Abstract: An aqueous ink for ink jet contains a self-dispersible pigment in which a first functional group including a phosphonic acid group and a second functional group including at least one of a carboxylic acid group and a sulfonic acid group are bonded to a particle surface, wherein a surface charge amount derived from the phosphonic acid group included in the above-described first functional group is 0.3 micromoles/m2 or more, a total surface charge amount derived from the carboxylic acid group and the sulfonic acid group included in the above-described second functional group is 1.0 micromoles/m2 or more, and a total surface charge amount derived from anionic groups included in the above-described first functional group and the above-described second functional group is 2.0 micromoles/m2 or more and 8.0 micromoles/m2 or less.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a printer head that ejects ink and a platen. The ink includes an organic solvent, a surfactant, and 60% by mass or less of water. The platen is composed of a material containing a conductive resin. A solubility parameter A [(J/cm3)1/2] calculated from the organic solvent and the surfactant and a solubility parameter B [(J/cm3)1/2] of the conductive resin satisfy |A?B|?2.

Abstract: A process for preparing a phase change ink including (a) subjecting a white colorant to acoustic mixing at an acceleration of from about 30 to about 110 g; (b) optionally, adding a dispersant and subjecting the white colorant and dispersant to further acoustic mixing at an acceleration of from about 30 to about 110 g; (c) separately melt mixing an optional antioxidant, an optional synergist, and a phase change ink carrier comprising (i) a branched triamide and (ii) a polyethylene wax, a Fischer Tropsch wax, or a mixture or combination thereof, to form a melt mixture; (d) adding the melt mixture of (c) to the acoustically mixed white colorant of (a) or (b) with stirring; (e) optionally, adding a fluorescent dye with stirring; and (d) optionally, filtering the phase change ink.

Abstract: A functional amine release agent displaying reduced coefficient of friction as compared to standard silicone oils, the release agent comprising a polydimethylsiloxane oil and a functional amine selected from the group consisting of pendant propylamines and pendant N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl; wherein the concentration of functional amine to polydimethylsiloxane oil is approximately less than 0.0006 meq/g. According to certain embodiments, the functional amine release agent is operable to impart a coefficient of friction of about 0.3 or more to the print media, resulting in improved finishing and converting equipment interaction.

Abstract: An inkjet recording method includes in sequence an application step of applying a transparent ink or an effect pigment ink onto a recording medium, an image formation step of carrying out image formation by discharging an effect pigment ink or a transparent ink onto the recording medium, and a step of curing the transparent ink and the effect pigment ink above the recording medium, the method including or not including, between the application step and the image formation step, a step of curing the transparent ink or the effect pigment ink, and when it does the transparent ink or the effect pigment being cured at a percentage cure of no greater than 85%, the effect pigment ink including an effect pigment, a polymerization initiator, and a polymerizable compound, and the transparent ink including a polymerization initiator and a polymerizable compound but including substantially no pigment.

Abstract: A nonaqueous ink composition for ink jet recording contains a glitter pigment and a solvent represented by the following formula: wherein R1 represents an alkyl group containing one to eight carbon atoms and R2 and R3 represent a methyl group or an ethyl group.

Abstract: A core/shell particle is provided, comprising: a water-absorbent, dye-fixing polymeric core, comprising: (a) a multivalent cation and a polymerization product of a monoethylenically unsaturated carbonyl-group containing monomer; (b) a nitrogen-containing polymer; or (c) a combination of (a) and (b); and a water-insoluble, porous polymeric shell, surrounding all or a portion of said core. A paper sizing or coating composition which incorporates the core/shell particles is provided. Recording sheets which include the composition, methods of making the composition and recording sheets, and methods for making an image are provided.

Abstract: An inkjet recording ink, including: water; a wetting agent; a colorant; and polymer microparticles, wherein the polymer microparticles are each a copolymer of a monomer represented by the following structural formula (1) or the following general formula (2), a monomer represented by the following general formula (3), and a macromonomer represented by the following general formula (4): where “R1” is an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, where “Rs” are independently an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, where “l” is the number of repeating units, and an integer of 1 to 100.

Abstract: The invention relates to a treatment for printing a surface with an ink that includes a compound that exhibits a change of electronic spin state as a function of temperature, imparting optical properties such that the ink is visible in a temperature range that includes an ambient temperature of around 20° C. and is transparent in the visible spectrum when the ink is brought to a temperature above said range and then brought back down to a temperature within the range.

Abstract: A phase change ink composition including an amorphous compound; a crystalline compound; a polyester polymer, wherein the polyester has a molecular weight of from about 500 to about 8,000 and a polydispersity index of from about 1.0 to about 8.0; an optional synergist; an optional dispersant; and a colorant. A process including (1) incorporating into an ink jet printing apparatus the phase change ink composition; (2) melting the ink; and (3) causing droplets of the melted ink to be ejected in an imagewise pattern onto a substrate. An ink jet printer stick or pellet including the phase change ink composition.

Abstract: A phase change ink composition is disclosed. The composition comprises a crystalline component including a diamide compound with an aromatic ring core; an amorphous component; and optionally a colorant. Methods of printing the phase change ink composition are also disclosed.

Abstract: An ink set is used in one or more recording media selected from a non-ink-absorbing or low ink-absorbing medium, a medium having an arithmetic surface roughness Ra of 20 ?m or more, fabric, and plain paper. The ink set contains a glitter ink which is recorded by an ink jet head and contains a glitter pigment and a polymerizable ink which contains an active energy ray polymerizable compound and does not substantially contain a coloring material.

Abstract: Ink compositions and methods of using the same are disclosed. An example ink composition includes an inkjet vehicle, from about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt % of colorants, from about 0.01 wt % to about 10 wt % of anti-kogation agents, and from about 0.01 wt % to about 6 wt % of a water soluble component represented by formula (I).

Abstract: A light-curable ink composition for ink jet recording contains a coloring material, a polymerizable compound, and a photopolymerization initiator. The coloring material contains at least C.I. Pigment Yellow 155, and the polymerizable compound contains at least a vinyl-ether-containing (meth)acrylate represented by general formula (I) below: CH2?CR1—COOR2—O—CH?CH—R3??(I). The vinyl-ether-containing (meth)acrylate is present in an amount of 10 to 67% by mass relative to the total mass of the ink composition.

Abstract: An image forming method including: applying a pre-treatment liquid to a recording medium; and applying a stimulus to an inkjet ink to jet the inkjet ink onto the recording medium, onto which the pre-treatment liquid has been applied, so as to form an image on the recording medium, wherein the pre-treatment liquid contains a water-soluble aliphatic organic acid, a water-soluble organic monoamine compound, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water, and the inkjet ink contains an aqueous pigment dispersion in which a pigment is dispersed with an anionic dispersant or nonionic dispersant, a water-soluble organic solvent, an anionic ionomer-based aqueous urethane resin, a surfactant, a penetrating agent, and water, and wherein the pre-treatment liquid contains 1 molar equivalent or higher of the water-soluble organic monoamine compound relative to an acid group contained in the water-soluble aliphatic organic acid.

Abstract: An image forming method has applying an ink composition winch includes: at least a pigment, water, and polyvalent (meth)acrylamide of 3.0 mass % or more and 15.0 mass % or less with respect to the entire ink composition as a polymerizable compound, to a coated paper having a pigment layer on at least one surface of a support in which cellulose pulp is a main component, using an ink jet method; at least drying the applied ink composition; and curing the ink composition on the coated paper by irradiating active energy rays at an illuminance of 1 W/cm2 or more and 2 W/cm2 or less to the ink composition which has undergone drying processing.

Abstract: A functional amine release agent displaying reduced coefficient of friction as compared to standard silicone oils, the release agent comprising a polydimethylsiloxane oil and a functional amine selected from the group consisting of pendant propylamines and pendant N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl; wherein the concentration of functional amine to polydimethylsiloxane oil is approximately less than 0.0006 meq/g. According to certain embodiments, the functional amine release agent is operable to impart a coefficient of friction of about 0.3 or more to the print media, resulting in improved finishing and converting equipment interaction.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method using ink selected from a group including (A) black ink containing black pigment, (B) mixed color black ink containing black and color pigments, and (C) color ink containing color pigment, in which an ink glossiness at 60° is increased in the order of black ink (A), mixed color black ink (B), and color ink (C), the target recording surface glossiness at 60° in a target recording medium is 40 or more, and at least one of the following is satisfied: (1) A black image is formed using at least a plurality of types of the color ink of (C) and a color image is formed using the color ink of (C), and (2) A black image is formed using the mixed color black ink of (B) and a color image is formed using the color ink of (C).

Abstract: An ink composition for ultraviolet curable ink jets including monomer A represented by a general formula (I): CH2?CR1—COOR2—O—CH?CH—R3??(I) (in the formula, ‘R1’ represents a hydrogen atom or methyl group, ‘R2’ represents a divalent organic residue having a carbon number of 2 to 20, and ‘R3’ represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic residue having a carbon number of 1 to 11), and a photopolymerization initiator containing an acylphosphine oxide-based photopolymerization initiator and a thioxanthone-based photopolymerization initiator, in which the total content of the acylphosphine oxide-based photopolymerization initiator and the thioxanthone-based photopolymerization initiator is 8% by mass to 16% by mass with respect to the total mass of the ink composition.

Abstract: A photopolymerizable inkjet ink including: a photopolymerizable monomer having a Stimulation Index (SI value) of less than 3, where the Stimulation Index indicates the extent of sensitization as measured by a skin sensitization test based on Local Lymph Node Assay; and a phenol aromatic compound having two hydroxyl groups in the molecule thereof.