CA2175729A1 - Optimized ink and substrate for a digital color press - Google Patents
Optimized ink and substrate for a digital color pressInfo
- Publication number
- CA2175729A1 CA2175729A1 CA 2175729 CA2175729A CA2175729A1 CA 2175729 A1 CA2175729 A1 CA 2175729A1 CA 2175729 CA2175729 CA 2175729 CA 2175729 A CA2175729 A CA 2175729A CA 2175729 A1 CA2175729 A1 CA 2175729A1
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- ink jet
- ink
- image
- image quality
- substrate
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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- Inks, Pencil-Leads, Or Crayons (AREA)
- Ink Jet Recording Methods And Recording Media Thereof (AREA)
- Ink Jet (AREA)
Abstract
In a method for optimizing image quality of an ink jet image printed on a digital color press ink jet printing system, an ink jet ink composition for formulating primary color inks to achieve good runnability in the digital color press is selected for application to an ink jet grade substrate. The ink jet image generated by the selected ink jet ink composition applied to the selected ink jet grade substrate exhibits good optical density, good color gamut, good dot resolution, low strike through properties, and good water resistance, thereby optimizing image quality of the ink jet image. The ink jet ink composition comprises a liquid vehicle, a single dye component, a surfactant and a glycol.
The ink jet grade substrate comprises an ink-receiving layer of a material having good affinity for inks.
The ink jet grade substrate comprises an ink-receiving layer of a material having good affinity for inks.
Description
` ~ 2175723 OPTIMIZED INK AND SUBSTRATE FOR
A DIGITAl. CO~OR PRESS
Technical Field The present invention relates to ink jet printing and, more particularly, to the application of primary color inks to a specialty coated paper for achieving image quality.
Backqround Art In continuous ink jet printing, ink is supplied under pressure to a manifold region that distributes the ink to a plurality of orifices, typically arranged in a linear array(s). The ink discharges from the orifices in filaments which break into droplet streams. The approach for printing with these droplet streams is to selectively charge and deflect certain drops from their normal trajectories. Graphic reproduction is accomplished ]ay selectively charging and deflecting drops from the drop streams and depositing at least some of the drops on a pr~nt receiving medium while other of the drops strike a drop catcher device.
The continuous stream ink jet printing process is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,255,754;
4,698,123 and 4,751,517, the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference.
FulI color graphics printing with such continuous ink j et systems is being developed and practiced by Scitex Digital Printing, Inc., in Dayton, Ohio. One challenge with developing a digital color press is to formulate inks which will run in the digital color press. Existing ink formulatisns are multiple-dye inks. Such previous 35 inks which were formulated for 120 and 240 dots per ~ 2I 7~72'~
inch (dpi) systems were tried in the digital color press, but unfortunately exhibited severe raggedness after a very short time. Furthermore, the prints produced were poOr quality and unacceptable. One major difference between the digital color press and previous systems is the orifice diameter, which is signif icantly smaller in the DCP as compared to other systems. As the orifice diameter decreases, jet straightness and wetting of the orifices in the peg area become vitally important. The slightest deposit or a~non-uniform wetting on the orifice plate may cause excessive raggedness of the j ets and results in poor print quality. An ink formulation capable of producing high quality acceptable print, which will run in a digital color press system, is disclosed in commonly assigned, copending U.S.
Application Serial No. entitled SYSTEM
AND METHOD FOR A~l~vlN~; Rl~NNA3ILITY AND JET
STRAIGHTNESS FOR A DIGITAL COLOR PRESS, f iled on even date herewith, by Shiow-Meei 1J~ Myers et al (Attorney Docket No. SDP146PA), totally incorporated herein by ref erence .
Another challenge with developing a digital color press is to provide a substrate which will obtain a desired image quality. Substrate manufacturers produce many ink- jet grade substrates using coated components. Coated components, such as amorphous and precipitated silicas, vary in particle sizes and their distribution. Multivalent cross linking, often cationic, components include specialty treated high-bulk oxides of metals such as aluminum, titanium, zirconium, lanthanum, magnesium;
modified starches; water soluble polymeric binders, such as hydrolyzed PVA; and resins. Depending on the composition and methods of coating, such . . 2175729 --3-- .
substrates yield varying degrees of dot gain, brightness, optical density, rate of absorption or drying, and water resistance of the ink- jetted image .
When the ink is applied to the substrate, the resultant desired image quality will achieve permanence to water, quick drying, good optical density, bright color tones, uniform dot size and geometry, consistent color gamut and other desirable properties. Selecting a substrate on which to apply the ink is further hampered because many of the ~anufacturing techniques of available substrates are kept as trade secrets, so the exact composition of the substrate is unknown. Selecting a suitable substrate, then, involves extensive experimentation .
It is s-een then that there is a need for a selection of ink and substrate for use in combination to optimize image quality from a digital color press. -Summarv of the Inventiorl This need is met by the optimized ink and substrate combination selection process according to the present invention, wherein an ink j et grade coated substrate and a matched set of inks with defined properties are implemented for use with the digital color press. Three primary inks and one black ink are applied to the specialty coated paper to achieve desired image quality from the digital color press. Cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks are formulated for successful runnability in the digital color press, when applied to the ink j et grade coated paper. In accordance with the present invention, the resultant image gave optimum and consistent optical density, brilliance, permanence, drying and dot resolution.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an ink jet ink composition comprising a liquid vehicle, a single dye component, a surfactant, and a glycol is applied to a specialty coated ink jet grade substrate. When the preferred ink composition is applied to the preferred coated substrate and used in a digital color press, the resultant images obtain consistent color gamut and other desirable properties.
Other obj ects and advantages of the invention will be apparent ~rom the following description and the appended claims.
i3rief De~cril~tiQn of the Draw; nq Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustration of a digital color press system employing the ink and substrate combination according to the present 2 0 invention .
Det~;led ~escril~tion Qf the Tnvent-iQn Referring to the drawing, it is an obj ect of the present invention to produce an ink with extremely good resolubility characteristics when applied to a specialty coated ink jet grade substrate, used with a digital color press system 10 such as has been developed by Scitex Digital Printing, Inc., of Dayton, Ohio. The inks formulated in accordance with the present invention provide good print quality and substrate penetration to aid in drying on the selected coated papers.
Imaging in the digital color press 10 is done with four separate and independent printheads 35 12, 14, 16 and 18. Each head images a different one of the following colors, black cyan, magenta, or yellow. A custom logo color can be achieved with printhead 20. The printheads are of the binary, continuous ink jet type, and employ planar charging technology known in the art.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, imaging is done on a continuous web of paper 22, wherein the paper i9 a specialty coated substrate. The various color heads are posltioned behind each other so that they image sequentially on the paper as it passes l]n~l~rnl~th the head. In order to obtain high quality color images, multiple drops of each color ink are printed at each pixel location. The jet spacing is 240 dpi with an orifice diameter of 0 . 7 mil . The stimulation frequency is 100 kHz and all heads are synchronized.
The web speed is typically 200 feet per minute accurately controlled.
The ink jet ink co~position for the primary colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow), according to the present invention, comprises a liquid vehicle, a single dye component, a surf actant, and a glycol . The black ink pref erably contains two dyes, not for color shading purposes, but to impro~e IR scannability. The ink formulation is specifically disclosed in commonly assigned, copending U. S . Application Serial No .
entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A~ ;vlN(i RUNNA~3I~ITY
AND JBT STRAI~HTNESS FOR A DIGITAI. COLOR PRESS, filed on even date herewith, by Shiow-Meei I. Myers et al (Attorney Docket ~o. SDP146PA), totally incorporated herein by reference.
As will be obvious to anyone skilled in the art, the ingredients in the inks are commercially available. It is also understood and 21 7~72g known in the art that runnability is dye specific, resulting in variations in the amount of runnability achieved, particularly when varying the substrate to which the ink is applied. Almost all ink jet inks applied on a variety of commodity substrates give vastly varying image quality. Differences occur in optical density, brilliance, permanence, drying and dot resolution. The ink composition of the present invention is particularly adaptable for incorporation into a digital color press ink jet printing apparatus for forming images by causing the ink to be expelled in droplets onto a selected ink jet grade coated substrate, thereby generating an image on the substrate.
The selected substrate is an ink jet grade coated substrate. The art is replete with patents and publications disclosing components of ink jet grade paper, such as U.S.: Pat. Nos.
5,372,884; 5,338,597; 5,320,897; 5,281,467;
5,279,885; 5,270,103j- 5,266,383; 5,180,624;
5,165,973; 4,576,867; and 4,478,910, all incorporated herein by ref erence .
Ink jet grade coated substrates typically comprise a base layer and an ink-receptive layer. Substrate manufacturers produce many ink-jet grade substrates using coated components. Coated components, such as amorphous and precipitated silicas, vary in particle sizes and their distribution. Multivalent cross linking, often cationic, components include specialty treated high-bulk oxides of metals such as aluminum, titanium, zirconium, lanthanum, magnesium; modified starches;
water soluble polymeric binders, such as hydrolyzed PVA; and resins. Depending on the composition and methods of coating, such substrates yield varying 21 7572~
degrees of dot gain, brightness, optical density, rate of absorption or drying, and water resistance of the ink- j etted image .
Ink jet coating and sizing formulations for use in coa~ing ink jet substrates are known in the art, and described in such publications as Degussa Corporation ' s Degussa Technical L ibrary Series GP-126 entitled Degussa Synthetic Amorphous Silicas For Ink Jet Surfaces, incorporated herein by reference. Highly r~ An~l~d for ink jet coating formulations are a combination of the precipitated silica FK 310 and fumed silica Aerosil mixed oxide (MOX) 170. FK 310, a finely milled precipitated silica, has an average agglomerate size of 4 microns and an exceptionally high surface area of 650 m2/gram, while maintaining a moderate absorptivity of 210 grams dibutylphtalate (DBP) oil/100 grams silica .
A reAA~~An-lAd binder for use with the silica pigments mentioned above is fully hydrolyzed (9996) polyvinylalcohol (PVA) with a median viscosity of 25-30 mPa's. This type of binder is preferred in ink j et coatings due to its high binder strength and high affinity Eor water, which promotes drying of the acLueous based ink. A typical formulation will re~uire 30 parts of a suitable PVA, such as Hoechst PVA .
It is also known in the art that cationic polymers can be added to the substrate formulation to increase water resistance to the ink jet image. Cationic polymers, such as poly-diallyl-dimethyl-ammoniumchloride, e.g. Additol VXT by Hoechst, can be used to increase dot resolution by increasing the attachment of the anionic ink to the coating surface.
217~72~
Once the ink formulation is selected, the substrate on which the ink is applied is selected. The selected substrate will give optimum color gamut, resolution, strike through and water resistance of the image, reproducible in a consistent manner. Ink formulated in accordance with the ink jet ink composition comprising a liquid vehicle, a single dye component, a surfactant, and a glycol, were applied to various ink jet grade coated substrates. The properties of the resultant images appear in the following Example:
Examp 1 e Sub~trate Mr QD CG Re~ ST WR
Jui o qood qQod qood qood excel Kanzaki excel excel excel qood ooor 20IP excel qood qood excel excel Mead Jet Tech hiqh ç~Qod ooor qood excel Rexham qood ooor Poor qood ~oor In this Example, OD refers to optical density; CG
refers to color gamut; Res refers to dot resolution;
ST ref ers to strike through properties; and WR
refers to water resistance. In a preferred substrate, the exhibition of each of these qualities is at least good, and preferably excellent (excel), when used in combination with the selected ink j et ink composition.
As illustrated in the Example above, the substrates tested had varying image quality results when used in conjunction with the selected ink jet ink composition. Specifically, the Jujo paper tested, Jujo Type FC7 and FC4 from Jujo Paper Co., 21 ~72g Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, had good results in every category, although no excellent results; whereas (1) the Kanzaki paper tested, KS Jet Premium from Kanzaki Specialty Papers of Massachusetts, (2) the Mead Jet Tech paper tested, 90 G/m2 by Gilbert paper, a Mead Company, of Menasha, Wisconsin, and (3) the Rexham Experimental Paper 149-02, by Rexham Graphics of Portland, Oregon, all exhibited good and/or excellent results in some categories, also exhibited poor results in at least one category.
In a pref erred embodiment of the present invention, a specialty experimental digital color press ink jet coated paper, Purchase Order No.
0126091, manufactured by McKinney Coated Products, a papers division of International Paper, located in McKinney, Texas, when used with the ink formulated in accordance herewith, exhibited the best overall image quality results.
The present invention whereby ink and substrate interaction are considered to achieve optimum image quality, has resulted in images having consistent optical density, brilliance, permanence, drying, and dot resolution. The optimized ink and substrate for the digital color press is provided by novel ink formulations used in conjunction with specialty coated ink j et grade paper . As will be obvious to those skilled in the art, depending on the ink formuIations selected for use, the optimum substrate can vary; and depending on the substrate selection, the optimum ink formulations can vary, without departing from the concept of the present invention wherein the interactive combination of the ink and substrate dictates the selection of the ink and substrate.
~ :
217~729 -Industrial A~E~ hili~Y and Adv~nta~es The present invention is useful in the field of ink jet printing, and has the advantage of formulating a modified dye for use in ink jet printing ink which has decreased solubility and increased waterfastness when applied to the selected ink j et grade coated paper The ink and substrate combination selection procesæ of the present invention yields images having permanence to water, quick drying, good o~tical density, bright color tomes, and uniform dot size and geometry.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that modifications and variations can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention .
A DIGITAl. CO~OR PRESS
Technical Field The present invention relates to ink jet printing and, more particularly, to the application of primary color inks to a specialty coated paper for achieving image quality.
Backqround Art In continuous ink jet printing, ink is supplied under pressure to a manifold region that distributes the ink to a plurality of orifices, typically arranged in a linear array(s). The ink discharges from the orifices in filaments which break into droplet streams. The approach for printing with these droplet streams is to selectively charge and deflect certain drops from their normal trajectories. Graphic reproduction is accomplished ]ay selectively charging and deflecting drops from the drop streams and depositing at least some of the drops on a pr~nt receiving medium while other of the drops strike a drop catcher device.
The continuous stream ink jet printing process is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,255,754;
4,698,123 and 4,751,517, the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference.
FulI color graphics printing with such continuous ink j et systems is being developed and practiced by Scitex Digital Printing, Inc., in Dayton, Ohio. One challenge with developing a digital color press is to formulate inks which will run in the digital color press. Existing ink formulatisns are multiple-dye inks. Such previous 35 inks which were formulated for 120 and 240 dots per ~ 2I 7~72'~
inch (dpi) systems were tried in the digital color press, but unfortunately exhibited severe raggedness after a very short time. Furthermore, the prints produced were poOr quality and unacceptable. One major difference between the digital color press and previous systems is the orifice diameter, which is signif icantly smaller in the DCP as compared to other systems. As the orifice diameter decreases, jet straightness and wetting of the orifices in the peg area become vitally important. The slightest deposit or a~non-uniform wetting on the orifice plate may cause excessive raggedness of the j ets and results in poor print quality. An ink formulation capable of producing high quality acceptable print, which will run in a digital color press system, is disclosed in commonly assigned, copending U.S.
Application Serial No. entitled SYSTEM
AND METHOD FOR A~l~vlN~; Rl~NNA3ILITY AND JET
STRAIGHTNESS FOR A DIGITAL COLOR PRESS, f iled on even date herewith, by Shiow-Meei 1J~ Myers et al (Attorney Docket No. SDP146PA), totally incorporated herein by ref erence .
Another challenge with developing a digital color press is to provide a substrate which will obtain a desired image quality. Substrate manufacturers produce many ink- jet grade substrates using coated components. Coated components, such as amorphous and precipitated silicas, vary in particle sizes and their distribution. Multivalent cross linking, often cationic, components include specialty treated high-bulk oxides of metals such as aluminum, titanium, zirconium, lanthanum, magnesium;
modified starches; water soluble polymeric binders, such as hydrolyzed PVA; and resins. Depending on the composition and methods of coating, such . . 2175729 --3-- .
substrates yield varying degrees of dot gain, brightness, optical density, rate of absorption or drying, and water resistance of the ink- jetted image .
When the ink is applied to the substrate, the resultant desired image quality will achieve permanence to water, quick drying, good optical density, bright color tones, uniform dot size and geometry, consistent color gamut and other desirable properties. Selecting a substrate on which to apply the ink is further hampered because many of the ~anufacturing techniques of available substrates are kept as trade secrets, so the exact composition of the substrate is unknown. Selecting a suitable substrate, then, involves extensive experimentation .
It is s-een then that there is a need for a selection of ink and substrate for use in combination to optimize image quality from a digital color press. -Summarv of the Inventiorl This need is met by the optimized ink and substrate combination selection process according to the present invention, wherein an ink j et grade coated substrate and a matched set of inks with defined properties are implemented for use with the digital color press. Three primary inks and one black ink are applied to the specialty coated paper to achieve desired image quality from the digital color press. Cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks are formulated for successful runnability in the digital color press, when applied to the ink j et grade coated paper. In accordance with the present invention, the resultant image gave optimum and consistent optical density, brilliance, permanence, drying and dot resolution.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an ink jet ink composition comprising a liquid vehicle, a single dye component, a surfactant, and a glycol is applied to a specialty coated ink jet grade substrate. When the preferred ink composition is applied to the preferred coated substrate and used in a digital color press, the resultant images obtain consistent color gamut and other desirable properties.
Other obj ects and advantages of the invention will be apparent ~rom the following description and the appended claims.
i3rief De~cril~tiQn of the Draw; nq Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustration of a digital color press system employing the ink and substrate combination according to the present 2 0 invention .
Det~;led ~escril~tion Qf the Tnvent-iQn Referring to the drawing, it is an obj ect of the present invention to produce an ink with extremely good resolubility characteristics when applied to a specialty coated ink jet grade substrate, used with a digital color press system 10 such as has been developed by Scitex Digital Printing, Inc., of Dayton, Ohio. The inks formulated in accordance with the present invention provide good print quality and substrate penetration to aid in drying on the selected coated papers.
Imaging in the digital color press 10 is done with four separate and independent printheads 35 12, 14, 16 and 18. Each head images a different one of the following colors, black cyan, magenta, or yellow. A custom logo color can be achieved with printhead 20. The printheads are of the binary, continuous ink jet type, and employ planar charging technology known in the art.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, imaging is done on a continuous web of paper 22, wherein the paper i9 a specialty coated substrate. The various color heads are posltioned behind each other so that they image sequentially on the paper as it passes l]n~l~rnl~th the head. In order to obtain high quality color images, multiple drops of each color ink are printed at each pixel location. The jet spacing is 240 dpi with an orifice diameter of 0 . 7 mil . The stimulation frequency is 100 kHz and all heads are synchronized.
The web speed is typically 200 feet per minute accurately controlled.
The ink jet ink co~position for the primary colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow), according to the present invention, comprises a liquid vehicle, a single dye component, a surf actant, and a glycol . The black ink pref erably contains two dyes, not for color shading purposes, but to impro~e IR scannability. The ink formulation is specifically disclosed in commonly assigned, copending U. S . Application Serial No .
entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A~ ;vlN(i RUNNA~3I~ITY
AND JBT STRAI~HTNESS FOR A DIGITAI. COLOR PRESS, filed on even date herewith, by Shiow-Meei I. Myers et al (Attorney Docket ~o. SDP146PA), totally incorporated herein by reference.
As will be obvious to anyone skilled in the art, the ingredients in the inks are commercially available. It is also understood and 21 7~72g known in the art that runnability is dye specific, resulting in variations in the amount of runnability achieved, particularly when varying the substrate to which the ink is applied. Almost all ink jet inks applied on a variety of commodity substrates give vastly varying image quality. Differences occur in optical density, brilliance, permanence, drying and dot resolution. The ink composition of the present invention is particularly adaptable for incorporation into a digital color press ink jet printing apparatus for forming images by causing the ink to be expelled in droplets onto a selected ink jet grade coated substrate, thereby generating an image on the substrate.
The selected substrate is an ink jet grade coated substrate. The art is replete with patents and publications disclosing components of ink jet grade paper, such as U.S.: Pat. Nos.
5,372,884; 5,338,597; 5,320,897; 5,281,467;
5,279,885; 5,270,103j- 5,266,383; 5,180,624;
5,165,973; 4,576,867; and 4,478,910, all incorporated herein by ref erence .
Ink jet grade coated substrates typically comprise a base layer and an ink-receptive layer. Substrate manufacturers produce many ink-jet grade substrates using coated components. Coated components, such as amorphous and precipitated silicas, vary in particle sizes and their distribution. Multivalent cross linking, often cationic, components include specialty treated high-bulk oxides of metals such as aluminum, titanium, zirconium, lanthanum, magnesium; modified starches;
water soluble polymeric binders, such as hydrolyzed PVA; and resins. Depending on the composition and methods of coating, such substrates yield varying 21 7572~
degrees of dot gain, brightness, optical density, rate of absorption or drying, and water resistance of the ink- j etted image .
Ink jet coating and sizing formulations for use in coa~ing ink jet substrates are known in the art, and described in such publications as Degussa Corporation ' s Degussa Technical L ibrary Series GP-126 entitled Degussa Synthetic Amorphous Silicas For Ink Jet Surfaces, incorporated herein by reference. Highly r~ An~l~d for ink jet coating formulations are a combination of the precipitated silica FK 310 and fumed silica Aerosil mixed oxide (MOX) 170. FK 310, a finely milled precipitated silica, has an average agglomerate size of 4 microns and an exceptionally high surface area of 650 m2/gram, while maintaining a moderate absorptivity of 210 grams dibutylphtalate (DBP) oil/100 grams silica .
A reAA~~An-lAd binder for use with the silica pigments mentioned above is fully hydrolyzed (9996) polyvinylalcohol (PVA) with a median viscosity of 25-30 mPa's. This type of binder is preferred in ink j et coatings due to its high binder strength and high affinity Eor water, which promotes drying of the acLueous based ink. A typical formulation will re~uire 30 parts of a suitable PVA, such as Hoechst PVA .
It is also known in the art that cationic polymers can be added to the substrate formulation to increase water resistance to the ink jet image. Cationic polymers, such as poly-diallyl-dimethyl-ammoniumchloride, e.g. Additol VXT by Hoechst, can be used to increase dot resolution by increasing the attachment of the anionic ink to the coating surface.
217~72~
Once the ink formulation is selected, the substrate on which the ink is applied is selected. The selected substrate will give optimum color gamut, resolution, strike through and water resistance of the image, reproducible in a consistent manner. Ink formulated in accordance with the ink jet ink composition comprising a liquid vehicle, a single dye component, a surfactant, and a glycol, were applied to various ink jet grade coated substrates. The properties of the resultant images appear in the following Example:
Examp 1 e Sub~trate Mr QD CG Re~ ST WR
Jui o qood qQod qood qood excel Kanzaki excel excel excel qood ooor 20IP excel qood qood excel excel Mead Jet Tech hiqh ç~Qod ooor qood excel Rexham qood ooor Poor qood ~oor In this Example, OD refers to optical density; CG
refers to color gamut; Res refers to dot resolution;
ST ref ers to strike through properties; and WR
refers to water resistance. In a preferred substrate, the exhibition of each of these qualities is at least good, and preferably excellent (excel), when used in combination with the selected ink j et ink composition.
As illustrated in the Example above, the substrates tested had varying image quality results when used in conjunction with the selected ink jet ink composition. Specifically, the Jujo paper tested, Jujo Type FC7 and FC4 from Jujo Paper Co., 21 ~72g Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, had good results in every category, although no excellent results; whereas (1) the Kanzaki paper tested, KS Jet Premium from Kanzaki Specialty Papers of Massachusetts, (2) the Mead Jet Tech paper tested, 90 G/m2 by Gilbert paper, a Mead Company, of Menasha, Wisconsin, and (3) the Rexham Experimental Paper 149-02, by Rexham Graphics of Portland, Oregon, all exhibited good and/or excellent results in some categories, also exhibited poor results in at least one category.
In a pref erred embodiment of the present invention, a specialty experimental digital color press ink jet coated paper, Purchase Order No.
0126091, manufactured by McKinney Coated Products, a papers division of International Paper, located in McKinney, Texas, when used with the ink formulated in accordance herewith, exhibited the best overall image quality results.
The present invention whereby ink and substrate interaction are considered to achieve optimum image quality, has resulted in images having consistent optical density, brilliance, permanence, drying, and dot resolution. The optimized ink and substrate for the digital color press is provided by novel ink formulations used in conjunction with specialty coated ink j et grade paper . As will be obvious to those skilled in the art, depending on the ink formuIations selected for use, the optimum substrate can vary; and depending on the substrate selection, the optimum ink formulations can vary, without departing from the concept of the present invention wherein the interactive combination of the ink and substrate dictates the selection of the ink and substrate.
~ :
217~729 -Industrial A~E~ hili~Y and Adv~nta~es The present invention is useful in the field of ink jet printing, and has the advantage of formulating a modified dye for use in ink jet printing ink which has decreased solubility and increased waterfastness when applied to the selected ink j et grade coated paper The ink and substrate combination selection procesæ of the present invention yields images having permanence to water, quick drying, good o~tical density, bright color tomes, and uniform dot size and geometry.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that modifications and variations can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention .
Claims (10)
1. A method for optimizing image quality of an ink jet image printed on a digital color press ink jet printing system, comprising the steps of:
selecting an ink jet ink composition for formulating primary color inks to achieve good runnability in the digital color press; and selecting an ink jet grade substrate for receiving the ink jet ink, whereby the ink jet ink and the substrate combination optimizes image quality of the ink jet image.
selecting an ink jet ink composition for formulating primary color inks to achieve good runnability in the digital color press; and selecting an ink jet grade substrate for receiving the ink jet ink, whereby the ink jet ink and the substrate combination optimizes image quality of the ink jet image.
2. A method for optimizing image quality of an ink jet image as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ink jet image generated by the selected ink jet ink composition applied to the selected ink jet grade substrate comprises good optical density, good color gamut, good dot resolution, low strike through properties, and good water resistance.
3. A method for optimizing image quality of an ink jet image as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ink jet ink composition comprises a liquid vehicle, at least one dye component, a surfactant and a glycol.
4. A method for optimizing image quality of an ink jet image as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ink jet grade substrate comprises an ink-receiving layer.
5. A method for optimizing image quality of an ink jet image as claimed in claim 4 wherein the ink-receiving layer comprises a coating component.
6. A method for optimizing image quality of an ink jet image as claimed in claim 5 wherein the coating component comprises a material having good affinity for inks.
7. A method for optimizing image quality of an ink jet image as claimed in claim 6 wherein the coating component is selected from the group consisting of silicas, amorphous silicas, precipitated silicas, and mixtures thereof.
8. A method for optimizing image quality of an ink jet image as claimed in claim 6 wherein the coating component is selected from the group consisting of silicas, amorphous silicas, precipitated silicas, pigments, carbonates, polymers, oxides and mixtures thereof.
9. A method for optimizing image quality of an ink jet image as claimed in claim 4 wherein the ink-receiving layer comprises a binder.
10. A process for generating images which comprises incorporating into an ink jet printing apparatus the ink composition applied to the coated substrate of claim 1 and forming images by causing the ink to be expelled in droplets onto the coated substrate, thereby generating an image on the substrate.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US43475695A | 1995-05-04 | 1995-05-04 | |
| US08/434,756 | 1995-05-04 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2175729A1 true CA2175729A1 (en) | 1996-11-05 |
Family
ID=23725551
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2175729 Abandoned CA2175729A1 (en) | 1995-05-04 | 1996-05-03 | Optimized ink and substrate for a digital color press |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2175729A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN102020889A (en) * | 2011-01-14 | 2011-04-20 | 深圳市墨库图文技术有限公司 | Anti-sunburn red inkjet ink combination for spray ink printing |
-
1996
- 1996-05-03 CA CA 2175729 patent/CA2175729A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN102020889A (en) * | 2011-01-14 | 2011-04-20 | 深圳市墨库图文技术有限公司 | Anti-sunburn red inkjet ink combination for spray ink printing |
| CN102020889B (en) * | 2011-01-14 | 2013-07-17 | 深圳市墨库图文技术有限公司 | Anti-sunburn red inkjet ink combination for spray ink printing |
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