Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-15
2003-05-13
Barlow, John (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
C347S105000, C428S195100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06561638
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an ink-jet recording method to be used for an ink-jet image formation and a recorded matter by the recording method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Recently, a hard copy image recording technology for recording an image created by a digital camera or a computer is rapidly progressed accompanied with such the instruments. One of the objects of the hard copy is to obtain an image near a silver salt photograph. Particularly, the object of the development is to bring the color reproducibility, color density, texture, resolving power, glossiness and light resistively near those of the silver salt photograph.
Various recording methods such as a sublimation thermal transfer method, an ink-jet method and a static recording method have been proposed or practically used as the hard copy recording method other than a method in which an image displayed on a display device is directly photographed by a silver slat photography. Among these methods, a printer using the ink-jet method is rapidly spread recently since the method has advantages such that the method is easily utilized for full color image recording and the noise accompanied with the printing action is small.
The ink-jet recording method is rapidly progressed since an accurate image can be recorded by a relatively simple apparatus. Such the method is widely applied for various uses and recording media and inks suitable for each of the uses are used.
The recording media to be used in the ink-jet recording include one such as plain paper in which the ink receiving layer is the support paper itself, one such as coated paper comprising an ink absorbable support and an ink absorbing layer coated on the support and one comprising an ink non-absorbable support such as a resin coated paper or a polyester film and an ink absorbing layer coated thereon. Among them, the recording medium comprising an ink non-absorbable support and an ink absorbing layer coated thereon is preferably used for an output requiring a high class texture as silver salt photograph with a glossiness feel, luster and depth since such the media has a high smoothness of the surface and a low undulation. A swelling type recording medium comprising the ink non-absorbable support and a water-soluble binder such as poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and poly(vinyl alcohol) as the ink absorbing layer coated on the support, and a porous type recording medium having a ink absorbing layer constituted by a pigment or a combination of a pigment and a binder so as to form fine pores for absorbing the ink are used as the recording medium with high glossiness and luster.
Besides, the ink is broadly classified into a dye ink in which a colorant is dissolved in a solvent and a dispersion ink in which a colorant is dispersed in a solvent. The dye ink is preferably used for output of an image of silver salt photograph since such the ink has a well color appearance and a high chromaticness. The dye ink, however, basically tends to be discolored by light. Therefore, such the ink causes a problem that the image is rapidly discolored when the image is posted up for a long period unless a laminate treatment is applied on the surface thereof. Besides the dispersion ink is difficultly discolored in general and preferably used for drawing up a matter to be posted up such as a poster. The dispersion ink is not suitable for printing a silver salt photograph like image from the viewpoint of keeping the stability of dispersion since the diameter of the dispersed particle is large in former times. However, the size of the dispersed particle is made small recently accompanied with the development of the dispersion technology and the printing of the silver salt photograph like image can be realized by the use of the dispersion ink. In example, an organic pigment, an inorganic pigment and a colored fine particle are used as the colorant of the dispersion ink.
Recently, the precision of the ink-jet recording is raised and the printing aimed at an image with a high texture like as a silver salt photograph is often performed. A glossy recording medium such as the foregoing swelling type recording medium and porous recording medium is preferably used when the printing required to from an image with the high texture.
When the image is recorded by the dye ink, incompatibility is not felt so much at the boundary of the non image area and the image recorded area since the ink is wholly permeated into the ink absorption layer and the status of the surface after the image recording is almost the same as that before the recording. Contrary to that, when the dispersion ink is used for recording on the glossy type recording medium, almost of the colorant-particles cannot be permeated into the interior of the ink absorption layer and are exposed to the surface of the recording medium since there is no pore in the ink absorption layer of the swelling type recording medium and the diameter of the colorant is larger than that of the pore in the ink absorption layer of the porous type recording medium. As a result of that, a surface is newly formed by the dispersed colorant exposed on the surface of the recording medium at the image area recorded by the dispersion ink. Consequently, the smoothness of the surface is made different from that of the original surface according to the status of the colorant accumulation. The variation of the surface smoothness is appeared as a variation of the glossiness and the glossiness of the image area is different from that of the non-image area. The presence of the areas each different in the glossiness in one recording medium causes a strong incompatible feel and the observer feels that the uniformity of the recorded image is considerably different from that of the silver salt photograph. Particularly, in the case of the usual dispersion ink, the smoothness of the recorded image surface tends to be considerably become more rough that that of the original surface of the recording medium. Therefore, problems are caused such that the glossiness is lowered and the feeling of incompatibility of the image tends to be occurred.
A method in which a lamination treatment is applied after the image recording and a method in which the recorded image is pressed by a heating roller are known as the method for disappear the feeling of incompatibility. These methods have drawbacks such that a treatment accompanied with a trouble and a relatively large consumption of energy is necessary after the image formation and a material for lamination and an exclusive recording media are also necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide an ink-jet recording method and a recorded matter with no after treatment excellent in the glossiness feel, smoothness and texture.
The invention and the embodiment thereof are described.
An ink-jet recording method comprising the step of adhering a dispersion ink comprised of a colorant dispersed in a solvent onto recording medium having a fine particle and a water-soluble binder, wherein the relation between the center-line average surface roughness RaA in &mgr;m at the non-image area of the recording medium and the center-line average surface roughness RaB in &mgr;m at the image area of the recording medium is represented by Expression 1.
0.7
≦RaB/RaA≦
1.8 Expression 1.
The average difference of height between the non-image area and the surface of an individual dot is preferably not more than 2.0 &mgr;m.
The center-line average surface roughness RaA is preferably not more than 0.8 &mgr;m.
The average particle diameter of the colorant dispersed in the dispersion ink is preferably from 0.05 to 0.2 &mgr;m.
The dispersion ink preferably contains at least a colorant, a water-soluble organic solvent and water.
The recording medium is preferably a porous type recording medium containing a fine particle and a hydrophilic binder.
The colorant is preferably a pigment.
A recorded matter prepared by an ink-jet recording method by which a dispersion ink comprised of a colorant dispersed in a solvent is a
Iijima Hirotaka
Kasahara Kenzo
Sato Naoki
Barlow John
Brooke Michael S.
Konica Corporation
Squire Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.
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