JPH03173646A - Image printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize a highly dense and glossy printing wherein no blurring in printing or images is generated by providing two means for flying component containing adhesives, and mixing a first component and a second component while they are being flown, and transferring the mixture to the matter to be transferred. CONSTITUTION:Two components to be flown by two means for flying components are mixed while they are being flown so as to prepare a printing ink, so that it is possible to prevent blurring in ink and realize a quick drying-fixing, a sufficient ink discharging stability, and sufficient resistance to water and light. An adhesive (dye, pigment) coating, is formed on fibers of paper so as to hold the shapes of dots and the adhesive coating is dried and fixed, thereby preventing the printing ink from blurring. The means for flying components may be of an electro-thermo transformation type, an electro static attraction type, a supersonic vibration type, a pressurized jet type or the like. As for the first component, a component wherein an adhesive is dissolved or dispersed in an organic solution or water, an ink for jetting, an ink for thermal ink jet, an emulsion containing a coloring component or the like can be used. As for the second ingredient, the first ingredient can be used, but water, an organic solvent, a latex solution, an emulsion solution, an alkali solution for thickening, gelling, solidifying and coagulating or the like can be used.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a printing device that records images using recording ink, and is particularly capable of high-speed, high-quality monochrome and color printing for use in business or personal fields. This invention relates to a new jet type printing device.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, inkjet recording methods can be roughly divided into two types: continuous type and on-demand type. The former is charge control type (Hertz method), and the latter is electromechanical conversion type (Kyser type). method), electrothermal conversion method (
There are two types: bubble jet, thermal ink jet) and electrostatic suction type (slit jet, electric field control type).

Further, as an ink mist recording method, there is a method in which recording ink is atomized using ultrasonic energy, a charge is given to the generated atomized ink, and a charged ink mist is electrostatically recorded on paper.

The inks used in such jet recording methods mainly include water-based inks and non-aqueous inks, but water-based inks are the mainstream in terms of odor, safety, and bleeding.

Water-based inks are currently used in which various water-soluble dyes or pigments are dissolved or dispersed in water or a liquid medium consisting of water and a water-soluble organic solvent, and various additives are added as necessary.

The advantages of jet recording are: ■ Direct recording makes the process simple ■ No noise ■ Easy colorization ■ High-speed recording possible ■ Low running costs because plain paper can be used ■ High-resolution because it uses minute ink It has the characteristic of being able to record data, and its future potential has been attracting attention for some time.

In recent years, it is thought that the era of full-scale commercialization of jet printers having the above characteristics as printers for office equipment such as personal computers has arrived.

However, as a product, it is still at the stage where it has reached the growing population, and there are currently many technical issues that need to be resolved.

Although the above recording methods have slightly different requirements depending on the method, the common requirements are 1) the ability to obtain high-quality recorded images without bleeding, and 2) fast ink drying and fixing speeds. , no trailing 3) Stable ejection without clogging in the nozzle and ink distribution path 4) Good ink dispersion stability, storage stability, and safety 5) High recording density 6) It is especially important that the printed matter has good weather resistance.

At present, in order to satisfy all of the above-mentioned requirements, intensive studies are being made from both aspects of recording inks and devices, and considerable improvements have been recognized depending on the required performance.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, the biggest factor hindering its widespread use is the plain paper commonly used in offices and homes (copy paper in Japan, copy paper and bond paper in foreign countries). (hereinafter referred to as plain paper), the print quality and image quality are poor. (Therefore, designated paper is prepared as a last resort.) In other words, when the image recording ink adheres to the recording paper, it has poor drying properties, and as shown in Figure 1, the image recording ink adheres to the recording paper along the cellulose fibers of the recording paper due to capillary action. Because the ink flows, the quality of print and images deteriorates significantly, and printing speed cannot be increased. Therefore, there is a strong desire for an inkjet recording device that can overcome these drawbacks.

Therefore, the present invention aims to solve these problems.
The first object of the present invention is to print and print on all types of transfer objects in a printing device that records images using recording ink.
An object of the present invention is to provide a printing device that enables high-density, high-gloss printing without causing image bleeding.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that has fast drying and fixing properties, is free from trailing, and is capable of high-speed, full-color recording by overlapping process colors.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a printing device with excellent ejection stability that prevents clogging in the nozzles, slits, slit surfaces, and ink distribution channels.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a printing device that enables recording with excellent water resistance and weather resistance.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A printing apparatus of the present invention is a printing apparatus that records an image using recording ink, and includes a means for causing a first component containing a colorant to fly and a means for causing a second component to fly. The method is characterized in that the flying first component and second component are mixed and transferred to a transfer object as recording ink.

[Example] The present inventor has developed a method for ensuring that image recording ink adheres to paper as much and quickly as possible, dries and fixes quickly and sufficiently, and maintains clogging and dispersion stability during ink storage. By using two means of flight and mixing the two components during flight, the ink is adjusted as an image recording ink, does not smear, dries and fixes quickly, has excellent ejection stability, and has excellent water resistance for printed matter. It has been found that lightfastness can be achieved.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the bleeding was solved by applying a coloring agent (dye/pigment) to the paper to form a film while maintaining the dot shape, and then drying and fixing the film.

The flight means used in the present invention is a charge control type (H
ertz method), electromechanical conversion method (Kyser method),
Electrothermal conversion method (bubble jet, thermal inkjet), electrostatic suction method (slit jet, electric field control method)
, ultrasonic vibration method, pressurized jet (spray jet)
There are various types such as centrifugal force type and centrifugal force type. The optimal flying method can be selected depending on the ink components used.

The ink components used in the present invention include those in which a colorant (dye/pigment) is dissolved or dispersed in water or an organic solvent as the first component, toner for dry/wet copying machines, inkjet ink, dye/pigment only , thermal inkjet ink, coloring component-containing emulsion, etc. can be used, and as the second component, the first component can also be used, but in addition to that, water, organic solvents, latex solutions, emulsion solutions, Resin emulsions, wax emulsions, colloidal solutions, and solutions that undergo sol-gel transition or crosslinking reactions, alkali thickening, gelation, coagulation, or aggregation upon reaction with the first component can be used.

For storage stability and prevention of clogging, the average particle diameter of the dispersed particles in the solution components of the first solution cylinder 2 is 20 nm to 1 μm.
It is desirable that it be in a colloidal state.

The colorant to be used in the present invention is a water-soluble/oil-soluble dye, organic pigment, or inorganic pigment used in conventional inks, as long as it does not change the color tone or form a precipitate when added to other ink components. Any dye or pigment can be used.

Further, as the pigment, a finely dispersed ordinary organic/inorganic pigment is used, and a finely divided pigment having a particle size of 0.1 μm or less is preferable.

As a dry toner, a toner average particle diameter of 10 μrrl or less is preferred, and as a wet toner, a toner average particle diameter of 1 μm or less is preferred.

As for the physical properties of the ink components for achieving the present invention, when the ink is a fluid, if the viscosity at 20°C is lower than 0.5cp, there will be a problem with drying properties in high-speed printing;
If it is larger than 0.0, it will cause clogging and cause problems in ejection stability. 5 to 50 cp is preferred.

The basic structure of the present invention is as described above, but in addition, conventionally known dispersants, surfactants, viscosity modifiers, surface tension modifiers, resistivity modifiers, pH modifiers, antifungal agents, etc. are required. It can be added to the first component or the second component depending on the situation.

Further, when used in an inkjet system in which ink is ejected by the action of thermal energy, thermal properties (eg, specific heat, coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, etc.) are adjusted.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained by giving Examples and Comparative Examples, but these Examples do not limit the present invention.

Example 1 All composition amounts (%) shown in the following examples are weight %.

First component...3% water-soluble dye solution flying means...Ultrasonic vibrator (1.7MHz) Second component...20% latex solution flying means...Ultrasonic vibrator ( 1,7MH2) The flying mist of the first component and the second component was mixed, turned into a charged ink mist by corona discharge, and was turned on and off by an electric field shutter to fly it onto plain paper.

Example 2 First component...dry toner (commercially available) flying means...
,... Spray jet (spray method) % formula % Flying means...Electromechanical conversion type The first component is sprayed during the flight of the second component, and the toner is transferred onto plain paper using water as the driving force. , fixed by pressure and heat.

Example 3 Component... 3% water-soluble dye solution flying means...
・Ultrasonic transducer (],, 7MI(z) second component...
30% resin emulsion flying means...Centrifugal force The flying mist of the first component and the second component is mixed, turned into a charged ink mist by corona discharge, and turned on and off by the electric field shutter 2 to fly it onto plain paper. Ta.

Example 4 First component: Wet toner flying means: Ultrasonic vibrator (], 7biHz) Second component: Organic solvent-based latex solution flying means.
...Spray jet (spraying method) A flying mist of the first component and the second component is mixed to form a latent image on the photoreceptor,
Pressure rolled onto plain paper.

Example 5 1] Component... Emulsion containing 3% dye (yellow, cyan, magenta) Flying means... Spray gel (spraying method) 2nd
Ingredients: Resin emulsion flying means: Spray jet I~ (spray method) 1st
The components and the second component Flight Miss 1 to 1 were mixed, and a charged ink mist was formed by corona discharge, and the electric field shutter 2 was turned on and off to fly it onto plain paper. However, the first
The emulsion is an emulsion in which a crosslinking reaction occurs when mixed with the second emulsion.

Comparative example Commercially available bubble jet? A comparative example was printed on plain paper using Nonta B:r-130 (manufactured by Canon).

Table 1 does not show the evaluation results according to the evaluation method shown below.

12 *], Bleeding evaluation Observation at 100x and 400x with a microscope and visual observation @; Dots are retained on the fiber without any bleeding along the fibers ○: There is some bleeding along the fibers, but Not visible to the naked eye △: Slight blurring visible to the naked eye ×: Significant blurring and jagged edges *2. Evaluation of drying/fixing properties: Rub with the edge of paper 3 seconds, 6 seconds, and 12 seconds after printing. : No trailing after 3 seconds O: No trailing after 6 seconds △: Trailing after 6 seconds ×: Trailing after 12 seconds *3. Clogging evaluation Leave without cap at room temperature for 1 month ○: Printable ×: Printable *4. Ink storage properties: Store ink at 40'C for 3 months to prevent foreign matter, odor, agglomeration,
Presence or absence of precipitate ○: None ×: Present *5. Measurement of reflection 0-D value using recording density Macbeth densitometer *6. Water Resistance Evaluation Print: Dry for 4 & 1 hour, then soak in water for 24 hours. Rating: O: Will not fade. ×::/Portrait*7. Glossiness evaluation Measurement of 75 degree specular gloss using a digital gloss needle (Murakami Color Technology Institute Membrane) ○: 80 or more'' 2 △: 51-79 ×: 50 or less *8. Recording on OHP paper O: Recordable ×: Record not possible *9. Lightfastness evaluation Xenon lamp i 00 R irradiation Blue scale fading ○; Less than 50% ×: 50% or more As is clear from Table 1, good results were obtained for the recorded materials of Examples 1 to 4.

Furthermore, by combining the yellow, magenta, and cyan recording inks of Example 5 into square shapes, a clear full-color image could be reproduced.

On the other hand, in the case of the comparative example, trailing and bleeding occurred due to poor drying properties, and the concentration was low.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the printing apparatus of the present invention, problems such as bleeding, drying, and
It has excellent fixing properties, and has the effect of enabling high-speed recording, high density, and clear recording with excellent clogging, ink storage stability, and water resistance of printed matter.

Furthermore, by using three process color inks, a high-resolution full-color image can be recorded.

Furthermore, the image recording method of the present invention has the effect that high-speed, high-quality printing is possible even on OHP paper, which cannot be used with ordinary jet recording.

15- 16- 4,

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing ink bleeding into paper fibers. Figure 2 shows the ink drive of the present invention. FIG. ・Paper fiber ·ink that's all

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A printing device that records an image using recording ink, which includes a means for causing a first component containing a colorant to fly and a means for flying a second component, and includes a means for flying a first component containing a colorant and a means for flying a second component. A printing device that mixes components and transfers the mixture as a recording ink onto an object.