Abstract: An image forming apparatus is capable of forming an image on any of an image-erasable recording medium having recording-medium identification information and a recording medium and is capable performing image formation according to a first mode for forming an erasable image and according to a second mode for forming an inerasable image arbitrarily. The apparatus includes an image-forming unit, a detecting unit, and a control unit, feeds the image-erasable recording medium to the image-forming unit and allows the same to carry out image formation according to the first image-forming mode, when the first image-forming mode is selected, the detecting unit detects a recording medium having the recording medium-identification information, and the mode-control unit determines that image formation on an image-erasable recording medium can be carried out and does not prohibit image formation according to the first image-forming mode.

Abstract: This invention provides compound solutions, emulsions and gels excellent in homogeneous dispersibility and long-term dispersion stability and also excellent in the properties as cosmetics, using disarranged nanofibers not limited in either form or polymer, widely applicable and small in the irregularity of single fiber diameter. This invention also provides a method for producing them. Furthermore, this invention provides synthetic papers composed of fibers, small in pore area and uniform in pore size, using disarranged nanofibers, and also provides a method for producing them. This invention provides compound solutions, emulsions, gels and synthetic papers containing disarranged nanofibers of 1 to 500 nm in number average diameter and 60% or more in the sum Pa of single fiber ratios.

Abstract: An image removing method including heating a recording material having thereon an image to a temperature so that the image has a plasticity; pressure-contacting an uppermost stream peeling member with the recording material while the image maintains a plasticity; separating the uppermost stream peeling member from the recording material to transfer at least a portion of the image to the uppermost stream peeling member; and repeating the heating, pressure-contacting and separating steps at least one more time using at least one downstream peeling member, wherein the uppermost stream peeling member has a first outermost layer which does not have a plasticity when being pressure-contacted with the recording material, and at least one of the at least one downstream peeling member has a second outermost layer which has a plasticity when being pressure-contacted with the recording material.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for recording an image using a transfer-type recording mechanism are such that a layer of an intermediate transfer element is removably formed on a surface of an intermediate transfer medium. The intermediate transfer element includes an ultraviolet stabilizer and a powder mixture. The intermediate transfer layer is capable of being dissolved and swelled by applying an ink liquid on the intermediate transfer medium and enables a viscosity of the ink liquid residing thereon to be increased. An image is produced on the intermediate transfer medium by supplying the ink liquid thereon. The image is then transferred to the recording medium, so that a high quality image is produced without any blurring, mixing or penetration of the ink liquid.

Abstract: An image recording method including: applying a pretreatment liquid on a surface of a recording material; and discharging a recording ink according to image signals to form an ink image on the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording material before the pretreatment liquid applied to the recording material has dried, wherein the recording ink includes a solvent and a component dispersed or dissolved in the solvent, wherein the pretreatment liquid includes a compound depressing at least one of the dispersibility and solubility of the component in the recording ink in an amount of 10 to 80% by weight based on total weight, and wherein the pretreatment liquid has a viscosity of from 100 to 10,000 mPa·s at 25° C.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrophotographic recording medium that contains a support and an olefin-maleic anhydride copolymer, wherein the olefin-maleic anhydride copolymer exists at least near the surface of the electrophotographic recording medium on which an image is recorded, and the electrophotographic recording medium is reusable; and a method for producing an electrophotographic recording medium, an image forming method, a method for repeatedly using an electrophotographic recording medium, and a method for repeatedly using an electrophotographic recording medium.

Abstract: An ink for ink jet recording which is used for an ink jet printer in which at least a portion of a member being in contact with the ink is formed by any one of a borosilicate glass, a soda lime glass, a photosensitive glass, single crystal silicon, polysilicon, a silicon oxide film, a titanium nitride film, a zirconium film, a titanium oxide film, and a silicon nitride film, wherein a corrosion inhibitor is contained, and a phosphonium ion represented by the general formula (Formula 1) described below is contained: (wherein in Formula 1, Ra, Rb, Rc and Rd represent a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl group, a halogenated alkyl group and a substituted or non substituted phenyl group, and X? represents a counter ion) is provided.

Abstract: An ink composition including a colorant; and a solvent, wherein a zeta potential 2 between the colorant and a material selected from the group consisting of silicon, glass, silicon oxide, titanium oxide, chromium oxide, titanium nitride, silicon nitride, zirconium and polyimide is from 0 to ?50 mV at a pH of from 6.5 to 11.5. A corrosion inhibitor is preferably added to the ink composition to adjust the zeta potential 2. An ink cartridge containing the ink which optionally includes a recording head discharging the ink to form an image on a recording material, wherein the zeta potential 2 between the colorant in the ink and a material of the recording head contacting the ink is from 0 to ?50 mV at a pH of from 6.5 to 11.5. An inkjet recording apparatus including the ink cartridge and a carriage carrying the ink cartridge.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is capable of forming an image on any of an image-erasable recording medium having recording-medium identification information and a recording medium and is capable performing image formation according to a first mode for forming an erasable image and according to a second mode for forming an inerasable image arbitrarily. The apparatus includes an image-forming unit, a detecting unit, and a control unit, feeds the image-erasable recording medium to the image-forming unit and allows the same to carry out image formation according to the first image-forming mode, when the first image-forming mode is selected, the detecting unit detects a recording medium having the recording medium-identification information, and the mode-control unit determines that image formation on an image-erasable recording medium can be carried out and does not prohibit image formation according to the first image-forming mode.

Abstract: An ink for ink jet recording which is used for an ink jet printer in which at least a portion of a member being in contact with the ink is formed by any one of a borosilicate glass, a soda lime glass, a photosensitive glass, single crystal silicon, polysilicon, a silicon oxide film, a titanium nitride film, a zirconium film, a titanium oxide film, and a silicon nitride film, wherein a corrosion inhibitor is contained, and a phosphonium ion represented by the general formula (Formula 1) described below is contained: (wherein in Formula 1, Ra, Rb, Rc and Rd represent a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl group, a halogenated alkyl group and a substituted or non substituted phenyl group, and X? represents a counter ion) is provided.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for recording an image using a transfer-type recording mechanism are such that a layer of an intermediate transfer element is removably formed on a surface of an intermediate transfer medium. The intermediate transfer element includes an ultraviolet stabilizer and a powder mixture. The intermediate transfer layer is capable of being dissolved and swelled by applying an ink liquid on the intermediate transfer medium and enables a viscosity of the ink liquid residing thereon to be increased. An image is produced on the intermediate transfer medium by supplying the ink liquid thereon. The image is then transferred to the recording medium, so that a high quality image is produced without any blurring, mixing or penetration of the ink liquid.

Abstract: An image recording method including: applying a pretreatment liquid on a surface of a recording material; and discharging a recording ink according to image signals to form an ink image on the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording material before the pretreatment liquid applied to the recording material has dried, wherein the recording ink includes a solvent and a component dispersed or dissolved in the solvent, wherein the pretreatment liquid includes a compound depressing at least one of the dispersibility and solubility of the component in the recording ink in an amount of 10 to 80% by weight based on total weight, and wherein the pretreatment liquid has a viscosity of from 10 to 10,000 mPa·s at 25° C.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for recording an image using a transfer-type recording mechanism are such that a layer of an intermediate transfer element is removably formed on a surface of an intermediate transfer medium. The intermediate transfer element includes an ultraviolet stabilizer and a powder mixture. The intermediate transfer layer is capable of being dissolved and swelled by applying an ink liquid on the intermediate transfer medium and enables a viscosity of the ink liquid residing thereon to be increased. An image is produced on the intermediate transfer medium by supplying the ink liquid thereon. The image is then transferred to the recording medium, so that a high quality image is produced without any blurring, mixing or penetration of the ink liquid.

Abstract: An ink composition including a colorant; and a solvent, wherein a zeta potential 2 between the colorant and a material selected from the group consisting of silicon, glass, silicon oxide, titanium oxide, chromium oxide, titanium nitride, silicon nitride, zirconium and polyimide is from 0 to −50 mV at a pH of from 6.5 to 11.5. A corrosion inhibitor is preferably added to the ink composition to adjust the zeta potential 2. An ink cartridge containing the ink which optionally includes a recording head discharging the ink to form an image on a recording material, wherein the zeta potential 2 between the colorant in the ink and a material of the recording head contacting the ink is from 0 to −50 mV at a pH of from 6.5 to 11.5. An inkjet recording apparatus including the ink cartridge and a carriage carrying the ink cartridge.

Abstract: An image recording method including: applying a pretreatment liquid on a surface of a recording material; and discharging a recording ink according to image signals to form an ink image on the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording material before the pretreatment liquid applied to the recording material has dried, wherein the recording ink includes a solvent and a component dispersed or dissolved in the solvent, wherein the pretreatment liquid includes a compound depressing at least one of the dispersibility and solubility of the component in the recording ink in an amount of 100 to 80% by weight based on total weight, and wherein the pretreatment liquid has a viscosity of from 10 to 10,000 mPa·s at 25° C.

Abstract: An ink composition including a colorant; and a solvent, wherein a zeta potential 2 between the colorant and a material selected from the group consisting of silicon, glass, silicon oxide, titanium oxide, chromium oxide, titanium nitride, silicon nitride, zirconium and polyimide is from 0 to −50 mV at a pH of from 6.5 to 11.5. A corrosion inhibitor is preferably added to the ink composition to adjust the zeta potential 2. An ink cartridge containing the ink which optionally includes a recording head discharging the ink to form an image on a recording material, wherein the zeta potential 2 between the colorant in the ink and a material of the recording head contacting the ink is from 0 to −50 mV at a pH of from 6.5 to 11.5. An inkjet recording apparatus including the ink cartridge and a carriage carrying the ink cartridge.

Abstract: An aqueous ink composition contains at least one pigment selected from the group consisting of a condensed azo pigment, a condensed polycyclic pigment, a phthalocyanine pigment, and a nickel complex azo pigment, at least an anionic surfactant with ethylene oxide group or a nonionic surfactant with ethylene oxide group as a dispersant, a wetting agent, a penetrating agent, and water, with the ink composition having a surface tension of 20 mN/m or more and less than 35 mN/m. A yellow ink containing at least one pigment selected from the group consisting of C.I. Pigment Yellow 128, C.I. Pigment Yellow 138, C.I. Pigment Yellow 151, C.I. Pigment Yellow 97, and C.I. Pigment Yellow 150, a magenta ink containing at least one pigment of C.I. Pigment Red 122 or C.I. Pigment Violet 19, a cyan ink containing at least one pigment of C.I. Pigment Blue 15:3 or C.I. Pigment Blue 15:4, each color ink further containing a specific anionic surfactant and a water-soluble organic solvent, and a black ink containing C.I.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for recording an image using a transfer-type recording mechanism are such that a layer of an intermediate transfer element is removably formed on a surface of an intermediate transfer medium. The intermediate transfer element includes an ultraviolet stabilizer and a powder mixture. The intermediate transfer layer is capable of being dissolved and swelled by applying an ink liquid on the intermediate transfer medium and enables a viscosity of the ink liquid residing thereon to be increased. An image is produced on the intermediate transfer medium by supplying the ink liquid thereon. The image is then transferred to the recording medium, so that a high quality image is produced without any blurring, mixing or penetration of the ink liquid.

Abstract: An ink for ink jet recording and an ink jet recording method which realize an image quality of laser printer on a plain paper in a one-pass printing mode under conditions of a volume of an ink droplet ejected being 5 to 43 Pico liter, a velocity of an ink droplet being 6 to 20 m/sec, frequency of 1 kHz and resolution of 300 dpi or more. The ink for ink jet recording is a penetrating type ink which includes (1) at least one humectant selected from glycerin, 1,3-butandiol, triethyleneglycol, 1,6-hexanediol, propyleneglycol, 1,5-pentanediol, diethyleneglycol, dipropyleneglycol, trimethylolpropane and trimethylolethane, (2) colorant contained in the amount of 6% by weight or more, (3) a polyol having 8 to 11 carbon atoms and glycolether, and an anionic surfactants or non-ionic surfactants, the ink has viscosity of 5 mPa·s or more at 25° C. and a surface tension of 40 mN/m or less.

Abstract: An aqueous recording liquid suitable for use in ink jet printing containing a colorant, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol, and at least one surfactant selected from polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers and polyoxyethylene alkyl ether acetates.