Abstract: The present invention provides an ink jet printer having an ink-contacting member which is in contact with an ink until the ink is injected from a print head and which contains an antioxidant, wherein the ink-contacting member has a concentration of a compound represented by the following formula (1) of 100 ppm or less: Further, an ink jet recording method using the ink jet printer and recorded matter recorded by the ink jet recording method are also disclosed. According to the invention, there is provided an ink jet printer using an ink-contacting member which inhibits the formation of a crystalline molecular complex.

Abstract: An ink for ink jet printing process, comprising at least: a particulate pigment having a sulfur-containing dispersibility-imparting group on the surface thereof; a penetrating agent; a resin emulsion comprising a dispersed particulate resin having a sulfur-containing dispersibility-imparting group on the surface thereof; and water.

Abstract: Flushing regions for receiving ink droplets to be ejected when flushing signal is supplied to a recording head are provided in both of non-print regions situated at both sides of print region in order to prevent throughput during the flushing operation from deteriorating. A guide member having a slant surface is disposed between the recording head and an ink absorbing member to which the ink landed on the slant surface flows in order to reduce in size of the ink absorbing member. A porous sheet member closely faced to nozzle orifices of the recording head for receiving the ink droplets ejected therefrom is provided in order to prevent undesired mist of fine ink droplets from generating. A plurality of plate members closely faced to the nozzle orifices are provided at a predetermined angle with respect to the flight direction of the ink droplets in order to prevent the undesired mist from generating. The flushing operation is performed so as to prevent solidification of the ejected ink.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the ink.

Abstract: Provided is a process for the preparation of a pigment dispersion which comprises a pigment surface treatment step of introducing at least one hydrophilic dispersibility-providing group onto the surface of a pigment directly and/or with the interposition of a polyvalent group, and a dispersion step of dispersing a surface-treated pigment obtained at the surface treatment step in an aqueous medium, characterized in that the dispersion step involves the dispersion of the surface-treated pigment in admixture with a wetting agent and water and a resin for providing dispersibility and/or fixability is added during and/or after the dispersion step.

Abstract: In order to judge an ink end state of at least one of ink cartridges detachably mounted on a recording head incorporated in an ink jet recording apparatus, a consumed ink amount in each ink cartridge is counted. When the counted consumed ink amount of one ink cartridge reaches a first value indicating the ink end state, a count value is added to the counted consumed ink amounts of any other ink cartridges, in order to obtain verification count values. When at least one of the verification count values reaches a second value which is less than the first value, it is judged that the ink cartridge in which the verification count value reaches the second value is in the ink end state.

Abstract: In a creation section of GaN crystal nuclei, a gallium vapor and an ammonia gas are chemically reacted to create GaN crystal nuclei, which are transported into a growth section of GaN powders with a nitrogen carrier gas. In the growth section of GaN powders, a gallium chloride created in a pre-reactor is chemically reacted with the ammonia gas transported from the creation section of GaN crystal nuclei on the GaN crystal nuclei, to produce GaN powders through the crystal growth.

Abstract: The present invention provides an aqueous ink containing a dispersion in which a colorant is encapsulated with a polymer to make it dispersible in water, wherein the polymer has aromatic rings in an amount of from 20% by weight to 70% by weight based on the weight of the polymer, and further, the ink contains a compound represented by the following formula: wherein R represents a bivalent organic group, PO represents a propyleneoxy group, EO represents an ethyleneoxy group, x, y, a and b are each the number of repeating units, x represents a number of 1 to 200, y represents a number of 1 to 50, a represents a number of 1 to 30, and b represents a number of 0 to 20.

Abstract: An aqueous ink ensuring less blurring and high color formation on plain paper, satisfactory color formation and fixing property on special paper and excellent ejection stability is realized by using a microcapsule of a colorant encapsulated with a polymer and rendered dispersible in water and specifying the amount of the aromatic ring in the polymer to be from 20 to 70 wt % of the polymer.

Abstract: An ink cartridge is detachably connected to a record head and has a plurality of ink storage chambers 11 (containing third ink storage chamber 17) for containing ink whose concentration gradient occurs and an ink flow passage 18 for making the ink storage chambers communicate with each other. The ink flow passage 18 is implemented as such an ink flow passage where ink in a high-concentration ink layer a formed in a lower area in the ink storage chamber 11 and ink in a low-concentration ink layer b formed in an upper area flow and merge as ink is supplied to the record head.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the ink.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the tank.

Abstract: An ink tank cartridge for use in an ink jet recorder has a container having exterior walls, a porous member is stored in the container, an ink supply port that extends through one of the exterior walls of the body to supply ink to the exterior of the cartridge, and a packing member, disposed within the ink supply port and having an opening therethrough and a rib formed on a upper surface. A pressing member may be provided to bias the packing member against an inner surface of the ink supply port. The ink tank cartridge can be assembled to limit the occurrence of air bubbles in the ink.

Abstract: An ink cartridge is detachably connected to a record head and has a plurality of ink storage chambers 11 (containing third ink storage chamber 17) for containing ink whose concentration gradient occurs and an ink flow passage 18 for making the ink storage chambers communicate with each other. The ink flow passage 18 is implemented as such an ink flow passage where ink in a high-concentration ink layer a formed in a lower area in the ink storage chamber 11 and ink in a low-concentration ink layer b formed in an upper area flow and merge as ink is supplied to the record head.

Abstract: A SIMD processor includes plural processor elements (PEs) each having a processing unit for data processing, a register for holding data to be processed or already processed by the processing unit, a data transfer bus interconnecting with other PEs, and a register controller for inputting a read or write signal to the register. Read and write processing steps in the processor are carried out by the register controller in response to the signals which are sent form the register controller and inputted into a register of specific processor elements responding to an addressing signal from an external interface. The processor is capable of transferring data directly to a specific processor element, thereby achieving higher speeds of data transfer and resultant data processing and makes flexible use of registers to thereby attain efficient data processing utilizing arbitrary combinations of the register depending on bit width of the data.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus has a flushing signal generating unit that generates a flushing signal, and a recording head provided with nozzles and capable of jetting ink particles through the nozzles when driven by the flushing signal. The flushing signal causes the recording head to jet only main ink particles through the nozzles. The ink-jet recording apparatus suppresses the formation of mist of ink particles during a flushing operation.

Abstract: An ink cartridge is detachably connected to a record head and has a plurality of ink storage chambers 11 (containing third ink storage chamber 17) for containing ink whose concentration gradient occurs and an ink flow passage 18 for making the ink storage chambers communicate with each other. The ink flow passage 18 is implemented as such an ink flow passage where ink in a high-concentration ink layer a formed in a lower area in the ink storage chamber 11 and ink in a low-concentration ink layer b formed in an upper area flow and merge as ink is supplied to the record head.

Abstract: Flushing regions for receiving ink droplets to be ejected when flushing signal is supplied to a recording head are provided in both of non-print regions situated at both sides of print region in order to prevent throughput during the flushing operation from deteriorating. A guide member having a slant surface is disposed between the recording head and an ink absorbing member to which the ink landed on the slant surface flows in order to reduce in size of the ink absorbing member. A porous sheet member closely faced to nozzle orifices of the recording head for receiving the ink droplets ejected therefrom is provided in order to prevent undesired mist of fine ink droplets from generating. A plurality of plate members closely faced to the nozzle orifices are provided at a predetermined angle with respect to the flight direction of the ink droplets in order to prevent the undesired mist from generating. The flushing operation is performed so as to prevent solidification of the ejected ink.

Abstract: A coating liquid for forming a transparent topcoat, without requiring a hardening or fixing process that uses heating or UV radiation. The coating liquid imparts light resistance, water resistance, fixation, and glossiness to recordings. Also, a recording method using the coating liquid, and recordings produced thereby. The liquid, which is applied to recorded images, contains at least water, fine polymer particles, and a penetrating agent, preferably a penetrating agent selected acetylene glycol surfactants, acetylene alcohol surfactants, glycol ethers, and 1,2-alkylene glycols. Also, an image recording method for forming an even, transparent coating layer by spraying the coating liquid during an ink jet recording process, as well as recordings produced thereby.

Abstract: An ink flow passage 7f is formed from an ink storage chamber of an ink cartridge 7 to an ink supply port. A passage control system 7j is located in the ink flow passage. The passage control system is capable of opening and closing the ink flow passage when receiving a drive force from an actuator 32. Particularly, air bubbles A1 staying on a filter member 22 within an ink supplying needle 21 is effectively discharged to a capping system 9 in a manner that a negative pressure is accumulated in an inner space of the capping system 9 in a state that the passage control system 7j is placed to a valve closing state. The passage control system 7j is provided in the ink cartridge. Accordingly, every time the ink cartridge is exchanged with a new one, the passage control system 7j is also exchanged with a new one. Accordingly, the printing function restoring operation performed through a cleaning operation based on the negative pressure accumulation is improved in reliability.