JPH05186726A - Ink, ink jet recording by using it, and machinery using the ink - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an ink which solves the problems of blotting of ink and slow drying of recorded matter when a recording is made on an uncoated paper, such as paper for copying, paper for reporting, a notebook, letter paper, bond paper, and continuous business forms, generally used in an office, etc., i.e., so-called plain paper and which is excellent in the quality of print; an ink for other purposes having high safety in use in an office and at home; an ink jet recording method using the ink; and machinery using the ink. CONSTITUTION:An ink containing a coloring agent and a liquid medium for dissolving or dispersing it, which contains a 3C or higher alkylene glycol wherein at least one of the hydrogen atoms is replaced by a halogen atom; an ink jet recording method by using the ink; and machinery using the ink.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink, an ink jet recording method using the ink, and an apparatus using the ink. More specifically, it is not limited to coated paper specially prepared for ink jet, but is generally used in offices and homes. Ink that enables high-definition and high-quality recording on non-coated paper such as copy paper, report paper, notebook, notepaper, bond paper, continuous slip paper, etc. The present invention relates to an inkjet recording method and a device using such an ink.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, ink jet inks having various compositions have been reported. In particular, the composition and physical properties of the ink are used so that good recording can be performed on plain paper such as copy paper, report paper, notebook, notepaper, bond paper, and continuous slip paper that are commonly used in offices in recent years. Detailed research and development has been carried out from various aspects such as. For example, in general, the ink contains a high boiling point organic solvent such as glycol for the purpose of preventing drying and clogging, but when recording is performed on plain paper with a high degree of size using such an ink. Since the ink does not easily penetrate into the inside of the paper and the drying property of the recording part is poor, there is a problem of fixing property such as ink getting on the hand when touching the recorded matter or characters are rubbed and stained. It was

On the other hand, in order to enhance the permeability of the ink into the inside of the paper, JP-A-55-29546 proposes a method of adding a large amount of a surfactant to the ink. However, in this case, depending on the type of paper, bleeding occurs very much, and when the ink is filled in the inkjet head, the ink retreats from the orifice surface and is not ejected depending on the structural condition of the head. Or
On the other hand, there were some problems such as the entire orifice surface getting wet and ink was not ejected. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-57862 proposes a method of making the pH of the ink strongly alkaline. In this case, it is dangerous when the ink is touched with the hands, and a certain sizing agent is used. Paper using, for example,
There are drawbacks such as bleeding with respect to neutral paper and the like, and both may not be good in terms of dryness. Although various improvements have been attempted in addition to the above, inks that can sufficiently solve all of the problems of bleeding, drying properties, ink safety, and clogging described above have been known so far. The current situation is that it has not been done.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide non-coated paper such as copy paper, report paper, notebook, notepaper, bond paper, and continuous slip paper, which are generally used in offices, so-called ordinary paper. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink having excellent printing quality by solving the problems of ink bleeding when printed on paper and slow drying property of a recorded matter, an inkjet recording method using the same, and a device using such an ink.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink which is highly safe to use in offices and homes, an inkjet recording method using the ink, and a device using the ink. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an ink which is less likely to cause clogging of nozzles of an inkjet head and has excellent reliability, an inkjet recording method using the ink, and a device using the ink.

[0005]

The above object can be achieved by the present invention described below. That is, the present invention is characterized in that an ink containing a colorant and a liquid medium in which the colorant is dissolved or dispersed contains an alkylene glycol having 2 or more carbon atoms in which at least one of hydrogen atoms is replaced by a halogen atom. Ink, an ink jet recording method using the same, and a device using the ink. .

[0006]

The present inventors have made earnest studies on an ink composition that improves ink bleeding, drying properties, and penetrability on plain paper, and is less likely to cause clogging at the nozzles of an inkjet head and has excellent reliability. As a result, the ink containing an alkylene glycol having 2 or more carbon atoms in which at least one of the hydrogen atoms is replaced by a halogen atom is well-balanced in terms of bleeding and penetrability.
The present invention has been completed by finding that the anti-clogging property is particularly good. That is, according to the findings of the present inventors, regarding ink bleeding and penetrability on plain paper,
When a surfactant such as that used in ordinary ink is used, it may be difficult to obtain stable recording due to the mixture of good and non-good cases depending on the type of paper.
In the case of using the alkylene glycol having 2 or more carbon atoms in which at least one of the hydrogen atoms is replaced by a halogen atom, which is used in the present invention, stable recording with little difference in quality depending on the type of paper is used. It is possible to obtain a very good result that the product is obtained.

The reason for this is that the bleeding and penetrability of the ink is largely controlled mainly by the phenomenon of wetting at the interface between the ink droplet and the paper, but when a surfactant is used, it adheres to the paper. Since the surface portion and the inner portion of the formed ink droplet have different wettability, good results cannot be obtained, whereas in the case of the ink of the present invention, such a phenomenon does not easily occur. It is considered that the ink of the present invention has an exquisite balance relationship between the sizing agent added to the surface or the inside of the paper and the ink, as an inkjet ink that can be applied to plain paper.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments. The compound used in the present invention and mainly characterizing the present invention is an alkylene glycol having 2 or more carbon atoms in which at least one of hydrogen atoms is substituted with a halogen atom, and these are all obtained by a conventionally known method. It is a thing. Specific examples of the above compound include 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoro-1,4-butanediol, 2,2,3,3,4,4-hexafluoro-1,5-pentanediol, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4,
4,5,5-octafluoro-1,6-hexanediol, 2-chloro-1,3-propanediol, 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol, 2,2-bis (bromomethyl) -1,3 -Propanediol and the like, but the present invention is not limited to these compounds. The amount of the above compound added to the ink varies depending on the dye used, other liquid medium components used in combination, and the like.
01 to 50% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 30% by weight,
The proportion is more preferably 1 to 20% by weight.

The ink-jet ink of the present invention is characterized by containing an alkylene glycol having 2 or more carbon atoms in which at least one of hydrogen atoms as described above is substituted with a halogen atom together with a coloring agent. Water and commonly used organic solvents used in conventionally known inks can be used in combination, and examples of the organic solvent include methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol,
C1-C5 alkyl alcohols such as sec-butyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, n-pentanol or halogenated derivatives thereof; amides such as dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide; acetone, diacetone alcohol Or ethers such as tetrahydrofuran or dioxane; oxyethylene or oxypropylene addition polymers such as diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol; Ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, trimethylene glycol, butylene glycol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, hex Alkylene glycols in which the alkylene group such as len glycol contains 2 to 6 carbon atoms; thiodiglycol; glycerin; ethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether, triethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ) Lower alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols such as ethers; lower dialkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols such as triethylene glycol dimethyl (or ethyl) ether and tetraethylene glycol dimethyl (or ethyl) ether; sulfolane, N
-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone, 2-pyrrolidone, 1,3-
Examples thereof include dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone. The content of the water-soluble organic solvent as described above is generally 0.5% to 50%, preferably 1% by weight based on the total weight of the ink.
% To 30%. The above media can be used alone or as a mixture, but the most preferred liquid medium composition is water and at least one organic solvent, and the solvent is at least one water-soluble high-boiling organic solvent such as diethylene glycol. , Triethylene glycol, glycerin, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, polyhydric alcohols such as thioglycol, and 2-pyrrolidone.

As the colorant constituting the ink of the present invention,
Direct dyes, acid dyes, food dyes, basic dyes, reactive dyes, disperse dyes, vat dyes, soluble architectural dyes, reactive disperse dyes, oil dyes, various pigments are mentioned, but among them, water-soluble dyes are ink performance. Above all, it is particularly preferable. The content of these coloring agents is determined depending on the type of liquid medium component, the properties required for the ink, etc., but generally it is about 0.2 to 20% by weight in the total amount of the ink, preferably 0.5 ~
The proportion is 10%, more preferably 1 to 5%.
The main components of the ink of the present invention are as described above, but other various dispersants, surfactants, viscosity modifiers, surface tension modifiers, optical brighteners and the like are within the range not hindering the achievement of the object of the present invention. In, it can be added if necessary.

For example, viscosity adjusting agents such as polyvinyl alcohol, celluloses, water-soluble resins, etc .; surface tension adjusting agents such as various cationic, anionic or nonionic surfactants, diethanolamine, triethanolamine; pH adjusting agents with buffer solutions. An antifungal agent and the like can be mentioned.
Further, in order to prepare the ink used in the ink jet recording method of charging the ink, lithium chloride,
A resistivity adjusting agent such as an inorganic salt such as ammonium chloride or sodium chloride is added. The ink of the present invention is particularly suitable when applied to an ink jet recording method of the type that ejects ink due to the bubbling phenomenon of the ink due to thermal energy, and the ejection is extremely stable and satellite dots are not generated. There are features. However, in this case, thermal physical property values (for example, specific heat, thermal expansion coefficient,
Thermal conductivity, etc.) may be adjusted.

Further, the ink of the present invention solves the problems of ink bleeding and dryness / permeability of recorded matter when recorded on plain paper, and at the same time improves ink-jet head matching. As a physical property of itself, the surface tension at 25 ° C. is 30 to 68 dyne / c.
m, the viscosity is preferably 15 cP or less, preferably 10 cP or less, more preferably 5 cP or less.
Therefore, in order to adjust the ink to the above physical properties and solve the problem in plain paper, the amount of water contained in the ink of the present invention is 50% by weight or more and 98% by weight or less, preferably 60% by weight or more 95%. % Or less, more preferably 75%
It is preferable that the content is not less than 95% by weight and not more than 95% by weight.

The ink of the present invention is particularly suitable for use in an ink jet recording method in which droplets are ejected by the action of heat energy for recording, but it goes without saying that it can also be used for general writing instruments. As a method and apparatus suitable for performing recording using the ink of the present invention, a method and apparatus for applying thermal energy corresponding to a recording signal to the ink in the chamber of the recording head and generating droplets by the thermal energy are provided. Can be mentioned.

An example of the head structure, which is the main part of the apparatus, is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The head 13 is made by bonding glass, ceramics or a plastic plate having a groove 14 through which ink is passed, and a heating head 15 (a head is shown in the drawing, but not limited to this) used for thermal recording. Obtained. The heating head 15 includes a protective film 16 made of silicon oxide and an aluminum electrode 17.
1, 17-2, a heat generating resistor layer 18 formed of nichrome, a heat storage layer 19, and a substrate 20 having a good heat dissipation property such as alumina.
Has become. The ink 21 reaches the ejection orifice (fine hole) 22 and forms a meniscus 23 by the pressure P. Now, when an electric signal is applied to the electrodes 17-1 and 17-2, the area indicated by n of the heating head 15 rapidly generates heat, and bubbles are generated in the ink 21 in contact with the area, and the meniscus 23 is generated by the pressure. Are ejected, the ink 21 is ejected, and becomes a recording droplet 24 from the orifice 22 and is ejected toward the recording material 25. FIG. 3 shows an external view of a multi-head in which many heads shown in FIG. 1 are arranged. The multi-head is manufactured by closely adhering a glass plate 27 having a multi-groove 26 and a heating head 28 similar to that described in FIG. 1 shows the head 13 along the ink flow path.
2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AB of FIG.

FIG. 4 shows an example of an ink jet recording apparatus incorporating such a head. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 61 denotes a blade as a wiping member, one end of which is held by a blade holding member to become a fixed end, which is in the form of a cantilever. The blade 61 is arranged at a position adjacent to the recording area of the recording head, and in the case of this example, it is held in a protruding form in the moving path of the recording head. Reference numeral 62 denotes a cap, which is arranged at a home position adjacent to the blade 61, and has a configuration that moves in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the recording head and abuts the ejection port surface to perform capping. Further, 63 is an absorber provided adjacent to the blade 61, and like the blade 61, is held in a protruding form in the moving path of the recording head. The blade 61, the cap 62, and the absorber 63 constitute an ejection recovery unit 64, and the blade 61 and the absorber 63 remove water, dust, and the like from the ink ejection port surface.

Reference numeral 65 denotes a recording head having ejection energy generating means for ejecting ink to a recording material facing the ejection port surface where the ejection ports are arranged for recording, and 66 a recording head having the recording head 65 mounted thereon. A carriage for moving 65. The carriage 66 is slidably engaged with the guide shaft 67, and a part of the carriage 66 is connected (not shown) to a belt 69 driven by a motor 68. As a result, the carriage 66 can move along the guide shaft 67, and the recording head 65 can move the recording area and its adjacent area. Reference numeral 51 is a paper feed section for inserting a recording material, and 52 is a paper feed roller driven by a motor (not shown). With these configurations, the recording material is fed to a position facing the ejection opening surface of the recording head, and is ejected to the ejection section provided with the ejection roller 53 as the recording progresses.

In the above structure, when the recording head 65 returns to the home position after recording is completed, the cap 62 of the head recovery section 64 is retracted from the movement path of the recording head 65, but the blade 61 projects into the movement path. There is. As a result, the ejection port surface of the recording head 65 is wiped. When the cap 62 comes into contact with the ejection surface of the recording head 65 to perform capping, the cap 62 moves so as to project into the movement path of the recording head. Recording head 6
When 5 moves from the home position to the recording start position, the cap 62 and the blade 61 are at the same position as the above-described position at the time of wiping. As a result, the ejection opening surface of the recording head 65 is wiped even during this movement. To move the recording head to the home position,
Not only at the end of recording or at the time of ejection recovery, the recording head moves to the home position adjacent to the recording area at a predetermined interval while moving in the recording area for recording, and the wiping is performed with this movement. .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an ink cartridge in which ink is supplied to the head via an ink supply member, for example, a tube. Here, 40 is an ink containing portion containing the supply ink, for example, an ink bag, and a rubber stopper 42 is provided at the tip thereof. By inserting a needle (not shown) into this stopper 42, the ink in the ink bag 40 can be supplied to the head. 44
Is an absorber that receives waste ink. It is preferable for the present invention that the surface of the ink containing portion which is in contact with the ink is formed of polyolefin, particularly polyethylene. The ink jet recording apparatus used in the present invention is not limited to the one in which the head and the ink cartridge are separately provided as described above, but is also preferably used in the one in which they are integrated as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 70 denotes a recording unit, in which an ink containing portion containing ink, for example, an ink absorber is contained, and the ink in the ink absorber has a plurality of orifices. Head portion 71
It is configured to be ejected as an ink droplet from. For the present invention, it is preferable to use polyurethane as the material of the ink absorber. Reference numeral 72 is an atmosphere communication port for communicating the inside of the recording unit with the atmosphere. The recording unit 70 is used in place of the recording head shown in FIG. 4, and is detachable from the carriage 66.

[0020]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples. In the text, "part" and "%" are based on weight unless otherwise specified. Examples 1 to 4 After mixing the following components and stirring for 5 hours, the pH was adjusted to 7.5 with a 0.1% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, and a membrane filter having a pore size of 0.22 μm (trade name: Fluoro Pressure filtration was performed using a pore filter, manufactured by Sumitomo Electric Co., Ltd., to obtain Inks A to D of the present invention. Next, using the obtained inks A to D, an inkjet printer BJ-130 (trade name: manufactured by Canon Inc.) that uses a heating element as an ink discharge energy source is used as an inkjet recording device and is commercially available. Recording was performed on the copy paper and the bond paper, and the fixing property, the occurrence rate of bleeding, and the clogging property at the time of reprinting after the temporary stop of printing were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 1. Evaluation is usually 2
It was carried out under the conditions of 5 ° C. and 60% RH.

Ink A C.I. I. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoro-1,4-butanediol 5 parts Glycerin 10 parts Water 83 parts Ink B C.I. I. Acid Red 35 2 parts 2,2,3,3,4,4-hexafluoro-1,5-pentanediol 7 parts Diethylene glycol 7 parts Ethylene glycol 5 parts Water 79 parts Ink C C.I. I. Food Black 2 3 parts Triethylene glycol 10 parts N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone 2 parts 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5-octafluoro-1,6-hexanediol 3 parts Water 82 parts Ink DC . I. Direct Blue 199 2.5 parts Diethylene glycol 10 parts 3-Chloro-1,2-propanediol 4 parts Isopropyl alcohol 3 parts Water 80.5 parts

Comparative Examples 1 to 3 Using the following components, respectively, in the same manner as in Examples 1 to 4,
Inks EG of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 were obtained. Various evaluations were performed using the obtained ink in the same manner as in the examples. The results are shown in Table 1. Ink E C.I. I. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts Glycerin 15 parts Water 83 parts Ink FC I. Acid Red 35 2 parts Diethylene glycol 14 parts Ethylene glycol 5 parts n-Butanol 2 parts Water 77 parts Ink G C.I. I. Food Black 2 3 parts Polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 300) 14 parts Nonionic surfactant (trade name: Nissan Nonion P223, manufactured by NOF Corporation) 0.1 part Water 82.9 parts

[0025]

[Evaluation]

[Table 1]

* 1 Evaluation of Fixability After printing on commercially available copy paper and bond paper, after 10 seconds and 30 seconds, the printed portion was rubbed with a filter paper (trade name: No. 5C, manufactured by Toyo Roshi Kaisha, Ltd.). The marks were observed and evaluated as follows. ◎ ... No bleeding in 10 seconds ◯ ... Slightly bleeding in 10 seconds △ ... Slightly bleeding in 30 seconds × ... Large bleeding in 30 seconds * 2 Bleed occurrence rate 300 with a printer on commercially available copy paper and bond
After printing the dots so that they are discontinuous, leave them for 1 hour or more, and then count the number of dots that have bleeding with a microscope.
The ratio of the number of dots that caused bleeding to the total number of dots is%
Was displayed and evaluated as follows. A: 10% or less C: 11 to 30% X: 31% or more

* 3 Clogging property Clogging property refers to the clogging property at the time of reprinting after the temporary stop of printing, and it is 1 when the printer is filled with a predetermined ink.
After printing the alphanumeric characters continuously for 0 minutes, stop printing, leave it for 10 minutes without the cap, etc., and then print the alphanumeric characters again. It was evaluated by. ○: No defective parts from the first letter. Δ: A part of the first character is scratched or chipped. ×: The first character cannot be printed at all.

[0028]

As described above, the ink of the present invention bleeds on plain paper such as copy paper, report paper, notebook, notepaper bond paper, and continuous slip paper that are generally used in offices. It is possible to perform recording with high quality and good fixing property. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an ink having high safety even when used in an office or a home. Furthermore, according to the ink of the present invention,
It is possible to perform highly reliable recording without causing clogging in the nozzles of the inkjet head. Further, by using the ink of the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly reliable device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a head portion of an inkjet recording apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a head portion of an inkjet recording device.

3 is an external perspective view of a head in which the head shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of an inkjet recording apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of an ink cartridge.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a recording unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 61: Wiping member 62: Cap 63: Ink absorber 64: Ejection recovery section 65: Recording head 66: Carriage

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An ink containing a colorant and a liquid medium in which the colorant is dissolved or dispersed, wherein the ink contains an alkylene glycol having 3 or more carbon atoms in which at least one of hydrogen atoms is replaced by a halogen atom. ink. 2. An inkjet recording method for recording on a recording material by ejecting ink droplets from an orifice according to a recording signal, wherein the ink is the ink according to claim 1. .. 3. The ink jet recording method according to claim 2, wherein the recording material is uncoated paper. 4. The ink jet recording method according to claim 2, wherein thermal energy is applied to the ink to eject ink droplets. 5. A recording unit comprising an ink containing section containing ink and a head section for ejecting the ink as ink droplets, wherein the ink is the ink according to claim 1. unit. 6. The recording unit according to claim 5, wherein the head portion includes a head that applies thermal energy to the ink to eject ink droplets. 7. An ink cartridge provided with an ink containing portion containing ink, wherein the ink is the ink according to claim 1. 8. An ink according to claim 1, wherein the ink is an ink-jet recording apparatus including a recording unit having an ink containing portion containing the ink and a head portion for ejecting the ink as an ink droplet. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized by the above. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the head portion includes a head that applies thermal energy to the ink to eject ink droplets. 10. A recording head for ejecting ink droplets,
The ink according to claim 1, wherein the ink is an ink cartridge having an ink containing portion containing ink, and an ink supply device for supplying the ink from the ink cartridge to a recording head. Characteristic inkjet recording device. 11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the recording head is a head which applies thermal energy to ink to eject ink droplets.