Method of making an optically transparent inkjet printing medium

• US 6,913,722 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Miller, Alan G., Fehr, Robert T., Fleming, Patrick R., Williams, Todd R., Ylitalo, Caroline M., Engle, Lori P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Edmund H.
• Application Number:
  US10/324,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20030129301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 264/134, 264/293, 264/299, 264/320, 425/394
• US Class Current: 264/134
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 39/02 for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/006 Patterns of chemical products used for a specific purpose, e.g. pesticides, perfumes, adhesive patterns; use of microencapsulated material; Printing on smoking articles
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0047 by ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0064 on plastics, horn, rubber, or other organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/504 Backcoats
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/52 Macromolecular coatings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24884 Translucent layer comprises natural oil, wax, resin, gum, glue, gelatin
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24901 including coloring matter
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2495 Thickness [relative or absolute]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31855 Of addition polymer from unsaturated monomers

Abstract

A receptor medium with a sheet having an optically transmissive microembossed imaging surface as one major surface thereof. The receptor medium can receive jettable materials, which include inks, adhesives, biological fluids, chemical assay reagents, particulate dispersions, waxes, and combinations thereof. The microembossed medium unexpectedly solves such common inkjet printing problems as feathering, banding, and mudcracking in inkjet printing systems by controlling how an inkjet drop contacts and dries on an inkjet receptor medium and also Moire'"'"' effects but also provides sufficient optical transmissivity to be useful as overhead transparency media, backlit signage, and the like. Clear lines of demarcation between adjoining colors of a pigmented inkjet image graphic can be obtained without creation of the Moire'"'"' effects. Methods of making and using the inkjet receptor medium are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of making an inkjet printing medium, comprising steps of:

(a) selecting a microembossing pattern for forming a microembossed surface topography on the inkjet printing medium; and

(b) molding a polymeric material against a molding surface of a mold having the selected microembossing pattern thereon to form the inkjet printing medium, wherein the medium is a polymeric sheet having an optically transparent microembossed surface topography comprising square cavities as one major surface thereof, the microembossed polymeric sheet is nonporous and the cavities each have a volume of from about 1100pL to about 5000pL and the calculated percent non-planar area of the surface topography is 10 percent or less.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the molding step is selected from the group consisting of casting, coating, and compressing techniques.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising contacting the microembossed sheet with a topical coating.