Abstract: A liquid discharge head provided with a pair of substrates mutually adjoined in a laminar state, plural liquid flow paths formed on the adjoined surface of said substrates, plural drive elements respectively formed in a predetermined position of said liquid flow paths, and orifices communicating with ends of said liquid flow paths in which liquid discharged from said orifice by the action of said drive element, wherein a face constituting an external surface of a member forming said orifices is coated with a material with superhydrophilicity.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of reducing kogation on the surface of a heater for applying thermal energy to an ink to eject the ink from an orifice in an ink-jet printer having a recording head equipped with the heater, wherein the heater has an outermost protective layer comprising a metal and/or a metal oxide, and the ink comprises (a) a coloring material, (b) a liquid medium, and (c) at least one selected from the group consisting of aldonic acid, &ggr;-aldonolactone, &dgr;-aldonolactone and aldonates.

Abstract: The invention provides liquid compositions, ink sets for ink-jet recording, ink-jet recording processes, recording units and ink-jet recording apparatus for providing high-quality images with lessened bleeding. The invention also provides liquid compositions, ink sets for ink-jet recording, ink-jet recording processes, recording units and ink-jet recording apparatus for providing images excellent in water fastness. A first liquid containing a polyvalent metal salt of a polyol phosphate and a second liquid containing a coloring material and being capable of reacting with the polyvalent metal salt are used in combination and applied on a recording medium so as to come into contact with each other, thereby conducting recording.

Abstract: An ink for ink-jet recording which comprises (a) a coloring material, (b) a liquid medium, (c) a compound selected from the group consisting of polyphosphoric acid, dicarboxylic acid, polyaminocarboxylic acid, aldonic acid, hydroxycarboxylic acid, polyolphosphate and salts thereof, and (d) an acid having an amino group and/or a salt thereof, the use of which reduces kogation of the ink-jet head heater having an outermost protecting layer containing at least one of a metal and a metal oxide.

Abstract: A liquid composition for cleaning an ink-jet recording head containing at least one kind of oxidizing detergent in an amount effective in cleaning an ink-jet recording head. The liquid composition can improve the life and ink ejecting properties of an ink-jet recording head.

Abstract: The outermost surface protection layer of the heater of an ink-jet recording head containing at least metal or oxide thereof is protected against erosion by suppressing or preventing the dissolution of the outermost surface protection layer. The heater is adapted to apply thermal energy to a liquid composition to be ejected. The liquid composition contains a liquid medium, alkali metal ions and a compound expressed by general formula H2N—(CHY)n—(CH2)m—X, X representing a carboxyl group or a sulfonic acid group, Y representing a hydrogen atom, a carboxyl group or a sulfonic acid group, n representing 0 or 1, m representing an integer from 0 to 2. The liquid composition is heated so as to satisfy the relation as defined by the formula 1.10≦Eop/Eth≦1.

Abstract: An ink set for use in an ink-jet recording method for recording a color image on a recording medium using four colors or more of ink, each ink includes a coloring material and a liquid medium, wherein any combination of two different inks causes aggregation of the coloring material by a chemical reaction on mutual contact on a recording medium.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of reducing kogation on the surface of a heater for applying thermal energy to an ink to eject the ink from an orifice in an ink-jet printer having a recording head equipped with the heater, wherein the heater has an outermost protective layer comprising a metal and/or a metal oxide, and the ink comprises (a) a coloring material, (b) a liquid medium, and (c) at least one selected from the group consisting of aldonic acid, &ggr;-aldonolactone, &dgr;-aldonolactone and aldonates.

Abstract: To provide an ink jet recording head substrate, an ink jet recording head, an ink jet recording unit, and an ink jet recording apparatus which allow scorch deposits on a heating section to be prevented by exerting on the section effect of providing super-hydrophilicity. The ink jet recording head substrate includes heating resistors formed through an insulating layer on a substrate which produce thermal energy used to eject ink, and the ink jet recording head includes an ejection orifice through which ink is ejected, and ink path which communicates with the ejection orifice and has a section exerting on the liquid thermal energy used to eject the liquid and heating resistors which produce thermal energy and an area corresponding to a heating section in which heat produced by the heating resistors acts on ink is given super-hydrophilicity treatment, and a contact angle between the area and water is 5° or less.

Abstract: The outermost surface protection layer of the heater of an ink-jet recording head containing at least metal or oxide thereof is protected against erosion by suppressing or preventing the dissolution of the outermost surface protection layer. The heater is adapted to apply thermal energy to a liquid composition to be ejected. The liquid composition contains a liquid medium, alkali metal ions and a compound expressed by general formula H2N—(CHY)n—(CH2)m—X, X representing a carboxyl group or a sulfonic acid group, Y representing a hydrogen atom, a carboxyl group or a sulfonic acid group, n representing 0 or 1, m representing an integer from 0 to 2. The liquid composition is heated so as to satisfy the relation as defined by the formula 1.10≦Eop/Eth≦1.

Abstract: A method for decreasing scorch deposition on the surface of the heater provided in a recording head of an ink-jet printer to heat ink is characterized in that the heater has an outermost protection layer containing a metal and/or metal oxide and the above ink comprises (a) a coloring material, (b) a liquid medium, and (c) at least one compound selected from the group consisting of aldaric acid and aldarates.

Abstract: A liquid composition for ink-jet recording, or an ink set for ink-jet recording which produces an image having water resistance and excellent print quality, and which can reduce color bleeding that occurs in formation of color images, and furthermore, which can extend a life-span of ink-jet recording heads, as well as an ink-jet recording method, a recording unit, an ink cartridge and an ink-jet recording apparatus are provided. The liquid composition or a color ink constituting the ink set comprising a polyvalent metal salt, a material selected from the group consisting of acids including amino groups and salts thereof, and a liquid medium is used.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of reducing kogation on the surface of a heater for applying thermal energy to an ink to eject the ink from an orifice in an ink-jet printer having a recording head equipped with the heater, wherein the heater has an outermost protective layer comprising a metal and/or a metal oxide, and the ink comprises (a) a coloring material, (b) a liquid medium, and (c) at least one selected from the group consisting of polyol phosphates and salts thereof.

Abstract: The invention provides liquid compositions, ink sets for ink-jet recording, ink-jet recording processes, recording units and ink-jet recording apparatus for providing high-quality images with lessened bleeding. The invention also provides liquid compositions, ink sets for ink-jet recording, ink-jet recording processes, recording units and ink-jet recording apparatus for providing images excellent in water fastness. A first liquid containing a polyvalent metal salt of a polyol phosphate and a second liquid containing a coloring material and being capable of reacting with the polyvalent metal salt are used in combination and applied on a recording medium so as to come into contact with each other, thereby conducting recording.

Abstract: An ink for ink-jet recording which comprises (a) a coloring material, (b) a liquid medium, and (c) an ammonium salt of an acid having a methyl or methylene group and a carboxylic group, or an ammonium aldonate, or an ammonium salt of citric acid, to alleviate kogation of the ink-jet head heater having an outermost protecting layer containing at least one of a metal and a metal oxide.

Abstract: A liquid composition for cleaning and removing koga on a heater formed after long-term use of an ink-jet recording head, or contaminants introduced during manufacture of the ink-jet recording head is provided. The liquid composition includes an effective amount of a cleaner to clean an ink-jet recording head, and the cleaner is at least one selected from an organic acid, a salt of organic acid, an organic acid ester, and a salt of organic acid ester.

Abstract: An ink for ink-jet recording which comprises (a) a coloring material, (b) a liquid medium, (c) a compound selected from the group consisting of polyphosphoric acid, dicarboxylic acid, polyaminocarboxylic acid, aldonic acid, hydroxycarboxylic acid, polyolphosphate and salts thereof, and (d) an acid having an amino group and/or a salt thereof, the use of which reduces kogation of the ink-jet head heater having an outermost protecting layer containing at least one of a metal and a metal oxide.

Abstract: A method of reducing the kogation of the surface of the heater of a recording head for applying thermal energy to the ink in the recording head in order to discharge the ink from the recording head can effectively reduce the kogation to make it possible to print high quality images and prolong the service life of the recording head. With the method of reducing the kogation of the surface of the heater of the ink-jet recording head of an ink-jet printer, the ink-jet recording head is provided with a heater for applying thermal energy to ink in order to discharge ink from an orifice and the heater has a top surface protecting layer containing a metal and/or a metal oxide, while the ink is adapted to ink-jet recording and contains (a) a coloring material, (b) a liquid medium and (c) diglycollic acid or iminodiacetic acid or salts thereof.

Abstract: The invention provides liquid compositions, ink sets for ink-jet recording, ink-jet recording processes, recording units and ink-jet recording apparatus for providing high-quality images with lessened bleeding. The invention also provides liquid compositions, ink sets for ink-jet recording, ink-jet recording processes, recording units and ink-jet recording apparatus for providing images excellent in water fastness.

Abstract: Provided is a process for the formation of an image employing a liquid composition and a colored ink in combination to form a colored image on a recording medium, comprising using at least a magenta ink as the colored ink, wherein said magenta ink provides an image of magenta color, which satisfies all color senses represented by the following equations: {square root over ((a1+L *)2+L +(b1+L *)2+L )}≧{square root over ((a0+L *)2+L +(b0+L *)2+L )}  (I), 40≦L1*≦80  (II), 50≦a1*≦70  (III), and −30≦b1*≦5  (IV), where in the formulae (I), (II), (III) and (IV), L1*, a1*, b1*, a0* and b0* each represent a colorimetric value which is defined in the CIE 1976 (L*a*b*) color space; a1* and b1* each represent a colorimetric value of the image, which is obtained by using a liquid composition and a colored ink on a test paper having a whiteness of from 78 to 84, in accordance with JIS P 8123, measured by a Hunter Whiteness meter, and a chroma