Abstract: A method for reducing rub-off from a substrate, such as paper, having a front side and a back side with a toner image on at least one side of the substrate by depositing at least one phase change composition on at least one image bearing side of the substrate as a plurality of dots, with the plurality of dots cumulatively covering an area of the image bearing side sufficient to reduce rub-off from the image bearing side, the dots being characterized by being one of colored dots, a combination of colored dots or a combination of colored and clear dots. The dots may also be applied only to the images rather than both the image-bearing and non-image-bearing surfaces of the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an aqueous latent image printing method which includes applying to a substrate, such as paper, a latent image ink composition, via an ink jet printer. The latent image is then activated to render it visible, by application of an activator.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process which comprises (a) incorporating into an ink jet printing apparatus (1) a first ink comprising water and at least one anionic monomer; and (2) a second ink comprising water and at least one cationic monomer, wherein the anionic monomer and the cationic monomer are selected so that upon contact of the anionic monomer with the cationic monomer, spontaneous polymerization or copolymerization of at least one of the anionic monomer or the cationic monomer occurs, and wherein at least one of the first ink and the second ink further comprises a colorant; (b) causing droplets of the first ink to be ejected in an imagewise pattern onto the substrate; and (c) causing droplets of the second ink to be ejected in an imagewise pattern onto the substrate; wherein the process results in at least some portions of the substrate bearing images formed from both the first ink and the second ink, said portions forming a printed image containing the colorant and a polymer formed from at least one of the anio

Abstract: A printer having a media transport with a rigid, air-transmissive platen. A movable air-transmissive flexible web overlays the platen, and a suction device communicates with the platen to draw air through the web and through the platen, such that a sheet of media carried on the web is biased toward the platen. A second movable web below the first web limits air flow through at least a selected portion of the platen other than a portion overlaid by the sheet. The movable web may be a continuous belt, which may have two separate air-blocking regions that are positioned beyond the platen when full airflow is desired, and at least partly registered with the platen to block airflow to peripheral platen portions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for allowing a high quality image to be recorded with good coloring, wherein M, D, Ka, tw and t satisfy the relation of t ⪯ ( 10 / 7 × M ⁢   ⁢ D / K ⁢   ⁢ a ) 2 + t ⁢   ⁢ w wherein M (pg/&mgr;m2) is the amount of the water based ink supplied to the recording medium per unit area, D (%) is the concentration of the coloring material of the water based ink, Ka (&mgr;m/msec1/2) is the absorption coefficient of the ink in the recording medium, tw (msec) is

Abstract: An ink set for recording a color image on a recording medium by using ink of two or more colors including at least a black ink and a color ink, wherein the black ink includes a pigment having a cationic group or a pigment and a pigment dispersant having a cationic group, and a resin encapsulating a coloring material, and the color ink includes an anionic dye and an anionic substance, which can form a print excellent in the rub-off resistance and line marker resistance without bleeding between black and color images.

Abstract: A method for forming an image, including providing an ink jet receiving film including a resin made film or substrate having a resin layer on its surface and an ink jet receiving layer provided thereon, ink jet printing an image on the ink jet receiving layer with an ink containing a sublimating or volatile dye, heating the ink jet receiving layer having the printed image to allow the printed image to migrate to the resin made film or to the surface resin layer of the substrate, and then peeling off the ink jet receiving layer as a film layer. By the method of the present invention, a sharp full color image can be imparted using an ink jet printer on any desired film article having a resin layer on its surface in a state where the surface gloss is retained. Concerning film articles in a sheet state, a full color image of a predetermined size can be formed in a simple and inexpensive manner.

Abstract: A superior recording sheet for an ink jet printer which sufficiently satisfies various property requirements such as light resistance of images, ozone resistance, etc., is provided. The recording sheet for an ink jet printer comprises at least an ink receiving layer and a glossiness adjusting layer on a base material, the ink receiving layer includes an organic acid metallic salt and a cationic dye fixing agent, and the glossiness adjusting layer comprises a fine particle pigment and binder resin.

Abstract: A system for printing images with improved waterfastness, and methods for printing an image having improved waterfastness are disclosed. The system comprises a first pen containing an ink composition, wherein the ink composition comprises effective amounts of an anionic dye, a polyamine, and an ink vehicle; a second pen containing an acidic fixer composition, wherein the acidic fixer composition comprises an effective amount of an acid and an ink-vehicle. The first pen and the second pen are configured to print the ink composition and the acidic fixer composition, respectively, onto a substrate such that the ink composition and the acidic fixer composition are in contact on the substrate. The amount of acid fixer utilized can be sufficient to protonate substantially all of the polyamines while not protonating the anionic dye, though a lesser or greater amount can also be used with success.

Abstract: The present invention is drawn to ink-jet ink compositions, methods, and systems for increasing the bleed and smear fastness and optical density of a printed image. Specifically, an aqueous ink-jettable ink composition is disclosed which exhibits a decrease in pH upon exposure to radiation, followed by precipitation of the ink colorant. The composition can include an ink vehicle, an effective amount of an ink colorant having pH dependent solubility properties, and an effective amount of a photo-initiated acid generator. The method includes the steps of formulating the composition, jetting the ink composition from an ink-jet pen onto a substrate, and exposing the ink-jetted ink on the substrate to radiation wherein the ink-jet ink composition exhibits reduced pH, followed by precipitation of the colorant.

Abstract: The present invention is drawn to systems and methods for remediating printhead cross-contamination wherein at least one of the ink-jet inks has undergone crashing. Specifically, a method of minimizing or reversing crashing of a first ink-jet ink that has reacted with a second ink-jet ink on a printhead can comprise the steps of dispensing a reactive cleaning fluid that is chemically configured to react with the first ink-jet ink after crashing; and cleaning a printhead having a crashed inkjet ink thereon with the reactive cleaning fluid, thereby minimizing or reverse crashing at the printhead.

Abstract: A method of selecting a pigment ink set and receiver in combination including: printing at least two color inks onto a set of receiver to form single color patches of a Dmax density (100% dot coverage); measuring the gloss level of each patch and the receiver at a predefined specular angle; calculating the Relative Gloss Difference (RGD%) value of the ink set and receiver combination; and selecting the ink set and receiver such that RGD value is less than 40% when 60° is used as the specular angle, and the RGD value is calculated according to Equation (A): RGD ⁢   ⁢ % = ∑ I = 1 N

Abstract: The present invention is drawn toward inkjet images that are produced using small volume ink drops, and display improved visual properties, such as increased lightfastness and optical density. In one aspect, the ink may include a metalized dye having at least one heterocyclic nitrogen ring and a diazo bond wherein the heterocyclic nitrogen is chelated or complexed to a transition metal, and may be applied to a print media in drop volumes of about 8 pl or less.

Abstract: There is provided an image-forming method which is capable of carrying out edge-to-edge properly on a medium such as a card, and a print medium and a sheet cartridge for use in the image-forming method. An image is printed on an ink image-receiving sheet by using a sublimable dye ink, thereby causing the sublimable dye ink to be held by the ink image-receiving sheet. The image is fixed on the medium body by heating the ink image-receiving sheet and a medium body overlaid to each other and thereby causing diffusion of the sublimable dye ink held in the ink image-receiving sheet on a surface of the medium body for color development. Then, the ink image-receiving sheet is removed from the medium body having the image fixed thereon. In this image-forming method, the ink image-receiving sheet is formed to have a larger size than the medium body.

Abstract: An ink with improved lightfastness suitable for thermal ink jet printing contains at least an aqueous vehicle, a dye and a light stabilizer to protect the dye in the ink during exposure to light. Different additives as light stabilizer for individual inks were described herein. A UV Glossy substrate was found to reinforce the lightfastness of print.

Abstract: A method of color inkjet printing on a substrate coated with a substantially colorless, 90-10 to 30-70, wt/wt, copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl imidazole, by inkjet printing dye images on the thus-coated substrate, characterized in that the dye images obtained exhibit excellent light fastness.

Abstract: An aqueous recording liquid suitable for use in ink jet printing containing a colorant, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol, and at least one surfactant selected from polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers and polyoxyethylene alkyl ether acetates.

Abstract: A method for increasing the diameter of an ink jet ink dot resulting from the application of an ink jet ink drop applied to the surface of an inkjet recording medium having a support having thereon an image-receiving layer and an overcoat layer, the ink penetration rate of the overcoat layer being faster than the ink penetration rate of the image-receiving layer; having the steps of: a) applying the overcoat layer on top of the image-receiving layer at a thickness less than the maximum thickness, the maximum thickness being that thickness whereby an ink jet ink drop applied to the surface of the overcoat layer will not substantially penetrate the surface of the image-receiving layer; and b) applying the ink jet ink drop on the surface of the overcoat layer whereby the diameter of the ink jet ink dot is increased relative to that which would have been obtained if the overcoat layer had been coated at a thickness of at least the maximum thickness.

Abstract: Aqueous pigment ink and organic pigment powder are used for ink-jet recording to form high quality images. Organic pigment powder is prepared by finely granulating an organic pigment containing anthraquinone as principal ingredient by means of a vapor phase method to such an extent that the produced powder shows a number average particle diameter of primary particles of 10 to 50 nm. An aqueous ink contains such organic pigment powder.

Abstract: An ink jet image recording method including: forming an image by ejecting an ink jet recording ink composition including one of a water-soluble dye and an oil-soluble dye onto an image-receiving material; and applying a solution including a dispersion of fine polymer particles to the image-receiving material simultaneously with or after the forming of an image or an ink jet image recording method including: applying a solution including a dispersion of fine polymer particles to an image-receiving material; and ejecting an ink jet recording ink composition including one of a water-soluble dye and an oil-soluble dye onto the image-receiving material for formation of an image, while the dispersion of fine polymer particles on the image-receiving material maintains a condition in which the ink jet recording ink composition is able to pass therethrough.