Abstract: The invention provides an ink for use in an ink jet recording process in which an ink is ejected from a recording head by the action of thermal energy, the ink comprising a pigment, a water-soluble polyurethane polymer, a compound represented by a general formula (1) having a weight-average molecular weight of 1,000 or more and 8,500 or less, and a polyethylene oxide alkyl ether, the alkyl group of which has 12 or more carbon atoms, wherein, based on the total mass of the ink, the content (mass %) of the compound represented by the general formula (1) is 0.4 times or more and 10.0 times or less in terms of mass ratio with respect to the content (mass %) of the polyethylene oxide alkyl ether.

Abstract: An ink set for ink jet includes a combination of a first ink and a second ink. The first ink contains a self-dispersible type carbon black and a specified particle A. The content of the particle A in the first ink is 0.05% by mass or more and 0.50% by mass or less, and the mass ratio of the content of the particle A to that of the self-dispersible pigment in the first ink is 0.056 times or more and 0.250 times or less. The second ink contains a specified particle B. The acid value a of the particle A and the acid value b of the particle B satisfy the relation of a?b.

Abstract: The invention has been made to prevent ink adhesion or an ink discharge failure caused by ink adhesion due to evaporation of volatile components of ink which occurs when the ink receptor of a printhead is exposed to air for a long time. If an inkjet printhead and an ink tank containing ink to be supplied to the printhead are attached to a carriage, the ink supply port of the ink tank is pressed to the ink receptor of the printhead. In this arrangement, the presence/absence of attachment of the ink tank to the carriage is detected. If it is detected that the ink tank is not attached to the carriage, a suction operation for the printhead is performed and controlled to suck out ink from the nozzles of the printhead.

Abstract: An ink set for ink jet includes a combination of a first ink and a second ink. The first ink contains a self-dispersible type carbon black and a specified particle A. The content of the particle A in the first ink is 0.05% by mass or more and 0.50% by mass or less, and the mass ratio of the content of the particle A to that of the self-dispersible pigment in the first ink is 0.056 times or more and 0.250 times or less. The second ink contains a specified particle B. The acid value a of the particle A and the acid value b of the particle B satisfy the relation of a?b.

Abstract: An ink includes a plurality of pigments, a plurality of water-soluble polymers, a surfactant, and a water-soluble organic solvent. The surfactant includes a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether having an HLB value of 13.0 or more as a value determined by a Griffin method, the plurality of pigments include C.I. Pigment Yellow 74 and C.I. Pigment Yellow 128, the plurality of water-soluble polymers include an acrylic polymer and a urethane polymer, and the water-soluble organic solvent includes a compound represented by the following Formula (1): HO—(CH2CH2O)n—H, wherein n is an integer of 1 to 4.

Abstract: The invention provides an ink for use in an ink jet recording process in which an ink is ejected from a recording head by the action of thermal energy, comprising a pigment, a water-soluble polyurethane polymer, a compound represented by a general formula (1) having a weight-average molecular weight of 1,000 or more and 8,500 or less, and a polyethylene oxide alkyl ether the alkyl group of which has 12 or more carbon atoms, wherein based on the total mass of the ink the content (mass %) of the compound represented by the general formula (1) is 0.4 times or more and 10.0 times or less in terms of mass ratio with respect to the content (mass %) of the polyethylene oxide alkyl ether.

Abstract: Provided are an ink with which an image excellent in both black density and glossiness can be recorded, and an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording method each using the ink. The ink includes: a carbon black; a resin for dispersing the carbon black; a resin fine particle; and a water-soluble organic solvent, in which: the resin fine particle contains at least a unit derived from an ethylenically unsaturated hydrophobic monomer, and a unit derived from a monomer selected from an ethylenically unsaturated acid monomer and a salt thereof, and a ratio of a unit derived from a saturated alkyl group-containing monomer to the unit derived from the ethylenically unsaturated hydrophobic monomer is 95.0 mass % or more; and the water-soluble organic solvent contains a water-soluble organic solvent having a dielectric constant at 20° C. of 18.0 or more and less than 30.0.

Abstract: Provided are an ink suitable for ink jet recording with which a color image excellent in both color developability and glossiness can be recorded, and an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording method in each of which the ink is utilized. Specifically, provided are an ink including: an organic pigment; a resin for dispersing the organic pigment; and a resin fine particle, in which an average particle diameter of the resin fine particle is 0.60 time or more and 1.2 times or less as large as an average particle diameter of the organic pigment, and an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording method in each of which the ink is utilized.

Abstract: The invention has been made to prevent ink adhesion or an ink discharge failure caused by ink adhesion due to evaporation of volatile components of ink which occurs when the ink receptor of a printhead is exposed to air for a long time. If an inkjet printhead and an ink tank containing ink to be supplied to the printhead are attached to a carriage, the ink supply port of the ink tank is pressed to the ink receptor of the printhead. In this arrangement, the presence/absence of attachment of the ink tank to the carriage is detected. If it is detected that the ink tank is not attached to the carriage, a suction operation for the printhead is performed and controlled to suck out ink from the nozzles of the printhead.

Abstract: An apparatus is configured to perform recording with at least three types of inks that are similar in color and different in pigment density. The apparatus is capable of operating in a first mode for performing recording on a first recording medium using at least one of a second ink having a pigment density that is lower than that of a first ink and a third ink having a pigment density that is lower than that of the second ink, and in a second mode for performing recording on a second recording medium, which has a lower glossiness than the first recording medium, using at least the first ink.

Abstract: An ink contains at least a pigment, wherein the pigment is a solid solution of C.I. Pigment Red 202 and C.I. Pigment Violet 19, and a primary particle diameter D (nm) of the pigment and a 50%-cumulative diameter D50 (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment satisfy a relation of D×0.95?(=<)D50?(=<)130, and a 90%-cumulative diameter D90 (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment and the 50%-cumulative diameter D50 (nm) satisfy a relation of 1.5?(=<)D90/D50?(=<)2.2.

Abstract: An ink includes a plurality of pigments, a plurality of water-soluble polymers, a surfactant, and a water-soluble organic solvent. The surfactant includes a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether having an HLB value of 13.0 or more as a value determined by a Griffin method, the plurality of pigments include C.I. Pigment Yellow 74 and C.I. Pigment Yellow 128, the plurality of water-soluble polymers include an acrylic polymer and a urethane polymer, and the water-soluble organic solvent includes a compound represented by the following Formula (1): HO—(CH2CH2O)n—H, wherein n is an integer of 1 to 4.

Abstract: Provided are an ink suitable for ink jet recording with which a color image excellent in both color developability and glossiness can be recorded, and an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording method in each of which the ink is utilized. Specifically, provided are an ink including: an organic pigment; a resin for dispersing the organic pigment; and a resin fine particle, in which an average particle diameter of the resin fine particle is 0.60 time or more and 1.2 times or less as large as an average particle diameter of the organic pigment, and an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording method in each of which the ink is utilized.

Abstract: Provided are an ink with which an image excellent in both black density and glossiness can be recorded, and an ink cartridge and an ink jet recording method each using the ink. The ink includes: a carbon black; a resin for dispersing the carbon black; a resin fine particle; and a water-soluble organic solvent, in which: the resin fine particle contains at least a unit derived from an ethylenically unsaturated hydrophobic monomer, and a unit derived from a monomer selected from an ethylenically unsaturated acid monomer and a salt thereof, and a ratio of a unit derived from a saturated alkyl group-containing monomer to the unit derived from the ethylenically unsaturated hydrophobic monomer is 95.0 mass % or more; and the water-soluble organic solvent contains a water-soluble organic solvent having a dielectric constant at 20° C. of 18.0 or more and less than 30.0.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a plurality of inks and includes a unit configured to perform a recovery operation by suction of inks from a plurality of ink ejection portions using a suction cap, wherein the plurality of inks include an ink set including a combination of at least a first ink and a second ink, the first ink containing (i) a self-dispersion pigment having at least one hydrophilic group directly or through another atomic group bonded to the surface of the pigment, and (ii) ammonium ions, the second ink containing a pigment, a polymer having an acid value of 160 mg KOH/g or less, and alkali metal ions, and the suction cap used in the recovery operation is individually provided for each of the first ink and the second ink.

Abstract: To provide an ink set which achieves an improvement in gradation of a monochrome image and the realization of a high black density, and which solves gloss unevenness occurring upon formation of an image by means of at least three kinds of black inks different from one another in carbon black content. Provided is an ink set having at least three kinds of black inks different from one another in carbon black content in which carbon black contents in the at least three kinds of inks establish a specific relationship.

Abstract: Provided is an aqueous ink with high storage stability and scratch resistance at such a high level that the coloring material of an image is not scraped off even when lightly touched with a sharp product. The aqueous ink includes a water-insoluble coloring material and plural polymers. The plural polymers include a polymer A which relatively contributes to dispersion of the water-insoluble coloring material and a polymer B which does not relatively contribute to the dispersion of the water-insoluble coloring material compared to the polymer A. The polymer A includes a block copolymer having an acid value of 120 mgKOH/g to 180 mgKOH/g and having an ethylene oxide group as a nonionic group. The polymer B has an acid value of 150 mgKOH/g or less and a hydrogen bond parameter (?h) of the polymer obtained by solubility parameters of monomers constituting the polymer of 1.0 cal0.5/cm1.5 or more and 3.2 cal0.5/cm1.5 or less.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an ink set which can produce images with color developability undoubtedly higher than images produced by a conventional pigment ink and closer to images produced by silver halide photography or output from a laser printer, in particular, color developability in a red color region, while keeping ink reliability. The ink set comprises at least a first ink and a second ink wherein the first ink has a maximum absorption wavelength in a region of 450 nm or more and less than 500 nm and the second ink has a maximum absorption wavelength in a region of 500 nm or more and 570 nm or less, and the ink set has a B/A ratio of a minimum absorbance B to a maximum absorbance A of 0.7 or more and 1.0 or less among absorbances of the first ink and the second ink in total in a region of 450 nm or more and 570 nm or less.

Abstract: An apparatus is configured to perform recording with at least three types of inks that are similar in color and different in pigment density. The apparatus is capable of operating in a first mode for performing recording on a first recording medium using at least one of a second ink having a pigment density that is lower than that of a first ink and a third ink having a pigment density that is lower than that of the second ink, and in a second mode for performing recording on a second recording medium, which has a lower glossiness than the first recording medium, using at least the first ink.

Abstract: An ink contains at least a pigment, wherein the pigment is a solid solution of C.I. Pigment Red 202 and C.I. Pigment Violet 19, and a primary particle diameter D (nm) of the pigment and a 50%-cumulative diameter D50 (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment satisfy a relation of D×0.95?(=<)D50?(=<)130, and a 90%-cumulative diameter D90 (nm) in particle diameter distribution of the pigment and the 50%-cumulative diameter D50 (nm) satisfy a relation of 1.5?(=<)D90/D50?(=<)2.2.