Abstract: There is provided an ink composition which can yield records possessing excellent rubbing/abrasion resistance and scratch resistance. Specifically, records possessing excellent rubbing/abrasion resistance and scratch resistance can be produced by using an ink composition comprising: an alkali-soluble copolymer; water; a colorant; and at least one member selected from the group consisting of wax, a viscosity modifier, and a wetting agent. The alkali-soluble copolymer is a copolymer, with an acid value of not more than 40, which is produced by polymerizing an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and other monomer copolymerizable with the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer in the presence of an alcoholic hydroxyl-containing water-soluble polymer compound or a copolymerizable surfactant and has been adjusted to a pH value, at which the copolymer is soluble in water, by the addition of an inorganic base.

Abstract: [Object] To provide a liquid container allowing improvement of its dimensional precision. [Solving Means] An ink cartridge 22 as a liquid container includes a case 23 having a case body 30 and a lid case 32, and a moving member 36 attached to a surface of a flexible ink pack 25 housed in the case 23. The moving member 36 assumes different positional attitudes inside the case 23 in accordance with the volume of the ink pack 25 that is gradually reduced as the ink therein is consumed, so as to be detected by a detector provided in a printer when the moving member 36 assumes a positional attitude indicating that the ink pack 25 has become empty of ink. The case body 30, lid case 32, and moving member 36 are molded of a material containing at least polylactic acid to achieve a low mold shrinkage rate.

Abstract: An ink cartridge 500 according to the invention is mounted on a carriage to reciprocate together with a coating head and serves to supply an ink in an air side containing portion 270 and a supply side containing portion 290 to the coating head. The air side containing portion 270 and first and second ink containing portions 292 and 294 are formed by a liquid containing concave portion 122 of a cartridge body 120 having one open surface opposed to a direction of a reciprocation of the coating head and a film 140 for sealing the open surface of the liquid containing concave portion 122. A stirring and moving member 711 is accommodated in the air side containing portion 270 and the second ink containing portion 294 in a movable state, respectively.

Abstract: An ink jet recording process having the steps of applying an image formation ink and a clear ink one over the other onto a recording medium with a recording head to form a mixed dot, and detecting dot omission, in which the presence or absence of dot omission of the clear ink is judged by measuring the diameter of the mixed dot. Also, an ink jet recording process having the steps of applying an image formation ink and a reactive clear ink one over the other onto a recording medium with a recording head to form a mixed dot, and detecting dot omission, the presence of absence of dot omission of the reactive clear ink is judged by measuring the image density of the mixed dot. Ink jet recording apparatus for conducting these ink jet recording processes are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink composition comprising at least a pigment and a water-soluble solvent, wherein the composition comprises an alkyl alcohol having 4 to 6 carbon atoms in an amount of 0.05 to 0.5% by weight.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to reduce uneven glossiness of images formed with pigmented ink compositions on glossy inkjet media by setting the type of surfactant and the content of an alkanediol and a glycol ether. The ink composition of the present invention contains a pigment, an alkanediol, a glycol ether, a polyether-modified polysiloxane compound, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water, and the sum of the contents of alkanediol and glycol ether is 10 wt % or more, but less than 20 wt %.

Abstract: There is provided a recording method that can realize images which possess excellent fixation on recording media, excellent rubbing/scratch resistance and good quality. In the recording method, an ink composition including at least a colorant, resin emulsion particles, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water and a reaction solution containing a reactant capable of forming coagulate upon contact with the ink composition are deposited onto a recording medium to perform printing. This recording method includes the steps of: depositing the reaction solution onto the recording medium; depositing the ink composition onto the recording medium to record an image; and washing the recording medium, on which the reaction solution and the ink composition have been deposited to perform printing, with a polar so olar solvent.

Abstract: An ink set, exhibiting good ink permeability and fixation, capable of yielding high quality images with no roughness, or an ink set capable of yielding text and/or images of outstanding light resistance, is provided. The ink set of the present invention comprises a dark ink composition and a light ink composition that, while being mutually the same color, are of different color density, and is characterized in that the dark ink composition and the light ink composition each comprise a pigment as a colorant and a resin as a dispersant, in that the ratio between the resin weight proportion B1 and the pigment weight proportion P1 in the dark ink composition (i.e. B1/P1) is lower than the ratio between the resin weight proportion B2 and the pigment weight proportion P2 in the light ink composition (i.e. B2/P2), and in that B1 and B2 differ from each other.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an ink jet recording process having the steps of applying an image formation ink and a clear ink one over the other onto a recording medium with a recording head to form a mixed dot, and detecting dot omission, in which the presence or absence of dot omission of the clear ink is judged by measuring the diameter of the mixed dot. The invention also relates to an ink jet recording process having the steps of applying an image formation ink and a reactive clear ink one over the other onto a recording medium with a recording head to form a mixed dot, and detecting dot omission, the presence or absence of dot omission of the reactive clear ink is judged by measuring the image density of the mixed dot. Ink jet recording apparatus capable of suitably conducting these ink jet recording processes are also disclosed.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording method and ink set with which recorded material with excellent gloss and greatly reduced gloss unevenness can be easily obtained without higher costs being entailed, the ink jet recording apparatus having to be modified or made larger, etc., and to provide an ink jet recording method with which a high-quality image can be obtained with a low gloss ratio (maximum value/minimum value) dependent on duty, as well as recorded material produced by this method. The present invention provides an ink jet recording method, in which a pigment ink composition and a clear ink composition containing a resin component are discharged to record information on a recording medium, wherein the discharge amount of the pigment ink composition and/or the discharge amount of the clear ink composition is adjusted so that the gloss will be substantially uniform over the entire recording surface of the recording medium after recording.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to reduce uneven glossiness of images formed with pigmented ink compositions on glossy inkjet media by setting the type of surfactant and the content of an alkanediol and a glycol ether. The ink composition of the present invention contains a pigment, an alkanediol, a glycol ether, a polyether-modified polysiloxane compound, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water, and the sum of the contents of alkanediol and glycol ether is 10 wt % or more, but less than 20 wt %.

Abstract: There is provided an ink composition which can yield records possessing excellent rubbing/abrasion resistance and scratch resistance. Specifically, records possessing, excellent rubbing/abrasion resistance and scratch resistance can be produced by using an ink composition comprising: an alkali-soluble copolymer; water; a colorant; and at least one member selected from the group consisting of wax, a viscosity modifier, and a wetting agent. The alkali-soluble copolymer is a copolymer, with an acid value of not more than 40, which is produced by polymerizing an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and other monomer copolymerizable with the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer in the presence of an alcoholic hydroxyl-containing water-soluble polymer compound or a copolymerizable surfactant and has been adjusted to a pH value, at which the copolymer is soluble in water, by the addition of an inorganic base.

Abstract: A problem of the present invention is to provide an ink set and an ink jet recording method, according to which a high-quality printed article can be provided for which deformation such as wrinkling does not occur, the color density is high, and there is little blotting or unevenness even if regular paper is used as the recording medium.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording method and ink set with which recorded material with excellent gloss and greatly reduced gloss unevenness can be easily obtained without higher costs being entailed, the ink jet recording apparatus having to be modified or made larger, etc., and to provide an ink jet recording method with which a high-quality image can be obtained with a low gloss ratio (maximum value/minimum value) dependent on duty, as well as recorded material produced by this method. The present invention provides an ink jet recording method, in which a pigment ink composition and a clear ink composition containing a resin component are discharged to record information on a recording medium, wherein the discharge amount of the pigment ink composition and/or the discharge amount of the clear ink composition is adjusted so that the gloss will be substantially uniform over the entire recording surface of the recording medium after recording.

Abstract: A problem of the present invention is to provide an ink set and an ink jet recording method, according to which a high-quality printed article can be provided for which deformation such as wrinkling does not occur, the color density is high, and there is little blotting or unevenness even if regular paper is used as the recording medium.

Abstract: There is provided a recording method that can realize images which possess excellent fixation on recording media, excellent rubbing/scratch resistance and good quality. In the recording method, an ink composition comprising at least a colorant, resin emulsion particles, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water and a reaction solution containing a reactant capable of forming coagulate upon contact with the ink composition are deposited onto a recording medium to perform printing. This recording method comprises the steps of: depositing the reaction solution onto the recording medium; depositing the ink composition onto the recording medium to record an image; and washing the recording medium, on which the reaction solution and the ink composition have been deposited to perform printing, with a polar so olar solvent.

Abstract: There is provided an ink composition which can realize good images, especially an ink composition which, when used in an ink jet recording method, can be stably ejected and can realize good image quality. The ink composition comprises: a colorant; water; a water soluble organic solvent; and a mixture of saccharides, wherein the mixture of saccharides comprises a monosaccharide and/or a derivative thereof, a disaccharide and/or a derivative thereof, and a tri or higher polysaccharide and/or a derivative thereof.

Abstract: An ink set, exhibiting good ink permeability and fixation, capable of yielding high quality images with no roughness, or an ink set capable of yielding text and/or images of outstanding light resistance, is provided. The ink set of the present invention comprises a dark ink composition and a light ink composition that, while being mutually the same color, are of different color density, and is characterized in that the dark ink composition and the light ink composition each comprise a pigment as a colorant and a resin as a dispersant, in that the ratio between the resin weight proportion B1 and the pigment weight proportion P1 in the dark ink composition (i.e. B1/P1) is lower than the ratio between the resin weight proportion B2 and the pigment weight proportion P2 in the light ink composition (i.e. B2/P2), and in that B1 and B2 differ from each other.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method comprising the step of printing two solutions of a first solution and an ink composition is provided which, even in the case of printing on a recycled paper, can realize a good printed image, especially an image having no significant feathering and free from unevenness of printing and an image free from color bleeding. A first solution containing a polyvalent metal salt and/or a polyallylamine is used in combination with an ink composition containing an inorganic oxide colloid, and optionally an epoxy-containing compound. Specifically, the first solution is deposited onto a recording medium, and the ink composition is then deposited by ink jet printing to perform printing.

Abstract: An ink jet recording method using two liquids is provided which can realize good images on ink composition-non-absorbing recording media. An ink composition and a reaction solution are deposited onto a recording medium which does not substantially absorb the ink composition, thereby performing printing. The ink composition comprises a pigment and resin emulsion having a minimum film-forming temperature of 20° C. or below. The content of the polymer particulates in the ink composition is not less than 5% by weight. The weight ratio of the polymer particulates to the pigment is 1 to 20. The reaction solution contains a polyvalent metal salt. Utilization of both the ink composition and the reaction solution can realize good images on non-absorbing recording media.