JPH08132724A - Ink-jet recording method and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To stabilize formation of dots, by a method wherein recording is performed at a time when a printing surface side of a recording medium is under a fixed temperature of at least the melting point of wax particle by making use of dispersion ink produced by dispersing the wax particles into water, a solvernt and additive. CONSTITUTION: Particles produced by kneading and attaching dyes to wax particles are dispersed into a solvent consisting mainly of water and used as ink. Since the dyes are not dissolved directly into the solvent, a coating is free from a fear of sticking, and an image which has more high density and sharpness can be provided by improving density of the coating. Recording is performed when a printing surface side of a recording medium has a fixed temperature of at least the melting point of wax particle. Since the solvent and particles are in coexistence in a form wherein they are separated functionally from each other, at a moment when the ink arrives at the upper part of the recording medium, only the solvent is permeated through the recording medium, a particle component is left behind on the upper part of the recording medium, since formation of the dot is performed stably irrespective of a complicated form of a fiber of the recording medium, formation of a character having few feathering is performed when dispersing ink has been stuck to the recording medium.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording method and apparatus for recording a recording material by ejecting heat-melting type ink onto a recording material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device such as a printer, a copying machine or a facsimile is constructed so as to record an image consisting of a dot pattern on a recording material such as paper, a plastic thin plate or cloth based on image information. ing.

The recording apparatus can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a thermal type, a laser beam type and the like depending on the recording method. Among them, the ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus) is one in which ink is ejected from a discharge port of a recording head. (Recording liquid) droplets are ejected, and the droplets are adhered to the recording material for recording.

In recent years, a large number of recording devices have been used, and these recording devices are required to have high-speed recording, color recording, plain paper, high resolution, high image quality, low noise, and the like. . As an example of a recording device that meets such a demand, the inkjet recording device can be cited. In this ink jet recording apparatus, since ink is ejected from the recording head to perform recording, non-contact printing is possible, and therefore a very stable recorded image can be obtained.

However, in the ink jet recording system, the ink, which is a liquid mainly composed of water and dye, is printed and handled on ordinary recording paper, so that (1) feathering occurs as a problem. (2) Occurrence of bleeding. (3) Decrease in concentration. (4) Decrease in color developability. (5) Decrease in fixability (dryability). (6) Cockling / curl occurs.
(7) The problem of light resistance. (8) The problem of water resistance is raised. Therefore, how to solve the above problems is an important technical point.

As a concrete means therefor, (a) devise the recording material. (B) Devise the ink. (C) Pre- and post-treatments are performed when ink is attached. (D) Auxiliary means such as fixing means is provided. The method such as is conceivable.

In (a), the problems of (1) to (5) and (8) can be solved by coating the recording material, but it is effective in (6) and (7). On the contrary, the image was disturbed by yellowing during long-term storage. Also,
Manufacturing costs are high, and as a result, running costs are high, and printing on the back side is a single-sided coating, which adversely affects the printer body. Further, there is a problem that the means for obtaining coated paper is troublesome.

In (b), the problems of (1) to (5) and (8) can be solved to some extent by imparting penetrability and dryness to the ink, but this is not sufficient, and conversely the water resistance is increased. When,
In the case of color ink, adverse effects such as deterioration of color reproducibility (widening of absorption spectrum) occur. Further (6),
There is also a problem that it is not effective against (7) and adversely affects the original ejection characteristics and durability of inkjet recording. To describe the above problem in more detail, for example, when a surfactant or the like is added to the ink to give it superpermeability, the ink immediately permeates the ordinary recording paper, so that the fixing property is increased and smear is reduced. Although bleeding that occurs at the boundary of ink during multi-color recording can be reduced, conversely feathering will increase when recording characters and the quality of the characters will be reduced, or the density will decrease due to deep penetration into the recording area. And deterioration of color development, strikethrough, etc. may occur. Further, in the ink in which a large amount of a volatile component (alcohol, etc.) is added to improve the drying property, the fixing property is improved and the smear is reduced,
The increase in the evaporation rate deteriorates the ink ejection property (the ejection reliability of the first dot) and the sticking property due to the thickening of the ink in the recording head, and the foaming stability is deteriorated due to the change in the ink composition.

(C) For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-249755.
And as described in JP-A-57-69054,
In the pre- and post-treatments, the ink is solidified by applying the treatment liquid before and after the ink is attached to the recording medium, but the application method of the treatment liquid is complicated and the solidification does not occur sufficiently. , (1) to (5), (7), and (8) can be solved to some extent, but not enough. Furthermore (6)
However, there is also a problem that the cost is increased and reliability and durability are adversely affected because measures are taken in the ink jet recording apparatus to solve them.

(D) Depending on a device such as a fixing device, all of (1) to (6) can be solved, but (7),
It is not effective against (8), and has various problems such as an increase in device cost, a harmful effect due to the generation of water vapor, a problem related to the temperature rise of the entire device, and safety, which cannot be easily introduced. As the classification of the fixing technique, is (i) contact or contact type as the heating method of the recording material?
(Ii) Is heating before printing, during printing, and after printing? , Or a combination? (Iii) Is the print surface or print back heated? (Iv) What is the required heating temperature? Various heater configurations, fixing configurations, and control methods have been considered and proposed according to items such as the above.

Further, it is considered as a basic principle of heating,
(A) Is it due to heat conduction? (B) Is it due to radiant heat? (C)
Is it due to convection? (D) Is it a combination of the above? You also need to select.

As a conventional fixing / heater constitution, for example, JP-A-55-69464 and JP-A-55-8467 are known.
As described in No. 0, the one that mainly uses heat conduction by heating the platen is the mainstream, but the rise of temperature is slow, there is a problem in safety, it is difficult to raise the temperature, and contact with the recording material There is a problem that the temperature distribution due to the defect deteriorates the image. Also, JP-A-57-12
As described in 0447, there are some that use radiant heat using infrared rays (including convective heat), but they consume a lot of power, have safety problems, and have insufficient environmental stability. In addition, the effect is insufficient for recent high-speed printing (such as a large amount of ink being ejected in a short time) and high image quality technology (such as high demands for full-color printing and dot / image breaks). There were problems such as Further, water vapor is generated by evaporation of water due to high temperature heating, and a device provided with a ventilation / exhaust means for treating this water vapor (EP-0568174A1 and 05682).
56A1, USP 876924 and 876939) are also seen, but this leads to an increase in the size and cost of the device.

On the other hand, in a printer for forming a monochrome / color image, dot reproducibility, density stability,
Various types of stability such as gradation reproducibility and color reproducibility are desired, and these are also supported by the various methods described above.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and specifically provides solutions to the following items. (1) Water resistance treatment of ink When ink with dye is printed on plain paper (no problem with special paper), if water adheres to the printing surface, the dye will melt out and cause bleeding, or adhere to the user. There is a problem such as getting dirty. Therefore, it is the first object of the present invention to carry out water resistance treatment of the ink. (2) Improvement of light resistance of ink When ink containing a dye is printed on a recording medium (recording paper that has not been subjected to light resistance treatment) and stored for a long time, a decrease in print density and a change in tint occur. There is. Therefore, the second purpose is to improve the light resistance of the ink. (3) Lustering of recorded image With ordinary ink, even when printed on plain paper (aside from glossy paper), the image does not appear glossy, and therefore the image contrast does not rise. Therefore, especially in photographic images, it was not possible to obtain the quality as in silver halide photography. Therefore, a third object is to enable formation of a glossy image even on plain paper. (4) Reduction of feathering With normal ink, when printing on plain paper (special paper is different), a dot shape different from the original image design (ideally a dot is formed in a perfect circle) is formed. This causes a two-dimensional whisker-like bleeding of the ink along the fibers of the paper (hereinafter referred to as feathering), which particularly deteriorates the quality of characters and the sharpness of the image. Therefore, it is a fourth object to reduce the feathering even on plain paper and to provide sharp characters and images. (5) Improving line (character) density With normal ink, when printing on plain paper (excluding special paper), the ink penetrates deeply along the fibers of the paper, causing a decrease in the line density of fine lines and characters in particular. It was Therefore, a fifth object is to provide a line / character with high contrast by reducing the decrease in line density even on plain paper, and to make it equal to LBP. (6) Bleed prevention With normal ink, when printing on plain paper (special paper is not included), the difference in ink permeation time (painting time, permeation speed, evaporation speed, etc.) causes The bleeding method changes depending on the time difference until the end of permeation due to the order in which ink is ejected), the microscopic height difference of ink (such as the phenomenon of flowing from a high ink portion to a low ink portion), and the ink absorption position distribution Microscopic movement phenomenon (a phenomenon in which ink is easily absorbed and areas are not easily absorbed, and ink flows into the easily absorbed area)
Occurs, the boundary between different color inks and the cut at the overlapped portion disappear, and the state becomes apparently blurred (hereinafter referred to as bleeding), and the image becomes blurred and the characters become blurred and unreadable. Therefore, the sixth object is to reduce the bleeding even on plain paper so that the cutout of the color image becomes the same as that of special paper. (7) High color development When printing with ordinary ink on plain paper (excluding special paper), the problems described in (5) and (6) above are the main causes of the decrease in the color reproduction range and the decrease in density. Occurred, and the colorability of the color image was impaired. Therefore, the seventh object is to improve the color developability of even plain paper so that it is as good as that of special paper. (8) Others In order to perform high-speed color printing without waste, bidirectional printing is effective. In particular, in the case of forming colors by using at least two or more different kinds of inks of secondary colors or more (RGB etc.),
A change in color tone occurs due to the order of ink ejection, resulting in banding unevenness and disturbing image uniformity. Therefore, the eighth object is to reduce the occurrence of the tint change even if bidirectional printing is performed.

In order to solve all of the items (1) to (8) at the same time, it is difficult to overcome them by a single design such as ink, recording head, printer body, etc., and the whole process from ink to image formation is difficult. Systematic configuration is required.

[0016]

The present invention for achieving the above object uses a dispersion ink in which wax particles composed of a low melting point compound mixed with a color former are dispersed in water, a solvent and an additive. Provided is an inkjet recording method for forming an image on a recording medium, which is characterized in that recording is performed with the ink when at least a printing surface side of the recording medium has a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than a melting point of the wax particles. .

In the method of the present invention, the wax particles have a melting point of 40 ° C. to 250 ° C., preferably 60 ° C. to 200 ° C., and an average particle size of 0.05 μm to 2.0 μm, preferably 0. 1 μm or more and 1.0 μm
It is the following.

Further, in the method using the wax particles, it is preferable that recording is performed at a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the wax particles, and pressure is applied before the wax particles are solidified to perform smoothing treatment.

In the present invention, capsule particles can be used instead of wax particles. At this time, it is preferable that recording is performed at a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the capsule particles, and after recording, the capsule particles are destroyed by pressure fixing to form an image.

The present invention further provides an ink jet recording apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium using a dispersed ink in which wax particles composed of a low melting point compound mixed with a color former are dispersed in water, a solvent and additives. The melting point of the wax particles is 40 ° C. or higher and 250 ° C. or lower, preferably 60.
C. or higher and 200.degree. C. or lower, and the average particle diameter of the wax particles is 0.05 .mu.m or more and 2.0 .mu.m or less, preferably 0.
An ink jet recording apparatus having a size of 1 μm or more and 1.0 μm or less, which is provided with a heat fixing unit for making at least a printing surface side of a recording medium a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than a melting point of the wax particles during recording with the ink. provide.

In the recording apparatus of the present invention, capsule particles can be used instead of wax particles. At this time,
It is preferable to include a pressure fixing unit capable of destroying the capsule particles during recording with the ink, and a heat fixing unit that brings at least the printing surface side of the recording medium to a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the capsule particles.

In the present invention, the high speed and high image quality recording can be realized by providing an image forming system in which the ink is characterized and the printing method and the fixing device are combined.

In the method of the present invention, a dye or pigment is kneaded in wax particles which are melted by heating, or the dye or pigment is encapsulated in similar capsule-shaped particles or capsule particles which can be easily broken by pressure. A method for forming an image on a recording medium by an inkjet recording head using a dispersion ink in which capsule particles and the like are dispersed in water, a solvent, and an additive, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is at least heat-fixed or heat-fixed. Have either pressure fixing.

According to the above construction, when the dispersed ink adheres to the recording medium, the solvent and the particles coexist in a functionally separated form. Therefore, at the moment when the ink arrives on the recording medium, only the solvent system is formed. Since the particle component permeates the recording medium and remains on the upper part of the recording medium, the dots are formed stably regardless of the complicated fiber shape of the recording medium. It fills the irregularities and gaps of the fibers and acts as a kind of sealing material to improve the smoothness of the recording medium. Further, the particles are (1) instantly melted by the preheated recording medium and the direct heating from the recording apparatus main body, and are fixed on the fibers of the recording medium to form an image, or (2) recording is performed. Since the image can be formed by instantly destroying it by the pressure from the main body of the apparatus and fixing it on the fibers of the recording medium, or (3) the image can be formed by combining the above two fixing methods. An image with high smoothness on the medium can be provided, and glossiness, density, color development, high-contrast image, and bleeding when forming a color image can also be reduced. In addition, the wax component and the capsule component in the particles firmly adhere to the fibers of the recording medium by heat or pressure, and by wrapping the coloring component of the dye or pigment to avoid direct contact with the environment, Inkjet recording method that has the features of improving cockpit resistance, water resistance, light resistance, and fixing property, and further, when heating is used, the penetration of the solvent can be reduced as much as possible, which also helps reduce cockling. In addition, a recording device can be provided.
In this way, it was possible to improve all of the above objectives.

[0025]

The ink jet recording apparatus and the recording method of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Example 1 In this example, a recording apparatus and a recording method including a PTC heater for obtaining water resistant and high quality characters in monochrome printing using wax particles will be described.

(I) Main Body Configuration FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ink jet recording apparatus applied to the first embodiment. In the figure, a drive motor 5013
Driving force transmission gears 5011, 500
The carriage HC that engages with the spiral groove 5004 of the lead screw 5005 that rotates via 9 has a pin (not shown) and is reciprocated in the directions of arrows a and b. The carriage HC has an ink jet cartridge IJ.
C is installed. Reference numeral 5002 denotes a paper pressing plate, which is configured to press the paper against the heater unit 5030 that is also used as the platen 5000 in the carriage moving direction so that the heat printing can be performed. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 denote photocouplers, which are home position detecting means for confirming the presence of the carriage lever 5006 in this area and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013. 501
6 is a cap member 50 for capping the front surface of the recording head.
Reference numeral 5015 is a member for supporting the inside of the cap, and 5015 is a suction means for sucking inside the cap, and performs suction recovery of the recording head through the opening 5023 in the cap. Reference numeral 5017 is a cleaning blade, and 5019 is a member that allows this blade to move in the front-rear direction, and these are supported by a main body support plate 5018. Needless to say, a well-known cleaning blade can be applied to this example instead of this form.

Further, a lever (not shown) for starting suction for suction recovery moves along with the movement of the cam 5020 engaging with the carriage, and the driving force from the driving motor is transmitted in a known manner such as clutch switching. The movement is controlled by means.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that the desired processing can be performed at their corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005 when the carriage comes to the home position side area. Any of the present embodiments can be applied as long as the desired operation is performed at the timing.

Reference numeral 5030 denotes a PTC heater unit, which is used to heat the recording medium by contact, and is structured such that the recording medium is brought into close contact with the unit by a spur 5040 attached to a cover (not shown).

The ink jet cartridge in this example is
As can be seen from the perspective view of FIG. 2, the ink storage ratio is high, and the tip of the ink jet unit IJU slightly protrudes from the front surface of the ink tank. This inkjet cartridge IJC
Is a type that is fixedly supported by the above-mentioned positioning means of the carriage mounted on the main body of the inkjet recording apparatus and the electrical contacts, and is detachable from the carriage.

(Ii) Fixing Unit Configuration (PTC Heater Unit) An outline of the PTC heater unit 5030 used in this embodiment is shown in FIG. What is required of the heater unit is to have a simple structure in consideration of the assemblability of the recording apparatus and to improve safety. In addition, it is necessary to select the unit in consideration of the device cost, considering the adverse effects caused by the ink condition, the printing speed, the maximum ink ejection amount, and other behaviors of the ink on the recording medium. Since the unit of the present embodiment is a recording device for single-color printing, the unit was selected in consideration of lowering the melting point of wax particles to lower the temperature of the unit, downsizing, safety, cost and the like.
In addition, a plurality of PTC heaters are placed on the aluminum heat sink with high heat conduction (Fig. 3-A (a)), and the insulating plate is sandwiched between the common electrode plates for power distribution from above to adhere to the electrodes. 1,
2 the electrodes 1 ', 2'of each PTC heater (Fig. 3
-A (b)) is configured to supply power.

(Iii) Heater configuration The heater is a PTC (Positive Temper).
ature Coefficient Themis
A positive temperature coefficient thermistor) heater 5031 was used. FIG. 3- (B) shows a heater configuration. This heater is, for example, an oxide semiconductor ceramic containing barium titanate as a main component (made by TDK, etc.), and the temperature design has a switching temperature (rapid change temperature) arbitrarily depending on the material composition, and the electrical resistance from this temperature It has the property of increasing rapidly. Therefore, when a constant voltage is applied to the PTC heater, a current according to the initial resistance flows, the temperature starts to rise due to self-heating, and when the designed switching temperature is reached, the resistance rapidly increases and the current decreases. The temperature is kept constant. Since this heater is a ceramic sintered body, there is a limit to the size that can be created, and a plurality of heaters are combined and incorporated into the printer body as a unit. In this embodiment, the switching temperature is 200 ° C.
The element was used as a unit, and an insulated metal plate having a high thermal conductivity was uniformly attached to both surfaces of the PTC heater, and the surface temperature was designed to be about 150 ° C. Power consumption is about 60 on average except when inrush current occurs.
(W). As for the rise time of the heater, thermal design and control conditions are determined by a control means (not shown) so that the desired temperature is reached in about 1 minute.

(Iv) Sequence (algorithm) Next, the printing method will be described. Printing is performed using the following head and conditions. -Head configuration Resolution: 360 dpi Drive frequency: f = 6.25 (kHz) Nozzle total number: N = 128 Division block number: Nb = 16 (block) Drive condition: Single pulse drive P = 5.0 (μs) -Printing condition FAST printing: 1-pass bidirectional NORMAL printing: 2-pass bidirectional and 64 nozzle offset printing HIGH QUALITY printing: 4-pass unidirectional 32 nozzle offset printing-Fixing condition PTC heater surface temperature 200 ° C Heating temperature: Contact area temperature with recording medium 140 C-Sequence FIG. 4 shows a specific sequence of the printing method used in this embodiment. In step 1, for example, the signal from the host or the setting of the recording device surrounded by the broken line is read to determine the printing condition and the fixing condition. ((1: High speed
・ 2: Normal speed ・ 3: High qu
alyty ・ 4: Others) / (type of recording medium setting) /
Image information, etc.) In step 2, drive conditions (drive frequency / drive signal, etc.), printing method (multi-pass number / print mask / print data development / paper feed condition, etc.) / Fixing according to the print conditions determined in step 1 Conditions (heating start timing / heating temperature / waiting time, etc.) are determined, and each part of the recording apparatus is set to the above conditions. Step 3 is a sequence for performing the paper feeding operation of the recording medium. Step 4 is a process of developing an image into image data that is optimum for the printing conditions, and is determined by the mask pattern, the number of passes, and the like. In step 5, the fixing unit is driven so that the PTC heater is set to reach a required temperature before printing. Although not shown in the figure, the condition for properly operating the recording device is determined and the information is sent to step 6.
In step 6, it is determined whether to start printing according to steps 3 to 5 and other circumstances. In the case of yes, the drive of the recording head is started in step 7, and the recording operation is started. In the case of no, it is checked in step 8 whether there is any abnormality in the recording device or the like, and in the case of abnormality, the abnormality is displayed in step 9. If it is not abnormal, the printing operation is repeated again by another abnormality cancellation determination operation. Hereinafter, continuous printing or the like is performed by repeating the above 1 to 7.

(V) Paper Conveyance When the recording medium is heated by the contact-type heating unit as in the present invention, it is necessary to devise the paper conveyance. As shown in Figure 5,
When heating is performed by the PTC heater unit 5030 immediately below and including the front and rear of the print area, it is necessary to bring the recording medium into close contact with the unit. Therefore, for example, before and after the heating portion, the recording medium is firmly pressed against the unit by the holding plate 5002 and the spur 5040 to print. More preferably, it is desirable that suction is performed from the lower part in a state where holes are formed in some places of the unit to enhance the adhesion, or that the heater unit itself is devised to simultaneously perform heating and electrostatic attraction to enhance the adhesion. . If no measures are taken to prevent such a heating distribution from occurring, a temperature distribution due to poor adhesion will occur, and fixing failure and wax melting will not occur and the effect of the present invention will not be obtained.

(Vi) From Ejection to Fixing Phenomenon Next, the mechanism on the recording medium at the time of ink recording, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described in detail.

FIG. 6, which outlines the recording mechanism, is shown for reference. (1) Ink droplets ejected from the inkjet head land on the recording medium. At this time, the temperature (T
It is necessary to set h) below the melting temperature (Twax) of the wax particles. Therefore, the temperature of the flying ink drop: TINK
(T) (° C) is the head temperature: Th (° C) or less.
The ink drop temperature (Tink) at this time is the environmental temperature: TR
(° C.), flight distance (distance between head and paper): G (mm), discharge volume: Vd (pl), discharge speed: v (m / s), etc. (2) At the same time when the ink droplet lands on the recording medium, the spherical ink droplet (sphere diameter: d1 (μm)) is fluttered by the kinetic energy of the ink droplet itself: (Vd · ρ · v · v) / 2. It becomes a disk shape (disk diameter: d2 (μm)) and spreads. The temperature of the ink droplet at this time is TINK (t0)
And (3) The temperature of the recording medium when landed is Tp (Tp> T
wax). (4) When some time has passed since the ink droplets landed (a few hundreds (μs) to several (ms) per hour: different depending on the solvent composition of the ink), the contact angle between the ink droplet and the recording medium: θ decreases with time and begins to get wet. At this time, the temperature of the ink droplets starts to rise due to heat conduction from the recording medium. (5) The solvent component and the wax particle component in the ink begin to move in different behaviors (a few (m
s) to several (s): it depends on the solvent composition of the ink).
First, the solvent component begins to penetrate into the recording medium, and the wax particles tend to remain between the fibers on the upper portion of the recording medium.
At this time, the temperature of the solvent: TINK (solvent) begins to rise rapidly, and the permeation and evaporation are accelerated. In addition, the temperature of wax particles: TINK (particles) starts to rise in temperature with a slight delay. (6) In the permeation phenomenon of the above (5), different permeation behavior occurs in the plane direction and the depth direction of the recording medium. Permeation rate in the plane direction: vp and penetration rate in the depth direction vd are v
There is a relationship of p <vd. Therefore, the ink causes bleeding due to the permeation in the plane direction on the recording medium, and the dot diameter further expands. Wax particles move more markedly in the plane direction than in the depth direction. (7) The wax particle component rapidly receives the heat from the recording medium and rises rapidly until it finally exceeds the melting temperature of the wax and begins to melt the wax particles (the melting time at this time is almost determined by the particle size distribution of the wax). ). (8) When the melting of the wax is started, the molten wax is deformed so as to wrap the fibers around the fibers of the recording medium (however, this is different from the permeation phenomenon with a high speed like a solvent). (9) A solvent component (mainly a volatile component such as water) that has permeated mainly in the depth direction also actively evaporates and the recording medium dries. (10) When the printing portion is removed from the heating area, the temperature of the recording medium suddenly starts to drop, and the wax becomes solid at the same time when the temperature falls below the melting temperature. At this time, the wax is surely adhered to the fibers of the recording medium in a state of enclosing the dye, and the fixing is completed.

(Vii) Fixing effect (providing high-quality characters and water resistance) As described above, when the dispersed ink adheres to the recording medium,
Since the solvent and the particles coexist in a form where the functions are separated, only the solvent system penetrates into the recording medium at the moment when the ink reaches the recording medium, and the particle component remains on the upper portion of the recording medium, which causes a complicated recording medium. It is not affected by the fiber shape (from the results of the experiments by the inventors, the feathering that occurs between fibers of the recording medium is related to the problem that the liquid moves through a gap of about 0.1 to 1 (μm) between the fibers. It seems that the movement speed is slower for a space larger than this, rather, it is believed that the surface tension and viscosity of the ink and the influence of gravity are the main factors. Therefore, when the ink of the present invention is used, dots can be formed stably regardless of the influence of fibers, so that it is possible to form characters with less feathering, and the particles fill the irregularities and gaps of the fibers to form a kind of eyes. It serves as a stopper and improves the smoothness of the recording medium, and the particles are instantly melted by the preheated recording medium and the direct heating from the main body of the recording apparatus and fixed on the fibers of the recording medium. By doing so, an image is formed, and an image with high smoothness on a recording medium can be provided. Furthermore, glossiness, improved density, high-contrast images, and the wax component in the particles firmly adheres to the fibers of the recording medium, and by wrapping the dye, direct contact with the outside can be avoided. , It is possible to improve environmental resistance and improve water resistance and light resistance.

(Viii) Ink Composition / Wax Composition (Dye: Black Ink) As the ink used in this example, as shown in FIG. It is used by dispersing in the solvent as the main component. Details of the method for producing the ink will be described later. The melting temperature of the wax particles was about 60 (° C.), and the average particle diameter of the wax particles was about 0.5 (μm). Further, the weight% of the dye contained in the wax particles is usually 3 to 5 for the Bk ink.
%, The use of the present invention does not directly dissolve the dye in the solvent, so there is no fear of dye fixation, and it is possible to increase the dye concentration and provide a higher-density cut image. In this example, the dye concentration was set to 7% and mixed into the wax particles. Regarding the composition of the solvent, the composition used in the ordinary dispersion ink may be referred to. However, in the case of monochrome character-based printing as in the present embodiment, it is preferable to use a composition of a type that penetrates slowly into the recording material.

As a result of examination in the present invention, it has been found that the following conditions are preferable. The melting point of wax particles is
40 ° C or higher and 250 ° C or lower, preferably 60 ° C or higher and 200
℃ or less, the average particle size of the wax particles is 0.05
(Μm) or more and 2.0 (μm) or less, preferably 0.1
(Μm) or more and 1.0 (μm) or less. When the melting point of the wax particles is 40 ° C. or less, the ambient environment temperature and the temperature of the recording head easily reach this temperature, and the particle size becomes enlarged due to recombination in the ink during storage or printing. As a result, nozzle clogging and deterioration of ejection characteristics occur, which is not preferable. Further, when the temperature is 250 ° C. or higher, the temperature of the recording medium must be raised to above this temperature, the deformation of the recording medium or the yellowing of cellulose in the recording medium occurs, the safety of the heater unit and the rising time. It is not preferable because measures against high temperature such as increase in power consumption and power consumption are complicated. Further, in consideration of commercialization, it is preferable that the temperature is 60 ° C. or higher and 200 ° C. or lower against the above-mentioned adverse effects. When the average particle size of the wax particles is 0.05 (μm) or less, it is impossible to produce a stable particle size, the stability when dispersed in the ink is poor, and further If the size of the interstices between the fibers is smaller than this, it is not preferable because the effect of the present invention cannot be obtained because it has no effect as a stopper and permeates together with the solvent component. On the other hand, when the particle size is 2.0 (μm) or more, the particle size is large, and thus nozzle clogging and deterioration of ejection characteristics occur, which is not preferable. Further, in consideration of commercialization, it is preferable that the thickness is 0.1 (μm) or more and 1.0 (μm) or less against the above-mentioned adverse effects.

Example 2 In this example, in the case of color printing, water resistance, light resistance, and
A recording apparatus and a recording method including a pre-heater and a halogen heater for obtaining high color development (dye) will be described.

(I) Main Body Structure FIG. 8 shows a color ink jet recording apparatus adopting the driving method of the present invention. This apparatus is a full-color serial type printer having replaceable recording heads corresponding to four color inks of black (Bk), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). The head used in this printer has a resolution of 360 dpi and a drive frequency of 1
It has 128 discharge ports at 0.8 (kHz).

In FIG. 8, C is a tank / head integrated recording head cartridge corresponding to each ink of Bk, C, M and Y, and an ink tank storing the recording head and the ink for supplying the ink to the recording head. And are integrally formed. The recording head cartridge C is detachably attached to the carriage by a configuration (not shown). The carriage 3 is slidably engaged with the guide shaft 11, and is connected to a part of a drive belt 52 that is moved by a main scanning motor (not shown). As a result, the recording head cartridge C can be moved for scanning along the guide shaft 11. Reference numerals 15, 16 and 17, 18 denote conveyance rollers that extend substantially parallel to the guide shaft 11 on the back side and the front side in the drawing of the recording area scanned by the recording head cartridge C. Conveyor rollers 15 that also serve as preheat heating
6 and the conveyance rollers 17 and 18 are driven by a control circuit (not shown) and a sub-scanning motor to heat and convey the recording medium P. The conveyed recording medium P constitutes a recording surface facing the surface of the recording head cartridge C on which the ejection port surface is provided. Next, the recording medium P that has been conveyed is subjected to main heating by the infrared heater unit 500 from the lower surface side of the print in the platen portion, and the temperature of the recording medium is rapidly raised to the desired temperature. The infrared heater unit 500 includes a halogen heater 501 and a mesh-shaped platen 502 capable of preventing the recording medium from entering and efficiently heating the recording medium.
And a reflection plate 503 for collecting infrared rays on the recording medium side.
And a temperature sensor (thermistor) 504 (FIG. 9) (not shown) and a circuit 870 (FIG. 9) for controlling it.

When facing the movable area of the cartridge C adjacent to the recording area of the recording head cartridge C,
A recovery unit is provided. In the recovery system unit, 300 is a plurality of cartridges C having a recording head.
The cap units are provided corresponding to the above, and can be slid in the left and right direction in the drawing as the carriage 3 moves, and can be moved up and down in the up and down direction. When the carriage 3 is at the home position, the carriage 3 is joined to the recording head portion and capped. Further, in the recovery system unit, 401 and 402 are the first and second blades 403 as wiping members, respectively.
Is a blade cleaner made of, for example, an absorber for cleaning the first blade 401.

Further, 500 is a cap unit 300.
It is a pump unit for absorbing ink and the like from the ejection port of the recording head and its vicinity via the.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a structural example of a control system in the color ink jet recording apparatus.

Reference numeral 800 denotes a controller which constitutes a main control unit, and executes various sequences, for example, a CPU 801 in the form of a microcomputer, a ROM 803 storing programs and tables corresponding to the procedure, and other set values. , And a host device serving as a supply source of image data (may be a reader unit for image reading)
Is. Image data and other commands, status signals, etc. are transmitted / received to / from the controller via an interface (I / F) 812. 820 is a power switch 82
2, a switch group 824 for instructing the start of recording, a recovery switch 826 for instructing the start of recovery, and the like, which are a group of switches for receiving a command input by the operator. 83
Reference numeral 0 denotes a sensor group for detecting the state of the apparatus, such as a sensor 832 for detecting the position of the carriage 3 such as a home position sensor and a start position, and a sensor 834 including a leaf switch and used for detecting the pump position.

Reference numeral 840 is a head driver for driving the electrothermal converter of the recording head according to recording data and the like. Also, part of the head driver is the heater 30.
It is also used to drive A and 30B. Further, the temperature detection values from the temperature sensors 20A and 20B are input to the controller 800. 850 is a main scanning motor for moving the carriage 3 in the main scanning direction, and 852 is its driver. A sub-scanning motor 860 is used to convey the recording medium.

Reference numeral 870 is a heater control circuit for driving the halogen heater of the fixing unit according to recording data and the like. Further, the detected temperature value from the temperature sensor 504 is input to the controller 800 so as to achieve a desired stable temperature.

(Ii) Fixing Unit Structure FIG. 10 shows an outline of the halogen heater unit used in this embodiment. The structure of the halogen heater is shown in FIG. Since the unit of this embodiment is a recording apparatus for color printing using four colors (CMYK), the melting point of the wax particles was slightly raised, and the unit was selected in consideration of high temperature, high speed support and safety.

(Iii) Heater configuration The heater is a halogen heater 50 with a reflecting plate 503.
I used 1. This heater is, for example, manufactured by Ushio Inc., and the temperature is optionally incorporated as a unit by design. In this embodiment, the recording medium is unitized so that the surface temperature is 200 ° C., and the wavelengths are about 3 (μm) and about 6
It is devised so that the emission amount of far infrared rays in the vicinity of (μm) increases. The reason for selecting this wavelength is that it is matched with the absorption wavelength of water, which is the main component of the ink. The power consumption is about 200 (W) on average. As for the rise time of the heater, thermal design and control conditions are determined by a control means (not shown) so that the desired temperature is reached in about several seconds. The efficiency of the heating of the recording medium is increased by utilizing both the radiant heat and the convective heat and the heat conduction from the surrounding metal plate.

(Iv) Sequence (Algorithm) Next, the printing method will be described. Printing is performed using the following head. Head configuration Resolution: 360 dpi Drive frequency: f = 10.0 (kHz) Total number of nozzles: N = 128 Number of divided blocks: Nb = 16 (block) Drive condition: Double pulse drive (P1 / P2 / P3) =
(1/4/3) (μs) Printing conditions FAST printing: 1 pass bidirectional NORMAL printing: 2 pass bidirectional and 641 slip offset printing HIGH QUALITY printing: 4 pass unidirectional 32 nozzle offset printing sequence Used in this embodiment in FIG. The specific sequence of the printing method is shown below. In step 1, for example, a signal from a host or settings of a recording device surrounded by a wavy line is read to determine a printing condition and a fixing condition ((1: High speed).
d ・ 2: Normal speed ・ 3: High q
uality4: Other) / (setting of recording medium type)
/ Image information etc.). In step 2, drive conditions (drive frequency / drive signal, etc.), printing method (number of multi-pass / print mask / print data development / paper feed condition, etc.), and fixing conditions (ambient environment) according to the print conditions determined in step 1 (Temperature, humidity) / heating start timing / heating temperature / waiting time, etc. are determined and each part of the recording apparatus is set to the above conditions. Step 3 is a sequence for performing the paper feeding operation of the recording medium. Step 4 is a process of developing an image into image data that is optimum for the printing conditions, and is determined by the mask pattern, the number of passes, and the like. In step 5, a fixing unit including a preheat roller and a halogen heater is driven to set the recording medium to a required temperature before printing. Further, feedback control by a sensor is also performed so that the temperature of the recording medium is constant during printing. Although not shown in the figure, other conditions for properly operating the recording apparatus are determined, and step 6
Send navel information. In step 6, it is determined whether to start printing according to steps 3 to 5 and other circumstances. In the case of yes, in step 7, the drive of the recording head is started and the recording operation is started. In the case of no, in step 8, it is checked whether or not there is an abnormality in the recording device or the like, and in the case of abnormality, an abnormality is displayed in step 9. Also,
If it is not abnormal, the printing operation is repeated again by another abnormality cancellation determination operation.

Hereinafter, continuous printing or the like is performed by repeating the above steps 1 to 7.

(V) Paper Conveyance When the recording medium is heated by the contact type heating unit as in the present invention, it is necessary to devise the paper conveyance. As shown in Figure 13,
When heating by the preheat roller 16 and the halogen heater 501 including before and after the printing area, it is necessary to preheat the recording medium with the preheat roller or the like to enhance the heating efficiency by the halogen heater. This is because the temperature rise rate of the recording medium by the halogen heater is about 1
Since it is about 0 to 20 ° C./second, it is necessary to preheat or apply infrared rays early by a mesh structure before the printing area.
Further, in order to efficiently absorb the infrared rays from the halogen heater in the recording medium, it is necessary to make a substantial projected area and it is necessary to prevent the recording medium from entering the heater unit. Therefore, the mesh structure is optimal. Further, in order to prevent the water vapor generated from the ink from adhering to the recording head portion, it is desirable to provide a mechanism for generating a flow of air and discharging the water vapor out of the apparatus.

(Vi) From Ejection to Fixing Phenomenon Next, the recording mechanism on the recording medium at the time of ink recording, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described in detail. Outline is Example 1
Since it is almost the same as the above, the bleeding reduction effect, color development improvement, and cockling reduction during color recording will be described. FIG. 14 explaining the outline of the main recording mechanism.
Is shown for reference. (1) The temperature of the recording medium when landed is Tp (Tp> T
wax). (2) Immediately after ink droplets land (several hundred (μ
(s) to several (ms): Depends on the ink solvent composition)
In addition, the contact angle θ between the ink droplet of the recording medium and the ink decreases with time and begins to get wet. At this time, the temperature of the ink droplet is efficiently heated by the heat conduction from the recording medium and the radiant heating due to the infrared absorption of water, and the temperature of the ink droplet starts to rise rapidly. In the case where the heads are arranged side by side for color recording as in the present embodiment, for example, when a secondary color such as R / G / B is formed, color development is performed by subtractive color mixture using C / M / Y. Therefore, the combination of R is (M + Y), G is (C + Y), and B is (C + M), and the amount of ejected ink per unit pixel is doubled as compared with the primary color. In addition, the secondary colors are ejected one after another with a moving time of the head interval. (3) The ink contains a solvent component of a type that rapidly penetrates into the recording medium and a wax particle component that is left on the upper surface of the recording medium. Several (ms) to several (s): it depends on the solvent composition of the ink). First, rapid penetration of the solvent component into the recording medium and rapid evaporation of water due to heating occur. At this time, if the heating condition is controlled so that the evaporation amount is larger than the permeation rate, the shrinkage of the fiber which is caused by the water soaking into the recording medium does not occur,
It is possible to reduce cockling (waviness phenomenon) of the recording medium. Therefore, the wax particles tend to stay between the fibers at the top of the recording medium between the penetration and evaporation. At this time, the temperature of the solvent: TINK (solvent) further rises and the evaporation is accelerated. In addition, the temperature of wax particles: TINK (particles) starts to rise with a slight delay. (4) In the permeation phenomenon of (3) above, different permeation behavior occurs in the plane direction and the depth direction of the recording medium. Permeation rate in the plane direction: vp and penetration rate in the depth direction: vd is vp
<Vd relationship exists. Also, when forming a boundary between secondary colors, for example, at the boundary between B and R, C / M /
None and None / M / Y consecutively and at the same time to adjacent pixels (depending on the head interval and recording speed, the time interval for imprinting another color is approximately several tens to several hundreds (ms).
Is). At this time, if heating is not performed, a different color boundary is formed before the ink absorption is completed, and due to the various factors described above, the inks are mixed with each other to cause bleeding (ink bleeding phenomenon). Therefore, when rapid heating is used as in the present invention, the ink reduces the bleeding due to the penetration in the plane direction on the recording medium and further reduces the penetration in the depth direction due to the evaporation, so that the entire ink component is applied to the upper part of the recording medium. It acts to leave it, and in combination with the effect of the wax ink, the density is improved and the color developability is also improved.

(Vii) Fixing Effect The wax particles are instantly melted by the heat of the recording medium and the direct heating from the heater unit and can be fixed on the fibers of the recording medium to form an image. In addition to the effect, color development can be improved and bleeding can be reduced when forming a color image, and the penetration of solvent can be reduced as much as possible by high temperature heating, so cockling can be performed even when recording a large amount of color. Can be reduced.

(Viii) Ink Composition / Wax Composition The ink used in this example is prepared by mixing wax particles with a pigment (FIG. 7- (3)) in a solvent containing water as a main component. It is dispersed in. The melting temperature of the wax particles was about 100 (° C.), and the average particle diameter of the wax particles was about 0.8 (μm). Further, the weight% of the pigment contained in the wax particles is usually 3 to 5% in the Bk ink.
However, according to the present invention, since the pigment is not directly dissolved in the solvent, there is no fear of pigment sticking, and it is possible to increase the pigment concentration and provide a sharp image having a higher concentration. In this example, the pigment concentration was set to 7% and mixed into the wax particles. Regarding the composition of the solvent, the composition used in the ordinary dispersion ink may be referred to. However, in the case of printing in which color and image characters are mixed as in the present embodiment, a composition of a type that has a fast penetration into the recording material is preferable.

Example 3 In this example, a recording apparatus including a digital color copying machine and a recording method for achieving gloss treatment and surf fixing (sandwich) in the case of color printing using capsule wax particles will be described.

(I) Main Unit Configuration FIG. 15 shows a block diagram of the processing flow of the main unit configuration. Here, 1001 is a recording head of the recording unit of the copying machine, and the recording head is composed of multiple nozzles.
In this embodiment, C / M / Y / K based on the serial recording method is used.
Color recording is possible by using the four recording heads. Reference numeral 1003 denotes a unit for scanning the recording medium (recording material) 1002 with the recording head, and 1040 conveys the recording medium 1002. Reference numeral 1014 is a document reading unit, and 1020 is a unit for processing the read image.
Here, it has a light source (halogen lamp) that irradiates a document (printed matter or a pattern printed on a recording medium) with light, and a reading unit (lens, CCD sensor, and R / G / B filter) that reads the reflected light. . Reference numeral 1015 denotes a print control unit, which controls the print head and other print-related controls by a CPU (microcomputer) and a GA (gate array).

(Ii) Fixing Unit and Heater Configuration An outline of the pressure fixing unit used in this embodiment is shown in FIG.
It shows in (b). The unit is composed of a heating roller having a ceramic heater built in the heater and a pressure roller for driving the heating roller. In this example, the recording medium was unitized so that the surface temperature was 150 ° C. The power consumption is about 100 (W) on average. As for the rise time of the heater, the thermal design and control conditions are determined by a control means (not shown) so that the desired temperature is reached in about several seconds. The efficiency of heating the recording medium is improved by using heat conduction from both upper and lower surfaces. The roller type heating unit may have a structure as shown in FIG. 16- (a) in which a halogen heater is mounted.

(Iii) Sequence (Algorithm) FIG. 17 shows a specific sequence used in this embodiment.
In step 1, the setting of the copying apparatus surrounded by the dotted line is read to determine the printing condition and the fixing condition ((glossing process condition) / (recording medium type setting) / image information etc.). In step 2, drive conditions (ejection amount, etc.), image processing conditions, fixing conditions (environmental conditions / heating start timing / heating temperature / weight time, etc.) are determined according to the printing conditions determined in step 1, and the recording device Each part is set to the above conditions. Step 3 is a sequence for performing the paper feeding operation of the recording medium. Step 4 is a process of developing an image into image data that is optimum for the printing conditions, and is determined by the mask pattern, the number of passes, and the like. In step 5, the pressure type heat fixing unit is driven, preheated and kept warm before printing, and ink is set on the recording medium after printing so that the ink can be fixed and gloss treated. Although not shown in the figure, the condition for properly operating the recording device is determined and the information is sent to step 6. In step 6, it is determined whether to start printing according to steps 3 to 5 and other circumstances. In the case of yes, in step 7, the drive of the recording head is started and the recording operation is started. In the case of no, in step 8, it is checked whether or not there is an abnormality in the recording device or the like, and in the case of abnormality, an abnormality is displayed in step 9. If it is not abnormal, the printing operation is repeated again by another abnormality cancellation determination operation. Hereinafter, continuous printing or the like is performed by repeating the above 1 to 7.

(Iv) Paper Conveyance When the recording medium is heated by the pressure contact type heating unit as in the present invention, it is necessary to devise the paper conveyance. The fixing unit used in the present invention is an improved one used in the electrophotographic system. As shown in FIG. 18A, in the process in which the recording medium is conveyed by being sandwiched between the pressure roller and the heating roller, first, the tip is not bent at the time of entry, and the vibration is performed so that the image does not change. It is important not to give. Also, it is necessary to optimize the conditions because pressure medium heating may cause deformation (curl) of the recording medium due to the relationship between the nip width that sandwiches the recording medium, the pressure, the transport speed, and the temperature when heating on one side. Becomes Further, even when the recording medium comes out of the pressurizing unit, the recording medium may wrap around without being detached from the roller. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the curvature of the roller and the separation claw. 18-
As shown in (b), it is desirable to provide a mechanism for discharging the water vapor generated from the recording medium to the outside of the machine.

(V) From Ejection to Fixing Phenomenon Next, the mechanism on the recording medium at the time of ink recording, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described in detail. Since the outline is almost the same as that of the first embodiment, the glossing process at the time of color recording will be described. The outline of the main recording mechanism will be described. (1) Up to the phenomenon in which the ink is ejected, adheres to the recording medium, and penetrates into the recording medium, it is the same as in normal inkjet recording. (2) When the recording medium on which the ink has been ejected is conveyed and passes through the pressure type heat fixing device, the wax particles remaining on the surface smooth the uneven surface due to the heat from the heating roller and the pressure between the rollers. By doing so, heat fixing causes strong adhesion to the fibers of the recording medium to generate weather resistance and a glossy feeling. This is because the surface of the recording medium is smoothed so that total reflection of light is likely to occur and a glossy feeling is produced. At this time, the smoothing process is performed stably by increasing the wax component ratio as compared with the normal wax ink. However, at this time, it is important to control so that the ink stain due to pressure and the evaporation and melting due to heat do not disturb the recorded image.

(Vi) Fixing Effect The capsule wax particles instantly destroy and melt the heat from the sheet heating element through the semipermeable membrane film by both the heat of the heat roller and the pressure of the pressure roller. In the process of fixing to the fibers of the recording medium, the smoothing process by the pressure roller deforms and smoothes the irregularities of the original recording medium by the capsule wax particles, improving the surface condition and reflecting the light. Occurs easily and a glossy feeling occurs. In addition, in order to help the evaporation of water at this time, it is devised so that water vapor can escape from the film surface. Therefore, in addition to the effects of Examples 1 and 2, it was possible to enhance the contrast of a color image and perform gloss treatment during color recording, which was not possible with inkjet recording on plain paper.

(Vii) Ink Composition / Wax Composition The ink used in this example has a structure as shown in FIG. The structure uses capsule wax particles in which pigment ink is enclosed and dispersed in a solvent containing water as a main component. The capsule may be of a type that breaks with pressure or a type that melts with heat. The melt viscosity of the capsule wax particles was about 80 (° C.), and the average particle diameter of the wax particles was about 1.0 (μm). Furthermore, in order to efficiently perform smoothing processing that gives the recording material a glossy feeling,
The wax component ratio in the wax particles is also increasing. The weight% of the pigment contained in the wax particles is usually Bk.
In the case of the ink, it is 3 to 5%, but when the present invention is used, the pigment is not directly dissolved in the solvent, so that there is no fear of pigment sticking, and the pigment concentration and the ink viscosity are increased to provide an image with higher density it can. In this embodiment, the pigment concentration is 6
% Ink was encapsulated in capsule wax particles. Regarding the composition of the solvent, the composition used in the ordinary dispersion ink may be referred to. However, in the case of printing in which color and image characters are mixed as in the present embodiment, a composition of a type that has a fast penetration into the recording material is preferable.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, the ink composition, the wax type, the ink manufacturing method, and the fixing device will be additionally described below.

As a method for producing the ink used in the present invention, 90 g of p-toluenesulfonamide is melted and liquefied at 140 ° C., and C. 10 g of I Solvent Black 3 (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.) was mixed and dissolved. On the other hand, temperature 8
Nonionic surfactant BL-9EX in 300 g of water at 0 ° C
(Nikko Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 4 g and sodium carbonate 5 g were dissolved, and the above coloring liquid was gradually added thereto, and the mixture was emulsified and dispersed under the condition of an output of 200 W for 10 minutes using an ultrasonic disperser manufactured by Branson. Cooled to 20 ° C. 20 to this
% Ethylene glycol aqueous solution 100 g was added and stirred for 3 hours. 80 g of this coloring-containing particle liquid was added, 20 g of diethylene glycol was added, and the mixture was further stirred for 3 hours to obtain an ink used in this example. It is possible to add another water-soluble organic solvent, a pH adjusting agent, a surfactant, an antiseptic agent and the like to the ink to obtain an ink having desired physical property values.

The low melting point compound-dispersed ink (wax ink) in the ink thus prepared had a particle size distribution centered at about 0.3 (μm). Viscosity is 4.2
(Cps), the surface tension was 40 (dyn / cm), and the melting point of the compound was about 120 ° C., which showed a sharp melting phenomenon.

As another ink form, for example, 100 g of carnauba wax is melted at 100 ° C., and C. I Solvent Red 24 (Orient Chemical) 2
Dissolve 0 g or use ethylene bis-stearyl amide 1
00g and C.I. It is possible to use 10 g of I Solvent Blue 14 (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.), use 10 g of ultraviolet absorber 2.4-dihydroxybenzophenoin together with the dye, or use 10 g of antioxidant Irganox565 together with the dye. . As the dye species, almost any commercially available dye can be used. This method is water resistant,
Even dyes that have no light resistance can be used, and the color reproduction range is expanded and safety (such as food dyes can be used) is increased.
A pigment may be used in addition to the dye. When a pigment is used, it is lightfast enough to be used outdoors during color recording,
Water resistance is increased.

Structure of Fixing Device In the present invention, the existing heat fixing system is used, but safety and desired performance are satisfied as an image forming apparatus such as heating using microwaves and local heating using semiconductor lasers. Any heating device may be used. However, the heating condition is that the temperature of the recording medium is 50 ° C. to 250 ° C.
The ink temperature is preferably 70 ° C. to 200 ° C., and the ink temperature is preferably 60 ° C. or higher. If the temperature is below the above temperature range, the melting point of the selected wax component must be lowered, and a lump that grows due to repeated dissolution and precipitation during storage of the ink is generated, causing nozzle clogging. On the other hand, if the temperature is above the temperature range, the recording medium will turn yellow and distortion due to abrupt heating will occur, which will cause cockling, and the deviation from the ideal landing position will disturb the image.

[0071]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, a dye or pigment is kneaded in wax particles which are melted by heating, or the same dye or pigment is encapsulated in capsule particles which can be easily broken by pressure. A method for forming an image on a recording medium by an inkjet recording head using a dispersion ink in which capsule particles and the like are dispersed in water, a solvent, and an additive, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is capable of at least heat fixing or pressure fixing. Have either.

According to the above construction, since the solvent and the particles coexist in a form of functionally separated when the dispersed ink adheres to the recording medium, only the solvent type recording medium is present at the moment when the ink reaches the recording medium. Permeation into the recording medium, the particle component remains on the upper part of the recording medium, and stable dot formation is performed regardless of the complicated fiber shape of the recording medium. Fills the irregularities and gaps of the recording medium and serves as a kind of sealing material to improve the smoothness of the recording medium, and the particles are instantaneously heated by the recording medium preheated and the direct heating from the recording apparatus main body. An image is formed by melting and fixing to the fibers of the recording medium to form an image, or an image is formed by instantaneously breaking and fixing to the fibers of the recording medium by the pressure from the main body of the recording apparatus, or the above two fixings. method Since it is possible to form images by combining them, it is possible to provide images with a high degree of smoothness on the recording medium, and to improve glossiness, density, color development, high contrast images, and color images. The bleeding when forming can also be reduced, and the wax component and capsule component in the particles adhere strongly to the fibers of the recording medium due to heat or pressure, and by encapsulating the coloring component of the dye or pigment, By avoiding direct contact with, it improves environmental resistance, water resistance, light resistance, and fixing property. Furthermore, when heating is used, the penetration of solvent can be reduced as much as possible, so it also reduces cockling. Since it is possible to provide an inkjet recording method and a recording apparatus having features such as being useful, it is possible to improve all of the above-mentioned respective objects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an inkjet recording apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an ink cartridge.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configurations of a PTC heater unit and PTC.

FIG. 4 is a chart illustrating a sequence of a printing method.

FIG. 5 is a schematic enlarged view illustrating a heating recording unit.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a recording mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of ink.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a color inkjet recording apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a control circuit configuration of the recording apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a halogen heater unit.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a halogen heater.

FIG. 12 is a chart illustrating a sequence of a printing method.

FIG. 13 is a schematic enlarged view illustrating a heating recording unit.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a recording mechanism.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a digital color copying and recording apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a fixing unit.

FIG. 17 is a chart illustrating a sequence of a printing method.

FIG. 18 is a schematic enlarged view illustrating a glossing processing section by a pressure heat fixing unit.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of capsule wax particles.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,1 ', 2,2' Electrode 3 Carriage 11 Guide shaft 15,16,17,18 Conveying roller 20A, 20B Temperature sensor 30A, 30B Heater 52 Drive belt 300 Cap unit 401 First blade 402 Second blade 403 Blade cleaner 500 Heater unit 501 Halogen heater 502 Platen 503 Reflector 504 Temperature sensor 505 Preheater 506 Presser roller 800 Controller 801 CPU 803 ROM 812 Interface 820 Switch group 830 Sensor group 840 Head driver 850 Main scanning motor 852 Motor driver 860 Sub scanning motor 870 Heater control circuit 1001 Recording head 1002 Recording medium 1003 Head scanning means 1014 Reading means 1015 Printing control means 1020 Image processing means 5000 Platen 5001 Heater unit 5002 Paper holding plate 5004 Spiral groove 5005 Lead screw 5006, 5012 Lever 5007, 5008 Photo coupler 5011, 5099 Drive transmission gear 5013 Drive motor 5015 Suction means 5016 Support member 5017 Cleaning blade 5018 Main body support plate 5019 Member 5020 Cam 5022 Cap member 5030 PTC heater unit 5031 PTC heater 5040 Spur

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location B41J 29/00 C09D 11/00 PSZ B41J 3/04 103 S 29/00 GH (72) Inventor Shigetasu Nagoshi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording method for forming an image on a recording medium by using a dispersion ink in which wax particles composed of a low melting point compound mixed with a color former are dispersed in water, a solvent and an additive. An ink jet recording method, wherein recording is performed with ink when at least a printing surface side of a recording medium has a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than a melting point of the wax particles. 2. The inkjet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the melting point of the wax particles is 40 ° C. or higher and 250 ° C. or lower. 3. The average particle size of the wax particles is 0.0
The inkjet recording method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thickness is 5 μm or more and 2.0 μm or less. 4. An ink jet recording method for forming an image on a recording medium by using a dispersion ink in which wax particles composed of a low melting point compound mixed with a color former are dispersed in water, a solvent and an additive. Inkjet recording characterized by performing recording with ink at least on the printing surface side of the recording medium at a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the wax particles, and applying pressure before the wax particles solidify to perform smoothing treatment. Method. 5. An ink jet recording method for forming an image on a recording medium using a dispersion ink in which capsule particles composed of a low melting point compound mixed with a color former are dispersed in water, a solvent and additives. An ink jet recording method, wherein recording is performed with ink at least at a printing surface side of a recording medium at a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the capsule particles. 6. An ink jet recording method for forming an image on a recording medium using a dispersion ink in which capsule particles composed of a low melting point compound mixed with a color former are dispersed in water, a solvent and additives. With the ink, at least the printing surface side of the recording medium is recorded at a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the capsule particles,
In addition, an inkjet recording method is characterized in that the capsule particles are destroyed by pressure fixing after recording to form an image. 7. An ink jet recording apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium by using a dispersed ink in which wax particles composed of a low melting point compound mixed with a color former are dispersed in water, a solvent and an additive, wherein the wax particles are used. Has a melting point of 4
The temperature is 0 ° C. or higher and 250 ° C. or lower, the average particle size is 0.05 μm or more and 2.0 μm or less, and at the time of recording with the ink, at least the printing surface side of the recording medium is heated and fixed to a predetermined temperature of the melting point of the wax particles or more An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a means. 8. An ink jet recording apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium using a dispersion ink in which capsule particles composed of a low melting point compound mixed with a color former are dispersed in water, a solvent and additives. Has a melting point of 4
The temperature is 0 ° C. or higher and 250 ° C. or lower, the average particle size is 0.05 μm or more and 2.0 μm or less, and at the time of recording with the ink, at least the printing surface side of the recording medium is heated and fixed to a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the capsule particles. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a means. 9. An ink jet recording apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium using a dispersion ink in which capsule particles composed of a low melting point compound mixed with a color former are dispersed in water, a solvent and additives. Has a melting point of 4
The pressure fixing means capable of destroying the capsule particles at the time of recording with the ink and having at least the printing surface side of the recording medium is 0 ° C. to 250 ° C. An ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a heating and fixing unit that sets a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the capsule particles.