Opaque Grey Ink Composition for High-Contrast Multi-Surface Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink compositions for ink jet printing fail to provide good contrast, legibility, and visibility on a wide range of colored surfaces, requiring different inks for each surface color and lightness, and suffer from smudging and poor adhesion on polymer substrates.
Innovation Solution
An opaque grey ink composition comprising specific amounts of black and white pigments/dyes, with a weight ratio optimized for broad surface compatibility, suitable for both continuous and drop-on-demand ink jet techniques, ensuring high adhesion and resistance to smudging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If different inks are used for each surface color and lightness, then good contrast and visibility are achieved on specific surfaces, but device complexity and ink variety requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by formulating a single grey ink composition that can be used on all surface colors and lightness levels. The ink contains both black and white pigments in specific ratios, allowing it to adapt to different substrates (white, black, colored surfaces) without requiring separate ink formulations, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by adjusting the ratio of black to white pigments within specific ranges (black pigment: 0.01-9% by weight, white pigment: 0.5-30% by weight) to optimize performance across different surfaces. This parameter optimization allows one ink formulation to achieve good contrast on various background colors and lightness levels
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional ink compositions are used, then printing process is simple, but smudging and poor adhesion occur on polymer substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining black pigments (0.01-9% by weight) and white pigments (0.5-30% by weight) in a single ink composition. This composite approach enhances adhesion to polymer substrates and resistance to smudging while maintaining printing process simplicity, as the composite formulation is applied using conventional ink jet techniques
Solution Approach 2:
The patent improves reliability by optimizing the concentration parameters of pigment components. The specific weight ratios of black and white pigments create a formulation that adheres better to polymer surfaces and resists smudging, without complicating the manufacturing process
3Device complexity
If single pigment inks are used, then ink composition is simple, but contrast and visibility on opposite extreme surfaces (black and white) cannot be simultaneously achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves universality by designing a grey ink composition that simultaneously provides good contrast on both black and white surfaces, as well as intermediate colored surfaces. The dual-pigment formulation (black and white) in controlled ratios enables this multi-functional performance while keeping the ink composition relatively simple
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by having the ink composition adapt to different surface conditions through its component ratios. The black pigment provides contrast on light surfaces while the white pigment provides contrast on dark surfaces, with the overall grey tone adapting locally to the substrate color and lightness
Data Source
AI summary
Opaque grey ink jet ink composition, comprising: a solvent comprising one or more organic solvent compound(s); b) a binder, comprising one or more binding resin(s); wherein the ink jet ink composition further comprises: one or more black pigment(s) and/or one or more black dye(s); one or more white pigment(s); wherein the one or more black pigment(s) and/or the one or more black dye(s) is(are) present in a total amount from 0.01% to 9% by weight, of the total weight of the ink jet ink composition; wherein the one or more white pigment(s) is(are) present in a total amount from 0.5% to 30% by weight, of the total weight of the ink jet ink composition; and wherein the ratio: amount by weight of the one or more black pigment(s) and/or the one or more black dye(s)/amount by weight of the one or more white pigment(s) is from 0.001 to 1.