Inkjet ink set

• US 9,873,812 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2013
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sarkisian, George, Ingle, David Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Meier, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zimmermann, John P
• Application Number:
  US14/907,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20160185992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0017 Application of ink-fixing material, e.g. mordant, precipitating agent, on the substrate prior to printing, e.g. by ink-jet printing, coating or spraying
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 7/0018 using ink-fixing material, e.g. mordant, precipitating agent, after printing, e.g. by ink-jet printing, coating or spraying
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/38 characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/40 Ink-sets specially adapted for multi-colour inkjet printing
• 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

Abstract

Examples provide inkjet ink sets and related methods. An ink set may include a pre-treatment fixing fluid, an ink, and a post-treatment fluid including a binder and a surfactant having a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of greater than about 12.

Claims

1. An ink set, comprising:

a first inkjet ink cartridge containing a pre-treatment fixing fluid including a metal salt;

at least one second inkjet ink cartridge containing an ink including an ink colorant and an ink vehicle; and

a third inkjet ink cartridge containing a post-treatment fluid including a binder and a surfactant having a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of greater than about 12, wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of acrylic polymers or copolymers, vinyl acetate polymers or copolymers, polyester polymers or copolymers, vinylidene chloride polymers or copolymers, butadiene polymers or copolymers, styrene-butadiene copolymers, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymers, and mixtures thereof and present in the post-treatment fluid in a range of about 6 weight percent to about 30 weight percent, and wherein the post-treatment fluid is devoid of any metal salt;

wherein the ink set is adapted for separate inkjetting of the pre-treatment fixing fluid, the ink, and the post-treatment fluid onto a medium.

2. The ink set of claim 1, wherein the HLB value is about 16.

3. The ink set of claim 1, wherein the surfactant is non-reactive to the metal salt.

4. The ink set of claim 1, wherein surfactant is present in the post-printing treatment fluid in a range of about 0.1 weight percent to about 5.0 weight percent.

5. The ink set of claim 1, wherein the binder is a latex and is present in the post-treatment fluid in a range of 20 weight percent to about 30 weight percent.

6. The ink set of claim 1, wherein the ink colorant is a pigment, and the metal salt includes a polyvalent metal cation selected from a group consisting of Ca₂₊, Mg₂₊, or Zn₂₊, and mixtures thereof.

13. The ink set of claim 1 wherein the surfactant is an ethoxylate.

7. A post-treatment fluid for inkjet printing, comprising:

a binder selected from the group consisting of acrylic polymers or copolymers, vinyl acetate polymers or copolymers, polyester polymers or copolymers, vinylidene chloride polymers or copolymers, butadiene polymers or copolymers, styrene-butadiene copolymers, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymers, and mixtures thereof, and present in the post-treatment fluid in a range of about 6 weight percent to about 30 weight percent; and

a surfactant having a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of greater than about 12;

wherein the post-treatment fluid is devoid of a metal salt and is adapted for separate inkjetting.

8. The post-treatment fluid of claim 7, wherein the surfactant is present in the post-treatment fluid in a range of about 0.1 weight percent to about 5.0 weight percent.

14. The post-treatment fluid of claim 7 wherein the surfactant is an ethoxylate.

16. The post-treatment fluid of claim 7 wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of acrylic polymers or copolymers, vinyl acetate polymers or copolymers, vinylidene chloride polymers or copolymers, butadiene polymers or copolymers, styrene-butadiene copolymers, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymers, and mixtures thereof.

9. A method of producing images on media, comprising:

separately inkjetting onto the media, in order, a pre-treatment fixing fluid, an ink, and a post-treatment fluid including a binder and a surfactant having a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of greater than about 12, wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of acrylic polymers or copolymers, vinyl acetate polymers or copolymers, polyester polymers or copolymers, vinylidene chloride polymers or copolymers, butadiene polymers or copolymers, styrene-butadiene copolymers, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymers, and mixtures thereof and present in the post-treatment fluid in a range of about 6 weight percent to about 30 weight percent, and wherein the post-treatment fluid is devoid of a metal salt.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said inkjetting the post-treatment fluid comprises inkjetting the post-treatment fluid after the pre-treatment fixing fluid and the ink dry.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said inkjetting the post-treatment fluid is performed before the ink and the pre-treatment fixing fluid substantially dry.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said inkjetting the pre-treatment fixing fluid comprises inkjetting the pre-treatment fixing fluid by a first inkjet ink cartridge, wherein said inkjetting the ink comprises inkjetting the ink by a second inkjet ink cartridge, and wherein said inkjetting the post-treatment fluid comprises inkjetting the post-treatment by a third inkjet ink cartridge.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the surfactant is an ethoxylate.