Inkjet recording method and inkjet recording apparatus

• US 7,331,649 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2005
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuzawa, Takahiro, Sugihara, Miyako, Tomotake, Atsushi, Nakazawa, Kenzo
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LAMSON D
• Application Number:
  US11/090,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20060017760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 347/15, 347/43, 347/16, 347/101, 347/105, 347/96, 347/100
• US Class Current: 347/43
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2132 Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding methods for local corrections by dot omission, image edge enhancement, or multi-pass mask selection G06K15/102; colour conversion H04N1/40

Abstract

An inkjet recording method includes: forming a color image with color inks by while scanning a recording head multiple times on a same recording area, forming a thinned-out image, the recording head having a plurality of nozzle sections for jetting the color inks, wherein a nozzle pitch of the recording head is from 10 to 50 μm, the color inks comprise C, M, Y and BK inks and at least one special color ink, the color inks contain pigments, at least one organic solvent with high boiling point and water, a dot formed by the color inks has a size of 10 to 50 μm, the recording medium has a transferred amount at 0.04 seconds of absorption time, and the recording medium comprises a micro-porous layer containing inorganic fine particles and a hydrophilic binder.

Claims

1. An inkjet recording method comprising the step of:

forming a color image with color inks on the recording medium by while scanning a recording head multiple times on a same recording area of the recording medium, forming a thinned-out image according to an thinning-out pattern without regularity in each scanning, the recording head having a plurality of nozzle sections for jetting the color inks,

wherein a nozzle pitch of the recording head is from 10 to 50 μ

m,

the color inks comprise cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks and at least one special color ink,

the color inks contain pigments, at least one organic solvent with high boiling point and water,

a dot formed by jetting the color inks from the recording head has a size of 10 to 50 μ

m on the recording medium,

the recording medium has a transferred amount at 0.04 seconds of absorption time by Bristow method of 10 ml/m² or more, and

the recording medium comprises a micro-porous layer containing inorganic fine particles having a mean particle size of 15 to 100 nm and a hydrophilic binder.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the special color ink is at least one ink selected from a group consisting of a red ink, an orange ink, an blue ink, a violet ink and a green ink.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a printing acceptable rate of the thinning-out pattern is from 15 to 35%.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a surface tension of the color inks is from 30 to 50 mN/m.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pigments of the color inks are dispersed by a polymeric dispersant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording medium comprises an absorbable support, on which the micro-porous layer is provided.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic binder is polyvinyl alcohol or a derivative thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic binder is hardened.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a void rate of the micro-porous layer is from 30 to 70%.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the inorganic fine particles contain silica or alumina.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the inorganic fine particle has the mean particle size of 20 to 80 nm.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the color inks contain urea or a urea derivative.

13. An inkjet recording apparatus for forming a color image by jetting color inks on a recording medium, comprising:

a recording head having a plurality of nozzle sections to jet the color inks, the nozzle sections being arrayed at a pitch of 10 to 50 μ

m;

a scanning section to make the recording head scan multiple times on one recording area of the recording medium; and

a control section to allow the recording head to jet the color inks from the plurality of nozzle sections so that a thinned-out image according to a thinning-out pattern without regularity in each scanning is formed on the recording medium,

wherein the color inks comprise cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks and at least one special color ink,

the color inks contains pigments, at least one organic solvent with high boiling point and water,

a dot formed by jetting the color inks from the recording head has a size of 10 to 50 μ

m on the recording medium,

the recording medium has a transferred amount at 0.04 seconds of absorption time by Bristow method is 10 ml/M² or more, and

the recording medium has a micro-porous layer containing inorganic fine particles having a mean particle size of 15 to 100 nm and a hydrophilic binder.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the special color ink is at least one ink selected from a group consisting of a red ink, an orange ink, an blue ink, a violet ink and a green ink.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a printing acceptable rate of the thinning-out pattern is from 15 to 35%.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a surface tension of the color inks is from 30 to 50 mN/m.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pigments of the color inks are dispersed by a polymeric dispersant.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the recording medium comprises an absorbable support, on which the micro-porous layer is provided.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the hydrophilic binder is polyvinyl alcohol or a derivative thereof.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the hydrophilic binder is hardened.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a void rate of the micro-porous layer is from 30 to 70%.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the inorganic fine particles contain silica or alumina.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the inorganic fine particle has the mean particle size of 20 to 80 nm.

24. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the color inks contain urea or a urea derivative.