Abstract: A liquid container for containing liquid includes a plurality of defined chambers, a liquid supply port for supplying the liquid from the container, the supply port being formed in one of the chambers, an air vent formed in the one of the chambers, and a porous liquid supply material only through which the chambers communicate.

Abstract: A process for alleviating bleed and improving color in printed elements comprises applying an anionic printing liquid and a cationic printing liquid to a substrate adjacent to one another, wherein at least one of the printing liquids contains a polymer and reacting the anionic and cationic printing liquids with one another; wherein the color integrity of the anionic and cationic printing liquids is maintained.

Abstract: A continuous ink refill system for ink-jet printers, of the kind employing a disposable ink cartridge, wherein an aqueous suspension of a pigmented ink is continually circulated through the cartridge by means of a pressure pump, with unused ink being returned from the cartridge to an ink reservoir.

Abstract: The present invention makes it an object to provide an ink jet head which enables to prevent ink droplets deposited on the discharging outlet face thereof from arriving at the discharging outlets arranged at the discharging outlet face whereby maintaining the discharging outlets in a state that defective ink discharging is not occurred, wherein the discharging outlet face contains a water repellent zone disposed to surround the discharging outlets and a recessed hydrophilic zone disposed in a region on one of the opposite outsides of the water repellent zone and which is distant by a desired distance from the arrangement of the discharging outlets. In the ink jet head, the recessed hydrophilic zone serves to take ink droplets deposited on the discharging outlet face thereinto and because of this, desirable printing can be attained even in the case where printing is conducted at a high speed printing or a high driving frequency.

Abstract: An ink jet printhead includes a nonconductive substrate into which a plurality of tapered nozzle holes are formed with the wide hole area coincident with an ink entry side and with the marrow hole area coincident with an ink exit side, and with an ink reservoir mounted on the ink entry side. A metal layer covers the interior of each nozzle hole, and also provides an electrical control-signal conductor on the ink entry side for each metallized nozzle hole. The metal layer also provides a tubular metal extension for each metallized nozzle, these extensions extending a common distance beyond the ink exit side. A plurality of metal conductors may be provided on the ink exit side to facilitate nozzle control using signal-multiplexing techniques, or a field compensation electrode may be provided on the ink exit side.

Abstract: Before ink-jet recording, an image forming surface comprising an anodic oxide layer of aluminum or an alloy thereof is dried and activated. After the recording, a treatment to remove solvent components of ink and fix a dye in the ink is applied.

Abstract: An ink cartridge (3) including an ink reservoir portion having a porous member (37) for storing ink and an ink supply portion (39) has an ink inducing element (47) disposed between the ink reservoir portion and the ink-supply portion (39). The ink inducing element (47) is made of bundle of fibers in which each fiber is disposed in parallel to the direction of ink supplying from the ink reservoir to the ink supply portion (39), and one end of the ink inducing element (47) is press-touched to the porous member (37).

Abstract: A manifold is connected to a plurality of fluid chambers formed in the actuator plate of an ink jet printer head and nozzles formed in a nozzle plate are also connected thereto. A dye intermediate product layer is formed on the inner walls of the manifold, fluid chambers and nozzles. Because the inner walls of the manifold, fluid chambers and nozzles undergo parent inking through this dye intermediate product layer, air bubbles do not remain in the ink flow path, and the ink can be sprayed with a uniform spraying direction and a stable flight velocity.

Abstract: A method of preventing clogging of nozzles, particularly nozzle orifices in a drop-on-demand ink jet printers, during intervals when no ink flows through the nozzles, e.g. during non-printing intervals, when using an ink composition intended for recording permanent information on essentially non-absorbent surfaces. The ink composition is made up of a solvent, a non- or low-volatile fraction and a colorant. The relative quantities and solubility of the constituents are selected such that when printing terminates and a portion of the solvent evaporates at the nozzle orifice, a concentration of colorant and less volatile fraction builds up in the region of the nozzle orifice. This causes the colorant to migrate to an environment in which its affinity is greater, i.e. further within the nozzle.

Abstract: An ink-jet printing cloth is disclosed in which a selected type of polyethylene oxide is incorporated in specified amounts. The polyethylene oxide has a larger viscosity average molecular weight of from 100,000 to 3,000,000 and acts to pretreat a starting cloth material so as to be adequate for ink-jet printing. The ink-jet printing cloth is highly capable of providing images of great color depth with sufficient brightness and sharpness but freedom from an objectionable bleeding. Also disclosed are a textile printing method using that printing cloth and a print resulting from this method.

Abstract: An apparatus for charging an ionographic member, comprising an electrically insulating substrate containing affixed thereto a plurality of electroded grooves each capable of retaining a single wettable fiber, thereby forming a collection of fibers in contact with the substrate; a resin layer that isolates said fibers from each other, and that adheres the fibers to the electroded grooves; providing an ionically conductive fluid to said collection of fibers; applying an electrical bias to said fibers thereby transporting ions through the fibers to the surface of said ionographic member and which ions charge said member.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording method employs a light-tonable recording liquid capable of being toned by light radiation, the liquid preferably containing a recording agent having an absorption peak within a certain wavelength range, an ammonium salt of an organic boron, and a liquid medium. The hue or the density of a desired portion of the light-tonable recording liquid on a recording member is changed by radiating toning light onto that portion. The recording member may have colored portions of an image previously recorded with a light-tonable recording liquid or colored portions just formed in the current recording. Toning light is radiated onto a desired position of the recording region of the member while varying the intensity and/or the period of light radiation in accordance with an information signal. Thus, toning may provide various half-tones or may render the toned portion of the recording liquid colorless, thereby erasing the relevant colored portions.

Abstract: A durable image is formed by printing a pigmented aqueous ink onto a substrate bearing a hydrophilic thermoplastic polymer having cross-linking groups, then heating the printed image to encapsulate the pigment and cross-link the polymer.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus has a casing which is divided into upper and lower regions by a dividing wall. In the lower region, between the dividing wall and the base of the casing is an ink circulation unit. A pump of the of the ink circulation unit passes ink from a main ink container to a tube and hence to a printing head of the apparatus. The ink circulation unit may have a filter for filtering the ink before it passes to the printing head, and also have a secondary ink container and a solvent container for containing ink and solvent which are passed to the main container as they are used up during printing. Access to the containers and the filter, which need periodic replacement, is via an access cover in the casing. The access cover is at the front of the casing so that it can be used by an operator when the printing apparatus is in its normal position. Above the dividing wall is a circuit board unit which controls the ink circulation unit, and also the printing head.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an ink for ink-jet printing comprising a disperse dye in an amount of from 0.1 to 15% by weight, a compound that disperses said disperse dye, a water-soluble organic solvent, bishydroxyethylsulfone and water, wherein said disperse dye has an average particle diameter in a range of from 150 to 400 nm, and dye particles having a particle diameter of not more than 200 nm occupy 85% by weight in a particle diameter distribution, and dye particles having a particle diameter of not less than 1,000 nm are substantially not contained.

Abstract: A printing machine having a dryer for drying liquid ink printing deposited in a print zone on a surface of a recording medium moving along a path. The dryer includes a heat source, generating heat energy, disposed adjacently to the path, for heating the recording medium and drying the ink. A reflector system, including a first reflector and a second reflector, direct the heat energy toward another surface of the recording medium. In one embodiment, the heat source comprises a quartz tube having a reflective coating, acting as the first reflector, deposited on a surface of the tube, and the second reflector directs additional heat energy towards the recording medium.

Abstract: An ink jet printing process comprising the steps of image-wise projecting droplets of liquid onto a receiving material thus bringing into working relationship on said receiving material a reducible metal compound (A), a reducing agent (B) for said metal compound and physical development nuclei (C) that catalyze the reduction of said metal compound to metal.

Abstract: Standard, unfixed electrophotographic images are transferred from a photoconductor drum (5) to paper (7) at a nip location with a transfer roller (3). The paper remains in contact with the transfer roller until it is positioned under a ink jet printhead (9), where a second image, typically color highlights, is printed. This configuration requires no additional registration of the two images. The ink jet printhead may be charged to repel stray toner which might clog its nozzles. The transfer member may be a belt or may be large enough to permit movement of the paper at the higher speeds of electrophotographic at the transfer station and at the lower speeds of ink jet printing when the paper is at the ink jet printing station.

Abstract: A color ink-jet printer is provided, with one pen for dispensing black ink onto a print medium and at least one pen for dispensing color ink onto a print medium. The pen for dispensing black ink contains a pigment-based ink and the pen(s) for dispensing color ink contain a water-miscible dye-based ink. Such a color ink-jet printer provides both superior text quality (black ink) and relative ease of service (color inks), since the black ink is used more than the color inks and thus tends to require less spitting due to its frequency of use. On the other hand, since the color inks are used less, the utilization of water-miscible inks, which require less spitting than pigmented inks to keep the nozzle clear, also require less spitting even with relatively lower frequency of use.

Abstract: A magnetic thin-film medium characterized by high coercivity, loop squareness, and signal-to-noise ratio characteristics. The medium includes a disc-like substrate, a sputtered Cr underlayer having a thickness between 100-300 .ANG., and a sputtered Co alloy magnetic thin-film layer having a thickness between 250-800 .ANG.. The sputtered Cr and magnetic layers are preferably formed under sputtering conditions in which a negative bias of between -50 to -600 volts is applied to the substrate.