Abstract: To provide a waste ink absorbing tank, capable, even in the case of utilizing an ink of a high coagulating property, of causing a waste ink absorbent member to efficiently absorb such ink. A waste ink absorbent member has a hole portion corresponding to an introducing position of the waste ink, and the hole portion is opened on a lateral face of the absorbent member. The waste ink, introduced into the hole portion moves in one direction toward the waste ink absorbent member and absorbed therein.

Abstract: The invention provides a recording medium comprising a substrate and an ink receiving layer that is provided on the substrate and contains alumina hydrate and a binder. A surface of the ink receiving layer is covered with a partial coating formed by a plurality of coatings containing a cationic polyurethane. The plurality of coatings have an average major diameter of 0.03 ?m or more and less than 1.00 ?m. The partial coating provides a coverage of 10% or more and less than 70% with respect to the surface of the ink receiving layer.

Abstract: An ink jet recording medium including a substrate and two or more ink receiving layers provided on the substrate, wherein a first ink receiving layer that is an outermost ink receiving layer of the two or more ink receiving layers and a second ink receiving layer adjacent to the first ink receiving layer contain an alumina pigment, polyvinyl alcohol and boric acid. The first ink receiving layer contains polyvinyl alcohol in an amount of 7.0-10.5% by mass or less based on the alumina pigment and contains boric acid in an amount of 1.1-1.4% by mass or less based on the alumina pigment. The second ink receiving layer contains polyvinyl alcohol in an amount of 10.5-17.0% by mass or less based on the alumina pigment and contains boric acid in an amount of 1.5-2.5% by mass or less based on the alumina pigment.

Abstract: A recording medium includes a support; and an ink-receiving layer, the ink-receiving layer having a lower layer and an upper layer, in which the lower layer contains fine inorganic particles, polyvinyl alcohol, and boric acid, the fine inorganic particles including at least one compound selected from alumina, hydrated alumina, and vapor-phase-process silica, in which the upper layer contains fine inorganic particles, polyvinyl alcohol, and boric acid, the fine inorganic particles including at least one compound selected from alumina and hydrated alumina, in which the lower layer has a boric acid content of 2.0% by mass to 7.0% by mass with respect to polyvinyl alcohol, and in which the upper layer has a boric acid content of 10.0% by mass to 30.0% by mass with respect to polyvinyl alcohol.

Abstract: An ink jet recording medium including a substrate and an ink receiving layer provided on the substrate and composed of two or more layers of at least an upper layer and a lower layer. The ink receiving layer contains polyvinyl alcohol in an amount of 12.7% by mass or more based on the total mass of the ink receiving layer. The upper layer is a layer most distant from the substrate, contains a pigment and polyvinyl alcohol, the pigment containing 90% by mass or more of alumina hydrate, and has a thickness of 3.0-10.0 ?m. The lower layer is positioned just under the upper layer, contains a pigment and polyvinyl alcohol, the pigment containing 20% by mass or more of silica, and has a thickness 2.5-10 times larger than that of the upper layer and an average pore radius 0.90-1.30 times larger than that of the upper layer.

Abstract: To provide a waste ink absorbing tank, capable, even in the case of utilizing an ink of a high coagulating property, of causing a waste ink absorbent member to efficiently absorb such ink. A waste ink absorbent member has a hole portion corresponding to an introducing position of the waste ink, and the hole portion is opened on a lateral face of the absorbent member. The waste ink, introduced into the hole portion moves in one direction toward the waste ink absorbent member and absorbed therein.

Abstract: A recording medium includes an ink-receiving layer on a substrate, in which the ink-receiving layer contains a hydrated alumina, an alkylsulfonic acid having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and at least one salt of a sulfur compound represented by general formula (1) or (2): R1—SO2M1??general formula (1) R2—SO2—SM2??general formula (2) wherein R1 and R2 each represent an alkyl group, an aryl group, or a heterocyclic group; and M1 and M2 each represent an alkali metal, ammonium, or an alkanolamine. The proportion of the alkylsulfonic acid having 1 to 4 carbon atoms is in the range of 1.0% by mass to 2.0% by mass with respect to the hydrated alumina. The proportion of the salt of the sulfur compound is in the range of 0.2% by mass to 4.0% by mass with respect to the hydrated alumina.

Abstract: A recording medium includes an ink-receiving layer on a substrate, in which the ink-receiving layer contains hydrated alumina, a C1-4 alkylsulfonic acid, and a salt of a compound of general formula (1): X1?R1?(S)n?R2?X2, wherein n represents 1 or 2; X1 and X2 each independently represent H, NH2, or COOH, and at least one of X1 and X2 represents NH2 or COOH; R1 and R2 each independently represent alkylene, arylene, or heteroarylene, and they may be bonded to each other to form a ring, upon letting the proportion of the C1-4 alkylsulfonic acid be A percent by mass with respect to hydrated alumina, A is in the range of 1.0 to 2.0, and upon letting the proportion of the salt of the compound of general formula (1) be B percent by mass with respect to hydrated alumina, B is in the range of 0.5 to 5.0.

Abstract: The invention provides a recording medium having excellent ink absorbency and capable of forming a sharp image thereon. The recording medium has a substrate, and a first layer and an outermost layer provided on the substrate in this order, wherein the first layer contains at least one of alumina and alumina hydrate, the outermost layer contains a pigment and is lower in refractive index than the first layer, and the absolute dry coating amount of the outermost layer is 0.1 g/m2 or more and 0.5 g/m2 or less.

Abstract: In an ink jet recording medium having at least two ink receiving layers, the total content of boric acid, a borate, and a water-soluble zirconium salt of a lower ink receiving layer located close to a support substrate to the total content of alumina and an alumina hydrate thereof is higher than the total content of boric acid, a borate, and a water-soluble zirconium salt of an upper ink receiving layer located apart from the support substrate to the total content of alumina and an alumina hydrate thereof.

Abstract: An aqueous ink comprises water, a water-insoluble coloring material, and plurality of water-soluble organic solvents and the plurality of water-soluble organic solvents including a good medium or good mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material and a poor medium or poor mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material. The ratio of the content of the poor medium and the content of the good medium is in a specific range. A water-soluble organic solvent showing the maximum Ka value out of respective Ka values of the plurality of water-soluble organic solvents is the poor medium. When the aqueous ink is in contact with a specific reaction liquid, the dissolution state or dispersed state of the water-insoluble coloring material in the ink is made unstable. As a result, an image which has a sufficiently large area factor even with a small amount of ink droplets and is excellent in image density, bleeding resistance, and fixability can be obtained.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing a recording medium, comprising a step of coating one or more ink receiving layers provided on at least one surface of a substrate with an outermost layer coating liquid to form an outermost layer, an ink receiving layer, of said one or more ink receiving layers, which is nearest to the outermost layer containing alumina hydrate and a binder. The outermost layer coating liquid contains monodispersive and spherical cationic colloidal silica particles having an average particle size of 30 nm or more and 60 nm or less, polyvinyl alcohol having a saponification degree of 75% by mol or more and 85% by mol or less and a viscosity-average polymerization degree of 1,500 or more and 2,200 or less, and cationic polyurethane emulsion particles having an average particle size of 10 nm or more and 100 nm or less.

Abstract: The invention provides a recording medium comprising a substrate and an ink receiving layer that is provided on the substrate and contains alumina hydrate and a binder. A surface of the ink receiving layer is covered with a partial coating formed by a plurality of coatings containing a cationic polyurethane. The plurality of coatings have an average major diameter of 0.03 ?m or more and less than 1.00 ?m. The partial coating provides a coverage of 10% or more and less than 70% with respect to the surface of the ink receiving layer.

Abstract: The invention provides a recording medium having 2 or more ink receiving layers on a substrate, wherein an upper layer of the ink receiving layers, which is a layer most distant from the substrate, and a lower layer, which is a layer located just under the upper layer, contain at least one selected from alumina hydrate and alumina, an acid and a hydrophilic binder, the acid contained in the upper layer is a carboxylic acid represented by the general formula [I], and the acid contained in the lower layer is a sulfonic acid represented by the general formula [II].

Abstract: An aqueous ink comprises water, a water-insoluble coloring material, and plurality of water-soluble organic solvents and the plurality of water-soluble organic solvents including a good medium or good mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material and a poor medium or poor mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material. The ratio of the content of the poor medium and the content of the good medium is in a specific range. A water-soluble organic solvent showing the maximum Ka value out of respective Ka values of the plurality of water-soluble organic solvents is the poor medium. When the aqueous ink is in contact with a specific reaction liquid, the dissolution state or dispersed state of the water-insoluble coloring material in the ink is made unstable. As a result, an image which has a sufficiently large area factor even with a small amount of ink droplets and is excellent in image density, bleeding resistance, and fixability can be obtained.

Abstract: A recording method is provided which enables formation of an image with high image density and low graininess. The recording is conducted by using a recording method using a first aqueous ink for higher-density recording and a second aqueous ink for lower-density recording, characterized in that the first aqueous ink includes at least water, a water-insoluble coloring material, and plurality of water-soluble organic solvents, the plurality of water-soluble organic solvents including a good medium or good mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material and a poor medium or poor mediums for the water-insoluble coloring material, the ratio B/A in the second aqueous ink being less than the ratio B/A in the first aqueous ink, where A denotes the total content (mass %) of good medium based on the total mass of the aqueous ink and B denotes the total content (mass %) of poor medium based on the total mass of the aqueous ink; and the second aqueous ink has the same hue as the first aqueous ink.

Abstract: To provide a waste ink absorbing tank, capable, even in the case of utilizing an ink of a high coagulating property, of causing a waste ink absorbent member to efficiently absorb such ink. A waste ink absorbent member has a hole portion corresponding to an introducing position of the waste ink, and the hole portion is opened on a lateral face of the absorbent member. The waste ink, introduced into the hole portion moves in one direction toward the waste ink absorbent member and absorbed therein.

Abstract: A reaction liquid containing a reactive substance that reacts with at least one component in an ink composition containing a coloring material in a dispersed state, in which the reactive substance is a polyvalent metal compound having multiple reactive sites in one molecule, a set of ink and a reaction liquid, and an image recording method for performing image recording by means of the set.

Abstract: The present invention can sufficiently suppress curling phenomenon of a recorded product and facilitate handling of a printed product produced by using plain paper, in particular. The present invention provides a printing medium coating solution including water and a water-retentive, water-soluble organic compound, wherein the water-soluble organic compound includes only a water-soluble organic compound showing a difference of 36% or less between the water retention ability at a temperature of 23° C. and a humidity of 45% and the water retention ability at a temperature of 30° C. and a humidity of 80%; and the content of the water-soluble organic compound is 15 mass % or more with respect to the total amount of the printing medium coating solution.

Abstract: To suppress curling phenomenon of a recording medium to which a liquid composition is applied while securing ejection stability. A liquid composition for used in an image recording method including the steps of applying an ink containing a colorant in a dissolved state or a dispersed state to a recording medium and applying to the recording medium a liquid composition which destabilizes the dissolved state or the dispersed state of the colorant in the ink by coming into contact with the ink, the liquid composition including at least a polyvalent metal ion, water, and water-soluble organic compounds 1 and 2, in which a content X (mass %) of the water-soluble organic compound 1 in the liquid composition is 15 mass % or more, and the content X (mass %) of the water-soluble organic compound 1 in the liquid composition and a content Y (mass %) of the water-soluble organic compound 2 in the liquid composition satisfy a specific relationship.