Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Medium and processing means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-30
2001-12-11
Michl, Paul R. (Department: 1714)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Medium and processing means
C347S105000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328443
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an ink jet printing method. More particularly, this invention relates to an ink jet printing method using a recording element containing porous polyneric particles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a typical ink jet recording or printing system, ink droplets are ejected from a nozzle at high speed towards a recording element or medium to produce an image on the medium. The ink droplets, or recording liquid, generally comprise a recording agent, such as a dye or pigment, and a large amount of solvent. The solvent, or carrier liquid, typically is made up of water, an organic material such as a monohydric alcohol, a polyhydric alcohol or mixtures thereof.
An ink jet recording element typically comprises a support having on at least one surface thereof an ink-receiving or image-forming layer, and includes those intended for reflection viewing, which have an opaque support, and those intended for viewing by transmitted light, which have a transparent support.
While a wide variety of different types of image-recording elements for use with ink jet devices have been proposed heretofore, there are many unsolved problems in the art and many deficiencies in the known products which have limited their commercial usefulness.
It is well known that in order to achieve and maintain photographic-quality images on such an image-recording element, an ink jet recording element must:
Be readily wetted so there is no puddling, i.e., coalescence of adjacent ink dots, which leads to non-uniform density
Exhibit no image bleeding
Absorb high concentrations of ink and dry quickly to avoid elements blocking together when stacked against subsequent prints or other surfaces
Exhibit no discontinuities or defects due to interactions between the support and/or layer(s), such as cracking, repellencies, comb lines and the like
Not allow unabsorbed dyes to aggregate at the free surface causing dye crystallization, which results in bloom or bronzing effects in the imaged areas
Have an optimized image fastness to avoid fade from contact with water or radiation by daylight, tungsten light, or fluorescent light
An ink jet recording element that simultaneously provides an almost instantaneous ink dry time and good image quality is desirable. However, given the wide range of ink compositions and ink volumes that a recording element needs to accommodate, these requirements of ink jet recording media are difficult to achieve simultaneously.
Ink jet recording elements are known that employ porous or non-porous single layer or multilayer coatings that act as suitable image-receiving layers on one or both sides of a porous or non-porous support. Recording elements that use non-porous coatings typically have good image quality but exhibit poor ink dry time. Recording elements that use porous coatings exhibit superior dry times, but typically have poorer image quality and are prone to cracking. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,027,131 and 5,194,317 relate to an ink jet recording medium containing polymeric particles in an ink recording layer. However, there is no mention of porous core/shell particles.
Japanese Kokai Hei 7[1995]-172037, 2[1990]-127447 and 2[1990]-55185 relate to an ink jet recording sheet containing porous resin particles in an ink recording layer. Again, however, there is no mention of porous core/shell particles.
It is an object of this invention to provide an ink jet printing method using an ink jet recording element that has a fast ink dry time with minimal puddling. It is another object of this invention to provide an ink jet printing method using an ink jet recording element that is free from cracking.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention which comprises an ink jet printing method, comprising the steps of:
A) providing an ink jet printer that is responsive to digital data signals;
B) loading the printer with an ink jet recording element comprising a support having thereon an image-receiving layer comprising at least about 70% by weight of porous polymeric particles in a polymeric binder, the porous polymeric particles having a core/shell structure comprising a porous polymeric core covered with a shell of a water-soluble polymer;
C) loading the printer with an ink jet ink composition; and
D) printing on the ink jet recording element using the ink jet ink in response to the digital data signals.
Using the ink jet printing method of the invention, an ink jet recording element is obtained which has less cracking than prior art elements while providing good image quality and fast ink dry times with minimal puddling.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The support used in the ink jet recording element employed in the invention may be opaque, translucent, or transparent. There may be used, for example, plain papers, resin-coated papers, various plastics including a polyester resin such as poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(ethylene naphthalate) and poly(ester diacetate), a polycarbonate resin, a fluorine resin such as poly(tetrafluoro ethylene), metal foil, various glass materials, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the support is opaque. The thickness of the support employed in the invention can be from about 12 to about 500 &mgr;m, preferably from about 75 to about 300 &mgr;m.
The porous polymeric particles which are used in the invention comprise a porous polymeric core covered with a shell of a water-soluble polymer. The porous polymeric core of the porous polymeric particles are in the form of porous beads, or irregularly shaped particles.
Polymers which can be used as a core for the core/shell particles used in the invention comprise, for example, acrylic resins, styrenic resins, or cellulose derivatives, such as cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose propionate, cellulose acetate propionate, and ethyl cellulose; polyvinyl resins such as polyvinyl chloride, copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate and polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl acetal, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, and ethylene-allyl copolymers such as ethylene-allyl alcohol copolymers, ethylene-allyl acetone copolymers, ethylene-allyl benzene copolymers, ethylene-allyl ether copolymers, ethylene acrylic copolymers and polyoxy-methylene; polycondensation polymers, such as, polyesters, including polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyurethanes and polycarbonates.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the porous polymeric core is made from a styrenic or an acrylic monomer. Any suitable ethylenically unsaturated monomer or mixture of monomers may be used in making such styrenic or acrylic polymer. There may be used, for example, styrenic compounds, such as styrene, vinyl toluene, p-chlorostyrene, vinylbenzylchloride or vinyl naphthalene; or acrylic compounds, such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, n-octyl acrylate, 2-chloroethyl acrylate, phenyl acrylate, methyl- &agr;-chloroacrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate; and mixtures thereof. In another preferred embodiment, methyl methacrylate is used.
A suitable crosslinking monomer may be used in forming the porous polymeric core in order to modify the porous polymeric particle to produce particularly desired properties. Typical crosslinking monomers are aromatic divinyl compounds such as divinylbenzene, divinylnaphthalene or derivatives thereof; diethylene carboxylate esters and amides such as ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, diethylene glycol diacrylate, and other divinyl compounds such as divinyl sulfide or divinyl sulfone compounds. Divinylbenzene and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate are especially preferred. While the crosslinking monomer may be used in any amount, at least about 27 mole % is preferred.
The porous polymeric particles used in this invention have a porous polymeric core that can be prepared, for example, by pulverizing and classification of porous organic compounds, by emulsion, suspension, and dispersion polymerization of o
Kaeding Jeanne E
Kapusniak Richard J.
Missell Gregory E.
Muehlbauer John L.
Smith Dennis E.
Cole Harold E.
Eastman Kodak Company
Michl Paul R.
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