JP2019162756A - Recording method, and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a recording method for suppressing defect of an image part generated when the image part is cut, while maintaining excellent image density and beading property when a treatment liquid is used for overcoming a case that strength of the image part formed by applying ink to a recording medium to which the treatment liquid is applied is sometime reduced by a cationic material contained in the treatment liquid, and thereby the image part is lost when the image part is cut.SOLUTION: A method includes a treatment liquid applying process for applying a treatment liquid containing a cationic material to a recording medium 203, an image formation process for forming an image part by applying ink containing a coloring material to an area to which the treatment liquid is applied in the recording medium 203, and a cutting process for cutting an area where the image part is formed in the recording medium 203, in which Martens hardness of the image part is 45 N/mmor more and 200 N/mmor less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording method and a recording apparatus.

  The ink jet recording method is a method for recording characters and images by causing a small amount of ink droplets to fly from fine nozzles to adhere to a recording medium such as paper, and is widely used as a home printer. In recent years, the inkjet recording system has been used for commercial printing. As recording media used for such commercial printing, for example, paper having high water absorption such as plain paper, paper having low water absorption such as coated paper, and the like are known.

  On the other hand, when ink is applied to a recording medium having greatly different characteristics, image characteristics such as image density and beading may change depending on the characteristics of the recording medium, and the functions required for the ink may be changed. There are issues that vary from one to the other.

  For such a problem, a treatment liquid containing an aggregating agent that agglomerates a coloring material in the ink such as a cationic substance is applied in advance to the recording medium, and then the ink is ejected to an area to which the treatment liquid is applied. Thus, a method for realizing a preferable image density, beading property and the like irrespective of the characteristics of the recording medium is known.

  Patent Document 1 discloses that a water-soluble cationic polymer can be used as an aggregating agent for a colorant of an aqueous ink.

  However, the strength of the image portion formed by applying ink to the recording medium to which the treatment liquid has been applied may be reduced due to the cationic substance contained in the treatment liquid, thereby cutting the image portion. Sometimes the image part is lost. That is, when the processing liquid is used, there is a problem that it is difficult to suppress the loss of the image portion that occurs when the image portion is cut while maintaining excellent image density and beading property.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a treatment liquid application step for applying a treatment liquid containing a cationic substance to a recording medium, and applying an ink containing a color material to a region of the recording medium to which the treatment liquid has been applied. And an image forming step of forming an image portion, and a cutting step of cutting the region where the image portion of the recording medium is formed. The Martens hardness of the image portion is 45 N / mm ² or more and 200 N / mm. ^The recording method is ² or less.

  The recording method of the present invention has an excellent effect that, in the case of using a processing liquid, it is possible to suppress image portion defects that occur when the image portion is cut while maintaining excellent image density and beading properties. Play.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an ink jet recording apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for applying the treatment liquid.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

〔Recording method〕
In the present embodiment, a processing liquid applying step for applying a processing liquid containing a cationic substance to a recording medium, and an image portion by applying ink containing a coloring material to a region of the recording medium to which the processing liquid has been applied. A recording method comprising: an image forming step to form; and a cutting step to cut an image portion formed by applying ink, wherein the Martens hardness of the image portion is 45 N / mm ² or more and 200 N / mm ² or less It is.

  The recording method of this embodiment is performed using a recording apparatus such as an inkjet recording apparatus. The ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram as an example of an ink jet recording apparatus. The ink jet recording apparatus 300 includes a recording medium transport unit 301, a processing liquid application process unit 302 that applies a processing liquid to the recording medium 203, an image forming process unit 304, a drying process unit 306, and a cutting process unit 315. The recording medium conveyance unit 301 includes a paper feeding device 307 and a plurality of conveyance rollers. The recording medium in FIG. 1 is an example of continuous paper (roll paper) wound in a roll shape. The recording medium 203 is unwound from a paper feeding device by a conveyance roller and conveyed on a platen by a conveyance belt. In the image forming process section 304, ink is ejected from the ink jet nozzles, an image section is formed on the recording medium 203, and further dried and fixed through a drying process. In the cutting process unit 315, the recording medium 203 is cut by the cutting member 316 and stacked in a sheet shape. In this embodiment, thereafter, the recording medium may be further cut into a desired size by using a cutting machine or the like. In the present embodiment, a recording medium in which the length in the transport direction of the recording medium 203 is longer than the length of the transport path of the recording medium 203 from the paper feeding device 307 to the cutting member 316 is defined as “continuous paper”.

<< Processing liquid application process >>
The treatment liquid application step is a step of applying the treatment liquid to the surface of the recording medium. The treatment liquid application means used in the treatment liquid application process is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a blade coating method, a gravure coating method, a gravure offset coating method, a bar coating method, a roll coating method, and an ink jet method. The process liquid application | coating process of this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for applying the treatment liquid. Here, a case where a roll coating method is used will be described as an example, but a treatment liquid applying step using another method may be used.
The recording medium 203 is transported into the processing liquid applying apparatus 204 by transport rollers. A treatment liquid 205 is stored in the treatment liquid application device 204, and the treatment liquid 205 is transferred to the roller surface of the application roller 208 in a thin film form by the stirring / supply roller 206 and the transfer / thinning rollers 207 a and 207 b. The applying roller 208 rotates while being pressed against the rotating counter roller 201, and the processing liquid 205 is applied to the surface when the recording medium 203 passes between them. Further, the counter roller 201 can adjust the nip pressure when applying the processing liquid by the pressure adjusting device 209, thereby changing the application amount of the processing liquid 205. Further, the application amount can be adjusted by changing the rotation speed of the application roller 208.
By applying the treatment liquid to the recording medium, the color material is then recorded by destroying the dispersion of the color material contained in the ink applied to the area to which the treatment liquid is applied and promoting the aggregation of the color material. Can be fastened to the media surface. Thereby, it is possible to increase the image density and improve the dot uniformity, and to suppress the occurrence of beading and color bleeding.
The amount of the treatment liquid applied to the recording medium is preferably 400 mg / m ² or more and 4000 mg / m ² or less, but is preferably adjusted according to the permeability of the recording medium to be used.

<Processing liquid>
Next, the treatment liquid applied in the treatment liquid application process will be described. The treatment liquid in the present embodiment contains a cationic substance, and can contain additives such as water, an organic solvent, and a surfactant as necessary.

-Cationic substance-
The cationic substance has a color material aggregation function that destroys the dispersion of the color material contained in the ink and promotes the aggregation of the color material. Examples of the cationic substance include polymers, acids such as organic acids, and polyvalent metal salts. As the polymer, a quaternary ammonium salt type cationic polymer is preferable, for example, a dialkylallyl ammonium colloid polymer, Dialkylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate quaternary ammonium salt polymer, modified polyvinyl alcohol dialkyl ammonium salt polymer, dialkyl diallylammonium salt polymer, polyamine-epichlorohydrin copolymer, cationic special modified polyamine compound, cationic polyamide polyamine compound, Cationic urea-formalin resin compound, cationic polyacrylamide compound, cationic alkyl ketene dimer, cationic dicyandiamide compound, cationic dicyandiamide-formalin condensation Examples thereof include a compound compound, a cationic dicyandiamide-polyamine condensation compound, a cationic polyvinyl formamide compound, a cationic polyvinyl pyridine compound, a cationic polyalkylene polyamine compound, and a cationic epoxy polyamide compound.
The acid is preferably a water-soluble aliphatic organic acid, such as lactic acid, malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, gluconic acid, pyruvin. An acid, fumaric acid, etc. are mentioned. Also, amine salts of these organic acids may be used.
Examples of the polyvalent metal salt include water-soluble divalent metal salts and water-soluble monovalent alkali metal salts. Examples of water-soluble divalent metal salts include magnesium sulfate, aluminum sulfate, manganese sulfate, nickel sulfate, iron (II) sulfate, copper (II) sulfate, zinc sulfate, iron (II) nitrate, iron (II) nitrate, cobalt nitrate , Strontium nitrate, copper (II) nitrate, nickel (II) nitrate, lead (II) nitrate, manganese (II) nitrate, nickel (II) chloride, calcium chloride, tin (II) chloride, strontium chloride, barium chloride, chloride Examples include magnesium, calcium lactate, and calcium nitrate. Water-soluble monovalent alkali metal salts include sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate, lithium sulfate, sodium hydrogen sulfate, potassium hydrogen sulfate, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, chloride Potassium etc. are mentioned.

  The content of the cationic substance is preferably 10.0% by mass or more and 70.0% by mass or less, and more preferably 30% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid. When the content is 10.0% by mass or more, the colorant aggregation function of the ink is exhibited and good image quality can be obtained. Moreover, if it is 70.0 mass% or less, sufficient image quality can be obtained.

-Water-
The content of water in the treatment liquid is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but is preferably 10% by mass or more and 90% by mass or less from the viewpoint of the drying property and discharge reliability of the treatment liquid, 20 mass% or more and 60 mass% or less are more preferable.

-Organic solvent-
The organic solvent used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and a water-soluble organic solvent can be used. Examples thereof include ethers such as polyhydric alcohols, polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers and polyhydric alcohol aryl ethers, nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, amides, amines and sulfur-containing compounds.
Specific examples of the polyhydric alcohol include, for example, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,2-butanediol, 1,3-butanediol, and 1,4-butane. Diol, 2,3-butanediol, 3-methyl-1,3-butanediol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, 1,2-pentanediol, 1,3-pentanediol, 1,4-pentanediol 2,4-pentanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,2-hexanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,3-hexanediol, 2,5-hexanediol, 1,5-hexanediol, Glycerin, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, 2-ethyl-1,3- Hexanediol, ethyl-1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,2,3-butanetriol, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol, petriol, and the like.
Examples of the polyhydric alcohol alkyl ethers include ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, tetraethylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether and the like.
Examples of polyhydric alcohol aryl ethers include ethylene glycol monophenyl ether and ethylene glycol monobenzyl ether.
Examples of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds include 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-hydroxyethyl-2-pyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, ε-caprolactam, and γ-butyrolactone. Can be mentioned.
Examples of amides include formamide, N-methylformamide, N, N-dimethylformamide, 3-methoxy-N, N-dimethylpropionamide, 3-butoxy-N, N-dimethylpropionamide and the like.
Examples of amines include monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, and triethylamine.
Examples of sulfur-containing compounds include dimethyl sulfoxide, sulfolane, thiodiethanol and the like.
Examples of other organic solvents include propylene carbonate and ethylene carbonate.
In addition to functioning as a wetting agent, it is preferable to use an organic solvent having a boiling point of 250 ° C. or lower because good drying properties can be obtained.

As the organic solvent, a polyol compound having 8 or more carbon atoms and a glycol ether compound are also preferably used. Specific examples of the polyol compound having 8 or more carbon atoms include 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol, and the like.
Specific examples of glycol ether compounds include polyhydric alcohol alkyls such as ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, tetraethylene glycol monomethyl ether, and propylene glycol monoethyl ether. Examples of ethers include polyhydric alcohol aryl ethers such as ethylene glycol monophenyl ether and ethylene glycol monobenzyl ether.

  The content of the organic solvent in the treatment liquid is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. However, from the viewpoint of the drying property of the treatment liquid, the content is preferably 10% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less, and 20% by mass. % To 60% by mass is more preferable.

-Additives-
If necessary, a surfactant, an antifoaming agent, an antiseptic / antifungal agent, an antirust agent, a pH adjuster, and the like may be added to the treatment liquid.

<< Image forming process >>
The image forming step is a step of forming an image portion by applying ink containing a coloring material to the region of the recording medium to which the treatment liquid has been applied. The image forming means used in the image forming process is not particularly limited, and examples include means using a blade coating method, a gravure coating method, a gravure offset coating method, a bar coating method, a roll coating method, an ink jet method, and the like. . The image forming process of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a case where an ink jet method is used will be described as an example, but an image forming process using another method may be used.
An image corresponding to the image data is formed on the recording medium 203 after the treatment liquid applying step in the image forming step. The image forming process unit 304 is a full-line type head that can eject black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) ink in order from the upstream side in the recording medium conveyance direction. Two recording heads 304K, 304C, 304M, and 304Y are provided. The image forming process unit 304 ejects each ink from each recording head to the area of the recording medium to which the processing liquid is applied.

<Ink>
Next, the ink applied in the image forming process will be described. The ink in the present embodiment contains a color material, and may contain additives such as water, an organic solvent, a resin, and a surfactant as necessary. Since additives such as water, organic solvent, and surfactant are the same as those in the treatment liquid, description thereof is omitted.

-Color material-
The color material is not particularly limited, and pigments and dyes can be used.
An inorganic pigment or an organic pigment can be used as the pigment. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. A mixed crystal may be used as the pigment.
As the pigment, for example, a black pigment, a yellow pigment, a magenta pigment, a cyan pigment, a white pigment, a green pigment, an orange pigment, a glossy pigment such as gold or silver, a metallic pigment, or the like can be used.
Carbon black produced by known methods such as contact method, furnace method, thermal method in addition to titanium oxide, iron oxide, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, aluminum hydroxide, barium yellow, cadmium red, chrome yellow as inorganic pigments Can be used.
Organic pigments include azo pigments, polycyclic pigments (for example, phthalocyanine pigments, perylene pigments, perinone pigments, anthraquinone pigments, quinacridone pigments, dioxazine pigments, indigo pigments, thioindigo pigments, isoindolinone pigments, and quinophthalone pigments). Dye chelates (for example, basic dye type chelates, acidic dye type chelates), nitro pigments, nitroso pigments, aniline black, and the like can be used. Of these pigments, those having good affinity with the solvent are preferably used. In addition, resin hollow particles and inorganic hollow particles can also be used.
Specific examples of pigments include black for carbon black (CI pigment black 7) such as furnace black, lamp black, acetylene black, channel black, or copper, iron (CI pigment black 11). And metal pigments such as titanium oxide, and organic pigments such as aniline black (CI Pigment Black 1).
Further, for color use, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 1, 3, 12, 13, 14, 17, 24, 34, 35, 37, 42 (yellow iron oxide), 53, 55, 74, 81, 83, 95, 97, 98, 100, 101, 104 , 108, 109, 110, 117, 120, 138, 150, 153, 155, 180, 185, 213, C.I. I. Pigment orange 5, 13, 16, 17, 36, 43, 51, C.I. I. Pigment Red 1, 2, 3, 5, 17, 22, 23, 31, 38, 48: 2, 48: 2 (Permanent Red 2B (Ca)), 48: 3, 48: 4, 49: 1, 52: 2, 53: 1, 57: 1 (Brilliant Carmine 6B), 60: 1, 63: 1, 63: 2, 64: 1, 81, 83, 88, 101 (Bengara), 104, 105, 106, 108 ( Cadmium red), 112, 114, 122 (quinacridone magenta), 123, 146, 149, 166, 168, 170, 172, 177, 178, 179, 184, 185, 190, 193, 202, 207, 208, 209, 213, 219, 224, 254, 264, C.I. I. Pigment violet 1 (rhodamine lake), 3, 5: 1, 16, 19, 23, 38, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 1, 2, 15 (phthalocyanine blue), 15: 1, 15: 2, 15: 3, 15: 4 (phthalocyanine blue), 16, 17: 1, 56, 60, 63, C.I. I. Pigment Green 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 17, 18, 36, etc.
The dye is not particularly limited, and an acid dye, a direct dye, a reactive dye, and a basic dye can be used. One kind may be used alone, or two or more kinds may be used in combination.
Examples of the dye include C.I. I. Acid Yellow 17, 23, 42, 44, 79, 142, C.I. I. Acid Red 52, 80, 82, 249, 254, 289, C.I. I. Acid Blue 9, 45, 249, C.I. I. Acid Black 1, 2, 24, 94, C.I. I. Food Black 1, 2, C.I. I. Direct Yellow 1,12,24,33,50,55,58,86,132,142,144,173, C.I. I. Direct Red 1,4,9,80,81,225,227, C.I. I. Direct Blue 1, 2, 15, 71, 86, 87, 98, 165, 199, 202, C.I. I. Directed Black 19, 38, 51, 71, 154, 168, 171, 195, C.I. I. Reactive Red 14, 32, 55, 79, 249, C.I. I. Reactive black 3, 4, and 35 are mentioned.

  The content of the color material in the ink is preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 15% by mass or less, more preferably 1% by mass or more and 10% by mass from the viewpoints of improvement in image density, good fixability and ejection stability. It is as follows.

As a method of obtaining an ink by dispersing a pigment, a method of introducing a hydrophilic functional group into the pigment to form a self-dispersing pigment, a method of coating and dispersing the surface of the pigment with a resin, and a dispersing agent are used. Method, etc.
As a method of introducing a hydrophilic functional group into a pigment to obtain a self-dispersing pigment, for example, a method of making it dispersible in water by adding a functional group such as a sulfone group or a carboxyl group to the pigment (for example, carbon) Is mentioned.
As a method for coating the surface of the pigment with a resin and dispersing it, a method in which the pigment is included in microcapsules and dispersible in water can be mentioned. This can be paraphrased as a resin-coated pigment. In this case, it is not necessary that all pigments blended in the ink are coated with a resin, and within a range where the effects of the present invention are not impaired, uncoated pigments and partially coated pigments are dispersed in the ink. It may be.
Examples of the method of dispersing using a dispersant include a method of dispersing using a known low-molecular type dispersant or high-molecular type dispersant represented by a surfactant.
As the dispersant, for example, an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, an amphoteric surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, or the like can be used depending on the pigment.
As the dispersant, RT-100 (nonionic surfactant) manufactured by Takemoto Yushi Co., Ltd. and Naphthalenesulfonic acid Na formalin condensate can also be suitably used as the dispersant.
A dispersing agent may be used individually by 1 type, or may use 2 or more types together.

-Pigment dispersion-
An ink can be obtained by mixing a material such as water or an organic solvent with a pigment. Further, it is also possible to produce an ink by mixing a pigment, other water, a dispersant, and the like into a pigment dispersion and mixing a material such as water or an organic solvent.
The pigment dispersion is obtained by mixing and dispersing water, a pigment, a pigment dispersant, and other components as necessary, and adjusting the particle size. For dispersion, a disperser is preferably used.
The particle size of the pigment in the pigment dispersion is not particularly limited, but the maximum frequency is 20 nm or more in terms of maximum number because the pigment dispersion stability is good and the image quality such as ejection stability and image density is also high. 500 nm or less is preferable and 20 nm or more and 150 nm or less are more preferable. The particle size of the pigment can be measured using a particle size analyzer (Nanotrack Wave-UT151, manufactured by Microtrack Bell Co., Ltd.).
The content of the pigment in the pigment dispersion is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. However, from the viewpoint of obtaining good ejection stability and increasing the image density, 0.1% by mass The content is preferably 50% by mass or less and more preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less.
The pigment dispersion is preferably degassed by filtering coarse particles with a filter, a centrifugal separator or the like, if necessary.

-Resin-
The type of resin contained in the ink is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, urethane resin, polyester resin, acrylic resin, vinyl acetate resin, styrene resin, butadiene type Examples thereof include resins, styrene-butadiene resins, vinyl chloride resins, acrylic styrene resins, and acrylic silicone resins.
Resin particles made of these resins may be used. An ink can be obtained by mixing resin particles with a material such as a colorant or an organic solvent in a resin emulsion state in which water is dispersed as a dispersion medium. As a resin particle, what was synthesize | combined suitably may be used and a commercial item may be used. Moreover, these may be used individually by 1 type, or may be used in combination of 2 or more types of resin particles.

The volume average particle diameter of the resin particles is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, but is preferably 10 nm or more and 1,000 nm or less from the viewpoint of obtaining good fixability and high image hardness. It is more preferably 200 nm or less and particularly preferably 10 nm or more and 100 nm or less.
The volume average particle diameter can be measured using, for example, a particle size analyzer (Nanotrack Wave-UT151, manufactured by Microtrack Bell Co., Ltd.).

  The particle size of the solid content in the ink is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. From the viewpoint of improving image quality such as ejection stability and image density, the maximum frequency of the particle size of the solid content in the ink is preferably 20 nm or more and 1000 nm or less, and more preferably 20 nm or more and 150 nm or less in terms of the maximum number. The solid content includes resin particles, pigment particles, and the like. The particle size can be measured using a particle size analyzer (Nanotrack Wave-UT151, manufactured by Microtrack Bell Co., Ltd.).

<< Drying process >>
The drying step is a step of drying the treatment liquid and ink applied to the surface of the recording medium. The drying means used in the drying step is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a means for blowing warm air, a means for contacting with a heat roller, and a means for irradiating infrared rays. The drying process of this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. Although the case where the method of making it contact with a heat roller is used as an example is described here, a drying step using another method may be used.
The recording medium 203 after the image forming process is conveyed to the heat rollers 313 and 314 by the conveyance roller. The heat rollers 313 and 314 are heated to a high temperature, and the recording medium 203 dries due to evaporation of moisture and the like by contact heat transfer from the heat rollers 313 and 314. The drying temperature by heating is preferably 80 ° C or higher, particularly preferably 100 to 150 ° C. When the temperature is 100 ° C. or higher, moisture and a wetting agent on the recording medium can be efficiently evaporated. However, when the temperature exceeds 150 ° C., yellowing is likely to occur depending on the type of the recording medium, and the amount of waste paper may increase.

<< Cutting process >>
The cutting step is a step of cutting the image portion formed by applying the ink of the recording medium after the treatment liquid and ink applied to the surface of the recording medium are dried. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular as a cutting means used for a cutting process, A cutting machine, a punch, a cutter, etc. are mentioned. Here, a case where a cutting machine is used will be described as an example, but a cutting process using another method may be used.
The recording medium 203 after the drying process is conveyed to the cutting process unit 315 by the conveyance roller. The cutting process section is provided with a cutting member as cutting means, and cuts the recording medium at a predetermined timing. The cutting step is provided in a step of cutting the area where the image portion of the recording medium is formed using a cutting unit incorporated in the recording apparatus, and an external device not incorporated in the recording apparatus such as a cutting machine. Any of the steps of cutting the region where the image portion of the recording medium is formed using the cutting member may be used. Further, the cutting member may be either a means for cutting a non-stacked recording medium or a means for cutting a plurality of stacked recording media together. When using a means for cutting a plurality of stacked recording media together as the cutting member, when the recording medium is cut, the weight applied to the recording medium to fix the recording medium is Although it depends on the stacking height and the like, it is preferably set to 50 kg or more and 4000 kg or less. In the commercial printing field that handles a large amount of recording media, it is necessary to increase the weight applied to the recording media when cutting. When the added weight is large, when the image portion needs to be cut, such as for a borderless application, there is a problem that the image portion is lost at the time of cutting. However, such a problem can be solved by using the Martens hardness of the present embodiment. In addition, as a cutting process part, the commercially available cutting device can be used suitably, For example, Yanakida Machine Manufacturing YNK700NC, YNK770NC, YNK860NC, YNK1010NC, YNK1160NC, YNK1320NC etc. are mentioned.

<Martens hardness>
The Martens hardness in the image area of the recording medium cut in the cutting step is 45 N / mm ² or more, and preferably 60 N / mm ² or more. The Martens hardness is 200 N / mm ² or less. Even when the Martens hardness is 45 N / mm ² or more and 200 N / mm ² or less, the strength of the image portion is improved, and even when the cutting means is in direct contact with the image portion and a large force is applied in the cutting process. , Loss of the image portion is suppressed.
Here, the Martens hardness is an index representing the hardness of the material obtained in the indentation depth test. In this test, a Vickers indenter is pushed into the material, the load test force and the indentation depth at that time are continuously measured, and the relationship of “indentation depth−test force” is obtained. Then, the Martens hardness is obtained from the slope in which the indentation depths up to 50% and 90% of the maximum load test force of this curve are proportional to the square root of the load test force. As a measurement target used in this test, a recording liquid obtained by applying a treatment liquid on a recording medium, then printing the ink as a solid image on the applied treatment liquid, and drying it was then used in a room temperature environment ( (Temperature: about 23 ° C./humidity: about 55%) for 24 hours or more. Using a micro hardness tester HM-2000 manufactured by Fischer Instruments Co., Ltd., the Vickers indenter was pushed in with a force of 1.0 [mN] for 10 seconds and held for 5 seconds. When the indenter is pulled out, the Martens hardness of the ink can be measured.

Next, a method for adjusting the Martens hardness to the above range will be described. Martens hardness is a hardness characteristic in the vicinity of the surface of the recording medium, and by selecting an organic acid or a polyvalent metal salt as a cationic substance contained in the treatment liquid, a decrease in hardness can be suppressed. On the other hand, the Martens hardness is lowered by selecting a polymer as a cationic substance contained in the treatment liquid. This is because many polymers used as the cationic substance in the treatment liquid have low molecular weight, and a large amount of polymer stays on the surface of the recording medium, thereby reducing Martens hardness.
As described above, when a polymer is used as the cationic substance, it is possible to suppress a decrease in Martens hardness by limiting the application amount of the treatment liquid. However, if the application amount of the treatment liquid is excessively reduced, the treatment liquid is used. In some cases, it is difficult to obtain effects (for example, improved image density and improved beading properties). When a polymer is used as the cationic substance, the permeability of the treatment liquid containing the cationic substance to the recording medium is also related to the Martens hardness. For example, in a recording medium with low permeability of the processing liquid, the polymer contained in the processing liquid is present in the vicinity of the surface of the recording medium, so the Martens hardness is reduced. However, the effect of using the processing liquid (for example, image density) Improvement and beading property) are easily obtained. On the other hand, in a recording medium with high penetrability of the processing liquid, the amount of polymer remaining in the processing liquid does not increase in the vicinity of the surface because the polymer penetrates to the inside of the recording medium. , It becomes difficult to obtain the effects (for example, improvement of image density and improvement of beading property) by using the treatment liquid.

That is, when a polymer is used as the cationic substance, the Martens hardness, the image density, and the beading property of the image portion can be controlled by adjusting the permeability of the recording medium and the application amount of the treatment liquid. Here, the permeability of the recording medium is adjusted by selecting a recording medium having a low permeability and a recording medium having a high permeability. The recording medium having low permeability means a recording medium having a 60 second Cobb value of less than 30.0 g / m ² according to JIS P 8140. Further, the recording medium having high permeability indicates a medium having a 60 second Cobb value of 30.0 g / m ² or more according to JIS P 8140. Note that JIS P 8140 corresponds to ISO standard 535: 1991 (E). Moreover, as a measured value of the 60 second Cobb value of the present embodiment, a value in which water absorption is 45 seconds, water wiping is 15 seconds, and the total contact time of water is 60 seconds is adopted. In such a case, in order to set the Martens hardness to 45 N / mm ² or more and 200 N / mm ² or less, it is preferable to adjust the permeability of the recording medium and the amount of treatment liquid applied as follows. For example, when the 60-second Cobb value of the recording medium according to JIS P 8140 is less than 30.0 g / m ² , the amount of treatment liquid applied in the treatment liquid application step is 400 mg / m ² or more and 2000 mg / m ² or less. It is more preferable that it is 500 mg / m ² or more and 1000 mg / m ² or less. In addition, when the 60 second Cobb value according to JIS P 8140 of the recording medium is 30.0 g / m ² or more, the application amount of the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid application step is 1000 mg / m ² or more and 4000 mg / m ² or less. Is preferable, and more preferably 2000 mg / m ² or more and 3000 mg / m ² or less. Thus, by adjusting the application amount of the treatment liquid according to the permeability of the recording medium, the amount of polymer present on the surface of the recording medium does not become excessive, and the Martens hardness of the image area can be withstood in the cutting process. While being able to hold | maintain, the effect (for example, image density improvement, beading property improvement) by using a processing liquid can also be acquired.

On the other hand, when a polymer is used as the cationic substance, the Martens hardness, image density, and beading property of the image portion can be controlled by adjusting the polymer content in the treatment liquid and the application amount of the treatment liquid. . Then, in order to 45N / mm ² or more 200 N / mm ² or less Martens hardness in such a case, it is preferable to adjust the application amount of content and the processing solution of the polymer in the processing solution in the following manner . For example, when the content of the polymer is less than 40% by mass with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid, the application amount of the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid application step is preferably 400 mg / m ² or more and 2000 mg / m ² or less. Moreover, when the polymer content is 40% by mass or more with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid, the treatment liquid application amount in the treatment liquid application step is preferably 1000 mg / m ² or more and 4000 mg / m ² or less. Thus, by adjusting the application amount of the treatment liquid in accordance with the polymer content in the treatment liquid, the amount of polymer present on the surface of the recording medium does not become excessive, and the Martens hardness of the image area can withstand the cutting process. In addition to being able to be held within a range, it is possible to obtain the effects (for example, improvement in image density and improvement in beading properties) by using the treatment liquid.

Further, when the 60 second Cobb value according to JIS P 8140 of the recording medium is less than 30.0 g / m ² and the polymer content is less than 40% by mass with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid, The amount of treatment liquid applied in the liquid application step is preferably 400 mg / m ² or more and 2000 mg / m ² or less.
Further, when the 60-second Cobb value of the recording medium according to JIS P 8140 is 30.0 g / m ² or more and the polymer content is 40% by mass or more with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid, The amount of treatment liquid applied in the liquid application step is preferably 1000 mg / m ² or more and 4000 mg / m ² or less.
Further, when the 60 second Cobb value according to JIS P 8140 of the recording medium is less than 30.0 g / m ² and the polymer content is 40% by mass or more with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid, The amount of treatment liquid applied in the liquid application step is preferably 1000 mg / m ² or more and 2000 mg / m ² or less.
In addition, when the 60-second Cobb value according to JIS P 8140 of the recording medium is 30.0 g / m ² or more and the polymer content is less than 40% by mass with respect to the total amount of the processing liquid. The amount of treatment liquid applied in the treatment liquid application step is preferably 1000 mg / m ² or more and 2000 mg / m ² or less.

  In addition, as a method of adjusting Martens hardness other than the above, the method of adjusting the kind and content of resin in ink is mentioned. As the resin contained in the ink, those that improve the strength of the image area are known, and the Martens hardness can be adjusted by changing the type and content thereof. On the other hand, depending on the type and content of these resins, there is a case where clogging of nozzles that eject ink tends to occur, and it is preferable to adjust the Martens hardness with the treatment liquid as described above.

〔recoding media〕
The recording medium can be used without any particular limitation, and plain paper, glossy paper, special paper, cloth, etc. can also be used. However, as described above, low permeability can be achieved by adjusting the amount of treatment liquid applied to the recording medium. It can be suitably used for a substrate (low-absorbent substrate).
The low-permeability base material means a base material having a surface with low water permeability, absorbability, or adsorptivity, and includes a material that does not open to the outside even if there are many cavities inside. Examples of the low-permeability substrate include coated paper used for commercial printing, and a recording medium such as paperboard in which used paper pulp is blended in the middle layer and the back layer and the surface is coated.

<< Low permeability base material >>
As the low-permeability substrate, for example, a recording medium such as a coated paper having a support and a surface layer provided on at least one side of the support, and further having other layers as necessary Is mentioned.

A recording medium having a support and a surface layer, the transfer amount of pure water of the recording medium at a contact time of 100ms measured by a dynamic scanning liquid absorption meter, 2 mL / ^{m 2} or more 35 mL / ^{m 2} or less is preferable, 2 mL / M ² or more and 10 mL / m ² or less is more preferable.

  If the transfer amount of ink and pure water at a contact time of 100 ms is too small, beading is likely to occur. If it is too large, the ink dot diameter after image formation may be too smaller than the desired diameter. is there.

Transfer amount of pure water of the recording medium in a dynamic scanning liquid absorption contact time measured by meter 400ms is preferably 3 mL / ^{m 2} or more 40 mL / ^{m 2} or less, and more is 3 mL / ^{m 2} or more 10 mL / ^{m 2} or less preferable.

  If the amount of transfer at a contact time of 400 ms is small, the drying property is insufficient, and if it is too large, the gloss of the image area after drying tends to be low. The amount of pure water transferred to the recording medium at the contact time of 100 ms and 400 ms can be measured on the surface of the recording medium having the surface layer.

  Here, a dynamic scanning absorptiometer (DSA, Kojipa Gikyogaku, Vol. 48, May 1994, pp. 88-92, Kuju Shigenori) has a very short time. It is a device that can measure accurately. The dynamic scanning absorptiometer reads the liquid absorption speed directly from the movement of the meniscus in the capillary, makes the sample a disk, and then scans the liquid absorption head in a spiral, and changes the scanning speed according to a preset pattern. The measurement is automated by a method of automatically changing and measuring the number of points required for one sample.

  A liquid supply head for a paper sample is connected to a capillary via a Teflon (registered trademark) tube, and the position of the meniscus in the capillary is automatically read by an optical sensor. Specifically, the transfer amount of pure water or ink can be measured using a dynamic scanning absorption meter (K350 series D type, manufactured by Kyowa Seiko Co., Ltd.).

  The transfer amount at the contact time of 100 ms and the contact time of 400 ms can be obtained by interpolation from the measured value of the transfer amount at the contact time adjacent to each contact time.

-Support-
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a support body, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, the sheet-like substance like the nonwoven fabric mainly composed of paper mainly made of wood fiber, wood fiber, and synthetic fiber etc. are mentioned.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the thickness of a support body, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 50 micrometers-300 micrometers are preferable. The basis weight of the ^{support, 45g / m 2 ~290g / m} 2 is preferred.

-Surface layer-
The surface layer contains a pigment and a binder (binder), and further contains a surfactant and other components as necessary.
As the pigment, an inorganic pigment or a combination of an inorganic pigment and an organic pigment can be used. Examples of inorganic pigments include kaolin, talc, heavy calcium carbonate, light calcium carbonate, calcium sulfite, amorphous silica, titanium white, magnesium carbonate, titanium dioxide, aluminum hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, and water. Examples include zinc oxide and chlorite. The amount of the inorganic pigment added is preferably 50 parts by mass or more with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder.
Examples of the organic pigment include water-soluble dispersions such as styrene-acrylic copolymer particles, styrene-butadiene copolymer particles, polystyrene particles, and polyethylene particles. The addition amount of the organic pigment is preferably 2 parts by mass to 20 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the total pigment in the surface layer.
As the binder, it is preferable to use an aqueous resin. As the aqueous resin, at least one of a water-soluble resin and a water-dispersible resin can be suitably used. There is no restriction | limiting in particular as water-soluble resin, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, polyvinyl alcohol, cation modified polyvinyl alcohol, acetal modified polyvinyl alcohol, polyester, polyurethane, polyester, polyurethane, etc. are mentioned.
The surfactant contained as necessary in the surface layer is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. However, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, nonionic surfactants can be selected. Either can be used.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a formation method of a surface layer, According to the objective, it can select suitably, It can carry out by the method of impregnating or apply | coating the liquid which comprises a surface layer on a support body. Adhesion amount of the liquid constituting the surface layer is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, the solid content ^is preferably ^{0.5g / m 2 ~20g / m 2} , 1g / m 2 ~ 15 g / m ² is more preferable.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

<Example of treatment liquid preparation>
-Preparation example of treatment liquid 1-
The following formulation mixture was sufficiently stirred and then filtered through a 0.8 μm polypropylene filter to prepare treatment liquid 1.
・ Himax SC-506 (manufactured by Hymo Co., Ltd., cationic polymer): 50.0 parts by mass, 1,3-butanediol: 15.0 parts by mass, octanediol: 4.0 parts by mass, Capstone-FS34 (Kemers shares) Company-made, surfactant): 1.0 parts by mass High purity water: 30.0 parts by mass

-Preparation example of treatment liquid 2-
The following formulation mixture was sufficiently stirred and then filtered through a 0.8 μm polypropylene filter to prepare treatment liquid 1.
Magnesium sulfate (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry, inorganic salt): 20.0 parts by mass Glycerin: 19.0 parts by mass Capstone-FS34 (manufactured by Kemers, surfactant): 1 part by mass High purity water: 60.0 Parts by mass

-Preparation example of treatment liquid 3-
The following formulation mixture was sufficiently stirred and then filtered through a 0.8 μm polypropylene filter to prepare treatment liquid 1.
・ Himax SC-506 (manufactured by Hymo Co., Ltd., cationic polymer): 25.0 parts by mass, 1,3-butanediol: 15.0 parts by mass, octanediol: 4.0 parts by mass, Capstone-FS34 (Kemers shares) Company-made, surfactant): 1.0 part by massHigh purity water: 55.0 parts by mass

<Preparation example of pigment dispersion>
4.0 parts by mass of Solsperse 37500 (manufactured by LUBRIZOL, dispersant) was dissolved in 80.0 parts by mass of high-purity water. 16.0 parts by mass of carbon black (NIPEX150, manufactured by Degussa) was added to 84.0 parts by mass of the aqueous copolymer solution, and the mixture was stirred for 12 hours. The obtained mixture was circulated and dispersed for 1 hour at a peripheral speed of 10 m / s using a disk-type bead mill (Shinmaru Enterprises Co., Ltd., KDL type, media: using zirconia balls with a diameter of 0.1 mm), and then the pore size was 1 The mixture was filtered through a 2 μm membrane filter to obtain a pigment dispersion.

<Example of ink preparation>
-Preparation example of ink 1-
The following formulation mixture was sufficiently stirred and then filtered through a 1.2 μm polypropylene filter to prepare ink 1.
Pigment dispersion: 15.0% by mass
・ Glycerin: 5.0% by mass
・ 1,3-propanediol: 10.0% by mass
・ 1,2 hexanediol: 4.0% by mass
-WBR-016U (manufactured by Taisei Fine Chemical Co., Ltd., urethane emulsion, nonvolatile content 30% by mass): 10.0% by mass
・ Unidyne DSN-403N (Daikin Industries, surfactant): 1.0% by mass
・ High purity water: 55.0% by mass

-Preparation example of ink 2-5-
In the preparation example of ink 1, the formulation was changed as shown in Table 1 below to prepare inks 2 to 5. In addition, the unit of each number in Table 1 is “mass%”.

In Table 1, the trade names of the components and the names of the manufacturing companies are as follows.
・ Pesresin A-645GH (manufactured by Takamatsu Yushi Co., Ltd., polyester resin, nonvolatile content 30% by weight)
・ Johncrill 611 (manufactured by BASF, acrylic resin, non-volatile content 99% by weight)

(Example 1)
The amount of treatment liquid 1 applied was adjusted to 2000 mg / m ² using a bar coat, and treatment liquid 1 was recorded as an OK top coat + (Oji Paper Coated Paper, 60 sec Cobb Value: 26.1 g). / M ² ). Next, drying was performed for 60 seconds using an oven at 90 ° C. to prepare a recording medium to which the treatment liquid was applied. For the recording medium to which the treatment liquid was applied, using an inkjet printer equipped with ink 1 (manufactured by Ricoh, IPSiO GX-e5500), the Japan Imaging Society test chart No. 7 was printed. The print mode is a mode in which the “plain paper-standard fast” mode is changed to “no color correction” from the plain paper user setting in the driver attached to the printer. Furthermore, after leaving the printed recording medium to stand for 24 hours in a room temperature environment (temperature: 23 ° C./humidity: 55%), a cutting machine (YNK700NC, weight added to the recording medium: 2500 kg) manufactured by Yanagita Machinery Co., Ltd. This was used to cut the solid image portion.

  Next, the characteristics of the recording medium cut after printing produced in Example 1 were evaluated according to the following methods and evaluation criteria. The results are shown in Table 2.

[Martens hardness]
Using a micro hardness tester HM-2000 manufactured by Fischer Instruments, the Vickers indenter was pushed in with a force of 1.0 [mN] for 10 seconds and held for 5 seconds, and the indenter was held for 10 seconds. The Martens hardness was measured by drawing. The number of repeated measurements was 10, and the measurement was performed while changing the measurement location, and the average value of the obtained characteristic values was defined as Martens hardness.

[Image density]
The solid image portion was measured by X-Rite 938 (manufactured by X-Rite Co., Ltd.) and evaluated according to the following criteria. When the evaluation was B or more, it was judged that it was a practical case.
-Evaluation criteria-
A: 2.20 or more B: 2.00 or more and less than 2.20 C: Less than 2.00

[Beading]
The solid image portion was visually evaluated for the degree of density unevenness and evaluated according to the following criteria. When the evaluation was B or more, it was judged that it was a practical case.
-Evaluation criteria-
A: No density unevenness B: Slight density unevenness C: Large density unevenness

[Cutting test]
The portion where the solid image portion was cut was visually observed and evaluated according to the following criteria. When the evaluation was B or more, it was judged that it was a practical case.
-Evaluation criteria-
A: No defect in the image B: Slight defect at the edge C: Large defect

[Fixability]
The surface of the solid image portion was reciprocated 15 times with a cotton cloth set on a clock meter (manufactured by Atlas), and the image density of the ink transferred to the cotton cloth was measured with X-Rite 938 (manufactured by X-Rite). Evaluation based on the criteria. The case where evaluation was B or more was judged to be a preferable case. The smaller the value, the better the fixability.
-Evaluation criteria-
A: Less than 0.05 B: 0.05 or more and less than 0.1 C: 0.1 or more

[Discharge stability]
Using an ink jet printer equipped with ink 1 (Ricoh, IPSiO GX-e5500), 1000 print charts having a printing area of 5% were printed. Immediately after printing 1000 sheets and 24 hours after printing is finished, print solid images, halftone images, and nozzle check patterns on industrial inkjet paper (Made by Mitsubishi Paper Industries, SWORD iJET 4.3 gloss) five by five. In addition, the presence or absence of nozzle omission was observed visually, and ejection disturbance and nozzle clogging were evaluated according to the following criteria. The case where evaluation was B or more was judged to be a preferable case.
-Evaluation criteria-
A: Discharge is not disturbed and nozzle is not clogged B: Discharge is slightly disturbed but nozzle is not clogged C: Discharge is greatly disturbed and nozzle is clogged

Next, in Example 1, the used ink and the treatment liquid were changed as shown in Table 2 below, and the application amount of the treatment liquid was changed as shown in Table 2 below. The recording methods of Examples 1-2 were carried out.
Thereafter, the characteristics of the recording media cut after printing produced in Examples 2 to 11 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were evaluated according to the same method and evaluation criteria as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2.
The paper types 1 and 2 shown in Table 2 are as follows.
-Paper type 1: OK top coat + (Oji Paper Coated paper, 60 seconds Cobb water absorption: 26.1 g / m ² )
-Paper type 2: LumiArt Gloss 90GSM (Coated paper made by STORA ENSO, 60 seconds Cobb water absorption: 55.6 g / m ² )

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 201 Opposite roller 203 Recording medium 204 Processing liquid application apparatus 205 Processing liquid 206 Stirring and supply roller 207a, 207b Transfer / thinning roller 208 Application roller 209 Pressure adjusting apparatus 300 Inkjet recording apparatus 301 Recording medium conveyance section 302 Processing liquid application process section 304 Image forming process unit 306 Drying process unit 307 Paper feed device 308 Cutting process unit 313, 314 Heat roller 315 Winding device 316 Cutting member

JP, 2006-204524, A

Claims (12)

A treatment liquid application step of applying a treatment liquid containing a cationic substance to the recording medium;
An image forming step of forming an image portion by applying an ink containing a coloring material to an area of the recording medium to which the treatment liquid has been applied;
Cutting the region where the image portion of the recording medium is formed,
The Martens hardness of the image area is a recording method of 45 N / mm ² or more and 200 N / mm ² or less.   The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the cationic substance includes at least one selected from a polymer, an organic acid, and a polyvalent metal salt.   The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the cationic substance is a polymer. The recording method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the Martens hardness of the image portion is 60 N / mm ² or more. The recording medium has a 60 second Cobb value according to JIS P 8140 of less than 30.0 g / m ² ,
The recording method according to claim 3, wherein an amount of the treatment liquid applied in the treatment liquid application step is 400 mg / m ² or more and 2000 mg / m ² or less. The recording medium has a 60-second Cobb value according to JIS P 8140 of 30.0 g / m ² or more,
The recording method according to claim 3, wherein an amount of the treatment liquid applied in the treatment liquid application step is 1000 mg / m ² or more and 4000 mg / m ² or less. The content of the polymer is less than 40% by mass with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid,
The recording method according to claim 3, wherein an amount of the treatment liquid applied in the treatment liquid application step is 400 mg / m ² or more and 2000 mg / m ² or less. The content of the polymer is 40% by mass or more based on the total amount of the treatment liquid,
The recording method according to claim 3, wherein an amount of the treatment liquid applied in the treatment liquid application step is 1000 mg / m ² or more and 4000 mg / m ² or less. The ink includes resin particles,
The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the resin particles are at least one selected from urethane resin particles, polyester resin particles, and acrylic resin particles. The ink includes resin particles,
The recording method according to claim 1, wherein a content of the resin particles is 1% by mass or more and 5% by mass or less with respect to the total amount of the ink.   The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is continuous paper. A treatment liquid applying means for applying a treatment liquid containing a cationic substance to the recording medium;
Image forming means for forming an image portion by applying an ink containing a coloring material to an area of the recording medium to which the treatment liquid has been applied;
Cutting means for cutting the area where the image portion of the recording medium is formed,
The image recording unit has a Martens hardness of 45 N / mm ² or more and 200 N / mm ² or less.