Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Discontinuous or differential coating – impregnation or bond
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-20
2002-03-26
Schwartz, Pamela R. (Department: 1774)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond
C347S105000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06361853
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink jet image-recording element.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a typical ink jet recording or printing system, ink droplets are ejected from a nozzle at high speeds towards a recording element or medium to produce an image on the medium. The recording elements typically comprise a support or a support material having on at least one surface thereof an ink-receiving or image-forming layer. In order to achieve and maintain high quality images on such an image-recording element, the recording element must:
Exhibit no banding, bleed, coalescence, or cracking in inked areas.
Exhibit the ability to absorb large amounts of ink and dry quickly to avoid blocking.
Exhibit high optical densities in the printed areas.
Exhibit freedom from differential gloss.
Have high levels of image fastness to avoid fade from contact with water or radiation by daylight, tungsten light, or fluorescent light.
Have excellent cohesive strength so that delamination does not occur.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,507 relates to an ink-receptive sheet containing several layers including a thick base layer and a thinner overcoat comprising a high viscosity cellulose ether and a salt of polyethylene imine. There is a problem with this receiver, however, in that it has poor light fade resistance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,928 relates to an ink jet printing element containing various layers including a hydrophilic layer to prevent fathering. However, there is a problem with this element in that it has reduced gloss and poor light fade resistance.
It is an object of this invention to provide an ink jet recording element which has excellent image quality, less differential gloss, and better light fade resistance than the elements of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention which comprises an ink jet recording element comprising a support having thereon the following layers in the order recited:
a) a hydrophilic absorbing layer comprising gelatin or poly(vinyl alcohol);
b) an adhesion promoting layer comprising pectin or alginate; and
c) a hydrophilic overcoat layer comprising hydroxyethyl cellulose.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to an ink jet printing process comprising:
a) providing an ink jet recording element as described above, and
b) applying liquid ink droplets thereon in an image-wise manner.
The ink jet recording element of the invention produces an image which has excellent image quality, less differential gloss, and better light fade resistance than the elements of the prior art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, it has been found that a specific combination of image receiving layers, each comprised of specific materials and arranged in a specific sequence on a support material, yields excellent ink jet imaging performance for a wide range of commercially available printing systems.
As noted above, the hydrophilic absorbing layer comprises gelatin or poly(vinyl alcohol) (PA). This layer may also contain other hydrophilic materials such as naturally-occurring hydrophilic colloids and gums such as albumin, guar, xanthan, acacia, chitosan, starches and their derivatives, functionalized proteins, functionalized gums and starches, and cellulose ethers and their derivatives, polyvinyloxazoline, such as poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEOX), polyvinylmethyloxazoline, polyoxides, polyethers, poly(ethylene imine), poly(acrylic acid), poly(methacrylic acid), n-vinyl amides including polyacrylamide and polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP), and poly(vinyl alcohol) derivatives and copolymers, such as copolymers of polyethylene oxide and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PEO-PVA).
The hydrophilic absorbing layer must effectively absorb both the water and humectants commonly found ink jet printing inks. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, two hydrophilic absorbing layers are present, one comprising gelatin, and the other comprising poly(vinyl alcohol). The hydrophilic materials employed in the image-recording layer may be present in any amount which is effective for the intended purpose. In general, for a two layer structure as described above, the preferred amount of gelatin is from about 5 g/m
2
to 15 g/m
2
; while the preferred amount of poly(vinyl alcohol) is from about 0.5 g/m
2
to 3.2 g/M
2
.
As noted above, the hydrophilic overcoat comprises hydroxyethyl cellulose(HEC). This layer may also contain other hydrophilic materials such as cellulose derivatives, e.g., cellulose ethers like methyl cellulose(MC), ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose(HPC), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose(CMC), calcium carboxymethyl cellulose, methylethyl cellulose, methylhydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose(HPMC), hydroxybutylmethyl cellulose, ethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, sodium carboxymethyl-hydroxyethyl cellulose, and carboxymethylethyl cellulose; and cellulose ether esters such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose phthalate, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose acetate succinate, hydroxypropyl cellulose acetate, esters of hydroxyethyl cellulose and diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride, esters of hydroxyethyl cellulose and 2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride and esters of hydroxyethyl cellulose and a lauryldimethylammonium substituted epoxide(HEC-LDME), such as Quatrisoft® LM200 (Amerchol Corp.); as well as hydroxyethyl cellulose grafted with alkyl C
12
-C
14
chains.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hydrophilic overcoat layer comprises a mixture of hydroxyethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose in a weight ratio from about 30:70 to 70:30. The preferred dry coverage of the overcoat layer is from about 0. 5 g/m
2
to 1.1 g/m
2
.
As noted above, there is an adhesion promoting layer between the hydrophilic absorbing layer and hydrophilic overcoat layer comprising pectin or alginate. This layer may also contain other materials such as gelatin, albumin, guar, xanthan, rhamsan, acacia, chitosan, starches and their derivatives, salts of alginic acid; and resins such as poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), and sulfonated polyesters. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the pectin or alginate used in the adhesion promoting layer is present in an amount from about 0.15 g/m
2
to about 0.5 g/m
2
.
Matte particles may be added to any or all of the layers described in order to provide enhanced printer transport, resistance to ink offset, or to change the appearance of the ink receiving layer to satin or matte finish. In addition, surfactants, defoamers, or other coatability-enhancing materials may be added as required by the coating technique chosen.
Typically, dye mordants are added to ink receiving layers in order to improve water and humidity resistance. However, most mordant materials adversely affect dye light stability. Any polymeric mordant can be used in the image-recording layer of the invention provided it does not adversely affect light fade resistance. For example, there may be used a cationic polymer, e.g., a polymeric quartenary ammonium compound, or a basic polymer, such as poly(dimethylaminoethyl)-methacrylate, polyalkylenepolyamines, and products of the condensation thereof with dicyanodiamide, amine-epichlorohydrin polycondensates; lecithin and phospholipid compounds. Examples of mordants useful in the invention include: vinylbenzyl trimethyl ammonium chloride/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate; vinylbenzyl trimethyl ammonium chloride/divinyl benzene; poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride); poly(2-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)ethyl methacrylate methosulfate; poly(3-N,N,N-trimethyl-ammonium)propyl methacrylate chloride; a copolymer of vinylpyrrolidinone and vinyl(N-methylimidazolium chloride; and hydroxyethylcellulose derivitized with (3-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)propyl chloride.
Any support or substrate may be used in the recording element of the invention. There may be used, for example, plain or calendered paper, paper coated with protective polyolefin layers, polymeric films such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, poly 1,4-cyclohexane dimeth
Boyle Eric L.
Lindstrom Brian L.
Shaw-Klein Lori J.
Cole Harold E.
Eastman Kodak Company
Schwartz Pamela R.
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