Abstract: An ink jet recording material having excellent smoothness and gloss and capable of recording thereon ink images having high color density clarity, water resistance and sharpness comparative to the silver salt photographic images has a recording stratum formed on a substrate and comprising a single ink receiving layer or a plurality of ink receiving layers superposed on each other and containing a pigment and a binder, at least one ink receiving layer containing fine particles of at least one pigment selected from silica, aluminosilicate, and &agr;-, &thgr;-, &dgr;- and &ggr;-aluminas and having an average particle size of 1 &mgr;m or less and optionally a light resistance-enhancing agent for images including at least one of phenolic compounds, boric acid, borate salts and cyclodextrin compounds.

Abstract: An ink jet recording element comprising a support having thereon an image-receiving layer having: (a) inorganic particles having a primary particle size of from about 7 to about 40 nm in diameter which may be aggregated up to about 500 nm; (b) colloidal particles having a mean particle size of from about 20 to about 500 nm; and (c) water-insoluble, cationic, polymeric particles having at least about 20 mole percent of a cationic mordant moiety.

Abstract: An ink jet recording element including a substrate having thereon: a) a subbing layer of a polymeric binder and a borate or a borate derivative, the borate or borate derivative being present in an amount of from up to about 3 g/m2, and the weight ratio of the polymeric binder to the borate or borate derivative is from about 0.2:1 to about 3:1; and b) an image-receiving layer including inorganic particles and a cross-linkable polymer containing hydroxyl groups, the crosslinkable polymer being present in an amount of less than about 25 g/m2, and the weight ratio of the cross-linkable polymer to the inorganic particles is from about 5:95 to about 30:70.

Abstract: An ink jet printing method having the steps of: A) providing an ink jet printer that is responsive to digital data signals; B) loading the printer with an ink jet recording element having a substrate having thereon: i) a subbing layer of a polymeric binder and a borate or a borate derivative, the borate or borate derivative being present in an amount of from up to about 3 g/m2, and the weight ratio of the polymeric binder to the borate or borate derivative is from about 0.2:1 to about 3:1; and ii) an image-receiving layer of inorganic particles and a cross-linkable polymer containing hydroxyl groups, the cross-linkable polymer being present in an amount of less than about 50 g/m2, and the weight ratio of the cross-linkable polymer to the inorganic particles is from about 5:95 to about 30:70; C) loading the printer with an inkjet ink composition; and D) printing on the image-receiving layer using the ink jet ink in response to the digital data signals.

Abstract: A recording medium for ink jet printing comprises a base material layer such as paper or plastic sheet, a porous lower layer formed on the base material layer, and a porous upper layer formed on the porous lower layer. The porous lower layer contains hydrated alumina showing a boehmite structure. The porous upper layer mainly comprises agglomerates of spherical silica particles with particle diameters ranging between 1 and 100 nm and a binder and contains voids mainly found between the agglomerates, not within the agglomerates. Preferably, a second type of spherical silica particles having smaller particle diameters than the above first type of spherical silica particles are also contained in the porous upper layer, and in this case, the first type particles have particle diameters ranging between 10 and 100 nm and are mostly found outside the agglomerates, while the second type particles have particle diameters ranging between 1 and 10 nm and are mostly found within the agglomerates.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording material having on a support at least an ink-receiving layer, with the ink-receiving layer being comprised of a light resistance-imparting layer as a lower layer and a coloration layer as an upper layer. Herein, the light resistance-imparting layer comprises a light-resistance imparting chemical constituted of 1 to 10 parts by weight of a benzotriazole compound as ultraviolet absorbent, 1 to 8 parts by weight of magnesium sulfate and 1 to 10 parts by weight of zinc oxide in combination with 100 parts by weight of an ink absorbing pigment, and besides, the coloration layer contains no light resistance-imparting chemicals.

Abstract: There is disclosed an ink-jet recording material which comprises a support and a layer containing at least one of a polymer latex and a resin emulsion in combination with solid fine particles, and at least one layer containing fumed silica formed on the above-mentioned layer.

Abstract: A recording medium comprises a porous outermost layer on a substrate, the porous outermost layer containing a particulate thermoplastic resin, and the particulate thermoplastic resin exhibiting a &Dgr;E value of not higher than 20 after light exposure. The difference of glass transition temperature of the particulate thermoplastic resin from minimum film-forming temperature thereof may be not less than 10° C., and the minimum film-forming temperature is not lower than 50° C. A process for producing the recording medium comprises forming a porous outermost layer by heat treatment at a temperature of not lower than the glass transition temperature of the particulate thermoplastic resin, but not higher than the minimum film-forming temperature thereof.

Abstract: A sufficiently flame-retardant fabric for ink-jet recording with an ink accepting layer on its one side at least, the ink acceptability (ink holding capability) of which is the same as that of its non-flame-retardant counterpart, allowing the fabric to render highly deep/brilliant shade and sharp color images. The flame-retardant fabric for ink-jet recording includes a flame retarded fiber substrate with an ink accepting layer on its one side at least, which is made up of a 3-12 &mgr;m-thick top sub-layer and a bottom sib-layer with a flame retarding agent contained only in the bottom sub-layer wherein the flame retarding agent has its active ingredient applied to the substrate in an aqueous dispersion, accounting for 4 to 30% of the entire ink accepting layer by weight.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a recording medium comprising a substrate and an ink-receiving layer provided on at least one side of the substrate. A surface of the recording medium on the side that the ink-receiving layer is provided has irregularities or steps.

Abstract: A coating composition for an ink jet recording medium comprises an aqueous suspension of absorptive silica pigment, a polyvinyl alcohol binder, and a cationic fixing agent. The composition is dispersed at pH values in the range of 4.0 to 7.0. The pigment is preferably a mixture of 75% or more silica gel having a pore volume of 0.5-1.5 cc/g, and 10% or more alumina or alumina hydrate. A method for making down the coating composition and applying it to a substrate is also disclosed.

Abstract: A recording material for ink-jet recording, having on a support a light resistance-imparting layer containing a light resistance-imparting chemical and an image-forming layer free of a light resistance-imparting chemical, which are provided in the order described.

Abstract: An image recording element for inkjet ink images comprises, in the following order, a support, an absorbent base layer; and, a top layer which is ink receptive and comprises one or more hydrophilic polymers, gelatin, a crosslinking agent for gelatin and a humectant.

Abstract: The invention provides a sheet coated with a powdery coating composition comprising a substrate and a porous and continuous resin layer provided on the substrate, the resin layer comprising particles of the powdery coating composition having an average particle diameter of 0.1 to 30 &mgr;m and inorganic fine particles having an average particle diameter of 1 nm to 1 &mgr;m and dispersed between the particles of powdery coating composition to form space at least in part therebetween. The sheet is suitably used as an image-receiving sheet for an ink-jet recording. The sheet can be obtained according to the invention by mixing a powdery coating composition having an average particle diameter of 0.

Abstract: An ink jet recording material which includes a paper sheet substrate and an ink receiving layer containing a xerogel porous pigment and has excellent ink-absorption and reproducibility of ink images with high clarity and precision, exhibits a water-dipping expansion of 0.3% or less, determined by the same method as the JAPAN TAPPI No. 27-B method except that the length of the recording material immersed in water is measured 15 seconds after the start of the immersion.

Abstract: An inkjet recording element comprising a support having thereon a porous image-receiving layer comprising: (a) particles having a primary particle size of from about 7 to about 40 nm in diameter which may be aggregated up to about 300 nm; and (b) water insoluble, cationic, polymeric particles comprising at least about 20 mole percent of a cationic mordant moiety.

Abstract: An ink jet printing method having the steps of: A) providing an ink jet printer that is responsive to digital data signals, B) loading the printer with an ink jet recording element of a substrate having thereon: a) a subbing layer having a polymeric binder and a borate or a borate derivative, the borate or borate derivative being present in an amount of from about 3 to about 50 g/m2, and the weight ratio of the polymeric binder to the borate or borate derivative is from about 0.2:1 to about 2:1, and b) an image-receiving layer having particles and a cross-linkable polymer containing hydroxyl groups, the cross-linkable polymer being present in an amount of from about 20 to about 150 g/m2, and the weight ratio of the cross-linkable polymer to the particles is from about 10:90 to about 30:70; C) loading the printer with an ink jet ink composition; and D) printing on the ink jet recording element using the ink jet ink composition in response to the digital data signals.

Abstract: In a recording medium for a printer having a dye fixation layer mainly composed of an interlayer compound for receiving and holding a water-soluble dye by an intercalation reaction, and a binder, the ink is to be improved in ink absorption, fixation, water-proofness and bleeding characteristics to enable image formation to a high resolution. A dye fixation layer 3, mainly composed of an interlayer compound for fixing and holding the water-soluble dye by the intercalation reaction derived from the ion exchange action and the binder is formed as an outermost layer on a substrate 2. The binder of the dye fixation layer 3 contains the urethanated polyvinyl alcohol resin having an urethanation ratio of 1 to 20 mol %.

Abstract: An ink jet recording element having a substrate having thereon: a) a subbing layer of a polymeric binder and a borate or a borate derivative, the borate or borate derivative being present in an amount of from about 3 to about 50 g/m2, and the weight ratio of the polymeric binder to the borate or borate derivative is from about 0.2:1 to about 2:1, and b) an image-receiving layer having particles and a cross-linkable polymer containing hydroxyl groups, the cross-linkable polymer being present in an amount of from about 20 to about 150 g/m2, and the weight ratio of the cross-linkable polymer to the particles is from about 10:90 to about 30:70.

Abstract: The recording sheet has an ink-receiving layer and an ink permeable layer. The ink permeable layer is arranged on a surface of the ink-receiving layer and includes a filler and a binder. The binder contains as a primary component a water-insoluble polyester resin having a high hydroxyl value in the range of 25 to 65. The ink permeable layer 13 has a significant ink phobicity. The ink permeable layer does not contain a surfactant and is low lipophilic. Thus, when it receives ink containing an organic solvent, the ink does not disperse within the ink permeable layer to provide printed images without bleeding.

Abstract: An ink jet recording sheet includes a substrate, an ink receiving layer, and a clay-containing layer between the paper substrate and the ink receiving layer. The clay-containing layer contains platelet clay particles having an average aspect ratio of at least 10:1, and an orientation such that at least 50% of the platelet clay particles have a major axis within 30° of parallel to the substrate. The sheet exhibits little or no cockle formation, even at high ink laydowns. A method of preparing the ink jet recording sheet and a method of printing using the ink jet recording sheet are also described.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording material comprising a support material and at least a lower and an upper pigment-containing layer wherein the pigment of the upper layer is present in two particle size distributions (A, B) and one particle size distribution (A) is in the range of 10 to 100 nm and the other particle size distribution (B) is in the range of 1,000 to 3,000 nm, and wherein the pigment of the upper layer is different from the pigment of the lower layer and wherein the average particle size of the pigment of the upper layer is different from the average particle size of the pigment of the lower layer.

Abstract: An ink jet recording element having a support having thereon the following layers in order: i) a base layer of a polymeric binder, a polymeric mordant and a stabilizer having the following formula: and ii) an overcoat layer of a trisaryl-1,3,5-triazine ultraviolet light absorbing material.

Abstract: Ink-receiving media print media products having multi-functional capabilities including (A) minimal drying time; (B) improved gloss-control which allows the production of high-gloss or semi-gloss products as desired; and (C) the ability to generate high-definition and light-fast images. A first embodiment (high-gloss) employs a substrate (e.g. polyethylene-coated paper) having a porous medial layer thereon containing a pigment (e.g. silica) and a binder (e.g. polyvinyl alcohol). A non-porous top layer is placed on the medial layer which optimally consists entirely of one or more binders (excluding pigments, etc.) A second embodiment (semi-gloss) employs a comparable substrate and medial layer with a top layer similar to that described above, although at least one pigment (e.g. silica) is employed therein at a level not exceeding about 10% by weight. Both products provide the foregoing benefits and others.