JP2010241050A - Ink-jet recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink-jet recording method for recording a high-quality image at high speed by suppressing variation in ink dot diameters between a plurality of inks due to nonuniform coagulation or the like in recording a multicolor image. <P>SOLUTION: The ink-jet recording method has an image recording process 14 for recording an image by ejecting two or more kinds of ink compositions each containing at least a pigment, by an ink-jet method, and a processing liquid applying process 12 for applying a processing liquid containing an acidic substance for coagulating and/or insolubilizing components in the ink compositions, to a region, to which the ink compositions are applied, of a recording medium whose 60° glossiness is 30 or more prior to the ejection of the ink compositions. At least a first color image recorded by the ejection is recorded using the ink composition containing a self-dispersible polymer having an acid value of 70-120 mgKOH/g and a water-soluble organic solvent together with the pigment. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording method for recording an image by ejecting ink by an ink jet method.

  In recent years, various methods have been proposed as image recording methods for recording color images. In any case, there are high demands on the quality of recorded matter, such as image quality, texture, and curl after recording.

  For example, inkjet technology has been applied to the fields of office printers, home printers, and the like, but in recent years, POD (print on demand) has been demanded, and application in the commercial printing field is expected. In this commercial printing field, a printing texture like general-purpose printing paper is required rather than having a photograph-like surface that completely shuts out the penetration of the ink solvent into the base paper.

  From the viewpoint of obtaining an image approximating a printed matter having a printing texture, a pigment ink that has been conventionally used for offset printing has attracted attention as an ink used for inkjet recording. In addition, from the viewpoint of coping with recent environmental loads, water-based inks are preferable to solvent-based inks. Therefore, a method of recording an image by an ink jet method using an aqueous pigment ink is also widely used. However, since a pigment ink generally has poor scratch resistance, it is known to use latex as a binder component in the ink. Yes.

  Further, in a recording method using an ink jet technique, a technique capable of recording at a higher speed than before is required. In this connection, for example, for ink jet recording, comprising an ink containing a pigment and a liquid composition having an action of aggregating the ink, wherein one of the ink and the liquid composition is alkaline and the other is acidic. An ink set is disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Further, an ink containing a pigment dispersed with a polymer having an acid value of 50 to 120 mgKOH / g and a resin emulsion of resin fine particles made of a polymer having an acid value of 50 to 120 mgKOH / g is disclosed (for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2004-10633 A JP 2007-99913 A

  However, when high-speed recording is attempted by an ink jet technique using a pigment ink and a separate liquid for aggregating the pigment ink, for example, the first-colored ink that has been initially ejected tends to have a lower glossiness in a region where the dot density is low. is there. This is presumably because, in the initial stage of recording, agglomeration proceeds quickly before the dots spread, thereby forming an image with a small dot diameter and a high dot height. In order to cope with this, it is possible to increase the gloss by adjusting the cohesiveness by adjusting the liquid separately supplied to the support separately from the pigment ink and reducing the acid amount. According to this, when recording a multicolor image such as a secondary color image that consumes a large amount of acid, the resolution of the ink dots for the second and subsequent colors deteriorates. In other words, the ink of the second and subsequent colors that are deposited on the ink that has been ejected by the first color is less likely to agglomerate, and the second and subsequent colors are expected to improve the quality and speed of the image due to the aggregating action. The dot diameter of the ink droplet is greatly expanded.

As described above, for example, when the gloss of the low density image portion with the ink ejected to the first color is to be improved, the dot balance of the second and subsequent colors is lost, and the dot diameter tends to be larger than the expected diameter. It has been considered difficult to achieve both the glossiness of the low density portion and the resolution of the image portion after the second color. As the dot diameter increases, fine lines and fine image portions cannot be drawn precisely and uniformly, and the image resolution decreases.
This tendency becomes more prominent as the amount of ink droplets ejected after the second color increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and suppresses ink dot diameter variation between a plurality of inks due to, for example, non-uniform aggregation when a multicolor image is recorded, and can record a high-quality image at high speed. It aims at providing the inkjet recording method which can be performed, and makes it a subject to achieve this objective.

  In the present invention, the dot diameter of, for example, the primary color ink at the initial stage of droplet ejection is spread to some extent to maintain the gloss of the low density portion (for example, 40% or less of the halftone dot), and the subsequent secondary color, for example, after that. In order to keep the dot diameter of the ink from spreading too much and maintain the resolution, a two-liquid system using a separate liquid that agglomerates the components in the pigment ink is used, and the 60 ° gloss is 30 or more. The inventors have obtained knowledge that a configuration using a self-dispersing polymer having a relatively high acid value for the ink at the initial stage of recording with respect to the recording medium is effective, and has been achieved based on such knowledge.

Specific means for achieving the above object are as follows.
<1> An image recording step of recording an image by discharging two or more ink compositions containing at least a pigment by an inkjet method, and a treatment liquid containing an acidic substance that aggregates and / or insolubilizes the components in the ink composition And a treatment liquid applying step for applying the ink composition to a region to which the ink composition of a recording medium having a 60 ° glossiness of 30 or more is applied before the ink composition is discharged, and at least one recorded by the discharge. The color image is an inkjet recording method in which an ink composition containing a self-dispersing polymer having an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g and a water-soluble organic solvent is used together with the pigment.
<2> The inkjet recording method according to <1>, further including a fixing step of fixing a recorded image by heating and / or pressure bonding.
<3> The inkjet recording method according to <1> or <2>, wherein the pigment is a water-dispersible pigment in which at least a part of a surface thereof is coated with a polymer dispersant.
<4> The inkjet recording method according to <3>, wherein the polymer dispersant has a carboxyl group.
<5> The ink jet recording method according to <3> or <4>, wherein the polymer dispersant has an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g.

<6> The inkjet recording according to any one of <3> to <5>, wherein the self-dispersing polymer and the polymer dispersant have a weight average acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g. Is the method.
<7> In the image recording step, when the image of the second color or later is set to a resolution of 1200 dpi, the droplet volume of the ink composition is recorded as 4 to 10 pl (picoliter; the same applies hereinafter). <6> The inkjet recording method according to any one of the above.
<8> In the image recording step, the maximum total discharge amount is set to 8 to 15 ml / m ² , and the ink composition is applied to the acidic surface having an acidic substance application amount of 0.2 to 0.7 g / m ^2. It is the inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <7>, which is characterized.
<9> The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <8>, wherein the average particle size of the self-dispersing polymer is 50 nm or less in terms of a volume average particle size. .
<10> The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <9>, wherein the acidic substance is a divalent or higher valent organic acid.
<11> The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein the recording medium is a coated paper having a base paper and a coating layer containing an inorganic pigment. is there.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording method capable of recording a high-quality image at a high speed while suppressing diameter variation of ink dots between a plurality of inks due to, for example, non-uniform aggregation when recording a multicolor image. be able to.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structural example of the inkjet recording device used for implementation of the inkjet recording method of this invention.

Hereinafter, the ink jet recording method of the present invention will be described in detail.
The inkjet recording method of the present invention includes an image recording step of recording an image by ejecting two or more ink compositions containing at least a pigment by an inkjet method, and an acidic substance that aggregates and / or insolubilizes components in the ink composition And a treatment liquid application step for applying the treatment liquid to a region to which the ink composition of a recording medium having a 60 ° gloss of 30 or more is applied before discharging the ink composition, and the image recording step At least the first color image recorded by ejection using an ink composition containing a self-dispersing polymer having an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g, a water-soluble organic solvent, and a pigment. is there.

In the present invention, two or more pigment-based ink compositions (hereinafter also simply referred to as “inks”) are used, and different ink types are used (preferably the second and subsequent inks are in a droplet amount of 4 pl or more). When an image composed of a plurality of types of inks is ejected at a high speed, a primary color image formed with at least the first one type (first color) of the desired image is taken as a self having a relatively high acid value. Before applying the second and subsequent types of ink (for example, the second and subsequent colors) to be subsequently applied by forming the ink on the recording medium having a predetermined glossiness or higher by applying an acidic substance in advance with an ink using a dispersible polymer. For example, the ink after the secondary color image retains the cohesiveness and hardly spreads the dots after landing, while acid consumption on the acidic surface is suppressed and aggregation of the ink forming the primary color image is alleviated. So primary Regardless of the density (halftone dot density) of the image, the glossiness can be maintained, and at the same time, the second and subsequent inks are applied in contact with the primary color image (for example, superimposed on the primary color image). Image resolution can also be maintained. This is a secondary color formed by applying a second type ... n-th type (for example, third type) ink following a primary color image ... n-order color image (for example, a tertiary color image) ) Are the same, and particularly appear in a system in which the amount of ink droplets ejected after the secondary color is large (preferably the droplet amount is 4 to 10 pl).
As a result, even when a multicolor image is recorded using multiple types of ink, for example, the dot uniformity among the ink types is high, and fine lines and fine image portions can be drawn finely and uniformly, resulting in high quality. A stable image can be obtained.

-Image recording process-
In the image recording step, two or more ink compositions containing at least a pigment are ejected by an ink jet method to record an image.

  In the image recording by the inkjet method, by supplying energy, ink is ejected onto a recording medium (preferably coated paper) to which the processing liquid is applied so as to come into contact with the processing liquid, and a colored image is recorded. As a preferable ink jet recording method for the present invention, the method described in paragraph Nos. 0093 to 0105 of JP-A No. 2003-306623 can be applied.

  At this time, only the ink composition applied first (first color) may be in a form containing a self-dispersing polymer having an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g, or three or more types of ink compositions may be used. When used, the first two types (for example, the first and second color ink compositions) may include a self-dispersing polymer having an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g. Alternatively, the recording may be performed using a self-dispersing polymer having an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g for all ink compositions.

The inkjet method is not particularly limited, and is a known method, for example, a charge control method that ejects ink using electrostatic attraction, a drop-on-demand method (pressure pulse method) that uses vibration pressure of a piezoelectric element, An acoustic ink jet system that converts an electrical signal into an acoustic beam, irradiates the ink with ink, and ejects the ink using radiation pressure, and a thermal ink jet that forms bubbles by heating the ink and uses the generated pressure (bubble jet (registered) Trademark)) method or the like. As an ink jet method, in particular, the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 54-59936 causes an abrupt volume change of the ink subjected to the action of thermal energy, and the ink is ejected from the nozzle by the action force due to this state change. Ink jet method can be used effectively.
The ink jet method includes a method of ejecting many low-density inks called photo inks in a small volume, a method of improving image quality using a plurality of inks having substantially the same hue and different concentrations, and colorless and transparent inks. The method using is included.

Further, the ink jet head used in the ink jet method may be an on-demand method or a continuous method. In addition, as a discharge method, an electro-mechanical conversion method (for example, a single cavity type, a double cavity type, a bender type, a piston type, a shear mode type, a shared wall type, etc.), an electro-thermal conversion method (for example, a thermal type) Specific examples include an ink jet type, a bubble jet (registered trademark) type, an electrostatic attraction type (for example, an electric field control type, a slit jet type, etc.) and a discharge type (for example, a spark jet type). However, any discharge method may be used.
There are no particular restrictions on the ink nozzles used when recording by the ink jet method, and they can be appropriately selected according to the purpose.

  The amount of ink droplets discharged in the image recording process (ink droplet amount) should be adjusted according to the desired density and resolution, and is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of achieving both color densities of 0.5 to 40 pl (picoliter), preferably 1 to 30 pl, more preferably 1.5 to 20 pl, and particularly preferably 1.5 to 10 pl. Yes, most preferably 4-10 pl. In addition, it is preferable to adjust the ejection amount according to the image. In particular, when recording a high-definition image that requires high resolution, the ink droplet amount is preferably 0.5 to 10 pl, more preferably 1.0 to 8 pl. 1.5 to 6 pl is more preferable, and 2 to 6 pl is particularly preferable. In addition, when recording an image that has a high dot density such as a solid image and requires a high density, the ink droplet amount is preferably 1.5 to 40 pl, more preferably 1.5 to 10 pl, and particularly preferably 4 to 10 pl. When the ink droplet amount is 0.5 pl or more, the landing accuracy is good, and when it is 40 pl or less, landing interference can be easily controlled and a uniform image can be obtained. Specifically, for example, the ink droplet amount of the primary color ink (image) is 2 to 6 pl, and the ink (image) of the second and subsequent colors is set to 4 to 10 pl when the resolution is 1200 dpi. It is preferable to record. In a recording system in which the amount of ejected droplets is relatively large, it is difficult to maintain both the glossiness of, for example, the primary color image at the beginning of recording and the resolution of the image formed after the second color. For example, while keeping the glossiness of the primary color image high even at a low density, it is possible to suppress dot diameter variation when ink of the secondary color or more is ejected and to record a high-quality image at high speed.

The ink ejected in the image recording process is a water-based ink, and if a lot of energy is required to evaporate moisture, the environmental impact of the device will increase due to the device configuration. desirable. On the other hand, it is desirable for the recording method to have a wide color gamut, but from this point of view, it is preferable that the total ink ejection amount is large.
To comprehensively satisfied these viewpoints, the maximum total ejection amount of the ink composition, preferably 5~30ml / ^{m 2,} more preferably ^{8~15ml / m 2, 10~13ml / m} 2 is particularly preferable. In this case, the recording surface of the recording medium on which the ink composition is discharged is preferably an acidic surface in which the applied amount of acidic substance is 0.2 to 0.7 g / m ² .

Here, the maximum total ejection amount [ml / m ^2] is the maximum amount of the total of the amount of ink discharged per unit area in an apparatus for use is determined from the following equation.
Maximum total discharge amount = Σ (maximum discharge amount of each ink [ml / m ² ] × discharge rate of each ink)
For example, when the actual discharge amount when recording a gray image is Y = M = C = K = 30%, the maximum total discharge amount is 20 × 0 when the maximum discharge amount of each color is 20 ml / m ² , for example. 3 + 20 × 0.3 + 20 × 0.3 + 20 × 0.3 = 24 ml / m ²

  The ink composition is used not only for the formation of a single color image but also for the formation of a multicolor image (for example, a full color image), and an image can be recorded by selecting one or more desired colors. When recording a full-color image, magenta color ink, cyan color ink, and yellow color ink can be used as the ink composition. Further, in order to adjust the color tone, a black color tone ink may be further used. In addition, ink compositions having red (R), green (G), blue (B), and white (W) tones other than yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), and so-called printing fields. Ink-colored ink compositions and the like can be used. The ink composition of each color tone can be prepared by changing the hue of the pigment used as the colorant as desired.

-Ink composition-
Next, the ink composition used in the inkjet recording method of the present invention will be described in detail.
In the present invention, two or more ink compositions are used. These ink compositions contain at least a pigment, and at least one of the ink compositions has an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g in addition to the pigment. Contains a self-dispersing polymer and a water-soluble organic solvent. The ink composition in the present invention can generally contain water, and can be constituted by using other additives such as a surfactant as required.

<Pigment>
The ink composition in the invention contains at least one pigment as a color material component. There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a pigment, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, any of an organic pigment and an inorganic pigment may be sufficient. The pigment is preferably a pigment that is almost insoluble or hardly soluble in water from the viewpoint of ink colorability.

  Examples of the organic pigment include azo pigments, polycyclic pigments, dye chelates, nitro pigments, nitroso pigments, and aniline black. Among these, azo pigments and polycyclic pigments are more preferable. Examples of the inorganic pigment include titanium oxide, iron oxide, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, aluminum hydroxide, barium yellow, cadmium red, chrome yellow, and carbon black. Among these, carbon black is particularly preferable.

~ Dispersant ~
The ink composition of the present invention can contain at least one dispersant. The pigment dispersant may be either a polymer dispersant or a low molecular surfactant type dispersant. The polymer dispersant may be either a water-soluble dispersant or a water-insoluble dispersant.

  The low molecular surfactant type dispersant can stably disperse the pigment in the aqueous solvent while keeping the ink at a low viscosity. The low molecular surfactant type dispersant is a low molecular dispersant having a molecular weight of 2,000 or less. The molecular weight of the low molecular surfactant type dispersant is preferably 100 to 2,000, and more preferably 200 to 2,000.

  The low molecular surfactant type dispersant has a structure including a hydrophilic group and a hydrophobic group. Moreover, the hydrophilic group and the hydrophobic group should just be independently contained 1 or more in 1 molecule, respectively, and may have multiple types of hydrophilic group and hydrophobic group. In addition, a linking group for linking a hydrophilic group and a hydrophobic group can be appropriately included.

The hydrophilic group is anionic, cationic, nonionic, or a betaine type that combines these.
The anionic group may be any one as long as it has a negative charge, and may be a phosphoric acid group, a phosphonic acid group, a phosphinic acid group, a sulfuric acid group, a sulfonic acid group, a sulfinic acid group, or a carboxylic acid group. Preferably, it is a phosphoric acid group or a carboxylic acid group, and more preferably a carboxylic acid group. The cationic group may be any as long as it has a positive charge, but is preferably an organic cationic substituent, and more preferably a nitrogen or phosphorus cationic group. Further, it is more preferably a pyridinium cation or an ammonium cation. Examples of the nonionic group include polyethylene oxide, polyglycerin, and a part of a sugar unit.

  The hydrophilic group is preferably an anionic group. The anionic group is preferably a phosphoric acid group, a phosphonic acid group, a phosphinic acid group, a sulfuric acid group, a sulfonic acid group, a sulfinic acid group, or a carboxyl group, more preferably a phosphoric acid group or a carboxyl group, More preferably, it is a carboxyl group.

  When the low molecular surfactant type dispersant has an anionic hydrophilic group, the pKa is preferably 3 or more from the viewpoint of promoting the aggregation reaction by contacting with an acidic treatment liquid. The pKa of the low molecular surfactant type dispersant is titrated with a solution of 1 mmol / L of the low molecular surfactant type dispersant in a tetrahydrofuran-water (3: 2 = V / V) solution with an acid or alkaline aqueous solution. The value obtained experimentally from the titration curve. When the pKa of the low-molecular surfactant type dispersant is 3 or more, 50% or more of the anionic groups are in a non-dissociated state when in contact with a liquid having a theoretical pH of about 3. Therefore, the water solubility of the low-molecular surfactant type dispersant is remarkably lowered, and an agglomeration reaction occurs. That is, the aggregation reactivity is improved. From this viewpoint, the low molecular surfactant type dispersant preferably has a carboxylic acid group as an anionic group.

The hydrophobic group has a hydrocarbon-based, fluorocarbon-based, silicone-based or the like structure, and is particularly preferably a hydrocarbon-based group. Further, the hydrophobic group may have a linear structure or a branched structure. Further, the hydrophobic group may have a single chain structure or a chain structure of more than this, and in the case of a structure of two or more chains, it may have a plurality of types of hydrophobic groups.
The hydrophobic group is preferably a hydrocarbon group having 2 to 24 carbon atoms, more preferably a hydrocarbon group having 4 to 24 carbon atoms, and further preferably a hydrocarbon group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms.

  Among the polymer dispersants, examples of the water-soluble dispersant include hydrophilic polymer compounds. For example, natural hydrophilic polymer compounds include plant polymers such as gum arabic, tragan gum, guar gum, karaya gum, locust bean gum, arabinogalactone, pectin, quince seed starch, seaweeds such as alginic acid, carrageenan and agar. Examples include molecules, animal polymers such as gelatin, casein, albumin and collagen, and microorganism polymers such as xanthene gum and dextran.

  In addition, in hydrophilic polymer compounds modified from natural products, fiber polymers such as methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, starch such as sodium starch glycolate and sodium starch phosphate And seaweed polymers such as sodium alginate, propylene glycol alginate, and the like.

  Further, synthetic hydrophilic polymer compounds include vinyl polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and polyvinyl methyl ether, non-crosslinked polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid or alkali metal salts thereof, water-soluble styrene acrylic resins, and the like. Acrylic resin, water-soluble styrene maleic acid resin, water-soluble vinyl naphthalene acrylic resin, water-soluble vinyl naphthalene maleic resin, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, alkali metal salt of β-naphthalene sulfonic acid formalin condensate, quaternary ammonium, amino group, etc. Examples thereof include a polymer compound having a salt of a cationic functional group in the side chain and a natural polymer compound such as shellac.

  Among these, water-soluble dispersants introduced with carboxyl groups are hydrophilic polymers such as homopolymers of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, styrene acrylic acid, and copolymers with monomers having other hydrophilic groups. Preferred as a compound.

  Among the polymer dispersants, as the water-insoluble dispersant, a polymer having both a hydrophobic portion and a hydrophilic portion can be used. For example, styrene- (meth) acrylic acid copolymer, styrene- (meth) acrylic acid- (meth) acrylic acid ester copolymer, (meth) acrylic acid ester- (meth) acrylic acid copolymer, polyethylene glycol ( Examples thereof include (meth) acrylate- (meth) acrylic acid copolymers, vinyl acetate-maleic acid copolymers, and styrene-maleic acid copolymers.

  The weight average molecular weight of the polymer dispersant is preferably 3,000 to 100,000, more preferably 5,000 to 50,000, still more preferably 5,000 to 40,000, and particularly preferably 10,000. 000 to 40,000.

  As the acid value of the polymer dispersant, after applying one (first color) of two or more (for example, two colors) ink compositions, the applied ink composition (for example, the first color primary color image) 70 to 120 mgKOH / g is preferable from the viewpoint of maintaining good aggregation of the ink composition when one or more (for example, the second color) of the other ink composition other than the one is overlaid. Furthermore, for the same reason, the acid value is more preferably 75 to 120 mgKOH / g, and still more preferably 90 to 120 mgKOH / g.

  The polymer dispersant preferably contains a polymer having a carboxyl group from the viewpoint of self-dispersibility and the aggregation rate when the treatment liquid comes into contact, and the polymer dispersant has a carboxyl group and an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g. More preferably.

  The mixing mass ratio (p: s) between the pigment (p) and the dispersant (s) is preferably in the range of 1: 0.06 to 1: 3, more preferably in the range of 1: 0.125 to 1: 2. Preferably, it is 1: 0.125 to 1: 1.5.

  In the present invention, from the viewpoint of image light resistance and quality, it is preferable to contain a pigment and a dispersant, more preferably an organic pigment and a polymer dispersant, and a polymer dispersant containing an organic pigment and a carboxyl group. It is particularly preferred that Moreover, it is preferable that a pigment is coat | covered with the polymer dispersing agent which has a carboxyl group from a cohesive viewpoint, and is water-insoluble.

The average particle size of the pigment is preferably 10 to 200 nm, more preferably 10 to 150 nm, and even more preferably 10 to 100 nm. When the average particle size is 200 nm or less, the color reproducibility is good, the droplet ejection characteristics when droplets are ejected by the ink jet method are good, and when it is 10 nm or more, the light resistance is good. Further, the particle size distribution of the color material is not particularly limited, and may be either a wide particle size distribution or a monodisperse particle size distribution. Two or more color materials having a monodisperse particle size distribution may be mixed and used.
The average particle size and particle size distribution of the polymer particles are determined by measuring the volume average particle size by a dynamic light scattering method using a nanotrack particle size distribution measuring device UPA-EX150 (manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.). It is what

You may use a pigment individually by 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types.
The content of the pigment is preferably 1 to 25% by mass, more preferably 2 to 20% by mass, still more preferably 5 to 20% by mass with respect to the total mass of the ink composition from the viewpoint of image density. ˜15% by weight is particularly preferred.

<Self-dispersing polymer>
One or more of the ink compositions in the invention contain at least one self-dispersing polymer having an acid value of 70 to 120 mg KOH / g. The self-dispersing polymer fixes the image by destabilizing and agglomerating and thickening the ink itself when it comes into contact with the treatment liquid containing the acidic substance described later or the area of the recording medium to which the acidic substance is applied. It is possible to improve the fixing property of the image to the recording medium and the scratch resistance.

  By using a self-dispersing polymer among various polymers, free emulsifiers that are generally mixed when resin particles are conventionally contained in the liquid are reduced or removed, and the agglomerated components easily act directly. Thus, the components in the ink composition can be aggregated at a higher speed. Therefore, bleeding and color mixing caused by interference between ink droplets can be prevented, and an image excellent in hue and drawing performance (reproducibility of fine lines and fine portions in an image) can be obtained at higher speed.

In the present invention, the acid value of the self-dispersing polymer used is set to a relatively high range of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g. When the acid value is less than 70 mgKOH / g, the gloss of the primary color image formed with the first kind (for example, the first color) of the ink is remarkably lowered, and the primary color image is brought into contact with the primary color image (for example, overlaid). The droplet diameter of the ejected ink droplet is likely to increase as compared to the primary color image. Conversely, if the droplet diameter exceeds 120 mgKOH / g, the acid dependency increases, and the amount of treatment liquid applied to the recording medium in advance increases. Of acidic substances. The acid value of the self-dispersing polymer is preferably 75 to 120 mgKOH / g, more preferably 90 to 120 mgKOH / g, from the viewpoint of reducing the influence of unevenness of the treatment liquid and further stabilizing the dot diameter.
Oxidation is a value measured by the method described in the JIS standard (JIS K0070: 1992). The same applies hereinafter.

  The self-dispersing polymer can be selected without particular limitation as long as it satisfies the acid value range, and a latex containing self-dispersing polymer particles can be used.

  A self-dispersing polymer is a water-insoluble polymer that can be dispersed in an aqueous medium by a functional group (particularly an acidic group or a salt thereof) possessed by the polymer itself in the absence of other surfactants. It means a water-insoluble polymer containing no emulsifier.

Here, the dispersed state refers to an emulsified state (emulsion) in which a water-insoluble polymer is dispersed in an aqueous medium in a liquid state and a dispersed state (suspension) in which a water-insoluble polymer is dispersed in an aqueous medium in a solid state. It includes both states.
The water-insoluble polymer in the present invention is preferably a water-insoluble polymer that can be in a dispersed state in which the water-insoluble polymer is dispersed in a solid state, from the viewpoint of aggregation rate and fixing property when a liquid composition is used.

  The dispersion state of the self-dispersing polymer is a solution in which 30 g of a water-insoluble polymer is dissolved in 70 g of an organic solvent (for example, methyl ethyl ketone), a neutralizing agent that can neutralize 100% of the salt-forming group of the water-insoluble polymer (salt-forming group) If it is anionic, sodium hydroxide, acetic acid if it is cationic) and 200 g of water are mixed and stirred (apparatus: stirring apparatus with stirring blades, rotation speed 200 rpm, 30 minutes, 25 ° C.), then the mixture In this state, it can be visually confirmed that the dispersed state is stably present at 25 ° C. for at least one week even after the organic solvent is removed from.

  The water-insoluble polymer means a polymer having a dissolution amount of 10 g or less when the polymer is dried at 105 ° C. for 2 hours and then dissolved in 100 g of water at 25 ° C., and the dissolution amount is preferable. Is 5 g or less, more preferably 1 g or less. The dissolution amount is the dissolution amount when neutralized with sodium hydroxide or acetic acid according to the kind of the salt-forming group of the water-insoluble polymer.

  The aqueous medium is configured to contain water, and may contain a hydrophilic organic solvent as necessary. In the present invention, it is preferably composed of water and 0.2% by mass or less of a hydrophilic organic solvent with respect to water, and more preferably composed of water.

  The main chain skeleton of the water-insoluble polymer is not particularly limited. For example, a vinyl polymer or a condensation polymer (epoxy resin, polyester, polyurethane, polyamide, cellulose, polyether, polyurea, polyimide, polycarbonate, etc.) is used. it can. Of these, vinyl polymers are particularly preferred.

Preferable examples of the vinyl polymer and the monomer constituting the vinyl polymer include those described in JP-A Nos. 2001-181549 and 2002-88294. In addition, a radical transfer of a vinyl monomer using a chain transfer agent, a polymerization initiator or an iniferter having a dissociable group (or a substituent that can be derived from the dissociable group), or a dissociable group in either the initiator or the terminator. A vinyl polymer in which a dissociable group is introduced at the end of a polymer chain by ionic polymerization using a compound having (or a substituent that can be derived from a dissociable group) can also be used.
Moreover, as a suitable example of the monomer which comprises a condensation type polymer and a condensation type polymer, what is described in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2001-247787 can be mentioned.

  From the viewpoint of self-dispersibility, the self-dispersing polymer preferably includes a water-insoluble polymer including a hydrophilic structural unit and a structural unit derived from an aromatic group-containing monomer.

The hydrophilic structural unit is not particularly limited as long as it is derived from a hydrophilic group-containing monomer, and even if it is derived from one kind of hydrophilic group-containing monomer, it contains two or more hydrophilic groups. It may be derived from a monomer. The hydrophilic group is not particularly limited, and may be a dissociable group or a nonionic hydrophilic group.
In the present invention, the hydrophilic group is preferably a dissociable group and more preferably an anionic dissociable group from the viewpoint of promoting self-dispersion and the stability of the formed emulsified or dispersed state. Examples of the dissociable group include a carboxyl group, a phosphoric acid group, and a sulfonic acid group. Among them, a carboxyl group is preferable from the viewpoint of fixability when an ink composition is configured.

The hydrophilic group-containing monomer in the present invention is preferably a dissociable group-containing monomer from the viewpoints of self-dispersibility and aggregation, and is a dissociable group-containing monomer having a dissociable group and an ethylenically unsaturated bond. It is preferable.
Examples of the dissociable group-containing monomer include an unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, an unsaturated sulfonic acid monomer, and an unsaturated phosphoric acid monomer.

Specific examples of the unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, citraconic acid, and 2-methacryloyloxymethyl succinic acid.
Specific examples of the unsaturated sulfonic acid monomer include styrene sulfonic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, 3-sulfopropyl (meth) acrylate, and bis- (3-sulfopropyl) -itaconate. Can be mentioned.
Specific examples of the unsaturated phosphoric acid monomer include vinylphosphonic acid, vinyl phosphate, bis (methacryloxyethyl) phosphate, diphenyl-2-acryloyloxyethyl phosphate, diphenyl-2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphate, dibutyl-2 -Acryloyloxyethyl phosphate and the like.
Among the dissociable group-containing monomers, from the viewpoint of dispersion stability and ejection stability, unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers are preferable, acrylic monomers are more preferable, and acrylic acid and methacrylic acid are particularly preferable.

  The self-dispersing polymer in the present invention preferably contains a polymer having a carboxyl group from the viewpoint of self-dispersibility and the aggregation rate when the treatment liquid comes into contact, and has a carboxyl group and an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / It is more preferable to include a polymer of g, and it is more preferable to include a polymer having a carboxyl group and an acid value of 90 to 120 mgKOH / g.

The aromatic group-containing monomer is not particularly limited as long as it is a compound containing an aromatic group and a polymerizable group. The aromatic group may be a group derived from an aromatic hydrocarbon or a group derived from an aromatic heterocycle. In the present invention, an aromatic group derived from an aromatic hydrocarbon is preferable from the viewpoint of particle shape stability in an aqueous medium.
Further, the polymerizable group may be a condensation polymerizable polymerizable group or an addition polymerizable polymerizable group. In the present invention, from the viewpoint of particle shape stability in an aqueous medium, an addition polymerizable group is preferable, and a group containing an ethylenically unsaturated bond is more preferable.

  The aromatic group-containing monomer in the present invention is preferably a monomer having an aromatic group derived from an aromatic hydrocarbon and an ethylenically unsaturated bond. The aromatic group-containing monomer may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Examples of the aromatic group-containing monomer include phenoxyethyl (meth) acrylate, benzyl (meth) acrylate, phenyl (meth) acrylate, and a styrene monomer. Of these, aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomers are preferred from the viewpoint of the balance between the hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the polymer chain and the ink fixability, and include phenoxyethyl (meth) acrylate, benzyl (meth) acrylate, and phenyl (meth). At least one selected from acrylates is more preferable, and phenoxyethyl (meth) acrylate and benzyl (meth) acrylate are more preferable.
“(Meth) acrylate” means acrylate or methacrylate.

The self-dispersing polymer in the present invention is preferably an acrylic resin containing a structural unit derived from a (meth) acrylate monomer, preferably an acrylic resin containing a structural unit derived from an aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer, Includes a structural unit derived from an aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer, and the content thereof is preferably 10% by mass to 95% by mass. When the content of the aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer is 10% by mass to 95% by mass, the stability of the self-emulsification or dispersion state can be improved, and further the increase in ink viscosity can be suppressed.
In the present invention, from the viewpoints of stability in a self-dispersing state, stabilization of particle shape in an aqueous medium due to hydrophobic interaction between aromatic rings, and reduction in the amount of water-soluble components due to appropriate hydrophobicization of particles. More preferably, the content is from mass% to 90 mass%, more preferably from 15 mass% to 80 mass%, and particularly preferably from 25 mass% to 70 mass%.

  The self-dispersing polymer in the present invention can be constituted using, for example, a structural unit derived from an aromatic group-containing monomer and a structural unit derived from a dissociable group-containing monomer. Furthermore, other structural units may be further included as necessary.

  The monomer that forms the other structural unit is not particularly limited as long as it is a monomer copolymerizable with the aromatic group-containing monomer and the dissociable group-containing monomer. Among these, an alkyl group-containing monomer is preferable from the viewpoint of flexibility of the polymer skeleton and ease of control of the glass transition temperature (Tg). Examples of the alkyl group-containing monomer include methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, isopropyl (meth) acrylate, n-propyl (meth) acrylate, n-butyl (meth) acrylate, isobutyl (meth) acrylate, Alkyl (meth) acrylates such as t-butyl (meth) acrylate, hexyl (meth) acrylate, ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, and hydroxymethyl (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl (meth) ) Ethylenically unsaturated monomers having hydroxyl groups such as acrylate, 4-hydroxybutyl (meth) acrylate, hydroxypentyl (meth) acrylate, hydroxyhexyl (meth) acrylate, and dimethyl (Meth) acrylic ester monomers such as dialkylaminoalkyl (meth) acrylates such as ruaminoethyl (meth) acrylate; N-hydroxymethyl (meth) acrylamide, N-hydroxyethyl (meth) acrylamide, N-hydroxybutyl (meth) N-hydroxyalkyl (meth) acrylamide such as acrylamide, N-methoxymethyl (meth) acrylamide, N-ethoxymethyl (meth) acrylamide, N- (n-, iso) butoxymethyl (meth) acrylamide, N-methoxyethyl (Meth) acrylamide, such as (meth) acrylamide, N-ethoxyethyl (meth) acrylamide, N-alkoxyalkyl (meth) acrylamide such as N- (n-, iso) butoxyethyl (meth) acrylamide, etc. And (meth) acrylamide-based monomers like.

  The molecular weight of the water-insoluble polymer constituting the self-dispersing polymer is preferably 3000 to 200,000 in terms of weight average molecular weight, more preferably 5000 to 150,000, and still more preferably 10,000 to 100,000. . By setting the weight average molecular weight to 3000 or more, the amount of water-soluble components can be effectively suppressed. Moreover, self-dispersion stability can be improved by making a weight average molecular weight into 200,000 or less.

  The weight average molecular weight is measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). GPC uses HLC-8220GPC (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation), and three columns of TSKgeL SuperHZM-H, TSKgeL SuperHZ4000, TSKgeL SuperHZ2000 (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation, 4.6 mm ID × 15 cm) are used as eluents. Use THF (tetrahydrofuran). As conditions, the sample concentration is 0.35% by mass, the flow rate is 0.35 ml / min, the sample injection amount is 10 μl, the measurement temperature is 40 ° C., and an IR detector is used. In addition, the calibration curve is “Standard sample TSK standard, polystyrene” manufactured by Tosoh Corporation: “F-40”, “F-20”, “F-4”, “F-1”, “A-5000” Prepared from 8 samples of “A-2500”, “A-1000”, “n-propylbenzene”.

The water-insoluble polymer constituting the self-dispersing polymer is a structural unit derived from an aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer (preferably a structural unit derived from phenoxyethyl (meth) acrylate) from the viewpoint of controlling the hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity of the polymer. And / or a structural unit derived from benzyl (meth) acrylate) as a copolymerization ratio, preferably 15 to 80% by mass of the total mass of the self-dispersing polymer particles.
In addition, the water-insoluble polymer has a constitution derived from a carboxyl group-containing monomer having a copolymerization ratio of 15 to 80% by mass of a constitutional unit derived from an aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer from the viewpoint of controlling the hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity of the polymer. And a structural unit derived from an alkyl group-containing monomer (preferably a structural unit derived from an alkyl ester of (meth) acrylic acid), and a structural unit derived from phenoxyethyl (meth) acrylate and / or Alternatively, a structural unit derived from benzyl (meth) acrylate as a copolymerization ratio of 15 to 80% by mass, a structural unit derived from a carboxyl group-containing monomer, and a structural unit derived from an alkyl group-containing monomer (preferably (meth) A structural unit derived from an alkyl ester having 1 to 4 carbon atoms of acrylic acid) In addition, the acid value is preferably 25 to 100 mgKOH / g and the weight average molecular weight is preferably 3000 to 200,000, the acid value is 25 to 95 mgKOH / g and the weight average molecular weight is More preferably, it is 5000-150,000.

  Specific examples (exemplary compounds B-01 to B-19) of water-insoluble polymers constituting the self-dispersing polymer are given below. However, the present invention is not limited to these. The values in parentheses represent the mass ratio of the copolymer component.

B-01: Phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (50/45/5)
B-02: Phenoxyethyl acrylate / benzyl methacrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (30/35/29/6)
B-03: Phenoxyethyl methacrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (50/44/6)
B-04: Phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / ethyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (30/55/10/5)
B-05: benzyl methacrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (35/59/6)
B-06: Styrene / phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (10/50/35/5)
B-07: benzyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (55/40/5)
B-08: Phenoxyethyl methacrylate / benzyl acrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (45/47/8)
B-09: Styrene / phenoxyethyl acrylate / butyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (5/48/40/7)
B-10: benzyl methacrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / cyclohexyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (35/30/30/5)
B-11: Phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / butyl acrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (12/50/30/8)
B-12: benzyl acrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (93/2/5)
B-13: Styrene / phenoxyethyl methacrylate / butyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (50/5/20/25)
B-14: Styrene / butyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (62/35/3)
B-15: Methyl methacrylate / phenoxyethyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (45/51/4)
B-16: Methyl methacrylate / phenoxyethyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (45/49/6)
B-17: Methyl methacrylate / phenoxyethyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (45/48/7)
B-18: Methyl methacrylate / phenoxyethyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (45/47/8)
B-19: Methyl methacrylate / phenoxyethyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (45/45/10)

  The method for producing the water-insoluble polymer constituting the self-dispersing polymer in the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, emulsion polymerization is carried out in the presence of a polymerizable surfactant to share the surfactant and the water-insoluble polymer. Examples thereof include a method of bonding, and a method of copolymerizing a monomer mixture containing the hydrophilic group-containing monomer and the aromatic group-containing monomer by a known polymerization method such as a solution polymerization method or a bulk polymerization method. Among the polymerization methods, a solution polymerization method is preferable and a solution polymerization method using an organic solvent is more preferable from the viewpoint of aggregation rate and droplet ejection stability when an ink composition is used.

  The self-dispersing polymer in the present invention includes a polymer synthesized in an organic solvent from the viewpoint of aggregation rate, and the polymer has a carboxyl group (preferably having an acid value of 25 to 50 mgKOH / g). A part or all of the carboxyl groups of the polymer is preferably neutralized and prepared as a polymer dispersion having water as a continuous phase. That is, the production of the self-dispersing polymer particles in the present invention includes a step of synthesizing a polymer in an organic solvent and a dispersion step of making an aqueous dispersion in which at least a part of the carboxyl groups of the polymer is neutralized. It is preferable to do so.

The dispersion step preferably includes the following step (1) and step (2).
Step (1): Step of stirring a mixture containing a polymer (water-insoluble polymer), an organic solvent, a neutralizing agent, and an aqueous medium Step (2): Step of removing the organic solvent from the mixture

The step (1) is preferably a treatment in which a polymer (water-insoluble polymer) is first dissolved in an organic solvent, then a neutralizing agent and an aqueous medium are gradually added, mixed and stirred to obtain a dispersion. In this way, by adding a neutralizing agent and an aqueous medium to a water-insoluble polymer solution dissolved in an organic solvent, a self-dispersing polymer having a particle size with higher storage stability without requiring strong shearing force. Particles can be obtained.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the stirring method of this mixture, Dispersing machines, such as a generally used mixing stirring apparatus and an ultrasonic disperser, a high-pressure homogenizer, can be used as needed.

Preferred examples of the organic solvent include alcohol solvents, ketone solvents, and ether solvents.
Examples of the alcohol solvent include isopropyl alcohol, n-butanol, t-butanol, ethanol and the like. Examples of the ketone solvent include acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, diethyl ketone, and methyl isobutyl ketone. Examples of ether solvents include dibutyl ether and dioxane. Among these solvents, ketone solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone and alcohol solvents such as isopropyl alcohol are preferable. It is also preferable to use isopropyl alcohol and methyl ethyl ketone in combination for the purpose of moderating the polarity change during the phase inversion from oil to water. By using this solvent in combination, it is possible to obtain self-dispersing polymer particles having a fine particle size with high dispersion stability without aggregation and sedimentation and fusion between particles.

  The neutralizing agent is used so that a part or all of the dissociable group is neutralized and the self-dispersing polymer forms a stable emulsified or dispersed state in water. When the self-dispersing polymer has an anionic dissociative group (for example, a carboxyl group) as a dissociable group, examples of the neutralizing agent used include basic compounds such as organic amine compounds, ammonia, and alkali metal hydroxides. It is done. Examples of organic amine compounds include monomethylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, monoethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, monopropylamine, dipropylamine, monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, N, N-dimethyl-ethanolamine, N, N-diethyl-ethanolamine, 2-dimethylamino-2-methyl-1-propanol, 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol, N-methyldiethanolamine, N-ethyldiethanolamine, monoisopropanolamine, diisopropanol Examples include amines and triisopropanolamine. Examples of the alkali metal hydroxide include lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide. Among these, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, triethylamine, and triethanolamine are preferable from the viewpoint of stabilizing the dispersion of the self-dispersing polymer particles of the present invention in water.

  These basic compounds are preferably used in an amount of 5 to 120 mol%, more preferably 10 to 110 mol%, still more preferably 15 to 100 mol%, based on 100 mol% of the dissociable group. . By setting it as 5 mol% or more, the effect which stabilizes dispersion | distribution of the particle | grains in water expresses, and there exists an effect which reduces a water-soluble component by setting it as 120 mol% or less.

  In the step (2), the aqueous dispersion of the self-dispersing polymer particles is obtained by distilling off the organic solvent from the dispersion obtained in the step (1) by a conventional method such as distillation under reduced pressure and phase-inversion into an aqueous system. A dispersion can be obtained. The organic solvent in the obtained aqueous dispersion has been substantially removed, and the amount of the organic solvent is preferably 0.2% by mass or less, more preferably 0.1% by mass or less.

The average particle size of the self-dispersing polymer is preferably 50 nm or less, more preferably 40 nm or less in terms of volume average particle size. The lower limit of the volume average particle diameter is desirably 5 nm. Especially, the range of 7-30 nm is especially preferable. When the volume average particle diameter is 5 nm or more, the production suitability is improved, and when it is 50 nm or less, the ejection reliability can be improved.
The particle size distribution of the self-dispersing polymer is not particularly limited, and may be either a wide particle size distribution or a monodispersed particle size distribution.
The average particle size and particle size distribution of the self-dispersing polymer should be measured by a dynamic light scattering method using a nanotrack particle size distribution analyzer UPA-EX150 (manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.). Is required.

  The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the self-dispersing polymer is preferably 30 ° C. or higher, more preferably 40 ° C. or higher, and further preferably 50 ° C. or higher, from the viewpoint of the storage stability of the ink composition.

  The self-dispersing polymer can be used alone or in combination of two or more. The content of the self-dispersing polymer in the ink composition is preferably 1 to 30% by mass, and preferably 5 to 15% by mass with respect to the ink composition from the viewpoints of aggregation rate and image gloss. It is more preferable that

  The content ratio of the pigment (for example, a water-insoluble pigment) and the self-dispersing polymer in the ink composition is preferably 1 / 0.5 to 1/10 from the viewpoint of image scratch resistance. More preferably, the ratio is 1/1 to 1/4.

Among the above, in the present invention, the weight average acid value of the polymer dispersant in the self-dispersing polymer and the pigment is preferably 70 to 120 mgKOH / g. When this weight average acid value is within the above range, it is brought into contact with the applied ink composition (primary color image of the first color) (for example, one or more of the other ink compositions) For example, the cohesiveness of the ink composition when the second color) is applied is kept good.
The weight average acid value is an acid value obtained by dividing the total of at least two kinds of acid values of the self-dispersing polymer and the polymer dispersant by the total weight thereof.
As a weight average acid value in this invention, 70-120 mgKOH / g is preferable from a viewpoint similar to the above, and 80-120 mgKOH / g is more preferable.

<Water-soluble organic solvent>
The ink composition in the present invention can contain at least one water-soluble organic solvent. The water-soluble organic solvent can obtain an effect of preventing drying, wetting or promoting penetration. In order to prevent drying, the ink composition adheres and dries at the ink discharge port of the ejection nozzle to form an aggregate and is used as a drying preventing agent to prevent clogging. Low water-soluble organic solvents are preferred. Further, for penetration promotion, it can be used as a penetration enhancer that enhances ink permeability to paper.

  Examples of water-soluble organic solvents include, for example, glycerin, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, trimethylolpropane, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, pentaethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, 2-butene-1,4-diol, 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol, 1,2-octanediol, 1,2-hexanediol, 1,2- Alkanediols (polyhydric alcohols) such as pentanediol and 4-methyl-1,2-pentanediol; alkyl alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms such as ethanol, methanol, butanol, propanol and isopropanol; ethylene glycol monomethyl Ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol mono-n-propyl ether, ethylene glycol mono-iso-propyl ether, diethylene glycol mono-iso- Propyl ether, ethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, ethylene glycol mono-t-butyl ether, diethylene glycol mono-t-butyl ether, 1-methyl-1-methoxybutanol, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol mono- t-Butyl ether, propi Glycol mono-n-propyl ether, propylene glycol mono-iso-propyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, dipropylene glycol monoethyl ether, dipropylene glycol mono-n-propyl ether, dipropylene glycol mono-iso-propyl ether Glycol ethers such as 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, formamide, acetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, sorbit, sorbitan, acetin, diacetin, triacetin, sulfolane and the like Can be mentioned. These can be used individually by 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types.

  For the purpose of preventing drying and wetting, polyhydric alcohols are useful. For example, glycerin, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, 2 , 3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 3-methyl-1,3-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,6-hexanediol, 2-methyl-2,4- Examples include pentanediol, polyethylene glycol, 1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, and the like. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

  For the purpose of promoting penetration, polyol compounds are preferred, and aliphatic diols are preferred. Examples of the aliphatic diol include 2-ethyl-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, 3,3-dimethyl-1,2-butanediol, 2,2-diethyl-1,3-propanediol, -Methyl-2-propyl-1,3-propanediol, 2,4-dimethyl-2,4-pentanediol, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-hexanediol, 5-hexene-1,2-diol, Examples include 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol and 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol. Among these, preferred examples include 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol and 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol.

A water-soluble organic solvent may be used individually by 1 type, or may be used in mixture of 2 or more types.
As content in the ink composition of a water-soluble organic solvent, 1-60 mass% is preferable, More preferably, it is 5-40 mass%.

<Water>
The ink composition in the present invention can contain water, but the amount of water is not particularly limited. Especially, it is preferably 10% by mass or more and 99% by mass or less, and more preferably 30% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less.

<Surfactant>
The ink in the present invention may contain a surfactant as necessary. The surfactant can be used as a surface tension adjusting agent. As a surface tension modifier, a compound having a structure having both a hydrophilic part and a hydrophobic part in the molecule can be used effectively. Anionic surfactant, cationic surfactant, amphoteric surfactant, nonionic surfactant Either a surfactant or a betaine surfactant can be used. Further, the above dispersant (polymer dispersant) may be used as a surfactant.

  Specific examples of the anionic surfactant include sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium alkyldiphenyl ether disulfonate, sodium alkylnaphthalenesulfonate, sodium dialkylsulfosuccinate, and the like, Or 2 or more types can be selected.

  Specific examples of the nonionic surfactant include polyoxyethylene lauryl ether, polyoxyethylene octyl phenyl ether, polyoxyethylene oleyl phenyl ether, polyoxyethylene nonyl phenyl ether, oxyethylene / oxypropylene block copolymer, and t-octyl. Examples thereof include phenoxyethyl polyethoxyethanol, nonylphenoxyethyl polyethoxyethanol, and the like, and one or more of these can be selected.

  Specific examples of the cationic surfactant include tetraalkylammonium salts, alkylamine salts, benzalkonium salts, alkylpyridium salts, imidazolium salts, and the like.

When the surfactant is contained in the ink, the surfactant preferably contains an amount in a range in which the surface tension of the ink can be adjusted to 20 to 60 mN / m from the viewpoint of favorably discharging the ink by the ink jet method. More preferably, it is 20-45 mN / m from the point of surface tension, More preferably, it is 25-40 mN / m.
The specific amount of the surfactant in the ink of the surfactant is not particularly limited except that the range of the surface tension is preferable, preferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 1 to 10% by mass. Yes, more preferably 1 to 3% by mass.

<Other ingredients>
In addition to the above-described components, the ink can further contain various additives as other components, if necessary.
Examples of the various additives include, for example, ultraviolet absorbers, antifading agents, antifungal agents, pH adjusters, rust inhibitors, antioxidants, emulsion stabilizers, preservatives, antifoaming agents, viscosity modifiers, and dispersions. Known additives such as stabilizers, chelating agents, solid wetting agents and the like can be mentioned.

  Examples of solid wetting agents include glucose, mannose, fructose, ribose, xylose, arabinose, galactose, aldonic acid, glucitol, maltose, cellobiose, lactose, sucrose, trehalose, maltotriose and other sugars; sugar alcohols; hyaluronic acids; urea And the like.

~ Physical properties of ink ~
The surface tension (25 ° C.) of the ink in the present invention is preferably 20 mN / m or more and 60 mN / m or less. More preferably, it is 20 mN or more and 45 mN / m or less, More preferably, it is 25 mN / m or more and 40 mN / m or less.
The surface tension is measured using an Automatic Surface Tensiometer CBVP-Z (manufactured by Kyowa Interface Science Co., Ltd.) at 25 ° C. for the ink.

In addition, the viscosity at 25 ° C. of the ink in the present invention is preferably 1.2 mPa · s or more and 15.0 mPa · s or less, more preferably 2 mPa · s or more and less than 13 mPa · s, and still more preferably 2 It is not less than 5 mPa · s and less than 10 mPa · s.
Viscosity is measured using a VISCOMETER TV-22 (manufactured by TOKI SANGYO CO.LTD) under conditions of 25 ° C. ink.

-Treatment liquid application process-
The treatment liquid application step is provided before the image recording step, and the treatment liquid containing an acidic substance that aggregates and / or insolubilizes the components in the ink composition is discharged before the ink composition is discharged in the image recording step. It is applied in advance to a region to which an ink composition of a recording medium having a 60 ° glossiness of 30 or more is applied. When an acidic surface is formed on the recording medium and the ink composition is applied thereon, the ink composition that has come into contact with the acidic substance in the treatment liquid aggregates on the recording surface and is fixed like an image.

  Before the image recording step, the recording surface of the recording medium has a pH (film surface pH; 25 ± 1 ° C.) of 3.0 to 6 from the viewpoint of the cohesiveness of the primary color and the subsequent secondary colors. Is preferably in the range of .9, more preferably in the range of 4.0 to 6.6.

Here, the treatment liquid used in the treatment liquid application step will be described in detail.
<Processing liquid>
The treatment liquid contains at least an acidic substance as an aggregating agent that aggregates and / or insolubilizes the components in the ink composition described above. Moreover, a process liquid can be comprised using another component as needed. By using the treatment liquid together with the ink composition, it is possible to increase the speed of ink jet recording, and an image with excellent density and resolution can be obtained even when recording at high speed (for example, reproducibility of fine lines and fine portions).

  Acidic substances are compounds that can lower the pH of the ink composition, such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, polyacrylic acid, acetic acid, glycolic acid, malonic acid, malic acid, maleic acid, ascorbic acid, succinic acid. Acid, glutaric acid, fumaric acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, sulfonic acid, orthophosphoric acid, pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, pyrone carboxylic acid, pyrrole carboxylic acid, furan carboxylic acid, pyridine carboxylic acid, coumaric acid, thiophene carboxylic acid, nicotinic acid Or a derivative of these compounds, or a salt thereof. An acidic substance may be used individually by 1 type, and may use 2 or more types together.

The pH (25 ° C.) of the treatment liquid is preferably 6 or less, more preferably 4 or less. Especially, pH (25 degreeC) has the preferable range of 0.5-4, The range of 0.6-4 is more preferable, Especially preferably, pH is the range of 0.6-3.0. At this time, the pH (25 ° C.) of the ink composition is preferably 7.5 or more (more preferably 8.0 or more).
Among them, from the viewpoint of image density, resolution, and speedup of inkjet recording, the pH (25 ° C.) of the ink composition is 8.0 or more, and the pH (25 ° C.) of the treatment liquid is 0.5 to 4. Some cases are preferred.

  Among them, an acidic substance having high water solubility is preferable, and an organic acid is preferable, an organic acid having a valence of 2 or more is more preferable, and an acidic substance having a valence of 2 or more and a valence of 3 or less is preferable in terms of increasing aggregation and fixing the whole ink. Particularly preferred. The divalent or higher organic acid is preferably an organic acid having a first pKa of 3.5 or less, more preferably an organic acid of 3.0 or less. Specific examples include phosphoric acid, oxalic acid, malonic acid, citric acid, maleic acid and the like.

An acidic substance can be used individually by 1 type or in mixture of 2 or more types.
The content of the acidic substance that aggregates the ink composition in the treatment liquid is preferably 1 to 50% by mass, more preferably 3 to 45% by mass, and still more preferably 5 to 40% by mass.

The amount of the treatment liquid applied is preferably an amount that is coated with an acidic substance that can satisfactorily aggregate the components in the ink even when the ink composition is ejected at the maximum total ejection amount described above. Specifically, the application amount on a recording medium of an acidic substance (coagulant) is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 1 g / ^{m 2,} and the range of 0.15~0.7g / ^{m 2} More preferably, it is more preferably 0.2 to 0.5 g / m ² . The application amount of the acidic substance is 0.1 g / m ² or more, so that high-speed cohesiveness can be maintained according to various usage forms of the ink composition, and the ink is effectively fixed and the image has high resolution. is obtained by at 1 g / m ² or less, the surface of the recording medium (e.g., coated paper coated layer surface) while suppressing damage to (the change in gloss, etc.), the scratch resistance of the good image can get.

  The treatment liquid can further contain other additives as other components within a range not impairing the effects of the present invention. Other additives include, for example, anti-drying agents (wetting agents), anti-fading agents, emulsion stabilizers, penetration enhancers, UV absorbers, preservatives, anti-fungal agents, pH adjusters, surface tension adjusters, anti-foaming agents. Well-known additives, such as a foaming agent, a viscosity modifier, a dispersing agent, a dispersion stabilizer, a rust preventive agent, a chelating agent, are mentioned.

  In the present invention, a water-dispersible pigment having a carboxyl group and coated with a polymer dispersant having an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g, self-dispersing polymer particles having an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g, and water-soluble A recording form in which an ink composition containing an organic solvent and a treatment liquid containing an organic acid are combined is preferable. Further, water coated with a polymer dispersant having a carboxyl group and an acid value of 75 to 120 mgKOH / g. A recording form in which a dispersible pigment, an ink composition containing self-dispersing polymer particles having an acid value of 90 to 120 mgKOH / g, and a water-soluble organic solvent and a treatment liquid containing a divalent or higher organic acid is combined. More preferred.

  When a treatment liquid application step is provided, a treatment liquid for aggregating and / or insolubilizing the pigment and / or self-dispersing polymer particles in the ink composition in advance before applying the ink composition on the recording medium. The ink composition is applied so as to come into contact with the processing liquid applied on the recording medium, and an image is formed. At this time, the dispersed particles including the pigment and polymer particles in the ink composition are aggregated and / or insoluble, and the image is fixed on the recording medium. As a result, inkjet recording can be performed at high speed, and an image with high density and resolution can be obtained even at high speed recording.

  The treatment liquid can be applied by applying a known method such as a coating method, an ink jet method, or an immersion method. As a coating method, a known coating method using a bar coater, an extrusion die coater, an air doctor coater, a bread coater, a rod coater, a knife coater, a squeeze coater, a reverse roll coater or the like can be used. The details of the inkjet method are as described above.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to further provide a heating and drying step of heating and drying the treatment liquid on the recording medium after the treatment liquid is applied on the recording medium and before the ink composition is applied. By heating and drying the treatment liquid in advance before the ink application step, ink colorability such as bleeding prevention is improved, and a visible image with good color density and hue can be recorded.

  Heating and drying can be performed by known heating means such as a heater, air blowing means using air blowing such as a dryer, or a combination of these. As the heating method, for example, a method of applying heat with a heater or the like from the side opposite to the treatment liquid application surface of the recording medium, a method of applying warm air or hot air to the treatment liquid application surface of the recording medium, or an infrared heater was used. The heating method etc. are mentioned, You may heat combining these two or more.

-Fixing process-
The ink jet recording method of the present invention preferably includes a fixing step of fixing the recorded image by heating and / or pressure bonding. By fixing, an image having a good texture such as glossiness of the image, scratch resistance (for example, adhesion to paper) and excellent image quality can be recorded at high speed.

In the fixing step, the image recorded in the image recording step is fixed by heating and fixing. The image can be fixed by pressing a pressure-bonding member against the ink on the recording medium forming the image portion.
The image portion is fixed after the image recording step by, for example, using at least pressure applying means for applying pressure to the image, and pressing the image portion by pressing the pressure applying means against the image portion (fixing). You may carry out by providing the pressurizing process to process. In addition, a heating means for fixing (fixing process) may be provided by combining the pressure applying means with a heating means for heating the image portion and heat-pressing the image portion. Examples of the pressure applying unit include a pair of rolls and a pressure plate that are in pressure contact with each other, and examples of the heating unit include a heating roll and a hot plate. Specifically, for example, after the image recording step, the surface of the recording medium can be subjected to pressure bonding with a heated roll or hot plate. In this case, the resin particles contained in the ink can be melted. At this time, the heating temperature is preferably higher than the Tg of the self-dispersing polymer in the ink composition.

-Recording media-
The recording medium is not particularly limited, and general printing paper mainly composed of cellulose, such as so-called high-quality paper, coated paper, and art paper, used for general offset printing and the like can be used. General printing paper mainly composed of cellulose is relatively slow in ink absorption and drying in image recording by a general ink jet method using water-based ink, and color material movement is likely to occur after droplet ejection, and image quality is likely to deteriorate. However, according to the ink jet recording method of the present invention, it is possible to record a high-quality image excellent in color density and hue by suppressing the movement of the color material.

  As the recording medium, commercially available media can be used. For example, “OK Prince fine quality” manufactured by Oji Paper Co., Ltd., “Shiorai” manufactured by Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd., and Nippon Paper Industries ( Fine coated paper such as “New NPI fine quality” manufactured by Co., Ltd., “OK Everlight Coat” manufactured by Oji Paper Co., Ltd., and “Aurora S” manufactured by Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd., Oji Lightweight coated paper (A3) such as “OK Coat L” manufactured by Paper Industries Co., Ltd. and “Aurora L” manufactured by Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. “OK Top Coat +” manufactured by Oji Paper Co., Ltd. and Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. ) Coated paper (A2, B2) such as “Aurora Coat” manufactured by Oji Paper Co., Ltd. Art paper (A1) such as “OK Kanfuji +” manufactured by Oji Paper Co., Ltd. Is mentioned. It is also possible to use various photographic papers for ink jet recording.

  Among the recording media, so-called coated paper used for general offset printing is preferable. The coated paper is obtained by applying a coating material to the surface of high-quality paper, neutral paper, or the like that is mainly surface-treated with cellulose as a main component and is not surface-treated. The coated paper tends to cause quality problems such as image gloss and scratch resistance in image formation by ordinary aqueous inkjet, but in the inkjet recording method of the present invention, gloss unevenness is suppressed and gloss and resistance are reduced. An image having good rubbing properties can be obtained. In particular, a coated paper having a base paper and a coat layer containing an inorganic pigment is preferably used, and a coated paper having a base paper and a coat layer containing kaolin and / or calcium bicarbonate is more preferably used. Specifically, art paper, coated paper, lightweight coated paper, or finely coated paper is more preferable.

-Inkjet recording device-
Next, an example of an ink jet recording apparatus suitable for carrying out the ink jet recording method of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of the entire inkjet recording apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet recording apparatus includes a processing liquid application unit 12 including a processing liquid discharge head 12S that sequentially discharges a processing liquid in the recording medium conveyance direction (the arrow direction in the figure); A treatment liquid drying zone 13 provided with a heating means (not shown) for drying the applied treatment liquid, an ink ejection part 14 for ejecting various ink compositions, and an ink drying zone 15 for drying the ejected ink composition. Are arranged. Further, an image fixing unit 16 for fixing an image on the recording medium is disposed on the downstream side of the ink drying zone 15 in the conveyance direction of the recording medium.

  The recording medium supplied to the ink jet recording apparatus includes a processing liquid application unit 12, a processing liquid drying zone 13, and an ink discharging unit by a conveying roller from a paper feeding unit that feeds the recording medium from a case loaded with the recording medium. 14 and the ink drying zone 15 in that order, and further, if necessary, sent to the accumulating unit through a fixing process in the image fixing unit 16. In addition to the method using a conveyance roller, the conveyance may be performed by a drum conveyance method using a drum-shaped member, a belt conveyance method, a stage conveyance method using a stage, or the like.

  Among the plurality of transport rollers, at least one roller may be a driving roller to which the power of a motor (not shown) is transmitted. By rotating a driving roller rotated by a motor at a constant speed, the recording medium is conveyed in a predetermined direction by a predetermined conveyance amount.

  The treatment liquid application unit 12 is provided with a treatment liquid discharge head 12S connected to a storage tank that stores the treatment liquid. The treatment liquid ejection head 12S can eject the treatment liquid from ejection nozzles arranged to face the recording surface of the recording medium, and can apply the treatment liquid on the recording medium. The treatment liquid application unit 12 is not limited to a method of discharging from a nozzle-shaped head, and an application method using an application roller can also be adopted. In this coating method, the treatment liquid can be easily applied to almost the entire surface including the image area where the ink droplets land on the recording medium by the ink discharge unit 14 disposed on the downstream side. In order to make the thickness of the processing liquid on the recording medium constant, for example, an air knife or a member having a sharp corner is provided with a gap corresponding to the specified amount of the processing liquid provided between the recording medium and the recording medium. You may provide the method of doing.

  A treatment liquid drying zone 13 is disposed downstream of the treatment liquid application unit 12 in the recording medium conveyance direction. The treatment liquid drying zone 13 can be configured using a known heating means such as a heater, an air blowing means using air blowing such as a dryer, or a combination of these. The heating means may be a method of installing a heating element such as a heater on the side opposite to the treatment liquid application surface of the recording medium (for example, below the conveyance mechanism for loading and conveying the recording medium when the recording medium is automatically conveyed) Examples include a method of applying warm air or hot air to the treatment liquid application surface of the medium, a heating method using an infrared heater, and the like.

In addition, since the surface temperature of the recording medium changes depending on the type (material, thickness, etc.) of the recording medium, the environmental temperature, etc., the measuring unit for measuring the surface temperature of the recording medium and the surface of the recording medium measured by the measuring unit It is preferable to control the temperature by providing a control mechanism that feeds back the temperature value to the heating control unit. As a measurement part which measures the surface temperature of a recording medium, a contact or non-contact thermometer is preferable.
Further, the solvent may be removed using a solvent removal roller or the like. As another embodiment, a method of removing excess solvent from the recording medium with an air knife is also used.

  The ink discharge unit 14 is disposed downstream of the treatment liquid drying zone 13 in the recording medium conveyance direction. The ink discharge section 14 includes a recording head (ink discharge head) 30K connected to each of the ink storage sections that store black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) color inks. 30C, 30M, and 30Y are arranged. Each ink storage section (not shown) stores an ink composition containing at least a pigment corresponding to each hue (and optionally a self-dispersing polymer or a water-soluble organic solvent), and if necessary, an image is recorded. The ink discharge heads 30K, 30C, 30M, and 30Y are supplied. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a recording head 30A for spot color ink discharge is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the ink discharge heads 30K, 30C, 30M, and 30Y so that spot color ink can be discharged as needed. 30B can be further provided.

  The ink ejection heads 30K, 30C, 30M, and 30Y each eject ink corresponding to an image from ejection nozzles arranged to face the recording surface of the recording medium. Thus, each color ink is applied on the recording surface of the recording medium, and a color image is recorded.

Each of the treatment liquid ejection head 12S and the ink ejection heads 30K, 30C, 30M, 30Y, 30A, and 30B has a large number of ejection openings over the maximum recording width (maximum recording width) of an image recorded on the recording medium. It is a full line head in which (nozzles) are arranged. Compared to the serial type in which recording is performed while reciprocating a short shuttle head in the width direction of the recording medium (direction perpendicular to the conveying direction on the recording medium conveying surface), it is possible to record an image on the recording medium at a higher speed. it can. In the present invention, either a serial type recording or a method capable of relatively high-speed recording, for example, a method capable of recording by ejecting in the main scanning direction by a single pass forming one line in one scan. However, according to the image recording method of the present invention, a high-quality image with high reproducibility can be obtained even by a single-pass method.
Here, the treatment liquid discharge head 12S and the ink discharge heads 30K, 30C, 30M, 30Y, 30A, and 30B all have the same structure.

  The application amount of the treatment liquid and the application amount of the ink composition are preferably adjusted as necessary. For example, the application amount of the treatment liquid may be changed according to the recording medium in order to adjust the physical properties such as the viscoelasticity of the aggregate formed by mixing the treatment liquid and the ink composition.

  The ink drying zone 15 is disposed downstream of the ink discharge unit 14 in the recording medium conveyance direction. The ink drying zone 15 can be configured in the same manner as the treatment liquid drying zone 13.

After the image is dried, an image fixing unit 16 may be separately provided as needed to give a strong fixing property to the recording medium.
The image fixing unit 16 is disposed further downstream in the recording medium conveyance direction of the ink drying zone 15. The image fixing unit 16 is provided with a roller pair in which the fixing rollers 40A and 40B are in pressure contact with each other, and an image formed on the recording medium is added by passing the recording medium between the fixing rollers 40A and 40B. The fixability of an image recorded on a recording medium by being pressurized and heated can be improved. The fixing rollers 40A and 40B are preferably a roller pair including one pressure roller and one heating roller, but are not limited thereto.

  Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus, a heating unit that performs a heat treatment on the recording medium can be arranged in a conveyance path from the paper feeding unit to the stacking unit. For example, the temperature of the recording medium is raised to a desired temperature by disposing a heating unit at a desired position such as the upstream side of the treatment liquid drying zone 13 or between the ink discharge unit 14 and the ink drying zone 15. Thus, drying and fixing can be effectively performed.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples unless it exceeds the gist thereof. Unless otherwise specified, “part” is based on mass.

  The weight average molecular weight was measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). GPC uses HLC-8220GPC (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation), and TSKgeL SuperHZM-H, TSKgeL SuperHZ4000, TSKgeL SuperHZ2000 (Tosoh Corporation) are connected in series as columns, and THF (tetrahydrofuran) is used as the eluent. Was used. The conditions were as follows: the sample concentration was 0.35% by mass, the flow rate was 0.35 ml / min, the sample injection amount was 10 μl, the measurement temperature was 40 ° C., and an IR detector was used. In addition, the calibration curve is “Standard sample TSK standard, polystyrene” manufactured by Tosoh Corporation: “F-40”, “F-20”, “F-4”, “F-1”, “A-5000” It was prepared from 8 samples of “A-2500”, “A-1000” and “n-propylbenzene”.

[Preparation of water-based ink]
-Synthesis of polymer dispersant a-
In a reaction vessel, 6 parts of styrene, 11 parts of stearyl methacrylate, 4 parts of styrene macromer AS-6 (manufactured by Toa Gosei Co., Ltd.), 5 parts of Plenmer PP-500 (manufactured by NOF Corporation), 5 parts of methacrylic acid, 2 -0.05 part of mercaptoethanol and 24 parts of methyl ethyl ketone were added to prepare a mixed solution.

  Meanwhile, in a dropping funnel, 14 parts of styrene, 24 parts of stearyl methacrylate, 9 parts of styrene macromer AS-6 (manufactured by Toa Gosei Co., Ltd.), 9 parts of Plenmer PP-500 (manufactured by NOF Corporation), 10 parts of methacrylic acid 2-mercaptoethanol (0.13 parts), methyl ethyl ketone (56 parts), and 2,2′-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (1.2 parts) were added to prepare a mixed solution.

  And under nitrogen atmosphere, it heated up to 75 degreeC, stirring the mixed solution in reaction container, and the mixed solution in a dropping funnel was dripped gradually over 1 hour. Two hours after the completion of the dropwise addition, a solution prepared by dissolving 1.2 parts of 2,2′-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) in 12 parts of methyl ethyl ketone was added dropwise over 3 hours. The solution was aged at 80 ° C. for 2 hours to obtain a polymer dispersant a solution.

  A part of the obtained polymer dispersant a solution was isolated by removing the solvent, and the obtained solid content was diluted to 0.1% by mass with tetrahydrofuran to obtain high-speed GPC (gel permeation chromatography). Was used to measure the weight average molecular weight. As a result, the weight average molecular weight (Mw) was 25,000 in terms of polystyrene. The acid value was 117 mgKOH / g. The oxidation was measured by the method described in JIS standard (JIS K0070: 1992). The same applies to the following examples.

-Synthesis of self-dispersing polymer particles-
(Synthesis of self-dispersing polymer latex A)
360.0 g of methyl ethyl ketone was charged into a 2-liter three-necked flask equipped with a stirrer, a thermometer, a reflux condenser, and a nitrogen gas inlet tube, and the temperature was raised to 75 ° C. Thereafter, while maintaining the temperature in the flask at 75 ° C., 50 g of phenoxyethyl acrylate (PhOEMA), 44 g of methyl methacrylate (MMA), 6 g of acrylic acid (MAA), 72 g of methyl ethyl ketone, and “V-601” (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) )) A mixed solution consisting of 1.44 g was added dropwise at a constant speed so that the addition was completed in 2 hours. After completion of the dropwise addition, a solution composed of 0.72 g of “V-601” and 36.0 g of methyl ethyl ketone was added thereto, stirred at 75 ° C. for 2 hours, and further a solution composed of 0.72 g of “V-601” and 36.0 g of isopropanol. And stirred at 75 ° C. for 2 hours. Thereafter, the temperature was raised to 85 ° C., and stirring was further continued for 2 hours to obtain a resin solution of a phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / acrylic acid (= 50/44/6 [mass ratio]) copolymer.
The weight average molecular weight (Mw) measured in the same manner as described above of the obtained copolymer was 64,000 (calculated in terms of polystyrene by gel permeation chromatography (GPC)), and the acid value was 46.8 mgKOH / g. there were.

  Next, 668.3 g of the obtained resin solution was weighed, 388.3 g of isopropanol and 145.7 ml of 1 mol / L NaOH aqueous solution were added thereto, and the temperature in the reaction vessel was raised to 80 ° C. Next, 720.1 g of distilled water was added dropwise at a rate of 20 ml / min to disperse in water, and then the reaction vessel internal temperature was 80 ° C. for 2 hours, 85 ° C. for 2 hours, and 90 ° C. for 2 hours under atmospheric pressure. After maintaining the pressure in the reaction vessel, a total of 913.7 g of isopropanol, methyl ethyl ketone, and distilled water was distilled off, and self-dispersing polymer latex A (water of self-dispersing polymer fine particles having a solid content concentration of 28.0 mass%) was distilled off. A dispersion) was obtained. The volume average particle size of the polymer latex A was measured by a dynamic light scattering method using a nanotrack particle size distribution analyzer (UPA-EX150, manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.), and was 20 nm.

(Synthesis of self-dispersing polymer latex BF)
In the synthesis of the self-dispersing polymer latex A, the ratio of acrylic acid is increased, and the ratio (mass ratio) of phenoxyethyl acrylate (PhOEMA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and acrylic acid (MAA) is shown in Table 1 below. Self-dispersing polymer latexes B to F were synthesized in the same manner as the self-dispersing polymer latex A, except that they were changed to.
The weight average molecular weight (Mw), volume average particle diameter, and acid value of each self-dispersing polymer latex are also shown.

-Preparation of ink-
<< Preparation of Cyan Ink C-1 >>
5.0 g of the above polymer dispersant a in terms of solid content, 10.0 g of cyan pigment Pigment Blue 15: 3 (manufactured by Dainichi Seika Co., Ltd.), 40.0 g of methyl ethyl ketone, 1 mol / L (liter; the same applies hereinafter) ) And 82.0 g of ion-exchanged water were supplied to the vessel together with 300 g of 0.1 mm zirconia beads and dispersed at 1000 rpm for 6 hours with a ready mill disperser (manufactured by IMEX). The obtained dispersion was concentrated under reduced pressure using an evaporator until methyl ethyl ketone could be sufficiently distilled off, and further concentrated until the pigment concentration became 10% to prepare cyan dispersion C1 in which a water-dispersible pigment was dispersed.
The volume average particle size (secondary particles) of the obtained cyan dispersion liquid C1 was measured by a dynamic light scattering method using a Microtorac particle size distribution measuring device (Version 10.1.2-211BH (trade name), manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.). Was 77 nm.

After preparing the cyan dispersion C1 as described above, an ink was prepared so as to have the following composition by using the above self-dispersing polymer latex A, an organic solvent, a surfactant, and ion-exchanged water. . After the preparation, the obtained ink was passed through a 5 μm membrane filter to remove coarse particles to prepare cyan ink C-1. The weight average acid value of cyan ink C-1 is 70.2 mgKOH / g.
When the pH of cyan ink C-1 was measured using a pH meter (WM-50EG manufactured by Toa DKK), the pH value (25 ± 1 ° C.) was 8.7.

<Composition of cyan ink C-1>
・ Cyan pigment: 4% by mass
(Pigment Blue 15: 3, manufactured by Dainichi Seika Co., Ltd.)
・ The polymer dispersant a (solid content) 2 mass%
-Self-dispersing polymer latex A (solid content) 4 mass%
・ Sanix GP250 ・ ・ ・ 10% by mass
(Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd .; hydrophilic organic solvent)
・ Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether: 5% by mass
(DEGmEE; Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)
・ Orphine E1010 (manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) ... 1% by mass
・ Ion exchange water: 74% by mass

<< Preparation of Cyan Inks C-2 to C-6 >>
Cyan ink C-2 was prepared in the same manner as cyan ink C-1, except that self-dispersing polymer latex A was replaced with self-dispersing polymer latexes B to F, respectively, in the preparation of cyan ink C-1. -C-6 was prepared. When the pH of each of the cyan inks C-2 to C-6 was measured in the same manner as described above, the pH value (25 ± 1 ° C.) was 8.6. The weight average acid value of each ink is shown in Table 2 below.

<< Preparation of Magenta Ink M-1 >>
In the preparation of the cyan ink C-1, Pigment Blue 15: 3 used as a pigment was replaced by Chromophal Jet Magenta DMQ (PR-122, manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals). Magenta ink M-1 was prepared by the same method as in Preparation 1. The weight average acid value of magenta ink M-1 is 70.2 mgKOH / g.
When the pH of the magenta pigment ink M-1 was measured using a pH meter (WM-50EG manufactured by Toa DKK Co., Ltd.), the pH value (25 ± 1 ° C.) was 8.7.

<< Preparation of magenta inks M-2 to M-6 >>
Magenta ink C-2 was prepared in the same manner as magenta ink M-1, except that in the preparation of magenta ink M-1, self-dispersing polymer latex A was replaced with self-dispersing polymer latexes B to F, respectively. -C-6 was prepared. The weight average acid value of each ink is shown in Table 2 below. When the pH of each of the magenta inks M-2 to M-6 was measured in the same manner as described above, the pH value (25 ± 1 ° C.) was 8.7.

[Preparation of aqueous treatment solution]
The processing liquid was prepared by mixing components having the following composition. The pH (25 ± 1 ° C.) of the treatment liquid measured in the same manner as described above was 0.6.
<Composition of treatment liquid>
・ Maleic acid (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) ・ ・ ・ 25% by mass
・ Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether: 20% by mass
(DEGmEE; Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)
・ Ion exchange water: 55% by mass

[Image recording and evaluation]
Images were recorded as described below using the inks and aqueous treatment liquids obtained above, and the resolution (aggregation) and glossiness of the recorded images were evaluated by the following methods. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2 below.

<Recording images>
First, as shown in FIG. 1, a treatment liquid application unit 12 including a treatment liquid ejection head 12S that ejects an aqueous treatment liquid sequentially in the conveyance direction of the recording medium (the arrow direction in the drawing) is applied. A dried treatment liquid drying zone 13 for drying the aqueous treatment liquid, an ink discharge section 14 for discharging various aqueous inks, an ink drying zone 15 for drying the discharged aqueous ink, and a heated pressure-bonding roll. An ink jet apparatus provided with an image fixing unit 16 for fixing an image by thermocompression bonding was prepared.
Although not shown, the processing liquid drying zone 13 is provided with a blower for drying by sending dry air to the recording surface side of the recording medium, and an infrared heater on the non-recording surface side of the recording medium. After the application of the treatment liquid is started by the application unit, the temperature and air volume are adjusted to evaporate (dry) the water in the aqueous treatment liquid. The ink discharge unit 14 includes a black ink discharge head 30K, a cyan ink discharge head 30C, a magenta ink discharge head 30M, and a yellow ink discharge head 30Y, which are sequentially arranged in the transport direction (arrow direction). Each head is a 1200 dpi / 10 inch wide full-line head (driving frequency: 25 kHz, recording medium conveyance speed 530 mm / sec), and can record by discharging each color in the main scanning direction by a single pass. Further, the pressure-bonding rolls 40A and 40B are adjusted to 80 ° C.

The aqueous treatment liquid obtained above is stored in storage tanks (not shown) connected to the treatment liquid ejection head 12S, the cyan ink ejection head 30C, and the magenta ink ejection head 30M of the ink jet apparatus configured as shown in FIG. , Cyan ink and magenta ink were loaded, and a 60 ° gloss 45 recording medium (Tokuhishi Art, manufactured by Mitsubishi Paper Co., Ltd.), a 60 ° gloss 35 recording medium (OK Topcoat + , Oji Paper Co., Ltd.), and a 60 ° gloss 27 recording medium (Recycle Coat T-6, Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.) were recorded with a dot image and a character image with a resolution of 1200 dpi. In recording, the amount of the aqueous treatment liquid applied to the recording medium was 1.7 g / m ² . The amount of maleic acid (acidic substance) applied at this time was 0.425 g / m ² .

~ Halftone image ~
First, after the aqueous treatment liquid is ejected onto the recording medium, magenta ink is ejected onto a part of the ejected aqueous treatment liquid with an ink droplet amount of 2 pl and a resolution of 1200 dpi (maximum total ejection amount of 4.4 ml / m ² ). A 30% halftone dot image was recorded.

~ Text image ~
First, after the aqueous treatment liquid is ejected onto the recording medium, magenta ink is ejected onto the ejected aqueous treatment liquid as the first color (primary color) ink with an ink droplet amount of 2 pl and a resolution of 1200 dpi, thereby obtaining a solid image. After forming, cyan ink is ejected at a droplet size of 4 pl and resolution of 1200 dpi as the second color (secondary color) ink superimposed on this solid image, with character sizes of 3 points, 4 points, and 5 points. Recorded the letter “hawk”. The maximum discharge amount of this image is 12.7 g / m ² .
Specifically, first, after the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid discharge head 12S onto the recording medium by a single pass, the aqueous processing liquid is dried in the processing liquid drying zone 13, and the processing liquid drying zone is set to the aqueous processing liquid. Passing by 900 msec from the start of discharge. In the treatment liquid drying zone 13, 120 ° C. is applied to the recording surface by a blower while heating the deposited aqueous treatment liquid from the back side (rear side) of the landing surface with an infrared heater so that the film surface temperature is 40 to 45 ° C. The warm air was applied to adjust the air volume to a predetermined dry amount. Subsequently, the magenta ink ejection head 30M ejects magenta ink in a single pass to record a magenta primary color image, and the cyan ink ejection head 30C superimposes the cyan ink on the magenta ink in a single pass. And a cyan secondary color image was recorded on the primary color image. Thereafter, while heating with an infrared heater from the back side (back side) of the ink landing surface in the ink drying zone 15, the recording surface was dried by applying warm air of 120 ° C. and 5 m / sec for 15 seconds. . After image drying, nip pressure is applied by pressure rollers 40A and 40B made of PFA (fully fluorinated thermoplastic fluororesin that is a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and perfluoroalkoxyethylene) adjusted to 80 ° C. The operation (process) of thermocompression bonding at 1.0 mPa was repeated 3 times to fix the image.

《Image evaluation》
-1. Glossiness
For the recording medium on which the magenta primary color image (halftone dot image) is recorded as described above, the glossiness of the non-image portion and the 30% halftone dot image portion is set to GLOSS CHECKER IG-331 (manufactured by Horiba, Ltd.). ), The 60 ° glossiness of the 30% halftone image portion was subtracted from the 60 ° glossiness of the non-image portion, and the difference in glossiness between them was calculated. The smaller the difference in gloss value, the higher the quality of the image, and the difference in value is preferably 8 or less.

-2. Resolution
As described above, the dots in the cyan secondary color image (character image) recorded on the solid magenta image are observed with a 50 × microscope, and the smallest character size that can be recognized without being crushed ( The number of points) was measured.

As shown in Table 2, in the present invention, a low density image (halftone dot of 40% or less) was recorded in the primary color, but the decrease in glossiness in the low density area was suppressed, and the low density area A secondary color image with high resolution could be recorded while maintaining good gloss.
On the other hand, in the comparative example in which the acid value of the polymer latex is too low, the glossiness of the primary color image having a low concentration is remarkably lowered, the image quality cannot be maintained, and conversely, the acid value of the polymer latex is too high. In the comparative example, the dependency on the acid amount increased and the cohesiveness also decreased, and it was not possible to record a multi-color high-quality image with a uniform dot diameter. In the comparative example in which the polymer latex was not used, the cohesiveness was remarkably reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Treatment liquid provision part 12S ... Treatment liquid discharge head 13 ... Treatment liquid drying zone 14 ... Ink discharge part 15 ... Ink drying zone 16 ... Ultraviolet irradiation part 16S ... Ultraviolet irradiation lamps 30K, 30C, 30M, 30Y... Ink discharge head

Claims (11)

An image recording step of recording an image by ejecting two or more ink compositions containing at least a pigment by an inkjet method;
A region where a treatment liquid containing an acidic substance that aggregates and / or insolubilizes the components in the ink composition is applied with the ink composition of a recording medium having a 60 ° gloss of 30 or more before the ink composition is discharged. A treatment liquid application step to be applied to
The image of at least the first color recorded by the ejection is recorded using an ink composition containing a self-dispersing polymer having an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g and a water-soluble organic solvent together with the pigment. Inkjet recording method.   The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing step of fixing the recorded image by heating and / or pressure bonding.   The inkjet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the pigment is a water-dispersible pigment in which at least a part of a surface thereof is coated with a polymer dispersant.   The inkjet recording method according to claim 3, wherein the polymer dispersant has a carboxyl group.   The ink jet recording method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the polymer dispersant has an acid value of 70 to 120 mgKOH / g.   6. The inkjet recording method according to claim 3, wherein a weight average acid value of the self-dispersing polymer and the polymer dispersant is 70 to 120 mg KOH / g.   The ink-jet recording method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image recording step records an image of the second and subsequent colors with a droplet amount of the ink composition of 4 to 10 pl. The image recording step is characterized in that the maximum total discharge amount is 8 to 15 ml / m ² and the ink composition is applied to an acidic surface having an acidic substance application amount of 0.2 to 0.7 g / m ^2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1.   The inkjet recording method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the self-dispersing polymer has an average particle size of 50 nm or less in terms of a volume average particle size.   The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the acidic substance is a divalent or higher valent organic acid. The ink jet recording method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the recording medium is a coated paper having a base paper and a coating layer containing an inorganic pigment.