Recording ink, recording medium, ink media set, ink recorded matter, ink jet recording method, and ink jet recording apparatus

Abstract

The present invention provides an ink-media set, record printed by use of the ink-media set, an inkjet printing method, and an inkjet printing apparatus which includes ink that has at least water, dye, and humectant and surface tension thereof is 20 to 35 mN/m at 25, a support, and a recording medium having the support and at least one surface thereof has a coating layer wherein transfer rate of the ink to the recording medium measured by a dynamic scanning absorptometer in 100 ms of contact time is 4 to 15 ml/m 2 and transfer rate of the ink to the recording medium measured by a dynamic scanning absorptometer in 400 ms of contact time is 7 to 20 ml/m 2 .

1 : A recording ink, comprising water, a colorant and a humectant,
 wherein the recording ink has a surface tension of 20 mN/m to 35 mN/m at 25° C.,   the transfer rate of the recording ink to a recording medium, having a coating layer on at least one surface of its substrate, as measured with a dynamic scanning absorptometer, is 4 ml/m 2  to 15 ml/m 2  at a contact time of 100 ms and is 7 ml/m 2  to 20 ml/m 2  at a contact time of 400 ms.   
   
   
       2 . The recording ink according to  claim 1 , wherein the colorant is one selected from pigments having an anionic hydrophilic group and pigments coated with a polymer having an anionic hydrophilic group. 
   
   
       3 . The recording ink according to  claim 2 , wherein the volume average particle size of the pigment is 0.01 μm to 0.16 μm. 
   
   
       4 . The recording ink according to  claim 1 , wherein the colorant is colored fine particles that include at least one of pigments and dyes. 
   
   
       5 . The recording ink according to  claim 4 , wherein the volume average particle size of the colored fine particles is 0.01 μm to 0.16 μm. 
   
   
       6 . The recording ink according to  claim 1 , wherein the humectant is at least one selected from the group consisting of polyol compounds, lactam compounds, urea compounds and saccharides. 
   
   
       7 . The recording ink according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the polyol compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of glycerin, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, 2,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 3-methyl-1,3-butanediol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 2-methyl-2,4 pentanediol, 1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, thiodiglycol, pentaerythritol, trimethylolethane and trimethylolpropane.   
   
   
       8 . The recording ink according to  claim 6 , wherein the lactam compound is as least one selected from 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-hydroxyethyl-2-pyrrolidone and ε-caprolactam. 
   
   
       9 . The recording ink according to  claim 1 , wherein the content of the humectant is 10% by mass to 50% by mass in the recording ink. 
   
   
       10 . The recording ink according to  claim 1 , Wherein the recording ink further comprises a wetting agent, and the wetting agent is one selected from polyol compounds and glycol ether compounds having 8 or more carbon atoms. 
   
   
       11 . The recording ink according to  claim 10 , wherein the polyol compound having 8 or more carbon atoms is at least one of 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol and 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol. 
   
   
       12 . The recording ink according to  claim 1 , further comprising a surfactant which is at least one expressed by the following general formulas (I) to (VI):
   R 1 —O—(CH 2 CH 2 O) h CH 2 COOM  General formula (I)   in the general formula (I), R 1  represents an alkyl group; h represents an integer from 3 to 12; M represents one selected from alkali metal ions, quaternary ammoniums, quaternary phosphoniums and alkanolamines;   
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
       in the general formula (II), R 2  represents an alkyl group; M represents one selected from alkali metal ions, quaternary ammoniums, quaternary phosphoniums, and alkanolamines; 
     
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
       in the general formula (III), R 3  represents a hydrocarbon group; k represents an integer from 5 to 20;
   R 4 —(OCH 2 CH 2 ) 10 H  General formula (IV) 
 
       in the general formula (IV), R4 represents a hydrocarbon group; j represents an integer from 5 to 20; 
     
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
       in the general formula (V), R 6  represents a hydrocarbon group; L and p represent each an integer from 1 to 20; 
     
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
       in the general formula (VI), q and r represent each an integer from 0 to 40. 
     
   
   
       13 . The recording ink according to  claim 1 , wherein the recording ink has a viscosity of 5 mPa·s or more at 25° C. 
   
   
       14 - 15 . (canceled) 
   
   
       16 . An ink-media set, comprising recording inks, and a recording medium,
 wherein each of the recording inks comprises water, a colorant and a humectant and has a surface tension of 20 mN/m to 35 mN/m at 25° C.; the recording medium comprises a substrate and a coating layer which is formed on at least one surface of the substrate; the transfer rate of the recording ink to the recording medium, as measured with a dynamic scanning absorptometer, is 4 ml/m 2  to 15 ml/m 2  at a contact time of 100 ms is 7 ml/m 2  to 20 ml/m 2  at a contact time of 400 ms.   
   
   
       17 . The ink-media set according to  claim 16 , wherein the transfer rate of pure water to the recording medium, as measured with a dynamic scanning absorptometer, is 2 ml/m 2  to 26 ml/m 2  at a contact time of 100 ms and is 3 ml/m 2  to 29 ml/m 2  at a contact time of 400 ms. 
   
   
       18 - 30 . (canceled) 
   
   
       31 . An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising
 an ink-ejecting unit configured to eject each ink in an ink-media set by stimulating the ink to thereby form an image to a recording medium in the ink-media set which comprises:   the recording ink and the recording medium,   wherein the recording ink comprises water, a colorant and a humectant and has a surface tension of 20 mN/m to 35 mN/m at 25° C.; the recording medium comprises a substrate and a coating layer which is formed on at least one surface of the substrate; the transfer rate of the recording ink to the recording medium, as measured with a dynamic scanning absorptometer, is 4 ml/m 2  to 15 ml/m 2  at a contact time of 100 ms and is 7 ml/m 2  to 20 ml/m 2  at a contact time of 400 ms.   
   
   
       32 - 33 . (canceled) 
   
   
       34 . The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 31 , wherein the applied amount of the ink is 8 g/m 2  to 20 g/m 2  at a maximum when the resolution is 300 dpi or higher. 
   
   
       35 . The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 31 , wherein an ink-repellent layer is provided on a plate surface on which an ink-ejecting aperture of an inkjet head is formed for spraying the ink. 
   
   
       36 . The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 35 , wherein the ink-repellent layer comprises any one of a fluorine material and a silicone material. 
   
   
       37 . The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 35 , wherein the surface roughness (Ra) of the ink-repellent layer is 0.2 μm or less. 
   
   
       38 - 41 . (canceled)