganic oxide colloid in an amount of about 0.1 to 15% by weight;

and wherein the reaction solution comprises water, an organic solvent in an amount of about 0.5 to 40% by weight and the polyvalent metal salt in an amount of about 0.1 to 40% by weight and/or the polyallylamine in an amount of about 0.5 to 10% by weight.