Abstract: A mailing ink, an ink tank for mailing, an ink jet recording method for mailing and an ink jet recording apparatus for mailing that can reconcile preferable tint and visibility as indicia with readability by a 2-D bar code reader. The ink is a mailing ink used in ink jet recording. In the mailing ink, the ink tank, the ink jet recording method, and the ink jet recording apparatus, the ink provides an ‘a*’ of from ?10 to 15 and a ‘b*’ of from ?50 to ?15 according to the CIE L*a*b* color system in a printed portion obtained by applying the ink to a recording medium so as to give an application amount of ink of 4.5 mg per square inch, and provides an integrated value of reflection spectrum of 90 or lower in a wavelength region of from 380 nm to 730 nm in the printed portion.

Abstract: An ink cartridge includes a thermal ink-jet head provided with a heat generating portion that generates thermal energy for ejecting the ink from an ejection opening, in which: the heat generating portion has, on its surface in contact with the ink, a protective layer containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a silicon oxide, a silicon nitride, and a silicon carbide; and the ink contains a substance that dissolves the protective layer and a compound represented by (R2)nA—. . . —N(R1)C(O)R3(R4)—(A) where A represents alkylene or alkenylene which forms a ring with a nitrogen atom, a carbonyl group and R3, R1 and R4 each represent hydrogen atom, hydroxyl, alkyl, alkenyl, acyl, carbamoyl, carboxyl or sulfonyl, R2 represents a group bonded to an arbitrary carbon atom of A and represents hydrogen atom, hydroxyl, alkyl, alkenyl, acyl, carbamoyl, carboxyl or sulfonyl, n represents 0 to 4, and R3 represents carbon or nitrogen atom, and a content X (% by mass) of the compound satisfies 1?X?30.

Abstract: There are provided: a liquid ink for ink jet including: water; a coloring material; 1,5-pentanediol; and a humectant, in which the content of 1,5-pentanediol is 3 mass % or more and 15 mass % or less, and the total of the content of 1,5-pentanediol and the content of the humectant is 10 mass % or more and 40 mass % or less; and an ink jet recording method using the ink.

Abstract: There is provided a cyan ink for ink jet and an ink jet recording method using the same, which can reduce both reciprocating color uneven and beading without impairing fastness property even when a yellow ink or a magenta ink containing a specific coloring material with excellent fastness property is used. In the ink jet recording method using a yellow ink and a cyan ink, or a magenta ink and a cyan ink, the yellow ink and the magenta ink contain a specific coloring material and have a surface tension of 33.0 mN/m or more and 36.0 mN/m or less, and the cyan ink contains a specific phthalocyanine compound, contains 1,5-pentanediol as an organic solvent, and has a surface tension of 32.9 mN/m or more and 35.4 mN/m or less.

Abstract: An ink jet ink which can form images whose bleeding resistance is high and whose bronzing phenomenon is suppressed, is provided. The ink is an ink jet ink for use together with a pigment ink. The ink jet ink is characterized in that: the ink jet ink contains a coloring material, a polyvalent metal and a water-soluble organic solvent(s); the coloring material is at least a compound represented by the general formula (I); a content (mol/g) of the polyvalent metal is 2.0×10?6 mol/g or more and 4.0×10?4 mol/g or less; a total content (mass %) of the water-soluble organic solvent(s) is 25.0 mass % or more with respect to the total mass of the ink; and in a dispersion distance distribution, measured by a small angle X-ray scattering method, of molecular aggregates in the ink jet ink whose coloring material concentration is adjusted to 0.5 mass %, a dispersion distance d75 value corresponding to 75% of a distribution is 12.60 nm or less.

Abstract: If an ink for a particular color (for example, red) having an excellent color developing characteristic is used in addition to inks for three primary colors of subtractive color mixture, the high color reproducibility is to be maintained for a long period. To accomplish this, at least one (for example, a yellow ink) of the inks of two colors between which the hue angle of red, included in the three primary colors, is sandwiched is applied to an area of a printing medium to which a red ink is applied so that the inks overlap each other. Thus, the yellow ink, having a high weatherability, is applied to an area on the printing medium to which only the red ink, having a low weatherability, is otherwise applied. It is therefore possible to improve the weatherability while maintaining the color developing characteristic at a high level.

Abstract: An ink cartridge for storing ink includes a thermal ink-jet head provided with a heating portion that generates thermal energy for discharging the ink. The heating portion has, on its surface in contact with the ink, a protective layer containing at least one of a silicon oxide, a silicon nitride, and a silicon carbide. The ink contains a substance that dissolves the protective layer and a compound represented by the following formula (1), and the content X (% by mass) of the compound of the formula (1) satisfies a relationship of 1?X?30: R1-A-R2 ??Formula (1) wherein A represents one selected from —S—, —S(?O)—, and —S(?O)2—, and R1 and R2 each independently represent a group selected from a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkyl group, a hydroxyalkyl group, an alkenyl group, an acyl group, a carbamoyl group, a carboxyl group, and a sulfonyl group.

Abstract: A pigment ink is provided which is used in an ink jet recording apparatus in which ejection orifices for a pigment ink and ejection orifices for at least one type of reactive ink that destabilizes a dispersed state of pigment in the pigment ink are capped with the identical cap provided with a unit for removing an ink in the cap, achieving compatibility between bleeding resistance and reliability. Where a mixed thickening ratio upon mixing the pigment ink and the reactive ink in equal volumes is represented by Y (%) and an ejection orifice-to-ejection orifice distance between the ejection orifice for the pigment ink and the ejection orifice for the reactive ink is represented by X (mm) (provided that X>0), Y and X satisfy a specific relationship.

Abstract: An ink jet ink which can form images whose bleeding resistance is high and whose bronzing phenomenon is suppressed, is provided. The ink is an ink jet ink for use together with a pigment ink. The ink jet ink is characterized in that: the ink jet ink contains a coloring material, a polyvalent metal and a water-soluble organic solvent(s); the coloring material is at least a compound represented by the general formula (I); a content (mol/g) of the polyvalent metal is 2.0×10?6 mol/g or more and 4.0×10?4 mol/g or less; a total content (mass %) of the water-soluble organic solvent(s) is 25.0 mass % or more with respect to the total mass of the ink; and in a dispersion distance distribution, measured by a small angle X-ray scattering method, of molecular aggregates in the ink jet ink whose coloring material concentration is adjusted to 0.5 mass %, a dispersion distance d75 value corresponding to 75% of a distribution is 12.60 nm or less.

Abstract: An image forming method using a black ink containing a pigment, a black ink containing a dye, and a reactive color ink capable of unstabilizing the dispersion state of the pigment in the black ink, wherein the method includes one of the steps of, on at least part of a region to which the black ink is to be applied, applying the reactive color ink, the black ink, and the black ink in that order so as to overlap, thereby applying these inks to a recording medium; and applying the black ink, the black ink, and the reactive color ink in that order so as to overlap, thereby applying these inks to a recording medium.

Abstract: An ink jet recording ink comprising at least a copper phthalocyanine dye represented by the following general formula (1) and a compound represented by the following general formula (2):

Abstract: The invention provides a mailing ink, an ink tank for mailing, an ink jet recording method for mailing and an ink jet recording apparatus for mailing that can reconcile preferable tint and visibility as indicia with readability by a 2-D bar code reader. The ink is a mailing ink used in ink jet recording. In the mailing ink, the ink tank for mailing, the ink jet recording method for mailing and the ink jet recording apparatus for mailing, the ink provides an ‘a*’ of from ?10 to 15 and a ‘b*’ of from ?50 to ?15 according to the CIE L*a*b* color system in a printed portion obtained by applying the ink to a recording medium so as to give an application amount of ink of 4.5 mg per square inch, and provides an integrated value of reflection spectrum of 90 or lower in a wavelength region of from 380 nm to 730 nm in the printed portion.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image-forming method, including performing image formation on the basis of pixel data by using at least a yellow recording agent, a magenta recording agent, and a third recording agent. A color represented on a recording medium by the third recording agent on a color space of CIE-L*a*b* has lightness higher than lightness of a color reproduction region represented on the recording medium by a combination of the yellow recording agent and the magenta recording agent, and has a hue angle in the color reproduction region. A difference in hue angle on the color space between a color represented by the yellow recording agent and a color represented by the magenta recording agent is in a range of 60 to 113°.

Abstract: An ink cartridge includes an ink-jet head and plural liquid chambers storing inks different from each other. The minimum value A1 (g/ml) for the ink densities of the inks stored in the plural liquid chambers and the maximum value B1 (g/ml) for the ink densities of inks each obtained by evaporating 10 mass % of each of the inks stored in the plural liquid chambers satisfy the relationship of (B1?A1)/A1?0.100. A stable image can be obtained, in which, even when the ink cartridge is stored for a long time period at the time of physical distribution, or is stored for a long time period in a state of being mounted on a recording apparatus so that the stored inks are brought into a situation in which the inks are apt to evaporate, a change in color balance is small as compared to an initial state.

Abstract: There is provided an ink cartridge including: a thermal ink-jet head provided with a heat generating portion that generates thermal energy for ejecting ink from an ejection opening, and contains the ink. In the ink cartridge, the heat generating portion has, at its surface in contact with the ink, a protective layer containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a silicon oxide, a silicon nitride, and a silicon carbide; and the ink contains at least one of a polyvalent carboxylic acid and a salt thereof, and the total content of the polyvalent carboxylic acid and the salt thereof is in the range of from 0.001 mmol/l or more to 0.5 mmol/l or less. The ink cartridge shows a small change in driving pulse and a small change in image to be outputted, and provides sufficient ejection property and sufficient printing durability.

Abstract: There is provided a cyan ink for ink jet and an ink jet recording method using the same, which can reduce both reciprocating color uneven and beading without impairing fastness property even when a yellow ink or a magenta ink containing a specific coloring material with excellent fastness property is used. In the ink jet recording method using a yellow ink and a cyan ink, or a magenta ink and a cyan ink, the yellow ink and the magenta ink contain a specific coloring material and have a surface tension of 33.0 mN/m or more and 36.0 mN/m or less, and the cyan ink contains a specific phthalocyanine compound, contains 1,5-pentanediol as an organic solvent, and has a surface tension of 32.9 mN/m or more and 35.4 mN/m or less.

Abstract: There are provided: a liquid ink for ink jet including: water; a coloring material; 1,5-pentanediol; and a humectant, in which the content of 1,5-pentanediol is 3 mass % or more and 15 mass % or less, and the total of the content of 1,5-pentanediol and the content of the humectant is 10 mass % or more and 40 mass % or less; and an ink jet recording method using the ink.

Abstract: An ink cartridge includes a thermal ink-jet head provided with a heat generating portion that generates thermal energy for ejecting the ink from an ejection opening, in which: the heat generating portion has, on its surface in contact with the ink, a protective layer containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a silicon oxide, a silicon nitride, and a silicon carbide; and the ink contains a substance that dissolves the protective layer and a compound represented by (R2)nA—. . . —N(R1)C(O)R3(R4)—(A) where A represents alkylene or alkenylene which forms a ring with a nitrogen atom, a carbonyl group and R3, R1 and R4 each represent hydrogen atom, hydroxyl, alkyl, alkenyl, acyl, carbamoyl, carboxyl or sulfonyl, R2 represents a group bonded to an arbitrary carbon atom of A and represents hydrogen atom, hydroxyl, alkyl, alkenyl, acyl, carbamoyl, carboxyl or sulfonyl, n represents 0 to 4, and R3 represents carbon or nitrogen atom, and a content X (% by mass) of the compound satisfies 1?X?30.

Abstract: An ink comprising yellow colorants and a colorant having a phthalocyanine skeleton, in which the yellow colorants are at least a colorant represented by the following general formula I and C.I.

Abstract: An image forming method comprises a step of reacting an ink containing a coloring material with a liquid composition containing fine particles reactive to the coloring material on a recording medium, where the reaction between the coloring material and the fine particles occurs in a liquid, the coloring material is adsorbed on the surfaces of the fine particles while keeping the monomolecular state as in the ink, and the fine particles having the coloring material on the surface aggregate each other. This method can provide images of high optical density and high color saturation, with less occurrence of white stripes in the image.