Abstract:
Certain dyes become insoluble under specific and well-defined pH conditions. By forcing a dye to become insoluble on the page, migration of the dye is inhibited, thereby helping to reduce bleed between inks of different colors. The dye is forced out of solution from the ink by contact with another ink having the appropriate pH (either higher or lower than that of the first ink).
Abstract:
Described is a color inkjet printer for optimum bleed prevention in a printer utilizing multiple black and color pens wherein there is provided one print cartridge for dispensing black ink onto the printing medium and at least one print cartridge for dispensing color ink onto the printing medium. The cartridge for dispensing black ink contains an ink with little or no surface active agent while the cartridge for dispensing color ink contains a sufficient amount of surface active agent to reduce bleed between the colors. Moreover, the cartridge for dispensing black ink contains an ink which reacts with at least one and more preferably all inks contained in the cartridge for dispensing color ink. This reaction reduces bleed on images where the black print is adjacent to the color print to an acceptable level without requiring the black ink to contain surface active agents that would lead to inferior quality black text on the plain paper print medium. The reaction may be initiated by pH changes, reaction between the actual colorants, or reaction between one of the colorants and a component in the other ink.
Abstract:
The ink set of this invention comprises an anionic black pigmented ink and at least one color ink containing a dye or pigment colorant. The performance of these ink sets is improved by the addition of specific cationic surfactant or cationic (quaternary) salts which interact with the anionic black pigmented ink to provide improved black to color bleed control.
Abstract:
Aqueous phase separation is employed to reduce or substantially eliminate bleed between adjacently-printed ink-jet ink compositions. An ink-jet ink set is provided that comprises first and second ink-jet inks, both of which comprise a colorant and an aqueous vehicle. The vehicle of the first ink-jet ink includes a polymer, while the vehicle of the second ink-jet includes a second species capable of inducing aqueous phase separation between the first and second inks in the event of contact therebetween. The resulting aqueous phases are separated by an interfacial boundary that serves to inhibit bleed between the inks. Importantly, in spite of the polymer concentration contained therein, the inks in the ink-jet ink set have sufficiently low viscosities such that they are capable of being readily jetted from an ink-jet pen. The use of aqueous phase separation to achieve bleed control is advantageous because it offers more flexibility in ink formulation, does not introduce highly toxic or corrosive components to the ink-jet ink composition, does not sacrifice edge acuity, and is an easily implemented and cost-effective manner in which to achieve bleed control in ink-jet printing.
Abstract:
An aqueous ink jet ink which contains an aqueous carrier medium; a colorant, which may be a pigment dispersion or a dye, and a long chain alcohol having at least 8 carbon atoms present in the amount of 0.05 to 5% by weight, based on the total weight of the ink exhibit reduced mottle and, when used in an ink set to form a multicolor image, reduced halo.
Abstract:
Water-fastness in aqueous ink-jet inks containing water-soluble dyes is achieved by using a specific ionic species having a charge opposite to that on the dye molecule. Anionic dyes typically contain sulfonate (or carboxylate) anionic groups. Using at least one specific ionic species of opposite charge, specifically, phosphonium salts, causes the colorant components to “crash” or precipitate out of the water-based ink onto the print medium due to the formation of a suitable charge complex between the ionic parts of the dye and the opposite charge of the counter-ion species. Other positively charged salts, such as quaternary ammonium salts, carbonium salts, iodonium salts, sulfonium salts, and pyrillium salts may be used to improve aqueous dispersion stability and thus printability. Such additional cationic salt partially replaces the phosphonium salt(s). Alternatively, certain surfactants, such as aromatic ethoxylates, polyethylene oxide ethers, or polypropylene oxide ethers may be used to improve print quality.
Abstract:
Wet cockle is minimized in aqueous-based, thermal ink-jet inks by adding to the ink at least one water-soluble substance, such as a solvent or salt, having a molecular weight of less than 200 grams/mole in an amount sufficient to reduce the mole fraction of water to a maximum value of about 0.5. Addition of the substance reduces wet paper cockle to a value that is less than the distance between the thermal ink-jet pen and the paper, thereby preventing a crash condition between the paper and the pen.