Treatment liquid for plastic film, primer liquid for printing, ink composition, and method for ink jet recording using them

• US 9,079,418 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Mukai, Hiroshi, Takemoto, Kiyohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, DORIS L
• Application Number:
  US13/093,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20110200799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 523/160, 523/161
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2114 Ejecting specialized liquids, e.g. transparent or processing liquids B41J2/211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 1/30 on organic plastics, horn or similar materials recording sheets having a coating to improve ink, dye or pigment receptivity B41M5/50; marking or recording on plastic by irradiation with electromagnetic beams, e.g. laser, B41M5/267
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0011 Pre-treatment or treatment during printing of the recording material, e.g. heating, irradiating after-treatment of prints B41M7/00; printers for treating or overcoating copy materials before, during or after printing B41J11/0015
• 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 7/009 using thermal means, e.g. infrared radiation, heat
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/38 characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes
• 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: C09D 5/002 Priming paints C09D5/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

This invention provides a treatment liquid for an ink jet recording medium having a recording face of a plastic film, wherein the treatment liquid including at least a specific cyclic ester compound or a specific cyclic amide compound, a primer liquid for printing, and an ink composition. According to the present invention, a plastic recorded matter possessing excellent adhesion and waterfastness can be formed on a recording medium having a recording face of a plastic film.

Claims

1. An ink-jet ink composition for forming an image on a recording face formed of a plastic film by dissolving a surface of the plastic film, said ink composition comprising:

a cyclic ester compound selected from the group consisting of γ

-butyrolactone, ε

-caprolactone, δ

-hexandolactone, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonated, and 1,3-dioxin-2-one,

a thermoplastic resin;

a cyclic ether compound selected from the group consisting of oxirane, oxacyclobutane (oxetane), tetrahydrofuran (oxolane), 3-methyl-oxolane, oxane, 1,3-dioxolane, 1,3-dioxane, 1,4-dioxane, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, and 1,3,5-trioxane,

a colorant; and

a main solvent,

wherein the plastic film is selected from polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyurethane,

where when the ink-jet ink composition is deposited onto the plastic film, the ink-jet ink composition dissolves the plastic film,

wherein the content of the cyclic ester compound is 0.1% to 10.0% by weight based on the total amount of the ink-jet composition, and

wherein the content of the cycler ether compound is 0.1% to 10.0% by weight based on the total amount of the ink-jet ink composition.

2. The ink jet ink composition according to claim 1, wherein said cyclic ester compound is selected from the group consisting of γ

-butyrolactone, ε

-caprolactone, propylene carbonate, and ethylene carbonate.

3. The ink-jet ink composition according to claim 1, which further comprises a surfactant and wherein said surfactant is an acetylene glycol surfactant.

4. The ink-jet ink composition according to claim 1, which further comprises an organic solvent having low surface tension, and wherein said organic solvent having low surface tension is diethylene glycol monobutyl ether or triethylene glycol monobutyl ether.

5. The ink-jet ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the plastic film to which the ink-jet ink composition is deposited has no ink-receiving layer.

6. The ink-jet ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic resin is dispersed in the ink-jet ink composition.

7. The ink-jet ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the ink-jet composition further comprises a compound represented by general formula (2):

R²¹O—

[CH₂—

CH(R²³)—

O]t-R²² 

 

(2)

wherein R²¹ and R²² each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms, R²³ represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms and t is an integer of 1 to 8, provided that at least one of R²¹ and R²² is an alkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms.

8. The ink-jet ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic resin is a styrene-acrylic acid copolymer.

9. The ink-jet ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the ink-jet ink composition further comprises a compound capable of dissolving the plastic film other than the cyclic ester compound.

10. The ink-jet ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the plastic film to which the ink-jet composition is deposited is non-surface treated for ink jet printing.

11. The ink-jet ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the cyclic ether compound is selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran.

12. The ink-jet ink composition according to claim 1, wherein the cyclic ether compound is selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofuran and 1,4-dioxane.

13. A method for formulation of an image by ink jet recording, comprising ejecting and depositing droplets of the ink composition according to claim 1 onto a recording medium having a recording face of a plastic film to perform printing.

14. The method according claim 13, which further comprises a heating step of heating the ink composition deposited onto the recording face to form a resin film.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the recording face is polyvinyl chloride film.

16. A recorded matter printed by a method according to claim 13.

17. An ink-jet ink composition for forming an image on a recording face formed of a plastic film by dissolving a surface of the plastic film, said ink composition comprising:

a cyclic ester compound selected from the group consisting of γ

-butyrolactone, ε

-caprolactone, δ

-hexanolactone, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, and 1,3-dioxan-2-one;

a thermoplastic resin;

a cyclic ether compound selected from group consisting of oxirane, oxacyclobutane (oxetane), tetrahydrofuran (oxolane), 3-methl-oxolane, oxane, 1,3-dioxolane, 1,3-dioxane, 1,4-dioxane, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, and 1,3,5-trioxane, in an amount that ranges between 0.5 to 5.0% by weight;

a colorant; and

a main solvent,

wherein the plastic film is selected from polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polystyrene and polyurethane,

wherein when the ink-jet ink composition is deposited onto the plastic film, the ink-jet ink composition dissolves the plastic film, and

wherein the content of the cyclic ester compound is 0.1 to 10.0% b weight based on the total amount of the ink-jet ink composition.