Abstract: Provided is an ink which comprises an aqueous medium and a coloring material dispersed in the aqueous medium with a dispersant, where the coloring material is contained in an amount of at most 1% by weight with respect to the total weight of the ink, and the ratio (B/P ratio) of the dispersant to the coloring material is larger than 1.

Abstract: Provided is an ink-jet ink suitable for high speed printing and reduced ink ejection amount, wherein ink includes a water-insoluble coloring material dispersed in water with a resinous dispersant, glycerin, ethylene urea, and polyoxyethylene alkyl ether with HLB not lower than 13.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image forming process for forming an image-recorded article having a coating layer on at least a part of an image formed, which includes the steps of providing a liquid composition containing a polymer, providing an image-recorded article formed on a recording medium by an ink-jet recording method, and applying the liquid composition to at least a part of an image of the recorded article to insolubilize the polymer contained in the liquid composition on the surface of the image, thereby forming the coating layer at a position to which the liquid composition has been applied, wherein the recording medium has a surface which insolubilizes the polymer.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image forming process for forming an image-recorded article having a coating layer on at least a part of an image formed, which comprises the steps of providing a liquid composition containing a polymer, providing an image-recorded article formed on a recording medium by an ink-jet recording method, and applying the liquid composition to at least a part of an image of the recorded article to insolubilize the polymer contained in the liquid composition on the surface of the image, thereby forming the coating layer at a position to which the liquid composition has been applied, wherein the recording medium has a surface which insolubilizes the polymer.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image forming process for forming an image-recorded article having a coating layer on at least a part of an image formed, which comprises the steps of providing a liquid composition containing a polymer, providing an image-recorded article formed on a recording medium by an ink-jet recording method, and applying the liquid composition to at least a part of an image of the recorded article to insolubilize the polymer contained in the liquid composition on the surface of the image, thereby forming the coating layer at a position to which the liquid composition has been applied, wherein the recording medium has a surface which insolubilizes the polymer.

Abstract: There is provided an aqueous fluorescent ink that contains an emulsified colored resin and a water-soluble compound having ethylene oxide units that is solid at 25° C.

Abstract: Provided is an ink which comprises an aqueous medium and a coloring material dispersed in the aqueous medium with a dispersant, where the coloring material is contained in an amount of at most 1% by weight with respect to the total weight of the ink, and the ratio (B/P ratio) of the dispersant to the coloring material is larger than 1.

Abstract: Provided is an ink-jet ink suitable for high speed printing and reduced ink ejection amount, which ink comprise a water-insoluble coloring material dispersed in water with a resinous dispersant, glycerin, ethylene urea, and polyoxyethylene alkyl ether with HLB not lower than 13.

Abstract: Provided is an ink set including a plurality of inks each of which contains a water-insoluble coloring material and enabling ink-jet record images to be stably formed. The ink set includes first to nth aqueous inks for ink-jet recording, each of the aqueous inks containing a water-insoluble coloring material, an aqueous medium and a dispersant for dispersing the pigment in the aqueous medium, and a water-soluble organic compound, wherein the first to the nth aqueous inks are different from each other in pigment concentration based on the total weight of the each ink; and the first to the nth aqueous inks have the same or substantially the same viscosity at an actual usage temperature (T1).

Abstract: There is provided an aqueous fluorescent ink that contains an emulsified colored resin and a water-soluble compound having ethylene oxide units that is solid at 25° C.

Abstract: A flower container has a control unit (14) comprising a water sensor (20) for directly or indirectly detecting water content in soil in a flowerpot (12), a memory (22) storing at least first and second recorded messages, and a speaker (32). When receiving a detection signal from the water sensor which indicates that the water content is decreased to below a predetermined level, the first message is read out from the memory and outputted through the speaker to urge a user to supply water. When the detection signal from the water sensor indicates that the water content is returned to above the predetermined level within a predetermined period of time from reproduction of the first message, the second message is read out from the memory and outputted through the speaker in appreciation of user's watering.

Abstract: A multi-layer coating comprising a base coat and a topcoat is formed on an article such as a chemically-treated steel plate by coating the article with a base coat composition containing (a) a cross-linking agent which does not interfere with the hydrosilylation reaction of a topcoat composition, and (b) a functional resin reactable with the cross-linking agent, and then with a topcoat composition containing (c) (i) a blend of a hydrosilyl group-containing compound and an alkenyl group-containing compound, and/or (ii) a self-crosslinkable resin, and (d) a catalytic amount of a hydrosilylation catalyst, followed by separate or simultaneous baking. The topcoat composition may contain functional groups (phosphoric groups and/or alkoxysilyl groups) or a functional group-containing compound.