Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Discontinuous or differential coating – impregnation or bond
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-25
2003-09-02
Shosho, Callie (Department: 1714)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond
C428S211100, C428S516000, C524S492000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06613416
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ink-jet recording material, more specifically, to a photo-like ink-jet recording material using a polyolefin resin-coated paper which is a water-resistant paper support, particularly to an ink-jet recording material which has high glossiness and excellent ink absorption property, and causes no crazing at the surface of an ink-receptive layer.
2. Prior Art
As a recording material to be used for an ink-jet recording system, an ink-jet recording material which comprises, provided on a support such as a usual paper or the so-called ink-jet recording material, a porous ink absorption layer containing a pigment such as amorphous silica, etc., and a hydrophilic binder such as polyvinyl alcohol has been known.
There have been proposed ink-jet recording materials obtained by coating a silicon-containing pigment such as silica, etc., with a hydrophilic binder onto a paper support as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Provisional Patent Publications No. 51583/1980, No. 157/1981, No. 107879/1982, No. 107880/1982, No. 230787/1984, No. 160277/1987, No. 184879/1987, No. 183382/1987, No. 11877/1989, and the like.
Also, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56552/1991, Japanese Provisional Patent Publications No. 113986/1990, No. 188287/1990, No. 269893/1996, No. 48602/1999, No. 48603/1999, No. 58938/1999 and No. 58939/1999, there have been disclosed to use synthetic silica fine particles prepared by a gas phase process (hereinafter referred to as “fumed silica”) in an ink-receptive layer.
As a support for the above-mentioned ink-jet recording materials, paper has conventionally been used in general and the paper itself had a role as an ink absorption layer. In recent years, an ink-jet recording material having characteristics like photography has earnestly been desired. However, a recording sheet using paper as a support has problems of gloss, the feel of a material, water fastness, cockling (wrinkle or surface waviness) and the like. Thus, a water-resistant processed paper support such as a polyolefin resin-coated paper in which a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene is coated on the both surfaces of paper has now been used. A combination of a polyolefin resin-coated paper and fumed silica has been disclosed, for example, in EP0 813 978 A1, Japanese Provisional Patent Publications No. 174992/1996, No. 81064/1998, No. 119423/1998, No. 175365/1998, No. 203006/1998, No. 217601/1998, No. 20300/1999, No. 20306/1999 and No. 34481/1999.
However, these water-resistant supports such as a polyolefin resin-coated paper cannot absorb ink different from a paper support. Thus, in such a water-resistant support, it is important that an ink-receptive layer provided on the support has a high ink-absorption property. Accordingly, to prepare an ink-jet recording material using a polyolefin resin-coated paper support, a much amount of silica fine particles should be coated on the support as compared with that of an ink-jet recording material using a paper support. When the content of the silica fine particles is increased, surface crazing is likely caused on the surface of an ink-receptive layer at the time of drying whereby the quality of the material is markedly lowered.
The fumed silica is ultrafine particles and primary particles thereof have an average particle size of several nm to several tens lnm, so that high gloss can be easily obtained. Therefore, to utilize the characteristics (high gloss) of the fumed silica, a polyolefin resin-coated paper having a high specular gloss and surfaces with high glossiness has generally been used. However, when the fumed silica is coated on the polyolefin resin-coated paper having a high specular gloss and surfaces with high glossiness with a large amount, crazing as mentioned above easily occurs.
Also, in an ink-jet recording material using silica fine particles, there is a problem that the recording sheet is warped at the time of handling, crack is likely caused at the warped or folded portion.
Also, an ink-receptive layer mainly comprising the fumed silica can be produced by coating a coating solution containing a large amount of the fumed silica (e.g., about 5 to 10% by weight) on a support and drying. When the coating solution containing a large amount of inorganic fine particles is coated on a polyolefin resin-coated paper support, coating behavior is not good and coating failure such as coating streak, etc. is often generated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink-jet recording material which has high ink absorption property and gloss, and has no surface defect such as surface crazing, etc. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink-jet recording material which causes no coating failure and has a uniform coating surface. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink-jet recording material which can prevent from generating crack at a warped or folded portion.
The above objects of the present invention have been achieved by an ink-jet recording material which comprises a polyolefin resin-coated paper support and at least one ink-receptive layer containing fumed silica provided on the support, wherein a surface of the support on which the ink-receptive layer is provided has been subjected to work into slightly rough surface so that 75 degrees specular glossiness according to JIS P 8142 is from 30% to less than 70%.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the following, the embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail.
In the prior art, a support having high specular gloss and high glossiness has been used to obtain high gloss on the surface of an ink-receptive layer, but a problem of causing minute crazing (cracks) on the surface of the ink-receptive layer has newly been found out. Thus, the present inventors have studied to provide an ink-jet recording material which is capable of maintaining high gloss and causes no crazing and found that the problems can be solved by using a polyolefin resin-coated paper support the surface of which has subjected to work into slightly rough surface to have a specific surface gloss. Moreover, by using the above-mentioned support the surface of which has subjected to work into slightly rough surface, they have found that an ink-receptive layer coating solution containing the fumed silica can be uniformly coated.
The polyolefin resin-coated paper to be used as a support in the present invention is a material in which one or both surfaces of a base paper is/are coated and provided by a polyolefin resin layer. The polyolefin resin layer is provided at least a surface on which an ink-receptive layer is to be coated. In the present invention, it is preferred to have polyolefin resin layers on the both surfaces of the support.
The polyolefin resin-coated paper to be used in the present invention is a paper in which at least the surface on which an ink-receptive layer is to be coated is subjected to work into slightly rough surface so that 75 degrees specular glossiness according to JIS P 8142 is from 30% to less than 70%.
A base paper constituting the polyolefin resin-coated paper is not particularly limited, and any paper generally used may be employed. More preferably, a smooth base paper such as those used as paper for a photographic support may be used. As pulp constituting the base paper, natural pulp, regenerated pulp, synthetic pulp, etc. may be used singly or in combination of two or more. In the base paper, various additives conventionally used in the papermaking industry such as a sizing agent, a strengthening additive of paper, a loading material, an antistatic agent, a fluorescent brightener, a dye, etc. may be formulated.
Moreover, a surface sizing agent, a surface strengthening additive of paper, a fluorescent brightener, an antistatic agent, a dye, an anchoring agent, etc. may be coated on the surface of the base paper.
A thickness of the base paper is not particularly limited, and preferably that having a good surface smoothness prepared b
Ashida Tetsuya
Tokunaga Yukio
Manelli Denison & Selter PLLC
Mitsubishi Paper Mills Limited
Shosho Callie
White, Jr. Paul E.
LandOfFree
Ink-jet recording material does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Ink-jet recording material, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Ink-jet recording material will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3063369