Abstract: A liquid ejection system includes a liquid ejector having a structure defining a chamber, the chamber including a first surface and a second surface, the first surface including a nozzle orifice; a resistive heater located on the second surface of the chamber opposite the nozzle orifice; a first liquid feed channel and a second liquid feed channel being in fluid communication with the chamber; and a segmented liquid inlet, a first segment of the liquid inlet being in fluid communication with the first liquid feed channel, and a second segment of the liquid inlet being in fluid communication with the second liquid feed channel; and a liquid supply comprising a liquid including a polymer at a loading of at least 2 percent by weight, wherein the polymer has a molecular weight of at least 20,000, and wherein the liquid supply is fluidically connected to the segmented liquid inlet.

Abstract: A liquid ejection system includes a liquid ejector having a structure defining a chamber, the chamber including a first surface and a second surface, the first surface including a nozzle orifice; a resistive heater located on the second surface of the chamber opposite the nozzle orifice; a first liquid feed channel and a second liquid feed channel being in fluid communication with the chamber; and a segmented liquid inlet, a first segment of the liquid inlet being in fluid communication with the first liquid feed channel, and a second segment of the liquid inlet being in fluid communication with the second liquid feed channel; and a liquid supply comprising a liquid including a carrier fluid and a solids content that is greater than 5 percent by weight, wherein the liquid supply is fluidically connected to the segmented liquid inlet.

Abstract: A printing method includes supplying pigmented ink to inkjet printhead having array of dual feed thermal inkjet ejectors, wherein pigmented ink includes an aqueous carrier with pigment particle loading of at least 4 percent by weight and polymer loading of at least 1 percent by weight; ejecting a plurality of maintenance drops of pigmented ink from array of dual feed thermal inkjet ejectors prior to start of printing the image on recording medium; printing the image swath by swath by ejecting printing drops of pigmented ink on recording medium, wherein a plurality of printing swaths are required in order to complete printing of the image; and ejecting a plurality of maintenance drops of pigmented ink from array of dual feed thermal inkjet ejectors after a completion of printing the image on recording medium, wherein no maintenance drops are ejected between the start and the completion of printing of the image.

Abstract: An inkjet ink composition comprising: (a) water; (b) dispersed pigment particles; and (c) at least one humectant; wherein the pigment particles are present from about 4.5% by mass to about 10% by mass, and the pigment particles have a mass weighted mean Stoke's diameter of from about 35 nm to about 70 nm wherein the Stoke's diameter is determined by differential centrifugal sedimentation of the particles through a fluid in a disc centrifuge. The present invention employs specified sedimentation particle sizing criteria for selection of appropriate pigment particle sizes at high pigment concentrations to obtain improved ink performance. Further embodiments of the invention also demonstrate that the criticality of humectant types and levels employed in an ink can also become much more important at high pigment loading in order to obtain desired performance.

Abstract: An inkjet ink composition comprising: (a) water; (b) dispersed pigment particles; and (c) at least one humectant; wherein the pigment particles are present from about 4.5% by mass to about 10% by mass, and the pigment particles have a mass weighted mean Stoke's diameter of from about 35 nm to about 70 nm wherein the Stoke's diameter is determined by differential centrifugal sedimentation of the particles through a fluid in a disc centrifuge. The present invention employs specified sedimentation particle sizing criteria for selection of appropriate pigment particle sizes at high pigment concentrations to obtain improved ink performance. Further embodiments of the invention also demonstrate that the criticality of humectant types and levels employed in an ink can also become much more important at high pigment loading in order to obtain desired performance.

Abstract: Pigment-based ink composition, and inkjet printing systems and methods employing such ink composition. The ink contains an aqueous polyurethane additive including polyurethane polymer chains including at least first segments having a polysiloxane group of Mw greater than about 10,000 pendant to the polyurethane polymer chain backbone, wherein (i) the polyurethane additive further comprises polyurethane polymer chains including second segments having a polysiloxane group of Mw less than about 6,000 either pendant to the polyurethane polymer backbone or a part of the polyurethane polymer backbone or (ii) the composition further comprises a polysiloxane polymer additive of Mw of less than about 6,000 which is not pendant to a polyurethane polymer backbone or a part of a polyurethane polymer backbone. The polyurethane additive has a Mw of at least 10,000 and a sufficient number of acid groups to provide an acid number greater than 20.

Abstract: A polymer composition containing polyurethane polymer chains including at least first segments having a polysiloxane group of weight average molecular weight greater than about 10,000 daltons pendant to the polyurethane polymer chain backbone, wherein (i) the polymer composition further comprises polyurethane polymer chains including second segments having a polysiloxane group of weight average molecular weight less than about 6,000 daltons either pendant to the polyurethane polymer backbone or a part of the polyurethane polymer backbone or (ii) the polymer composition further comprises a polysiloxane polymer additive of weight average molecular weight of less than about 6,000 daltons which is not pendant to a polyurethane polymer backbone or a part of a polyurethane polymer backbone. The polymer composition has a weight average molecular weight of at least 10,000 daltons and a sufficient number of acid groups to provide an acid number greater than 20.

Abstract: Pigment-based ink composition, and inkjet printing systems and methods employing such ink composition. The ink contains an aqueous polyurethane additive including polyurethane polymer chains including at least first segments having a polysiloxane group of Mw greater than about 10,000 pendant to the polyurethane polymer chain backbone, wherein (i) the polyurethane additive further comprises polyurethane polymer chains including second segments having a polysiloxane group of Mw less than about 6,000 either pendant to the polyurethane polymer backbone or a part of the polyurethane polymer backbone or (ii) the composition further comprises a polysiloxane polymer additive of Mw of less than about 6,000 which is not pendant to a polyurethane polymer backbone or a part of a polyurethane polymer backbone. The polyurethane additive has a Mw of at least 10,000 and a sufficient number of acid groups to provide an acid number greater than 20.

Abstract: An inkjet printing fluid composition including water and a water dispersible polyurethane additive of the general formula of (I) wherein Z is the central portion of a monomer unit that is the polymerization product of a diisocyanate; X1—Y1—X1 represents one or more soft segments wherein Y1 represents the central portion of a unit that is the polymerization product of a diamine or diol prepolymer having a molecular weight of greater than 300 Daltons; W is the central portion of one or more units containing an acid group; X2—Y2—X2 represents one or more hard segments wherein Y2 represents the central portion of a unit that is the polymerization product of a C2-C8 diol or diamine having a molecular weight of less than 250 Daltons; and X1, V and X2 can be the same or different and are an —O— or —N— atom; and further wherein the polyurethane additive has a weight average molecular weight of at least 6,000 Daltons and a sufficient number of acid groups to provide an acid number greater than 35, and the one or m

Abstract: An aqueous ink composition having at least one of dispersed pigments and anionic charged polymer, and further including a lower level, relative to the concentration of pigment and anionic charged polymer, of a polyvalent metal oxide particle dispersion, wherein the ink composition has a pH of greater than 4 and the polyvalent metal oxide particles have a negative zeta potential at the pH of the ink composition. These ink compositions are effective in reducing the damage and failure of silicon-based inkjet print heads caused by ink-induced dissolution and stress cracking of the silicon-based materials found in the print heads.

Abstract: An inkjet ink composition comprising water, self-dispersing carbon black pigment particles, and a copolymer jetting aid; wherein the copolymer jetting aid comprises a copolymer obtained from polymerizing at least 5 weight percent of one or more monomers comprising a long hydrocarbon chain having greater than or equal to 12 carbons and from 5 to 30 weight percent of one or more acidic monomers. The inks of the present invention have improved stable drop velocities over extended droplet ejection events.

Abstract: An inkjet printing system includes an inkjet printer responsive to digital signals and containing an ink composition having: (a) water, (b) dispersed pigment particles, (c) a humectant, and (d) a polyurethane additive having at least a first soft segment having siloxane groups, the additive having a weight average molecular weight of at least 10,000 daltons and a sufficient number of acid groups to provide an acid number greater than 60. An improved combination of scratch resistance and jetability is obtained.

Abstract: An ink composition comprising (a) water, (b) pigment particles, (c) at least one humectant, (d) at least one polyurethane having an average molecular weight of at least about 10,000 and a sufficient number of acid groups to provide an acid number from 60 to about 130, and being present at a weight concentration of greater than 0.7%, and (e) at least one water soluble acrylic polymer comprising carboxylic acid groups, present at a weight concentration of greater than 0.6%, wherein the acid groups on the polyurethane and acrylic polymers are at least partially neutralized only with a monovalent inorganic base.

Abstract: An inkjet printing fluid composition including water and a water dispersible polyurethane additive of the general formula of (I) wherein Z is the central portion of a monomer unit that is the polymerization product of a diisocyanate; X1—Y1—X1 represents one or more soft segments wherein Y1 represents the central portion of a unit that is the polymerization product of a diamine or diol prepolymer having a molecular weight of greater than 300 Daltons; W is the central portion of one or more units containing an acid group; X2—Y2—X2 represents one or more hard segments wherein Y2 represents the central portion of a unit that is the polymerization product of a C2-C8 diol or diamine having a molecular weight of less than 250 Daltons; and X1, V and X2 can be the same or different and are an —O— or —N— atom; and further wherein the polyurethane additive has a weight average molecular weight of at least 6,000 Daltons and a sufficient number of acid groups to provide an acid number greater than 35, and the one or m

Abstract: An inkjet ink composition comprising water, pigment particles dispersed with a polymeric dispersant, at least one water-dispersible polyurethane, at least one pyrrolidinone compound, glycerol, and a 1,2-alkanediol having from four to eight carbon atoms.

Abstract: An aqueous ink composition comprising at least one of dispersed pigments and anionic charged polymer, and further comprising a lower level, relative to the concentration of pigment and anionic charged polymer, of a polyvalent metal oxide particle dispersion, wherein the ink composition has a pH of greater than 4 and the polyvalent metal oxide particles have a negative zeta potential at the pH of the ink composition. These ink compositions are effective in reducing the damage and failure of silicon-based inkjet print heads caused by ink-induced dissolution and stress cracking of the silicon-based materials found in the print heads.

Abstract: An inkjet printing system, comprising an inkjet printer and an ink composition comprising: (a) water; (b) dispersed pigment particles; (c) a humectant; and (d) a fluorinated polyurethane additive which is different from any pigment polymeric dispersant in the ink, the additive having a weight average molecular weight of at least 10,000 daltons.

Abstract: A process for providing an ozone resistant dye-based image, and a resulting image, includes jetting an ink containing the dye onto a microporous media surface to form a dye-based image, and thereafter jetting over at least a portion of the dye-based image a clear ink overcoat including a transparent polymeric binder containing dispersed inorganic nano particles, wherein the median equivalent circular diameter of all of the dispersed inorganic particles is in the range of 1 to 500 nm. Color fade due to ozone effects is diminished while maintaining jetability.

Abstract: In a method and system for processing a photographic image having lightness values, L*, representing one of the colorimetric values of an original scene, the photographic image is transformed. The transformed image has a gamma as a function of CIE 1976 L*, which includes a dark region having a rising slope, a light region having a falling slope, and a plateau region having a slope constantly within 5 percent of a maximum value in said plateau region. The rising slope is at least twice as large as the absolute value of the falling slope. The plateau region is between 10 L* and 30 L* wide. Gamma is a derivative of visually perceived reproduced CIE 1976 L* versus scene CIE 1976 L*. Gamma has a maximum slope between 1.5 and 2.0.

Abstract: An inkjet printing system, comprising an inkjet printer and an ink composition comprising: (a) water; (b) dispersed pigment particles; (c) a humectant; and (d) a fluorinated polyurethane additive which is different from any pigment polymeric dispersant in the ink, the additive having a weight average molecular weight of at least 10,000 daltons.