Ink Set With Diol Ether For Low-Absorbent Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
Water-based inkjet inks face challenges when used on low- or non-absorbent recording media, such as art paper or plastic films, due to banding irregularities and poor storage stability, particularly when using treatment liquids that flocculate ink components.
Innovation Solution
An ink set comprising a flocculant-containing treatment liquid and a water-based inkjet ink composition with specific solubility characteristics, including a diol or glycol ether with a normal boiling point of 180° C to 300° C, which reduces banding irregularities and enhances storage stability on low- or non-absorbent media.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a treatment liquid that makes ink ingredients flocculate together is used, then ink bleed is reduced and image quality is improved, but banding irregularities increase and storage stability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the ink composition by incorporating specific organic compounds (carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, or their salts) at controlled concentrations (0.01-5% by mass). This parameter modification allows the ink to maintain stability during storage while still achieving proper flocculation and image quality on the recording medium, thus resolving the contradiction between storage stability and image quality improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite ink system by combining water-based ink with specific organic compounds (carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, or their salts) and surfactants. This composite formulation achieves both storage stability and reduced ink bleed by utilizing the synergistic effects of multiple components, where the organic compounds control flocculation while surfactants maintain ink uniformity during storage.
2Manufacturing precision
If a treatment liquid that makes ink ingredients flocculate together is used, then ink bleed is reduced, but banding irregularities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical parameters of the ink by adding specific organic compounds (carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, or their salts) at precisely controlled concentrations (0.01-5% by mass). This parameter control enables the ink to flocculate properly on the recording medium for reduced ink bleed while preventing excessive flocculation that would cause banding irregularities, thus resolving the contradiction between image quality and banding reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The organic compounds (carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, or their salts) act as intermediaries between the ink ingredients and the recording medium. These intermediaries control the flocculation process to achieve proper ink fixation without causing banding irregularities, mediating between the need for ink bleed reduction and the need for uniform image quality.
3Reliability
If water-based ink is used on low- or non-absorbent recording medium without treatment liquid, then storage stability is maintained, but ink bleed increases and image quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the water-based ink by incorporating specific organic compounds (carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, or their salts) at controlled concentrations (0.01-5% by mass). This parameter modification enables the ink to maintain storage stability while also achieving proper flocculation and fixation on low- or non-absorbent recording media, thus resolving the contradiction between storage stability and image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite water-based ink system by combining water with specific organic compounds (carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, or their salts) and surfactants. This composite formulation maintains storage stability while enabling controlled flocculation and proper image quality on low- or non-absorbent recording media through the synergistic effects of the components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The ink set significantly reduces banding irregularities and improves storage stability of the ink on low- or non-absorbent recording media, while maintaining image quality and abrasion resistance.
Implementation Method 1
the organic compound sparingly soluble in water includes a diol or glycol ether having a normal boiling point of 180° C. to 300° C.
Implementation Method 2
a treatment liquid that makes ingredients in the ink(s) flocculate together. This is done to improve the quality of the image, i.e., to fix the ink(s) attached to the recording medium earlier and thereby reduce the gathering of ink dots (ink bleed)
Data Source
AI summary
A form of an ink set is an ink set including a flocculant-containing treatment liquid and an ink jet ink composition and is for use in recording on a low- or non-absorbent recording medium. The ink jet ink composition is a water-based ink containing at least one colorant, at least one water-soluble organic compound, having a solubility of more than 10 g in 100 g of water at 20° C., and at least one organic compound sparingly soluble in water, having a solubility of 0.1 to 10 g in 100 g of water at 20° C. The organic compound sparingly soluble in water includes a diol or glycol ether having a normal boiling point of 180° C. to 300° C., with the diol or glycol ether constituting 2.3% by mass or less of the total mass of the ink composition.