Abstract: A method for manufacturing a fiber aggregate formed by fiber having reforming surface comprises the steps of providing a fiber surface having thermoplastic resin at least on the surface layer thereof with a hydrophilic processing liquid containing polymer having a first portion with more hydrophilic group than the surface, and a second portion having interfacial energy different from that of the hydrophilic group, and interfacial energy substantially equal to the surface energy of the fiber; orientating the second portion toward the fiber surface, while orientating polymer to the side different from the surface of the first group; and forming a fiber absorber by heating the fiber having the reformed surface in the step of orientating polymer to thermally bond the contact points of fibers themselves.

Abstract: A water-based ink of the present invention comprises water, a plurality of different water-soluble organic solvents, and a water-insoluble coloring material, wherein the above water-soluble organic solvents consist of a good solvent to the above water-insoluble coloring material and a poor solvent to the above water-insoluble coloring material, and the total amount (% by mass) of the good solvents in the ink is represented by A and the total amount (% by mass) of the poor solvent in the ink is represented by B, the ratio of A to B ranges from 10:5 to 10:30 both inclusive, and when the respective Ka values of the above water-soluble organic solvents are determined by the Bristow method and compared with each other, a water-soluble organic solvent having the largest Ka value is the poor solvent. The pigment ink has a sufficiently large area factor even with a small amount of ink and provides an image of high OD.

Abstract: An aqueous ink comprising at least water, a water-soluble organic solvent and a colorant.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a process for producing a fibrous material for a member with which an ink-jet ink comes into contact, including the step of melt spinning a thermoplastic resin, the process comprising the step of treating a spun yarn by bringing it into contact with a glycol added with ethylene oxide.

Abstract: A fiber body which exhibits sufficient ink supplying characteristics for keeping up with the trend toward diversification of ink and high printing speed while ensuring an easy and simple ink injection operation and a liquid container having the same. The ink tank has a PP fiber body (crosshatched area of the figures), as a negative pressure generating member for an ink jet head which ejects liquid to perform recording, arranged almost all over the interior thereof, so as to allow the fiber body to hold a liquid to be supplied to an ink jet head. On the top of the tank casing, provided is an atmosphere communication port. And as a PP fiber body, used is an assembly of intertwined PP fibers of which surface has been subjected to surface treatment of giving hydrophilic nature thereto.

Abstract: To provide a recording liquid feed path, recording liquid container, and recording liquid feed device having the same, as well surface modifying method for the recording liquid feed device to feed efficiently a recording liquid for ejection through a feed tube. If the interior of the feed tube is not rendered hydrophilic as shown in FIG. 3A, air which has passed through a wall of the feed tube forms a bubble, which bubble adheres to an inner surface of the feed tube and obstructs a flow of the recording liquid. But if the inner surface of the feed tube is rendered hydrophilic to form a hydrophilic surface as shown in FIG. 3B, the recording liquid is conducted along the hydrophilic surface at the inner surface portion of the feed tube with the bubble adhered thereto, so that the adhesion area of the bubble to the feed tube inner surface is reduced and the bubble floats from the inner surface.

Abstract: The present invention relates to aqueous ink that exhibits characteristics based on cationic self-dispersing carbon black, and that has superior ejection stability even after suspension of printing. The aqueous ink includes cationic self-dispersing pigment, in which at least one cationic group is bound to the surface of the pigment directly or with another atomic group therebetween, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water. In addition to this, the aqueous ink contains an acidic compound including a proton in the structure thereof that can be dissociated due to dissolution into water, and having a dissociation stage of the proton with a dissociation constant of less than 1.

Abstract: The invention provides a liquid container containing an absorbent member for temporarily retaining, by a capillary force, liquid to be supplied to a recording head for discharging the liquid and mounted together with the recording head on a linearly reciprocating carriage and adapted for receiving liquid replenishment to the absorbent member when the carriage is moved to a predetermined position, wherein, to the surface of the absorbent member, there is applied a polymer provided with a second portion having a lyophilic radical for rendering the surface lyophilic and a first portion having a radical of an interfacial energy different from the interfacial energy of the lyophilic radical but is approximately equal to the surfacial energy of the surface, and the first portion is oriented toward the surface while the second portion is oriented in a direction different from the surface.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an aqueous ink, particularly an aqueous ink suitable for ink jet recording. The ink is an aqueous ink comprising a modified pigment having organic groups chemically attached to the surface of a particle of the pigment and an aqueous medium which is as a dispersant of the pigment, wherein the above-described organic group includes a reaction product of a functional group chemically attached to the surface of the pigment directly or via another atomic group with a copolymer of an ionic monomer and a hydrophobic monomer.

Abstract: A liquid discharge head that records by discharging recording liquid is provided with polymer having a first portion with lyophilic group for lyophilic processing on a partial surface formed at least on a part of the inner face having recording liquid internally filled to be in contact therewith, and a second portion with a group having substantially the same or the same interfacial energy as the surface energy of the partial surface but different from the interfacial energy of the lyophilic group, while the second portion being orientated toward the partial surface, and the first portion being orientated in the direction different from the partial surface. With the structure thus arranged, the surface energy of the inner face of the liquid discharge head is essentially uniformalized, hence preventing air accumulation from being generated in the portion having lower surface energy.

Abstract: Ink tank which enables accurate detection of existence/absence of liquid even if a storage containing liquid such as ink is stored under a severe environment, and a cartridge including the ink tank, as well as a printing apparatus utilizing the cartridge. A low surface energy processing agent including alkyl polysiloxane and alcohol is coated on prism 180 provided on the bottom portion of ink tank 7, thereby performing low surface energy processing on the prism 180.

Abstract: An ink is provided which is capable of giving higher density of the printed image and has improved color developability with the light fastness and image stability maintained, and suppressing occurrence of bleeding in color image formation. The ink contains a capsuled coloring material constituted of a water-insoluble coloring material and an organic polymer covering the coloring material, the capsuled coloring material containing the organic polymer at a content ranging from 1% by weight to 20% by weight.

Abstract: A liquid discharge head that records by discharging recording liquid is provided with polymer having a first portion with lyophilic group for lyophilic processing on a partial surface formed at least on a part of the inner face having recording liquid internally filled to be in contact therewith, and a second portion with a group having substantially the same or the same interfacial energy as the surface energy of the partial surface but different from the interfacial energy of the lyophilic group, while the second portion being orientated toward the partial surface, and the first portion being orientated in the direction different from the partial surface. With the structure thus arranged, the surface energy of the inner face of the liquid discharge head is essentially uniformalized, hence preventing air accumulation from being generated in the portion having lower surface energy.

Abstract: An ink set comprising a black ink and a color ink, suitable for an ink-jet recording apparatus comprising a common recovery system for a black ink-ejecting orifice and a color ink-ejecting orifice. The black ink comprises particles of self-dispersing carbon black having at least one anionic hydrophilic group at the surface thereof in an aqueous medium, and the pH of the color ink is higher than the pH of the black ink.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a fiber aggregate formed by fiber having reforming surface comprises the steps of providing a fiber surface having thermoplastic resin at least on the surface layer thereof with a hydrophilic processing liquid containing polymer having a first portion with more hydrophilic group than the surface, and a second portion having interfacial energy different from that of the hydrophilic group, and interfacial energy substantially equal to the surface energy of the fiber; orientating the second portion toward the fiber surface, while orientating polymer to the side different from the surface of the first group; and forming a fiber absorber by heating the fiber having the reformed surface in the step of orientating polymer to thermally bond the contact points of fibers themselves.

Abstract: The invention provides a liquid container containing an absorbent member for temporarily retaining, by a capillary force, liquid to be supplied to a recording head for discharging the liquid and mounted together with the recording head on a linearly reciprocating carriage and adapted for receiving liquid replenishment to the absorbent member when the carriage is moved to a predetermined position, wherein, to the surface of the absorbent member, there is applied a polymer provided with a second portion having a lyophilic radical for rendering the surface lyophilic and a first portion having a radical of an interfacial energy different from the interfacial energy of the lyophilic radical but is approximately equal to the surfacial energy of the surface, and the first portion is oriented toward the surface while the second portion is oriented in a direction different from the surface.

Abstract: The present invention relates to aqueous ink that exhibits characteristics based on cationic self-dispersing carbon black, and that has superior ejection stability even after suspension of printing. The aqueous ink includes cationic self-dispersing pigment, in which at least one cationic group is bound to the surface of the pigment directly or with another atomic group therebetween, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water. In addition to this, the aqueous ink contains an acidic compound including a proton in the structure thereof that can be dissociated due to dissolution into water, and having a dissociation stage of the proton with a dissociation constant of less than 1.

Abstract: An ink comprising particles of self-dispersing carbon black having at least one hydrophilic group at the surface thereof, and calcium in an aqueous medium. The ink can form images excellent in fastness properties such as water fastness and light fastness and character quality, and can be stably ejected from a recording head irrespective of printing environment.

Abstract: Provided is a black ink capable of mitigating the dependency on image quality of recording media and giving a high quality image stably, which comprises at least one salt selected from the group consisting of (M1)2SO4, CH3COO(M1), Ph_COO(M1), (M1)NO3, (M1)Cl, (M1)Br, (M1)I, (M1)2SO3 and (M1)2CO3, where M1 is an alkali metal, ammonium or organo-ammonium and Ph is a phenyl group, and a self dispersible carbon black.

Abstract: To provide a recording liquid feed path, recording liquid container, and recording liquid feed device having the same, as well surface modifying method for the recording liquid feed device to feed efficiently a recording liquid for ejection through a feed tube. If the interior of the feed tube is not rendered hydrophilic as shown in FIG. 3A, air which has passed through a wall of the feed tube forms a bubble, which bubble adheres to an inner surface of the feed tube and obstructs a flow of the recording liquid. But if the inner surface of the feed tube is rendered hydrophilic to form a hydrophilic surface as shown in FIG. 3B, the recording liquid is conducted along the hydrophilic surface at the inner surface portion of the feed tube with the bubble adhered thereto, so that the adhesion area of the bubble to the feed tube inner surface is reduced and the bubble floats from the inner surface.