JP2002210940A - Method of ink jet recording - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of ink jet recording capable of obtaining a printed material having an image with high quality such as, superior weatherability, good image density or high glossiness like a silver halide photography. SOLUTION: An ink jet recording medium 1 includes, as an uppermost surface layer, an ink receiving layer of a porous material layer having two components as essential components of a water-dispersed resin A of which at least the lowest film-forming temperature is not less than 50 deg.C and a water-dispersed resin B of which the lowest film-forming temperature is not less than 0 deg.C. A recorder comprises ink jet heads 12a-12d having nozzles for ejecting ink to the recording medium 1, a recording medium holding means and two scanning means relatively moving in two directions. The recording is performed by ejecting the ink by the scanning in the two directions, and then the ink jet recording medium is heated by a heating/fixing means 40 which is provided on a frame 19 for supporting a carriage 10 having the ink jet heads 12a-12d mounted thereon at a portion opposite to the ink jet heads 12a-12d.

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 for performing recording using an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging liquid ink onto a recording medium suitably used for ink jet recording.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet recording methods include various ink discharge methods, for example, an electrostatic suction method, a method of applying mechanical vibration or displacement to ink using a piezoelectric element, and heating and bubbling ink to utilize the pressure. In this method, small droplets of ink are generated and fly by a method such as a method, and a part or all of them are attached to a recording material such as paper or a plastic film coated with an ink receiving layer to perform recording. It has attracted attention as a method that can generate high-speed and multi-color printing with less noise,
It has been deployed in information devices such as copiers, word processors, faxes, plotters, etc., and is rapidly spreading.

In recent years, high-performance digital cameras, digital videos, and scanners have been provided at low cost, and in conjunction with the spread of personal computers, there has been an opportunity to output image information obtained therefrom by an ink jet recording system. Is increasing. For this reason, there is a demand for an image output by an ink jet method which is comparable to silver halide photographs and multicolor printing of a plate making method.

For this purpose, recording apparatuses and recording methods have been improved, such as high-speed recording, high-definition recording, full-color recording, and the like, but advanced characteristics are also required for recording media. Was.

[0005] In addition, there has been an increasing demand for a recording medium which is capable of producing a printed material having gloss and excellent weather resistance.

Various proposals have been made for such a request. For example, JP-A-59-22683 discloses a method for obtaining a glossy print sheet with good ink absorption.
It is described that two or more kinds of thermoplastic resins having different minimum film forming temperatures are applied to a substrate surface, dried and formed into a film to cause cracks on the surface.

Further, JP-A-59-222381, JP-A-6-55870, JP-A-7-237348 and JP-A-8-2090 disclose a method for improving the water resistance and weather resistance of an image. A layer containing a water-dispersible resin is provided on the surface of the pigment layer, and dried at a temperature equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the thermoplastic resin to form a recording medium. After printing, the surface layer is formed into a film. It is described.

[0008] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-099457 discloses that
A recording medium in which a layer holding aqueous resin particles is provided in a continuous layer of a binder in order to improve ink fixability and the like is described.

Further, JP-A-62-280067 discloses a recording material having a melting temperature of 50 ° C. or higher.
JP-A-2-1407878 discloses a recording material having a layer mainly composed of resin particles and a binder.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-140879 discloses a recording material having a layer mainly composed of non-dying particles and a binder. A recording material including a layer is described.

Further, conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging liquid ink has been known.

Incidentally, there are roughly two types of ink jet recording apparatuses. The first is a serial scan type recording apparatus that performs recording by scanning with a carriage equipped with an ink jet head. The second is to fix a line type ink jet head having ejection nozzles for the width of the paper, and directly below the head. This is a line type recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging while feeding paper.

In recent years, in a serial scan type recording apparatus, there is a tendency to increase the length of a nozzle row from 0.5 inch to 1 inch and reduce the number of carriage scans per sheet to increase the speed of recording. Can be seen.

[0013] 300 nozzles at 1/600 inch pitch
Ink jet heads and the like in which the number of pieces is from 600 to 600 are being put to practical use.

A so-called flatbed type scanner for reading an image by placing a document on a document table is widely used.

The read image is taken into a host computer, processed and edited and output to another recording device, or a preformatted paper typified by a slip is read, and data such as numerals are placed in the correct position of the preformatted paper. A typical use is to input and output.

[0016]

However, the above conventional example has the following disadvantages.

The printing sheet disclosed in JP-A-59-22683 is insufficient in abrasion resistance because very fine cracks are generated on the surface thereof.
The recording medium disclosed in -222381 and the like,
Due to the heat treatment at Tg or less, the adhesion between the base material and the particles is insufficient, and the surface layer containing the water-dispersible resin is not sufficiently abrasion-resistant, so that the surface layer is easily scratched. Thereafter, there is a problem that a uniform film is not always obtained when the film is transparentized by heating, and it is difficult to obtain a high-quality image.

The recording medium disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-099457 is excellent in abrasion property because aqueous resin particles are held in a continuous film of a binder, but has a recent printing speed. However, there is a problem that the disclosed ink absorbing property of the recording medium cannot sufficiently cope with the high speed.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-280067,
JP-A-62-140878, JP-A-62-271
No. 785, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-140879, etc., have a photographic quality in which the rubbing strength of the recording surface, the sharpness of the image, and the glossiness of the surface are extremely high, which have been recently described. Is not always satisfactory.

Since the serial scan type recording apparatus forms an image by repeating the carriage scan, a seam in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction is inevitably generated. For example, when a vertical ruled line is printed, the line may shift left and right at the joint, and the line may be jagged without being connected. There are two causes. One is a case where a difference in the speed of the carriage occurs between the first scan and the next scan, and the landing position of the ejected ink on the paper shifts. The second is that the nozzle row of the head is not fixed at a right angle inside the carriage with respect to the carriage scanning direction, and the ruled line goes obliquely due to the carriage itself being inclined at the time of carriage scanning (FIG. 7). It is.

In practice, the former case is rare. Even if the speed unevenness exists, the degree of the speed unevenness hardly changes between the first scan and the second scan.

On the other hand, as the number of nozzles increases, the frequency of occurrence of the latter increases.

The angle of the head fixed inside the carriage is deviated from a correct position due to variations in the shape of the carriage and variations in the head shape. This shift appears as an inclination of the nozzle row. As the number of nozzles increases, L in FIG. 7 becomes longer, and due to a slight angle shift, the degree of jaggedness when a vertical ruled line is printed becomes severe. It becomes unsightly.

In color recording, the color tone changes in accordance with the amount of displacement between the landing positions of a certain color ink and another color ink.

Therefore, in the case of heads arranged side by side, if the mounting angle of each head is different, the difference in the landing position between the one end side and the other side of the nozzle row will occur, and the color tone will change. The image will be uneven.

As described above, the serial scan type recording apparatus forms an image by repeating carriage scanning and paper feeding. Poor paper feed accuracy has an adverse effect on images. That is, when the feed is shorter than the length of the nozzle row, the density becomes high due to the overlap of the images, and the image becomes a black stripe,
If the feed is long, white streaks will occur. In order to prevent this, so-called multi-pass printing, in which an image is formed by feeding the nozzle array by half or １ ／, is known.
There is a serious drawback that the nozzle length cannot be fully utilized and the throughput decreases.

Further, in order to suppress the image deterioration in one pass to the extent that it cannot be visually discriminated, it is necessary to secure the sheet feeding accuracy to about ± 15 μm. For this reason, the run-out of the paper feed roller is reduced, the surface is specially coated to increase the friction coefficient of the paper feed roller, a motor with high rotation accuracy is used, However, there is a drawback that the cost of parts increases in various aspects, such as the need for a gear having a high degree of accuracy as the gear for transmitting the drive.

When drawing a vertical ruled line as shown in FIG. 7 with a serial scan type recording apparatus, it is necessary to repeat carriage scan many times. In order to eliminate unevenness in the speed of the carriage and perform printing with high ink landing accuracy, the carriage reaches a constant speed after an acceleration period, discharges at this constant speed, and is controlled to stop and reverse after a deceleration period. .

As the number of scans increases, the total of the acceleration / deceleration times increases, and the recording time per page increases. In addition, when performing color printing with a horizontally arranged head, it is necessary to add the total scanning distance of the pitch of the head row to the case of black monochromatic printing,
As the pitch increases, the total scanning distance per page increases, and the recording time increases.

Although the line type recording apparatus does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages, in the case of an apparatus that feeds paper in A4 lengthwise, it is necessary to arrange approximately 5000 nozzles at a pitch of 1/600 inch, which leads to a reduction in manufacturing yield. Therefore, the cost of the ink jet head increases. In particular, in the case of a color recording apparatus, it is necessary to arrange heads corresponding to a plurality of colors such as black, cyan, magenta, and yellow in parallel, which further increases the cost.

Further, as the head becomes larger, a cap mechanism for preventing drying of the nozzles and an ink suction mechanism for recovering from clogging of the nozzles also become larger, which makes it difficult to reduce the cost and size of the apparatus as a whole. .

A disadvantage common to the serial type and line type recording apparatuses is that the type of recording medium is limited. In the case of a serial recording device, a recording medium holding unit (platen) facing the orifice surface of the inkjet head
Is printed in a state where a part of the recording medium is sandwiched between the roller pair or the roller and the spur. The path of the recording medium formed by these rollers and guides is usually not a perfect straight line but a curved line or a broken line. Therefore, 1
mm or more recording media such as CD-ROM and extremely hard cardboard paper cannot pass through the path,
Therefore, recording is not possible. Although some devices have a manual feed opening so that recording can be performed on these recording media, some disadvantages remain such that the recording medium is broken or curled. In addition, the recording medium with a glossy surface has a low frictional force with the roller, and the roller runs idle and cannot feed the recording medium. Had the disadvantage of doing so.

As described above, in order to output the image after processing it, it is necessary to prepare a scanner and a recording device in addition to the host computer, and there is a disadvantage that a large installation area is required. Was. In addition, since the flatbed scanner cannot perform automatic document feeding, the user has to place the documents one by one, and there is a drawback that operability is poor when reading a large number of sheets.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to obtain a printed matter having excellent weather resistance, high image density and gloss, and having a high quality image comparable to a silver halide photograph. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording method capable of performing the above.

[0035]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ink jet recording medium having an ink receiving layer provided on a base material, wherein the ink receiving layer comprises at least two layers, and the outermost layer has at least two layers. Minimum film formation temperature is 50
Ink is ejected onto an inkjet recording medium having an ink receiving layer which is a porous layer containing two components, a water-dispersible resin A having a temperature of at least 0 ° C. and a water-dispersible resin B having a minimum film-forming temperature of at least 0 ° C. An ink-jet head having a nozzle to perform printing, a recording medium holding means for holding a recording medium at a position opposed to an orifice surface of the ink-jet head, and an ink jet head and the recording medium holding means which intersect at right angles along the surface of the recording medium. Moving in two directions 2
It has two scanning units, performs recording by discharging ink while scanning by the two scanning units, and is provided at a position opposite to the inkjet head on a frame supporting a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted. The printed matter is obtained by heating the ink jet recording medium with a heat fixing device.

[0036]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the ink jet recording medium used in the present invention will be described.

The recording medium used in the method of the present invention is an ink jet recording medium in which an ink receiving layer is provided on a base material, the ink receiving layer is composed of at least two layers, and the outermost layer has at least a minimum film forming temperature of 50 ° C. A porous layer containing two components of the above water-dispersible resin A and a water-dispersible resin B having a minimum film-forming temperature of 0 ° C. or higher as an essential component. Reaching the porous layer containing the pigment having, forming an image thereon, and after printing, making the outermost porous layer non-porous, thereby printing with excellent image gloss, print quality and weather resistance Get things. Since the recording medium has the above-mentioned specific porous layer, it is excellent in scratch resistance and ink absorption.

In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ink receiving layer has at least two layers, the outermost layer is a porous layer containing water-dispersible resins A and B, and the lower layer is a porous layer mainly composed of a pigment. It is provided with a layer.

The lower layer constituting the ink receiving layer is a layer on which an image is formed by absorbing the ink applied to the porous layer containing the water-dispersible resins A and B as the outermost layer.

Examples of the pigment used include silica, calcium carbonate, and alumina hydrate. Among them, alumina hydrate is particularly preferable from the viewpoints of dye fixing property and transparency.

The alumina hydrate can be produced by a known method such as hydrolysis of aluminum alkoxide and hydrolysis of sodium aluminate. The shape may be cilia-like, needle-like, plate-like, spindle-like, or the like, and may or may not have orientation. However, when non-oriented alumina hydrate is used, there is an advantage that even if the layer containing alumina hydrate is relatively thin, ink absorption is excellent and occurrence of beading can be suppressed.

The presence / absence of the orientation can be confirmed by the following method when the ink receiving layer is formed.

That is, a cross section in the thickness direction of the ink receiving layer is exposed, and a transmission diffraction pattern when an electron beam is incident on a part of the ink receiving layer in the cross section is obtained from a ring-shaped diffraction image in which concentric circles are arranged. That is, the presence or absence of the orientation can be confirmed based on whether or not the diffraction intensity variation value δ represented by the following formula (1) of each of the jing-shaped folded images is 5% or less. If the diffraction intensity variation value δ is 5% or less, the film is non-oriented.

Δ = (Imax−Imin) / (Imax + Imin) × 100 (1) (where the maximum value of the diffraction intensity in one ring-shaped diffraction image is Imax, and the minimum value is Imin).

When the alumina hydrate exists in the ink receiving layer without orientation, the diffraction intensity variation value δ is 5% or less regardless of the cross-sectional direction of the sample. It can be determined by arbitrarily selecting two cross sections orthogonal to the thickness direction of the receiving layer and observing the diffraction image.

The value of the diffraction intensity variation value δ is obtained by the following method.

That is, a layer containing alumina hydrate is formed on a polyethylene terephthalate film, and a cross section of 70O ± 100 angstroms is formed with a microtome to obtain a sample for measurement. The electron diffraction of the cross section of the alumina hydrate layer was measured using a transmission electron microscope (H-800 manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.), and the diffraction intensity of the diffraction image was transferred to an imaging plate (manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.). , The intensity distribution of the diffraction image of each lattice plane is measured, and is obtained by the above-described equation (1). At the time of measurement, the limited area of the limited-area diffraction is set to 2OOÅ angstrom φ, and 10 points having different cross sections are measured.

As the alumina hydrate used in the present invention, commercially available ones or those processed from the raw materials thereof can be used. It is more preferable that the material has high gloss, high gloss and dye fixability, does not crack when forming a film, and has good coatability. Industrially marketed products include, for example, AS-2 and A-2 manufactured by Catalyst Kasei Co., Ltd.
S-3, 520 manufactured by Nissan Chemical Industries, and the like.

To prepare non-oriented alumina hydrate,
For example, a hydrolysis / peptization method of aluminum alkoxide and a hydrolysis / peptization method using aluminum nitrate and sodium aluminate can be used.

These alumina hydrates are usually fine particles having a particle size of 1 μm or less and have excellent dispersibility, so that good smoothness and gloss can be imparted to the recording medium.

The binder for binding the alumina hydrate can be freely selected from water-soluble polymers. For example, polyvinyl alcohol or a modified product thereof, starch or a modified product thereof, gelatin or a modified product thereof, casein or a modified product thereof, gum arabic, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, cellulose derivatives such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, S
BR latex, NBR latex, conjugated diene copolymer latex such as methyl methacrylate-butadiene copolymer, functional group modified polymer latex, vinyl copolymer latex such as ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, positive vinyl pyrrolidone, anhydrous Maleic acid or its copolymer,
Acrylic ester copolymers and the like are preferred. These binders can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The mixing ratio of the alumina hydrate and the binder is as follows:
The weight ratio can be arbitrarily selected from the range of preferably 1: 1 to 3O: 1, more preferably 5: 1 to 25: 1. When the amount of the binder is less than the above range, the mechanical strength of the ink receiving layer is insufficient and cracking or powder drop occurs, and when the amount is more than the above range, the pore volume is reduced and the ink absorbency is reduced. I do.

The coating solution for forming the lower layer contains, in addition to alumina hydrate and a binder, a dispersant, if necessary,
Thickeners, pH adjusters, lubricants, flow modifiers, surfactants, defoamers, water-proofing agents, mold release agents, fluorescent brighteners, ultraviolet absorbers, antioxidants, etc. can also be added. It is possible.

The amount of the alumina hydrate applied to the substrate is preferably 10 g / m ² or more in order to impart dye fixability. more preferably in the range of ~5Og / m ^2,
When using a substrate that has ink absorbency,
A range of 20 to 40 g / m ² is more preferable.

The method of coating and drying is not particularly limited, but it is also possible to subject the alumina hydrate and the binder to a calcination treatment if necessary. By performing such a baking treatment, the crosslinking strength of the binder increases, the mechanical strength of the ink receiving layer improves, and the surface gloss of the alumina hydrate layer improves.

When only one type of the water-dispersible resin is used, the porous structure of the water-dispersible resin is formed, but the binding force between the particles of the water-dispersible resin is weak and the abrasion resistance is poor.

When two types of water-dispersible resins are used,
If there is no difference between the minimum film forming temperatures of the water-dispersible resins, it is difficult to obtain a porous ink-receiving layer having both excellent ink absorbency and scratch resistance. Further, when the minimum film-forming temperature of one of the water-dispersible resins (water-dispersible resin A in the present invention) is not higher than 50 ° C., it is difficult to control the temperature in production, and it is difficult to perform stable production. . When the other water-dispersible resin (water-dispersible resin B in the present invention) has a minimum film-forming temperature of less than 0 ° C., it becomes porous.
The ink absorbency decreases. I'm not sure why,
This is presumably because the water-dispersible resin A and the water-dispersible resin B are bonded faster than the film-forming speed of the water-dispersible resin B, and sufficient pores are not formed.

In order for the porous ink receiving layer to be in a more preferable state, the difference between the minimum film forming temperatures of the water-dispersible resin A and the water-dispersible resin B is preferably 60 ° C. or more. More preferably, the temperature is set to 70 ° C. When the difference between the minimum film-forming temperatures of the water-dispersible resin A and the water-dispersible resin B is less than 60 ° C., the water-dispersible resins A and B form a porous structure, Has low binding power and poor scratch resistance.

It is preferable that the mixed layer of the water-dispersible resins A and B is partially fused in order to achieve both excellent abrasion and ink absorption.

The state in which the water-dispersible resins A and B are partially fused as referred to in the present invention means, as schematically shown in FIG.
This refers to a state in which two water-dispersible resins are melted by heating and are bonded to each other in the form of beads or an array. As the coupling state between the water-dispersible resin, when the coupling cross-sectional area, the average particle size of the water-dispersible resin was r, pi] r ^2/400 to
It is preferably in the range of πr ² .

To make the partially fused state more preferable, the content of the water-dispersible resin A and the water-dispersible resin B is preferably 100/1 to 100/40. More preferably, the ratio is set to 100/1 to 100/20. If the content of the water-dispersible resin B is less than 100/1 as compared with the water-dispersible resin A, the degree of fusion between the water-dispersible resins is reduced, and the abrasion is reduced. Conversely, when the content of the water-dispersible resin B is more than 100/40 as compared with the water-dispersible resin A, the degree of fusion between the water-dispersible resins is improved, and the abrasion is improved. As a result, the ink absorbability is reduced due to the phenomenon of porosity.

The average particle diameter of the water-dispersible resins A and B is preferably different from each other in order to obtain a partially fused structure that satisfies both abrasion and ink absorption. . Preferably, the average particle size of the water-dispersible resin A is 0.1 to 10 μm, more preferably 0.1 to 8 μm. The average particle size of the water-dispersible resin B is 0.0
1 to 0.3 μm, more preferably 0.05 to 0.2 μm
It is good to When the average particle diameter is out of the range, the porosity is reduced although the partial fused structure is formed, and as a result, the ink absorbency is reduced.

The water-dispersible resins A and B used in the present invention include vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polystyrene, acrylic acid, styrene-
(Meth) acrylate copolymer, (meth) acrylate polymer, vinyl acetate- (meth) acrylic acid (ester) copolymer, poly (meth) acrylamide, (meth) acrylamide copolymer, Styrene-isoprene copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, ethylene-propylene copolymer, polyvinyl ether, silicone-acrylic copolymer, urethane, polyester, etc. .

In order to achieve both abrasion resistance and ink absorption, the water-dispersible resin A used in the present invention may be a copolymer of vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, acrylic acid, urethane, polyester, ethylene, etc. It is preferably one of the objects. More preferably, it is a copolymer of any two or more of vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid, vinyl acetate-acrylic acid, styrene-acrylic acid and the like, and modified products thereof.

The water-dispersible resin B is preferably a copolymer of vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, acrylic acid, urethane, polyester, ethylene, or a modified product thereof. More preferably, any two of acrylic acid or vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid, vinyl acetate-acrylic acid, and styrene-acrylic acid are used.
It is preferable to use any of the above copolymers and modified products thereof.

Further, in order to form a porous layer having an ideal partial fused structure, a preferable combination of the water-dispersible resins A and B is water-dispersible resin A / water-dispersible resin B = Vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate / acrylic acid, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate / acrylic acid ester, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate / vinyl chloride-acrylic acid, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate / vinyl acetate-acrylic acid, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid / styrene -Acrylic acid, acrylic acid / vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate, acrylate / vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid / vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate, vinyl acetate-acrylic acid / vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate, styrene-acryl Acid / vinyl chloride-acrylic acid;

A more preferable combination is as follows: water-dispersible resin A / water-dispersible resin B = vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate /
Vinyl chloride-acrylic acid, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate / vinyl acetate-acrylic acid, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid / styrene-acrylic acid, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid / vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate, vinyl acetate-acrylic acid / vinyl chloride- A combination such as vinyl acetate, styrene-acrylic acid / vinyl chloride-acrylic acid, or the like in which some of the components contained in the water-dispersible resins A and B partially overlap is preferable.

Of course, the same applies to a copolymer of three or more components. Water-dispersible resin A / water-dispersible resin B = vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-acrylic acid / vinyl acetate-acrylic acid, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate- Acrylic acid / vinyl chloride-acrylic acid, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-acrylic acid / styrene-acrylic acid, vinyl acetate-acrylic acid / vinyl chloride-
Components contained in water-dispersible resins A and B overlap, such as vinyl acetate-acrylic acid, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid / vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-acrylic acid, and styrene-acrylic acid / vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-acrylic acid The combination that you are doing is good.

This is because in the process of forming a partial fused structure in the case where the water-dispersible resins A and B are mixed, exactly the same components are used.
Or, since the water-dispersible resins A and B have appropriate compatibility compared to completely different components, they form an ideal partial fused structure and are considered to be excellent in abrasion and ink absorption. Can be

To the extent that the effects of the present invention are not impaired, a very small amount of a binder may be contained in order to facilitate partial fusion of the water-dispersible resins A and B.

The particles of the water-dispersible resins A and B initially have a porous structure as described above. After printing, the porous structure is made nonporous by means of heat treatment or the like, and the printed portion has weather resistance. Or gloss. At that time, if a dyeing component such as a dye or a pigment contained in the ink remains in the porous layer, the gloss may be impaired. Therefore, at least one of the water-dispersible resins A and B needs to be non-dying particles, and as the most preferable form, both the water-dispersing resins A and B are non-dying particles. And good. The porous ink receiving layer can be obtained by applying a paint prepared such that the solid content of the mixture of the water-dispersible resins A and B is 10 to 50% by weight, applying a heat treatment, and drying. .

The coating amount of the mixed solution of the water-dispersible resins A and B is such that the post-printing treatment imparts a surface gloss, does not exhibit interference colors, and sufficiently exerts a function as a protective film. Thickness is required, and the film thickness after drying is usually 1 to
The coating is preferably performed so as to have a thickness of 30 μm. More preferably, the thickness is 2 to 20 μm. When the film thickness after drying is less than 1 μm, not only the function as the protective film cannot be sufficiently exhibited, but also the ink absorbency decreases,
Ink bleeding or the like occurs at a different color boundary. When the film thickness after drying is more than 30 μm, the ink is diffused in the porous layer, and it becomes difficult to obtain a dot shape having no ink bleeding at a boundary of a different color or a perfect circle without density unevenness.

The substrate used in the present invention is transparent,
Any opaque substrate can be used, for example, high quality paper, medium paper, art paper, bond paper, resin coated paper, baryta paper, paper such as coated paper, positive ethylene terephthalate,
Films made of plastics such as diacetate, triacetate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, and polyacdylate can be used. However, when the ink receiving layer is composed only of a porous layer containing a thermoplastic resin, it is preferable to use ink-absorbing paper or porous resin as the substrate.

When paper is used as the base material, the surface of a base paper made of a fibrous substance is coated with barium sulfate, the surface has a Beck smoothness of 400 seconds or more and a whiteness of 87%.
It is particularly preferable to use a substrate adjusted as described above, since an image comparable to a silver halide photograph can be obtained.

The barium sulfate used here preferably has an average particle size in the range of 0.4 to 1.0 μm, more preferably 0.4 to 0.8 μm. By using barium sulfate having a particle diameter in such a range, desired whiteness, glossiness, and solvent absorbability of the ink can be satisfied.

As a binder for binding barium sulfate, gelatin is preferable, and barium sulfate 100
It is used at a ratio of 6 to 12 parts by weight with respect to parts by weight.

The coating amount of barium sulfate on the base paper is as follows.
The range of 20 to 40 g / m ² is preferable in order to impart the solvent absorbability and the surface smoothness of the ink.

If the smoothness of the vanadium sulfate layer is too high, the ink absorptivity tends to decrease. Therefore, the smoothness is preferably set to 600 seconds or less, more preferably 500 seconds or less.

In the coating liquid in which the water-dispersible resins A and B are mixed, a dispersant, a thickener, a pH adjuster, a lubricant, a fluid It is also possible to add a modifier, a surfactant, an antifoaming agent, a waterproofing agent, a release agent, a fluorescent brightener, an ultraviolet absorber, an antioxidant, and the like.

In preparing the recording medium of the present invention, first, the composition is dissolved or dispersed in water or an alcohol, a polyhydric alcohol or another suitable organic solvent, if necessary, together with other additives. To adjust the coating liquid. Then, the obtained coating liquid is subjected to, for example, a roll coater method, a blade coater method, an air knife coater method, a gate roll coater method, a bar coater method, a size press method, a spray coat method, a gravure coater method, a curtain coater method, or the like. Apply to the surface of the material. Thereafter, the recording medium is dried by using, for example, a hot-air drying furnace or a hot drum to obtain the recording medium of the present invention.

After applying the ink to the ink receiving layer of the ink jet recording medium, the printed layer can be obtained by making the porous layer composed of the water-dispersible resins A and B non-porous (clear).

As a method of applying ink to a recording medium, there are simple, high-speed printing and high-definition printing.
An ink jet method, which is a method of forming ink droplets by applying thermal energy to ink, is preferable.

As a method for making the porous layer containing the water-dispersible resins A and B nonporous, a heat treatment is preferable. By performing such a treatment, the weather resistance such as water resistance and light resistance becomes good. In addition, gloss can be imparted to the image, and the printed matter can be stored for a long time. The heating temperature at this time is preferably equal to or higher than the minimum film-forming temperature of the water-dispersible resin, and varies depending on the type of the water-dispersible resin. A range of 180 ° C. is preferred. When the temperature is lower than 70 ° C., sufficient gloss cannot be obtained, the performance as a protective film is not sufficiently exhibited, and water resistance and the like become insufficient. If the temperature is higher than 180 ° C., deterioration of the base material or the like may occur, and the recording material may be insufficient.

Next, the recording apparatus used in the present invention will be described in detail.

The recording apparatus used in the present invention comprises: an ink jet head having nozzles for discharging ink; a recording medium holding means for holding a recording medium at a position facing an orifice surface of the ink jet head; It has two scanning means for relatively moving the recording medium holding means in two directions orthogonal to each other along the surface of the recording medium, and discharges ink while scanning by the two scanning means, so that any of the vertical and horizontal ruled lines is seamless. Then, the inkjet recording medium is heated by a heating and fixing device provided at a position opposed to the inkjet head on a frame supporting a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and any of the vertical and horizontal ruled lines is seamless. This is a recording device that can obtain printed matter.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a recording apparatus used in the method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the four pinch rollers 24 in FIG. It is.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a carriage, which is internally provided with ink tanks 11a to 11 to be described later.
d and Bubble Jet (registered trademark) heads 12a to 12d
Can be mounted. The carriage 10 is integrally provided with a bearing 10a.
3 penetrates. Upper guide 10b of carriage 10
Is guided by a carriage guide rail 17 extending in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the carriage guide shaft 13.

The carriage 10 has a carriage guide shaft 13
And can reciprocate while being supported by the carriage guide rail 17. The carriage 10 further includes an endless belt 1.
5 is fixed. One end of the belt 15 is wrapped around a motor pulley 14a fixed on the shaft of the carriage motor 14, and the other end is wrapped around a tension pulley (not shown) to apply a certain tension. By driving the carriage motor 14, the carriage 10 can reciprocate.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a carriage cable, which is connected to a bubble jet head 12a-1 from a body substrate (not shown).
It plays a role of transmitting an electric signal to 2d.

The carriage guide shaft 13, the carriage guide rail 17, the carriage motor 14, and the tension pulley 16 are fixed to a carriage frame 19. The carriage frame 19 is integrally provided with a carriage frame bearing 19a, and a carriage frame guide shaft 20 penetrates inside. A carriage frame guide rail 36 exists on the opposite side of the carriage frame guide shaft 20, and a carriage frame guide roller 35 attached to the carriage frame 19 rolls on this upper surface. The carriage frame 19 is movable in a direction perpendicular to the reciprocating direction of the carriage 10 while being supported by the carriage frame guide shaft 20 and the carriage frame guide rail 36. A carriage frame belt 22 is further fixed to the carriage frame 19. One end of the belt 22 is wrapped around a motor pulley 21 a fixed on the shaft of the carriage frame motor 21, and the other end is wrapped around a tension pulley 23 to apply a certain tension. By driving the carriage frame motor 21, the carriage frame 19 can reciprocate.

Further, the carriage frame 19 has ink tanks 11a to 11d and a bubble jet head 12a.
The fixing device 40 is supported at a position facing the carriage 10 on which the carriage 12 to 12d is mounted, in other words, at a position facing the carriage guide shaft 13.

As the fixing device 40, there are a heating type for applying heat to the ink application surface, a blowing type for applying air, a UV type for providing ultraviolet rays, an infrared type for providing infrared rays, and the like. When using the ink jet recording medium used in the present invention as described above to obtain a recorded matter, a heating type for applying heat to the ink-applied surface is preferable.

The fixing device 40 having a length sufficient for the carriage 10 to move is preferable in terms of time efficiency until a final printed product is obtained.

The carriage frame guide shaft 20, the carriage frame guide rail 36, the carriage frame motor 21 and the tension pulley 23 are fixed to the station frame 37.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a cassette for storing the recording medium 1 therein. Inside the cassette 2, there is a pressure plate 3 urged upward by a pressure plate spring 4 about a fulcrum 3 a as a rotation center. During paper feeding, the pressure plate 3 moves upward, and the surface of the recording medium 1 and the surface of the feeding roller 6 come into contact. Fig. 2 shows the feed roller 6
When the recording medium 1 is rotated clockwise, the recording medium 1 is fed, separated by the separation claw 5, and picked up. One picked-up recording medium 1 is guided by a U-turn guide 7, sandwiched between a U-turn roller 9 and a plurality of guide rollers 8, advances along the surface of the U-turn roller 9, and includes four pinch rollers 24. It is pinched by the transport belt 30. At this time, the pressure plate 3 moves downward, and the feeding roller 6 and the recording medium 1 are separated.

Reference numeral 206 denotes an automatic sheet feeder (hereinafter, A)
SF), and the recording medium 207 can be set on the surface thereof. Inside the ASF 206, there is a pressure plate 210 which is urged upward by a pressure plate spring 209 about a fulcrum 210a as a rotation center. When the paper is fed, the pressure plate 210 moves in the direction of the recording medium, and the surface of the recording medium 1 and the two picture feeding rollers 2 are moved.
11 Surfaces touch. When the picture feed roller 211 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2, the recording medium 207 is fed, and one sheet is separated and picked up by the separation claw 212. One picked-up recording medium 207 is in ASF paper feed port 2
13, and is advanced by being sandwiched between the U-turn roller 9 and the guide roller 8 and four pinch rollers 24 and the transport belt 30.
Is sandwiched between. At this point, the pressure plate 210 is
7, the feed roller 211 and the recording medium 207 are separated from each other.

The transport belt 30 is a special seamless belt having a high resistance layer (about 10 Ωcm) having a thickness of 50 μm on the surface. Both ends of the transport belt 30 are wound around a transport belt drive roller pair 31. Conveying belt drive roller pair 31
Of these, a motor (not shown) is connected to the transport belt driving roller on the downstream side, and the belt 30 can be rotated. The back side of the conveyor belt 30 is supported by the belt support plate 16 to maintain the flatness of the surface of the belt 30.

Reference numeral 200 denotes a charger, which functions to charge the surface of the conveyor belt 30 at 1500V. The inner surface of the conveyor belt 30 is grounded by a conveyor belt drive roller pair 31. When the surface of the transport belt 30 is charged, the recording medium 1 can be attracted.

The pinch roller 24 is the pinch roller holder 2
5, both ends of which are pivoted and rotated. The pinch roller holder 25 is urged in the direction of pressing the pinch roller 24 against the surface of the transport belt 30 by the action of a pinch spring (not shown).

The recording medium 1 is pressed against the transport belt 30 by the pinch roller 24, is electrostatically attracted to the transport belt 30, is sent to the recording position, and stops at the position of the recording medium 40 in FIG. After recording, the transport belt 30 rotates again,
The recording medium 1 is separated by a curvature at an upper portion of the transport belt driving roller 31 and is discharged to a discharge tray 38.

The bubble jet heads 12a to 12d fixed inside the carriage 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view of the carriage 10 viewed from the lower surface (orifice surface side). Reference numerals 12a to 12d denote bubble jet heads for discharging black, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks, respectively. Heads 12a to 12d
Has a plurality of discharge nozzles at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the carriage reciprocating direction as shown. Nozzle pitch is 1/6
00 inches × $ 2, 300 nozzles.
In other words, in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 10 and the reciprocating direction of the carriage frame 19, the nozzles are arranged at 1/600 inch = 42.3 μm.

The carriage 10 has ink tanks 11a to 11a.
11d is detachably mounted. Ink tank 11a ~
11d contains black, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks, respectively, and supplies ink to the bubble jet heads 12a to 12d via an ink path (not shown).

A discharge heater (not shown) is provided inside the nozzles of the bubble jet heads 12a to 12d. By selectively energizing the heater, bubbles are generated by utilizing the film boiling generated in the ink to discharge the ink. Can be ejected. The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,7,129.
It is desirable to use the basic principle disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 40,796.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 27 denotes a recovery unit, which is a non-recording bubble jet head 12a-1.
Rubber caps 28 for four colors for preventing clogging due to drying of the ink inside the nozzles of 2d, and heads 12a-1
It has a wiper 29 for removing ink adhering to the 2d orifice surface and maintaining good ejection. Cap 2
Numeral 8 can be pressed and separated from the orifice surfaces of the heads 12a to 12d by a lifting mechanism (not shown).

The wiping operation is performed by the wiper 29 and the head 12a.
This can be performed by moving the carriage frame 19 to a position where the orifice surface of 〜12d hits and moving the carriage 10 from the cap position toward the opposite side of the cap 28.

Next, the operation of the recording apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When a recording signal is input (STEP 1),
The lower pressure plate 3 moves upward, the recording medium 1 comes into contact with the feeding roller 6, and one recording medium 1 is fed (ST).
EP2). The U-turn roller 9 rotates clockwise in FIG. 2, and the recording medium 1 moves between the U-turn roller 9 and the guide roller 8 (STEP 3). Subsequently, the charger 200
, And the conveyor belt 30 rotates clockwise (STEP 4).

The recording medium 1 is sandwiched between the pinch roller 24 and the transport belt 30, and is electrostatically attracted to the charged transport belt 30. The conveyance belt 30 continues to be fed as it is, and the recording medium 1
Comes to the position of the recording medium 40 in FIG. 1 (hereinafter, the recording standby position), the transport belt 30 is stopped, and the charger is turned off (STEP 5). The position of the recording medium 1 is detected and controlled by a paper sensor or the like provided near the exit of the U-turn roller 9 (not shown). At this time, the bubble jet heads 12a to 12d are capped by the cap 28 to protect the nozzles.

When the recording medium 1 reaches the recording standby position, the cap 28 moves to the bubble jet heads 12a to 12a.
After moving away from the orifice surface 2d (STEP 6), the carriage 10 moves from the cap position toward the side where the recording medium 1 is set and performs wiping (STEP 6).
7).

Next, it is determined whether there is a ruled line in the image signal. If there is a ruled line, the ruled line is recorded first (STEP 11).
8).

That is, in the case of the horizontal ruled line, the carriage frame 17 is moved to the print position of the horizontal ruled line,
In the case of discharging while scanning 0 and printing a horizontal ruled line, the carriage frame 17 is moved in units of 300 nozzles (0.5 inches) to perform the same operation. For vertical rules,
The carriage 10 is moved to the printing position of the vertical ruled line, discharges while scanning the carriage frame 17, and when printing the vertical ruled line, the carriage 10 is moved in 300 nozzle units (0.5 inch) to perform the same operation. Do.

By printing ruled lines in this way, it is possible to print ruled lines of high quality without seams both vertically and horizontally.

When the ruled line recording is completed, images other than the ruled lines such as characters and images are recorded (STEP 9). At this time, whether to discharge while scanning the carriage 10 or discharge while scanning the carriage frame 17 is selected according to the image, with a higher recording speed.

After the recording of one page is completed (S
(TEP10), the carriage frame 19 is moved in the direction supported by the carriage frame guide shaft 20 while pressing the fixing device 40 that has stored heat in advance against the ink application surface of the inkjet recording medium (STEP1).
1). At this time, the temperature of the fixing device 40 is preferably in the range of 70 ° C. to 180 ° C. as described above.

After the recording and fixing process for one page is completed, the conveyor belt 30 is rotated clockwise, and the recording medium 1 is discharged to the discharge tray 38 (STEP 12).

Subsequently, if the second sheet is to be recorded (STEP
13) Repeating from STEP 1, if printing is completed, the carriage 10 and the carriage frame 17 are moved to bring the bubble jet heads 12a to 12d to the cap position, and the cap 28 is raised to hit the orifice surface. Contact is made (STEP 14).

Note that CD-Rs that cannot be fed from the cassette 2
When recording on an OM, a cardboard, a plastic plate, or the like is performed as follows.

First, in the case of a fixed recording medium, the type of recording medium is designated by the host computer. Then, the belt rotates, and stops at a position where the frame printed on the belt reaches the upper surface of the belt so as to match the outer shape of the standard recording medium.

The recording reference is also printed in the same manner as the frame. In the case of an irregular recording medium, the recording area is designated by the host computer, and the edge of the recording medium is set according to this reference. At this time, a transmission type photosensor for belt position detection (not shown) is provided at the end of the belt,
The position of the belt is detected by providing a hole at the position of the belt that coincides with the optical axis of the sensor, and the belt phase is controlled.

After the user places a fixed recording medium in accordance with this frame or places a non-standard recording medium in accordance with the recording standard, and sends a recording command, the bubble jet head 12
a to 12d move to appropriate positions and perform recording and fixing in the above-described process. When printing is completed, the bubble jet heads 12a to 12d move to the cap position, and the user removes the recording medium.

As described above, since the recording can be performed by placing the recording medium on a perfect plane, the setting is easy and there is no danger of breaking the recording medium. The nozzle configuration is not limited to the one inclined at a 45 ° angle as in this example, but may be an L-shaped or two-row nozzle having two nozzle rows parallel to the scanning direction of the carriage 10 and the scanning direction of the carriage frame 19, respectively. Any that has a printing width in each direction, such as a cross shape, is consistent with the gist of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a second example of the recording apparatus used in the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the recording apparatus.

Here, differences from the first example will be described.

In the second example, there is no transport belt, and a stage 201 is provided as a recording medium holding means. The recording medium 1 that has passed through the U-turn roller 9 is
Is sent between the pinch roller 24 and the stage 20.
Move along one surface. A spur 32 is driven by the drive roller 203. The spur 32 has a star shape, and the tip of the star shape has a sharp edge. Therefore, even if a recorded recording medium passes through, the image is not rubbed and stained.

The ten spurs 32 are fixed to a stay 214 extending in the width direction of the recording medium so as to be encircled.
3 is pressed at a pressure of 10 g per piece.

Then, the leading end of the recording medium 1 is
When the drive roller 203 is sandwiched between the spur 32 and the spur 32, the drive roller 203 stops. In this state, recording is performed while scanning the carriage 10 and the carriage frame 19 in the same manner as in the first example. When recording and fixing for one page are completed by heating and fixing, the driving roller is driven to eject the recording medium. The paper is discharged to the paper tray 38.

In the second example, the transport belt 31 for electrostatic attraction is used.
Since the charger and the charger 200 are not required, the device does not need to be large and a simple configuration can be realized. However, spur 3
Since the position 2 is fixed, a recording medium having a length shorter than the distance between the pinch roller 24 and the spur 32 cannot be discharged.

However, there is no particular inconvenience for a user who always stocks the recording medium in the cassette 2 of A4 size, and the cost of the apparatus is reduced.
It is rather a merit that electric power for charging is unnecessary.

In the first and second examples, recording is performed by scanning while the carriage frame 19 is movable. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which a stage as a recording medium holding means moves may be used. In this case, the stage can scan in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction when the recording medium 1 is fed by the U-turn rollers 9 of the first and second examples, and the recording medium is delivered at substantially the center of the scanning range. To do. The carriage scanning direction is configured to be parallel to the paper feeding direction. According to such a configuration, the sheet feeding unit including the U-turn roller 9 and the U-turn guide 7 does not interfere with the stage during scanning, and the size can be reduced.

FIG. 8 is an overall perspective view showing a third example of the recording apparatus used in the present invention.

Here, only the portions different from the second example will be described.

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 220 denotes a scanner as image reading means, which has a CCD element built therein. The 300 elements are arranged at a pitch of 1/600 inch in the recording medium feeding direction, so that an image of a document on the recording medium holding means can be read. This scanner 22
0 is mounted on the carriage 10.

Next, the original image reading operation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When reading a document, the user sets the document on the cassette 2 or the front side of the ASF 206. In the case of the ASF 206, the document surface is set to the front, and in the case of the set 2, the document surface is set to the back. Here, the case of cassette feeding will be described.

When an image reading signal is input (STE
P1) The lower platen 3 moves upward to move the original 22
1 and the feed roller 6 come into contact, and one document 221 is fed (STEP 2). The U-turn roller 9 rotates clockwise, and the document 221 moves between the U-turn roller 9 and the guide roller 8 (STEP 3). Then, drive roller 2
02 and 203 are driven (STEP 4), and the document 221 is moved by being pinched by the pinch roller 24 and the driving roller 202.
When the leading end is caught between the driving roller 203 and the spur 32, the driving rollers 202 and 203 are stopped (STEP 5). The position of the document is detected and controlled by a paper sensor or the like provided near the exit of the U-turn roller 9 (not shown). At this time, the bubble jet heads 12a to 12d are capped by the cap 28, and the nozzles are protected.

When the document 221 reaches the reading standby position, the cap 28 is moved to the bubble jet head 12a.
Then, the carriage 10 moves away from the orifice surface of 12d (STEP 6), and moves from the cap position toward the side where the recording medium is set. (STEP 7). And
The carriage 10 is scanned as it is, and the original image is read for one line (STEP 8).

Next, the carriage 10 is returned to the opposite side, and the carriage frame 19 is moved to the downstream side.
It is moved by 0 pixel (1/2 inch) (STEP 9).
When reading of one page is completed (STEP 10),
The sheet is discharged (STEP 11), and if reading is completed (ST11).
(EP12), the carriage 10 is returned to the cap position, and the cap 28 is pressed against the cap 28 (STEP 13). If reading of the second page is to be performed, the process is repeated from STEP 1.

As the scanner, besides the type that scans together with the carriage 10 as shown in FIG. 8, the type in which a line scanner 222 is mounted on the carriage frame 19 as shown in FIG. 10 can be realized. In this type,
Carriage frame 19 when reading one page of image
Since scanning is only required once, the apparatus has a high reading speed, and a merit that a printed matter excellent in photographic image quality and excellent in weather resistance can be obtained easily and quickly as compared with the related art can be obtained.

A fourth example of the recording apparatus used in the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The recording apparatus shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 has a structure similar to that of the second example, and the parts not specified are the same as those of the second example.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an attachment which is a characteristic part of the present invention, and 230 is an attachment for printing a CD-ROM. The CD-ROM can be positioned and set in the concave portion 231 provided on the attachment 230. 235 is a notch for taking out. Pins 236 and 237 provided in the recording apparatus main body, which will be described later, are inserted into the round hole 233 and the long hole 234, and the attachment 230 is positioned with respect to the recording medium holding portion of the main body.

Reference numeral 232 denotes an attachment type judging projection. As attachments, in addition to those for CD-ROMs, a total of three types corresponding to business cards and cassette labels are prepared (the remaining two types are not shown). The position of the attachment type determining projection 232 is different for each of these three types of attachments. 12 and 13, reference numerals 236 and 237 denote pins protruding from the stage 201, and
3. The elongated holes 234 fit into these.

Reference numerals 238 to 240 denote attachment type discriminating switches. For the CD-ROM attachment, the switch 238 is pushed in. For the business card, the switch 24 is used.
0, the switch 239 is pushed in for the cassette label. Therefore, it can be determined which attachment is set based on which switch is turned on.

On the basis of the result of the determination, a control means (not shown) prohibits the ejection of ink to a portion other than on the recording medium. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the device from being contaminated due to a user's setting error.

Further, by controlling the ink ejection amount and duty according to each recording medium, high image quality can be realized without any special operation or setting.

Further, when it is necessary to change the distance between the orifice surface of the ink jet head and the surface of the recording medium, a distance changing means is provided and the distance changing means is controlled to improve operability. The device can be realized.

<Examples> The present invention will be described more specifically below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. (Preparation of alumina hydrate) The alumina hydrate used in the present invention was prepared as follows.

According to the method described in US Pat. No. 4,242,271, aluminum octoxide was synthesized and hydrolyzed to produce an alumina slurry. Water was added to the alumina slurry until the alumina hydrate had a solid content of 5%. next. Raise the temperature to 80 ° C and
After an aging reaction for 0 hour, the colloidal sol was spray-dried to obtain an alumina hydrate. Further, this alumina hydrate is mixed and dispersed in ion-exchanged water,
Adjusted to H10. The aging time was 5 hours to obtain a colloidal sol. After desalting the colloidal sol, deflocculation was performed by adding acetic acid. An alumina hydrate obtained by drying the colloidal sol was measured by X-ray diffraction and found to be pseudo-boehmite. When observed with a transmission electron microscope, the pseudo-boehmite had a spindle shape. (Preparation of Inkjet Recording Medium 1) The colloidal sol of alumina hydrate obtained in the above Preparation Example was concentrated to obtain a 15% by weight solution.

On the other hand, polyvinyl alcohol (trade name: P
VA117, manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.)
A 0% by weight solution was obtained. The two solutions were mixed and stirred such that the solid content of alumina hydrate and the solid content of polyvinyl alcohol were 10: 1 by weight, and stirred to obtain a dispersion. This dispersion was die-coated on a polyethylene terephthalate film to form a porous layer containing pseudo-boehmite. The thickness of this porous layer was about 40 μm. Observation of the cross section of this alumina hydrate layer with a transmission electron microscope revealed that spindle-shaped pseudoboehmite was contained in a non-oriented manner, and the diffraction intensity variation value δ was 1.0%.

On the obtained base material, 100 parts by weight of vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-acrylic acid (minimum film forming temperature: 130 ° C., average particle size: 0.75 μm) was added to a styrene-acrylic acid copolymer. (Trade name: Movinyl 752, manufactured by Hoechst Gosei Co., Ltd., minimum film-forming temperature: 30 ° C., average particle size: 0.1 μm) 10 parts by weight were mixed, and the solid content of the mixture was adjusted to 30%. And dried at 60 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a porous layer having a thickness of about 5 μm.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused. (Preparation of Inkjet Recording Medium 2) In place of styrene-acrylic acid copolymer, modified colloidal silica of acrylic acid (trade name: Movinyl 8030, manufactured by Hoechst Gosei Co., Ltd., minimum tracing temperature: 30 ° C., average particle diameter) : 0.
066 μm) to obtain an inkjet recording medium 2 in the same manner as the inkjet recording medium 1.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused. (Inkjet recording medium 3) Instead of styrene-acrylic acid copolymer, vinyl acetate-acrylic acid (trade name:
An ink jet recording medium 3 was obtained in the same manner as the ink jet recording medium 1 except that Movinyl 63O, manufactured by Hoechst Synthetic Co., Ltd., minimum tracing temperature: 19 ° C., average particle diameter: 0.15 μm) was used.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused. (Inkjet recording medium 4) Inkjet recording medium 3 except that vinyl acetate-acrylic acid was 20 parts by weight.
In the same manner as in the above, an inkjet recording medium 4 was obtained.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused. (Inkjet Recording Medium 5) An inkjet recording medium 5 was obtained in the same manner as the inkjet recording medium 3, except that vinyl acetate-acrylic acid was used in an amount of 5 parts by weight.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused. (Inkjet Recording Medium 6) The following coated paper was prepared as a substrate.

Reaction from barium sulfate and barium chloride
Barium sulfate 100 having an average particle diameter of 0.6 μm
Parts by weight, 10 parts by weight of gelatin, polyethylene glycol
3 parts by weight, 0.4 parts by weight of Chrome Meiran
And the basis weight is 130 g / m ^Two Beck smoothness of 340
Second base paper was coated to a dry thickness of 20 μm
After that, a super calendar treatment is performed to obtain a surface smoothness of 400.
Seconds of substrate were obtained.

On this substrate, a layer of alumina hydrate similar to that of the recording medium 1 for ink jet was provided, and then a porous layer composed of two kinds of water-dispersible resins similar to that of the recording medium 3 for ink jet was provided. Inkjet recording medium 6 was obtained.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused. (Inkjet recording medium 7) An inkjet recording medium 7 was obtained in the same manner as the inkjet recording medium 3, except that the substrate was changed to CD-R (trade name: CD-R74N, manufacturer: TDK).

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused. (Inkjet recording medium 8) A porous layer made of a water-dispersible resin was formed only with vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-acrylic acid (minimum film forming temperature: 130 ° C., average particle size: 0.75 μm). Similarly, an ink jet recording medium 8 was obtained.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused. In this recording medium, the scratch resistance of the porous layer was not sufficient, and a large number of scratches were formed on the surface during printing, and the scratches did not disappear even after the non-porous treatment. (Inkjet recording medium 9) A porous layer made of a water-dispersible resin is formed of a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer (trade name:
An ink jet recording medium 9 was obtained in the same manner as the ink jet recording medium 1 using only ViniBlan 240 (manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., minimum film forming temperature: 10 ° C., average particle diameter: 0.6 μm).

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused, but the porosity was low. (Inkjet recording medium 10) A porous layer composed of two types of water-dispersible resins was coated with a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer (trade name: ViniBlan 240, manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., minimum film formation temperature: 10). ° C, average particle diameter: 0.6 µm)
100 parts by weight of a styrene-acrylate copolymer (trade name: Movinyl 756, manufactured by Hoechst Synthetic Co., Ltd., minimum film forming temperature: less than 0 ° C., average particle size: 0.06
μm) 10 parts by weight were mixed to obtain an inkjet recording medium 10 in the same manner as the inkjet recording medium 1.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused, but the porosity was low. (Inkjet recording medium 11) Of the two types of water-dispersible resins, a vinyl chloride-acrylic acid copolymer (trade name: Vinibulan 27) is used instead of the styrene-acrylic acid copolymer
0, manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., minimum belly temperature: 0 ° C,
An ink jet recording medium 11 was obtained in the same manner as the ink jet recording medium 10 except that the average particle diameter was 0.6 μm.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused, but the porosity was very low. (Inkjet recording media 12 and 13) In the inkjet recording medium 3, the mixing ratio of the two types of water-dispersible resins is set to the former / the latter = 100/50, 100 / 0.5.
(Each part by weight), and recording media 12 and 13 for inkjet were obtained in the same manner as the recording medium 1 for inkjet.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused. However, the one having a mixing ratio of 100/50 was very porous. It was low. (Inkjet recording medium 14) A porous layer composed of two types of water-dispersible resins was coated with a styrene-acrylic acid copolymer (trade name: Movinyl 752, manufactured by Hoechst Gosei Co., Ltd., minimum tracing temperature: 30 ° C., average) (Particle diameter: 0.1 μm)
In 100 parts by weight, a styrene-acrylate copolymer (trade name: Movinyl 756, manufactured by Hoechst Gosei Co., Ltd., minimum film forming temperature: less than 0 ° C., average particle size: 0.06 μm
m) 10 parts by weight were mixed, and the recording medium for inkjet 1 was mixed.
In the same manner as in the above, an inkjet recording medium 14 was obtained.

When the obtained porous layer was observed by SEM, it was confirmed that the water-dispersible resin was partially fused, but the porosity was very low.

[0168] The printed image was evaluated for black image density, glossiness, and weather resistance, and the recording medium was evaluated for scratch resistance. The results are shown in Table 1. a) Image density: evaluated using Macbeth reflection densitometer RD-918. b) Surface glossiness: Based on JIS-P-8142, using a digital variable-angle gloss meter (manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.) at 20 ° and 7 °.
A gloss of 5 ° was measured. c) Water resistance: O was given when 0.03 cc of water was dropped and no ink flow occurred, and X was given when there was a change. d) Scratch resistance: A 700 g weight was placed on a recording medium and rubbed. e) Ink absorption: At the boundary between yellow and red, ink that did not bleed was marked as ○, and ink with bleeding was rated as x. f) Linearity of the ruled line: も の indicates that the ruled line has no seam, and X indicates that the seam of the ruled line can be confirmed. Table 1 shows examples and comparative examples of the inkjet recording methods using the inkjet recording media 1 to 14 described above and the first to fourth examples of the recording apparatus of the present invention. The serial printer used in Comparative Example 8 was BJC-43OJ.
The printing was performed by mounting a BC-2O cartage.
Thereafter, heating was performed using an iron having a surface temperature of 135 ° C to 145 ° C.

[0169]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, in an ink jet recording medium provided with an ink receiving layer on a substrate, the ink receiving layer comprises at least two layers, and the outermost layer has at least two layers. Scratch resistance and ink absorptivity with a porous layer containing two components, water dispersible resin A having a minimum film forming temperature of 50 ° C. or higher and water dispersible resin B having a minimum film forming temperature of 0 ° C. or higher as essential components. An excellent ink jet recording medium, an ink jet head having a nozzle for discharging ink, a recording medium holding means for holding the recording medium at a position facing an orifice surface of the ink jet head, and an ink jet head and the recording medium holding means. Scanning means for relatively moving in two directions orthogonal to each other along the surface of the recording medium, and discharging ink while scanning by the scanning means; Then, the inkjet recording medium is heated by a heating and fixing device provided at a position opposed to the inkjet head on a frame supporting a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and the outermost porous layer is removed. By making it porous, not only is it possible to obtain printed matter excellent in glossiness, print quality and weather resistance of the image, but also there is no seam when drawing tables and graphics composed of vertical and horizontal ruled lines and lines, It can output high-quality images with no left / right seams, black streaks, or white streaks.Images such as vertical ruled lines do not need to be scanned many times as in the conventional serial-type recording device. Speed increases. For other images, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording method in which the recording speed is increased by controlling the operation of the two-directional scanning means so as to minimize the recording time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a first example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a first example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view of a head according to a first example of the present invention as viewed from an orifice surface.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first example of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view showing a second example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a second example of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which vertical ruled lines continue obliquely in a conventional serial scan recording apparatus.

FIG. 8 is an overall perspective view showing a third example of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the third example of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an overall perspective view showing a modification of the third example of the present invention using a line scanner.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an attachment according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an overall perspective view showing a fourth example of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a fourth example of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing partial fusion of an inkjet recording medium.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording medium 2 Cassette 6 Feeding roller 9 U-turn roller 10 Carriage 12 Bubble jet head 19 Carriage frame 24 Pinch roller 27 Recovery unit 30 Conveyor belt 32 Spur 40 Fixing device 200 Charger 201 Stage 206 Auto sheet feeder 220 Scanner 221 Original document 230 attachment

[Table 1]

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Manabu Yamazoe 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kosuke Yamamoto 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Kyano Inside (72) Inventor Masayuki Motoe 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Shusuke Inamura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. F term (reference) 2C056 EA04 EA13 EB13 EB26 EB36 EB37 EC07 EC11 EC33 EC42 EC66 FA10 FC06 HA10 HA12 HA22 HA27 HA28 HA46 HA58 2H086 BA02 BA03 BA05 BA16 BA21 BA33 BA36 BA41 BA43 BA44 BA45

Claims (31)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording medium having an ink receiving layer provided on a substrate, wherein the ink receiving layer comprises at least two layers, and the outermost layer has at least a minimum film forming temperature of 50.
Ink is ejected onto an inkjet recording medium having an ink receiving layer which is a porous layer containing two components, a water-dispersible resin A having a temperature of at least 0 ° C. and a water-dispersible resin B having a minimum film-forming temperature of at least 0 ° C. An ink-jet head having a nozzle to perform printing, a recording medium holding means for holding a recording medium at a position opposed to an orifice surface of the ink-jet head, and an ink jet head and the recording medium holding means which intersect at right angles along the surface of the recording medium. Moving in two directions 2
It has two scanning units, performs recording by discharging ink while scanning by the two scanning units, and is provided at a position opposite to the inkjet head on a frame supporting a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted. An ink jet recording method comprising heating the ink jet recording medium with a heat fixing device to obtain a printed material. 2. An ink jet recording medium comprising one or more ink jet heads having nozzles for ejecting ink, a carriage on which the ink jet head is mounted, and first scanning means for scanning the carriage linearly. A frame for supporting the scanning unit, a second scanning unit for scanning the frame in a direction orthogonal to a carriage scanning direction, and a recording medium holding unit for holding a recording medium at a position facing an orifice surface of the inkjet head Means for performing recording by discharging ink from the inkjet head while scanning the carriage and the frame by the first and second scanning means, and then to a frame supporting the carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted. Provided at a position facing the inkjet head 2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the printed material is obtained by heating the ink jet recording medium with a heated fixing device. 3. When a ruled line is included in an image, a ruled line is recorded by discharging ink while scanning by the two scanning means along the ruled line direction in accordance with the image signal of the ruled line.
3. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium using an ink jet recording apparatus having control means for controlling recording of an image other than the ruled lines. 4. The ink jet recording according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet head performs recording on the ink jet recording medium using an ink jet recording apparatus having a nozzle row inclined with respect to the two orthogonal directions. Method. 5. The ink-jet recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the ink-jet head performs recording on the ink-jet recording medium using an ink-jet recording apparatus having a nozzle row inclined at 45 degrees with respect to the two orthogonal directions. Ink jet recording method. 6. The ink-jet head according to claim 1, wherein the ink-jet head performs recording on the ink-jet recording medium using an ink-jet recording apparatus having two nozzle arrays parallel to each other in the two orthogonal directions. Ink jet recording method. 7. A paper feeding tray, a recording medium feeding means for feeding a recording medium from the paper feeding tray to the recording medium holding means, and a recording medium discharging means for discharging a recording medium from the recording medium holding means. 2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium using an ink jet recording apparatus having the method. 8. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed on said ink jet recording medium using an ink jet recording apparatus provided with an image reading means at a position adjacent to said ink jet head. 9. The recording on the ink jet recording medium using an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein a line type reading means having a length substantially equal to the width of the recording medium holding means is provided on the frame. The inkjet recording method according to claim 1. 10. An attachment which is detachable from the recording medium holding means, has an edge along a part or the whole of the outer shape of the recording medium, and is capable of mounting the recording medium inside the edge. 2. An ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed on said ink jet recording medium using an ink jet recording apparatus having means for positioning said attachment with respect to said recording medium holding means. 11. Recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium using an ink jet recording apparatus having a plurality of attachments corresponding to the outer shapes of a plurality of recording media and a discriminating means for discriminating the type of the attachment. The inkjet recording method according to claim 10, wherein 12. An ink jet recording apparatus having control means for controlling discharge of ink to a place other than on a surface of a recording medium placed on the attachment based on a result of the determination by the determination means. 12. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11, wherein the recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium. 13. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an ink jet recording apparatus having control means for controlling an ejection amount or a number of ejections according to a recording medium placed on the attachment based on a result of the discrimination by the discriminating means. 11. Recording on a recording medium for use.
3. The inkjet recording method according to item 2. 14. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a distance changing means for changing a distance between an orifice surface of the ink jet head and a surface of the recording medium; and a control means for controlling the distance changing means based on a result of the discrimination by the discriminating means. 14. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11, 12 or 13, wherein recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium by using. 15. Recording is performed by using the recording apparatus on an inkjet recording medium, which is a porous layer formed by partially fusing the water-dispersible resins A and B. The inkjet recording method according to claim 1. 16. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus performs recording on the inkjet recording medium, wherein a layer between the base material and the outermost layer is a porous layer containing a pigment. The ink-jet recording method as described above. 17. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording is performed on the recording medium for ink jet recording using the recording apparatus, wherein the pigment is one or both of alumina hydrate and silica. Recording method. 18. A method for performing recording using the recording apparatus on an inkjet recording medium, wherein the difference between the minimum film forming temperatures of the water-dispersible resin A and the water-dispersible resin B is 60 ° C. or more. 2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein: 19. The content of the water-dispersible resin A and the water-dispersible resin B is (water-dispersible resin A / water-dispersible resin B) = 100 /
2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium using the recording apparatus. 20. Recording using the recording apparatus on an ink jet recording medium, wherein the minimum film forming temperature of the water dispersible resin A is higher than the minimum film forming temperature of the water dispersible resin B. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein: 21. Recording on an inkjet recording medium using the recording apparatus, wherein the average particle diameter of the water-dispersible resin A is larger than the average particle diameter of the water-dispersible resin B. 2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein: 22. The water-dispersible resin A having an average particle size of 0.1
The inkjet recording method according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed on the inkjet recording medium having a diameter of 10 to 10 m using the recording apparatus. 23. The water-dispersible resin B having an average particle size of 0.0
2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium having a thickness of 1 to 0.3 [mu] m using the recording apparatus. 24. An ink jet recording medium characterized in that the water-dispersible resin A is any one of a copolymer of vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, acrylic acid, urethane, polyester and ethylene and a modified product thereof. 2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed using the recording apparatus. 25. The water-dispersible resin A may be any one of a copolymer of two or more of vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid, vinyl acetate-acrylic acid, and styrene-acrylic acid, and any modified product thereof. 2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium using the recording apparatus. 26. A recording medium for ink-jet recording, wherein the water-dispersible resin B is any one of a copolymer of vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, acrylic acid, urethane, polyester and ethylene and a modified product thereof. 2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed using the recording apparatus. 27. The water-dispersible resin B is any one of acrylic acid or vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid, vinyl acetate-acrylic acid, and styrene-acrylic acid.
2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium, which is one of a copolymer of the original or a modified product thereof, using the recording apparatus. 28. Recording is carried out using said recording apparatus on an inkjet recording medium characterized in that a part of the copolymerization components of the water-dispersible resin A and the water-dispersible resin B overlap. The inkjet recording method according to claim 1, wherein 29. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium, wherein the base material is paper, using the recording apparatus. 30. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording is performed on the ink jet recording medium using the recording device, wherein the base material has a barium sulfate layer on the surface of the base paper. . 31. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording is performed on an inkjet recording medium having a surface Beck smoothness of 400 seconds or more and a whiteness of 87% or more using the recording apparatus. Inkjet recording method.