JP5819205B2 - Inkjet recording maintenance liquid, inkjet recording ink set, image forming method, and maintenance method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a maintenance liquid for inkjet recording, an ink set for inkjet recording, an image forming method, and a maintenance method.

  Recording methods using the ink jet method are widely used because, for example, high-quality images can be recorded on a wide variety of recording media by ejecting ink in droplets from a large number of nozzle holes provided in an ink jet head. It's being used.

For example, a pigment is widely used for a colorant that is one of the components contained in an ink, and the pigment is used by being dispersed in a medium such as water.
Pigment inks containing pigments tend to thicken as the solvent component in the ink evaporates and solidify gradually. Once the pigment ink is solidified, it is difficult to be redissolved thereafter. For this reason, as the ink thickens and solidifies, it gradually accumulates at the nozzle tip of the inkjet head, etc., resulting in narrowing or clogging of the nozzle holes, resulting in bending of the ink ejection direction or inefficiency. This may cause problems such as causing discharge. As the ink adheres and accumulates, it becomes difficult to maintain the performance by the nozzle cap, the wipe part, and the like, and the image formability with time deteriorates.

  Further, for example, in a composition containing a polymer component such as a polymer or wax in the ink in order to prevent the formed image from being scratched or to prevent peeling, the ink is more likely to be solidified and deposited as described above.

In connection with the above situation, various studies have been conducted on cleaning liquid (so-called maintenance liquid) for cleaning ink. As a specific example of the cleaning liquid, an inkjet recording apparatus cleaning liquid containing a polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether having a substituent containing a polyoxyalkylene moiety as a branched chain in an alkyl chain is disclosed (for example, a patent) Reference 1). Further, a cleaning liquid for an ink jet apparatus containing a polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether containing more ethylene oxide chains than propylene oxide chains is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 2).
In these documents, the ink refilling after washing is performed by washing the flow path through which the ink of the ink jet recording apparatus flows, not the recording head, with a cleaning liquid, and containing a specific polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether. It is described that there is no problem with sex.

JP 2005-146224 A JP 2011-140556 A

  In the above conventional cleaning technique, attention is paid to the adverse effect of cleaning the flow path through which the ink of the ink jet recording apparatus flows rather than the recording head, particularly the reduction of the dispersibility of the pigment. Therefore, the contained component is selected from the viewpoint of stably maintaining the dispersion state of the pigment in the ink even when mixed with the ink after washing. However, such a conventional cleaning technique is not sufficient in terms of detergency for ink solids, and further improvement of the detergency is required from the viewpoint of more stable image formation.

  That is, when ink is ejected, mist-like fine ink is generated, which may adhere to the ejection head. The adhering fine ink gradually solidifies over time, and may adhere to the head surface as a granular solid (dry ink particles). When cleaning by applying a cleaning liquid to the discharge head, if the cleaning properties of the dry ink particles (ink particles) adhering to the head surface are not sufficient, it is necessary to remove undissolved ink particles when wiping after cleaning. The solid material moves and enters into the discharge hole to be blocked, or causes a phenomenon of depositing in the vicinity of the discharge hole. Such a phenomenon adversely affects the ejection of ink after cleaning, and as a result, causes ejection defects such as ink ejection bending and non-ejection. This is particularly noticeable in the case of ink containing a polymer component in addition to the pigment.

  With respect to such a point, the conventional cleaning liquid containing the polyoxyalkylene monoalkyl ether described above has a certain point in that the ink remaining in an undried state in the flow path is cleaned while suppressing adverse effects on the pigment dispersion. Although the effect is expected, it is inferior in terms of the solubility of the solid ink solidified by drying as described above.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and it is desired to maintain a maintenance liquid for ink jet recording excellent in solubility of ink solids solidified by drying, suppressing ejection defects such as ink ejection bending and non-ejection. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink set for ink jet recording, an image forming method, and a maintenance method with high ink removability.

Specific means for achieving the above object are as follows.
<1> A maintenance liquid for ink-jet recording comprising a compound represented by the following general formula (I) or general formula (II) and water.

In the general formulas (I) and (II), R ¹ represents a linear or branched alkyl group having 9 to 19 carbon atoms, or a linear or branched alkenyl group having 9 to 19 carbon atoms, and R ² represents Represents a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group. m represents an integer of 3 to 10, n represents an integer of 1 to 6 , and m and n satisfy a relationship of mn ≧ 3 .
<2> The maintenance liquid for inkjet recording according to <1>, further including a water-soluble organic solvent represented by the following general formula (III).

In the general formula (III), R ³ and R ⁵ each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R ⁴ represents an ethylene group or a propylene group. However, R ³ and R ⁵ are not hydrogen atoms at the same time. x represents an integer of 1 to 4.
<3> The inkjet recording maintenance liquid according to <1> or <2>, further including a humectant, wherein the content of the humectant is 1 to 20% by mass with respect to the total amount of the liquid.
<4> The maintenance liquid for inkjet recording according to any one of <1> to <3>, further including a basic compound having a pKa value of 6.0 to 8.5.

<5> An ink set for inkjet recording, comprising: an ink composition containing a pigment, polymer particles, and water; and the inkjet recording maintenance liquid according to any one of <1> to <4>. is there.
<6> The ink set for inkjet recording according to <5>, further including a treatment liquid containing an aggregating component that aggregates the components in the ink composition.
<7> An ink application process in which the ink set for ink jet recording according to <5> or <6> is used, and the ink composition is applied to a recording medium by discharging the ink composition from an ink jet recording head. And an ink removing step of removing the ink composition adhering to the ink jet recording head with a maintenance liquid for ink jet recording.
<8> The image forming method according to <7>, further including a treatment liquid application step of applying a treatment liquid containing an aggregating component for aggregating the components in the ink composition to a recording medium.
<9> The inkjet recording maintenance liquid according to any one of <1> to <4> above is applied to the inkjet recording ink ejection head to which the ink composition is adhered, and the inkjet recording ink ejection is performed. This is a maintenance method for removing the ink composition on the head.

  In the “maintenance” in the present invention, an ink jet recording head that discharges an ink composition for ink jet recording, and its discharge performance is maintained at or near a desired state and maintained (maintenance), in addition to recording. This includes cleaning (cleaning) the head to maintain and maintain it in a better condition. The maintenance liquid includes a cleaning liquid for cleaning the ink composition.

According to the present invention, there is provided a maintenance liquid for ink jet recording excellent in solubility of ink solids solidified by drying. Also,
According to the present invention, there are provided an ink set for ink jet recording and an image forming method in which a desired image is stably formed while suppressing ejection defects such as ink ejection bend and non-ejection.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, a maintenance method with high ink removability is provided.

1 is an overall configuration diagram schematically showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus for carrying out an image forming method of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention, the ink set for inkjet recording using the same, and the image forming method will be described in detail.

<Maintenance liquid for inkjet recording>
The maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention comprises at least a compound represented by the following general formula (I) or general formula (II) and water. The maintenance liquid for ink jet recording of the present invention can be constituted by using an organic solvent, a humectant, a basic compound, and other additives as required.

When an image is formed by ejecting ink from an ink jet recording head (hereinafter also simply referred to as “head” or “ejection head”), mist-like ink is generated during the ejection, and the ink is ejected. When adhering to the head, it may be deposited including granular solids (dry ink) solidified by drying on the head. When cleaning is performed by applying a cleaning liquid to the ejection head, the conventional cleaning liquid is not sufficiently soluble in ink solids, and the granular ink solids remaining on the head in the process of wiping after cleaning, etc. For example, the solid particles may enter the hole and block the discharge hole, or may be unevenly distributed near the hole and prevent ink discharge.
In the present invention, by including a surfactant having a specific structure with more propylene oxide (PO) chains than ethylene oxide (EO) chains, it is permeation promotion that PO number ≦ PO number rather than EO number. Compared with conventional cleaning liquids, the solubility in ink solids is enhanced, and excellent cleaning properties are exhibited. For example, even when mist-like fine ink is dried and solidified, the ink is present on the head as a granular solidified product. Thus, ejection defects such as ink ejection bends and non-ejections are prevented. Thereby, it is possible to maintain a stable image forming property over a long period of time. The present invention is distinguished from conventional surfactants in that the surfactant contains a PO chain and an EO chain and a structure in which the PO number is larger than the EO number is superior in penetrating into the ink solid. is there.

  Hereinafter, components and the like constituting the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as “maintenance liquid”) will be described in detail.

(Compound represented by general formula (I) or general formula (II))
The maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention contains at least one compound (surfactant) represented by the following general formula (I) or general formula (II). This compound penetrates the ink solid and promotes the solubility of the ink solid. Thereby, the mist-like ink generated at the time of ejection adheres to the ejection head, and the ejection failure due to the dried ink solid matter is prevented.

In the general formulas (I) and (II), R ¹ represents a linear or branched alkyl group having 9 to 19 carbon atoms, or a linear or branched alkenyl group having 9 to 19 carbon atoms, and R ² represents Represents a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group. M represents an integer of 2 to 10, n represents an integer of 1 to 9, and m and n satisfy a relationship of m> n.

The alkyl group represented by R ¹ has 9 to 19 carbon atoms and may have a linear or branched structure. Examples of the alkyl group include an undecyl group, a dodecyl group, a tridecyl group, a tetradecyl group, a hexadecyl group, an octadecyl group, and a nonadecyl group. Among these, an alkyl group having 15 to 19 carbon atoms is preferable, and an alkyl group having 15 to 17 carbon atoms is more preferable.

The alkenyl group represented by R ¹ has 9 to 19 carbon atoms and may have a linear or branched structure. Examples of alkenyl groups include undecenyl, dodecenyl, tridecenyl, tetradecenyl, hexadecenyl, octadecenyl, nonadecenyl and the like. Among these, an alkenyl group having 15 to 19 carbon atoms is preferable, and an alkenyl group having 15 to 17 carbon atoms is more preferable.

The substituted or unsubstituted aryl group represented by R ² is preferably an aryl group having 10 to 20 carbon atoms, and more preferably an aryl group having 12 to 16 carbon atoms. Preferable examples of the aryl group include nonylphenyl group and octylphenyl group.

M represents an integer of 2 to 10, and among these, an integer of 4 to 8 is preferable from the viewpoint of solubility of the ink solid matter.
n represents an integer of 1 to 9, and among these, an integer of 1 to 5 is preferable from the viewpoint of the solubility of the solid ink.
The m and n are values selected so as to satisfy the relationship of m> n, but from the viewpoint of improving the solubility of the solid ink, it is more preferable that m−n ≧ 3.

Of the general formulas (I) and (II), the alkyl moiety of “C ₃ H ₆ O” is preferably branched rather than linear, and is represented by the following general formulas (Ia) and (IIa). The structure is preferable.

In the general formulas (Ia) and (IIa), R ¹ represents a linear or branched alkyl group having 9 to 19 carbon atoms or a linear or branched alkenyl group having 9 to 19 carbon atoms. ² represents a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group. M represents an integer of 1 to 10, n represents an integer of 1 to 10, and m and n satisfy the relationship of m> n.
Formula ^{(Ia), R 1, R} 2, m, n in (IIa), the Formula (I), and ^{R 1,} R 2, m, synonymous with n in (II).

Of the compounds represented by the general formula (I) or (II), compounds in the following range are preferable from the viewpoint of superior solubility of the ink solid matter.
The compound represented by the general formula (I), ^{R 1} is a linear alkyl group having 15 to 17 carbon atoms, m is an integer from 4 to 8, n is an integer of 1 to 5, m A compound satisfying the relationship of −n ≧ 3 is preferable.
The compound represented by formula (II), a phenyl group having as substituent R ² is an alkyl group having 15 to 17 carbon atoms, m is an integer from 4 to 8, n is from 1 to 5 A compound that is an integer and satisfies the relationship of mn ≧ 3 is preferable.

  Among the above, the compound represented by the general formula (I) and the compound represented by the general formula (II) are more preferable in terms of the solubility of the ink solid matter. preferable.

Specific examples of the compound represented by the general formula (I) or (II) are shown below.

  Moreover, as the compound represented by the general formula (I) or (II), a commercially available product may be used. Specific examples thereof include PIONEIN D-1305P manufactured by Takemoto Yushi Co., Ltd.

  The content of the compound represented by the general formula (I) or (II) in the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording is preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass, and 0.5 to 5% by mass with respect to the total amount of the liquid. % Is more preferable. When the content of the compound represented by the general formula (I) or (II) is 0.1% by mass or more, the ink solid matter adhered on the ejection head (for example, granular ink obtained by drying and solidifying mist-like ink) Solubility in Moreover, when the content of the compound is 5% by mass or less, it is advantageous in terms of solubility in the maintenance liquid.

(Water-soluble organic solvent)
The maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention contains at least one water-soluble organic solvent represented by the following general formula (III) together with the compound represented by the general formula (I) or (II). Is preferred. By containing this water-soluble organic solvent, the solubility in ink solids is further improved.

In the general formula (III), R ³ and R ⁵ each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R ⁴ represents an ethylene group or a propylene group. However, R ³ and R ⁵ are not hydrogen atoms at the same time. x represents an integer of 1 to 4.

Examples of the alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms represented by R ³ and R ⁵ include a methyl group, an ethyl group, an n-propyl group, an iso-propyl group, an n-butyl group, a sec-butyl group, and a tert group. -A butyl group is mentioned.

Examples of the water-soluble organic solvent represented by the general formula (III) include ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (DEGmME / SP value: 23.0). , Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (DEGmEE / SP value: 22.4), diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DEGmBE / SP value: 21.5), triethylene glycol monomethyl ether (TEGmME / SP value: 19.6), triethylene glycol mono Ethyl ether (TEGmEE / SP value: 19.4), triethylene glycol monobutyl ether (TEGmBE / SP value: 21.1), propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene Glycol monobutyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DPGmME / SP value: 21.3), tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether (TPGmME / SP value: 21.3), _{and, nC 4 H 9 O (AO} ) 4 -H ( AO = EO or PO, EO: PO [mass ratio] = 1: 1, SP value: 20.1), HO (PO) ₃ —H (SP value: 24.7), and the like. From the viewpoint of enhancing the solubility of the ink solid and the solubility of the compound represented by the general formula (I) or (II), diethylene glycol monobutyl ether is most preferable.

The water-soluble organic solvent represented by the general formula (III) may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
The content of the water-soluble organic solvent represented by the general formula (III) in the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording is 10 to 40 with respect to the total amount of the compound represented by the general formula (I) or (II). % By mass is preferable, and 16 to 30% by mass is more preferable. When the content of the water-soluble organic solvent represented by the general formula (III) is within the above range, the effect of improving the solubility of the ink solid matter is greater.

  Content ratio of the water-soluble organic solvent represented by the general formula (III) and the surfactant represented by the general formula (I) or (II) (water-soluble organic solvent: surfactant / mass ratio) ) Is preferably 2: 1 to 30: 1, more preferably 5: 1 to 20: 1. When the content ratio is within the above range, the solubility in ink solids can be further improved, and the solubility of the compound represented by formula (I) or (II) in the maintenance liquid is also improved. Can be made.

In addition to the above, the water-soluble organic solvent can contain a compound represented by the following structural formula (1) within a range not impairing the effects of the present invention.

In the structural formula (1), l, m, and n each independently represent an integer of 1 or more and satisfy l + m + n = 3-15. Among them, when l + m + n is 3 or more, the detergency and curl suppressing effect are good, and when it is 15 or less, the discharge property can be kept good. Especially, 3-12 are preferable and 3-10 are more preferable. AO represents an ethyleneoxy (EO) group and / or a propyleneoxy (PO) group, and among them, a propyleneoxy group is preferable. Each AO of (AO) ₁ , (AO) _m , and (AO) _{n in} the structural formula may be the same or different.

Examples of the compound represented by the structural formula (1) include the following compounds. The numerical values in parentheses indicate SP values.

  As the compound represented by the structural formula (1), a commercially available product may be used. For example, as a polyoxypropylated glycerin (an ether of polypropylene glycol and glycerin), Sanix GP-250 ( Average molecular weight 250), GP-400 (average molecular weight 400), GP-600 (average molecular weight 600) [manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd.] and the like.

  In the present invention, when an organic solvent other than the water-soluble organic solvent represented by the general formula (III) is contained, the other organic solvent has an SP value of 27.5 from the viewpoint of solubility of the ink solid matter. The following organic solvents are preferable.

In the maintenance liquid of this invention, it is preferable to contain the organic solvent whose SP value is 27.5 or less 50 mass% or more with respect to the total amount of organic solvents. When the content of the organic solvent having an SP value of 27.5 or less is 50% by mass or more, the solubility of the fixed ink in the ejection head is further improved, and the cleaning property can be further improved. Among them, the content of the organic solvent is more preferably 60% by mass or more, further preferably 70% by mass or more, and particularly preferably 80% by mass or more. Furthermore, it is preferable that the water-soluble organic solvent represented by the general formula (III) is contained in the above range.
The SP value is preferably 24 or less, more preferably 22 or less, from the viewpoint of improving the solubility of the ink solid matter.

An organic solvent other than the water-soluble organic solvent represented by the general formula (III) and the compound represented by the structural formula (1) may be included. Examples of the organic solvent include water-soluble organic solvents such as alcohols, polyols that can be used as a moisturizer described later, and ethers. Specific examples of alcohols include linear or branched alkyl alcohols such as ethanol, butanol and isopropanol. Specific examples of ethers include alkyl ethers such as diethyl ether, dibutyl ether, ethyl methyl ether, dihexyl ether, and furan. In addition, lactams that can be used as moisturizers described later, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, formamide, acetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, sorbit, sorbitan, acetin, diacetin, triacetin, sulfolane and the like are also used as water-soluble organic solvents. Can be mentioned.
These water-soluble organic solvents may be used alone or in combination.

  The solubility parameter (SP value) is a value represented by the square root of the molecular cohesive energy. F. Fedors, Polymer Engineering Science, 14, p. 147 to 154 (1967).

  The total content of the organic solvent in the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention is preferably in the range of 1 to 50% by mass with respect to the total mass of the maintenance liquid in terms of detergency. Among these, the ratio of the water-soluble organic solvent represented by the general formula (III) to the total organic solvent is preferably 50% by mass or more from the viewpoint of improving the solubility of the ink solid matter.

(water)
The maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention contains water as a solvent.
Preferable water can be pure water such as ion exchange water, ultrafiltration water, reverse osmosis water, distilled water, or ultrapure water for the purpose of reducing ionic impurities as much as possible.
The ratio of water to the total mass of the maintenance liquid is preferably in the range of 40 to 90% by mass, and more preferably in the range of 50 to 80% by mass.

(Humectant)
The maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention preferably contains at least one humectant. By containing the humectant, it is possible to suppress drying of the maintenance liquid due to water evaporation, and to suppress deterioration of the composition of the maintenance liquid when left for a long time.
A humectant refers to a water-soluble compound having low volatility and relatively high water retention ability.

  Examples of the humectant include polyols (eg, glycerin, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4 -Butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, pentaerythritol, etc.), lactams (eg, 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, etc.), and water-soluble solid humectants (eg, urea, thiourea) Nitrogen compounds such as N-ethylurea, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,8-octanediol, 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediol, 2,2-diethyl-1,3-propanediol, etc. Diols, trimethylolethane, tri Monosaccharides such as tyrolpropane, glucose, mannose, fructose, ribose, xylose, arabinose, galactose, aldonic acid, glucitol (sorbitol), maltose, cellobiose, lactose, sucrose, trehalose, maltotriose, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, And polysaccharides, and derivatives of these sugars such as reducing sugars, oxidized sugars, amino acids and thio sugars). As the humectant used in the present invention, polyols are preferable, glycerin, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, and triethylene glycol are more preferable, and diethylene glycol is most preferable.

The content of the humectant in the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording is preferably in the range of 1 to 20% by mass with respect to the total amount of the maintenance liquid. When the content of the humectant is 1% by mass or more, drying due to water evaporation of the maintenance liquid is suppressed. Moreover, while content of a humectant is 20 mass% or less, while preventing the fall of the fluidity | liquidity by a viscosity raise, favorable detergency can be ensured.
Especially, the content of the humectant is preferably 5 to 16% by mass for the same reason.

(Basic compound)
The maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention preferably contains at least one basic compound. By containing the basic compound, it is possible to provide a buffering action for preventing a pH drop due to decomposition of the contained components or the like when the maintenance liquid elapses in storage or the like.

  The basic compound in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a compound having a pH buffering ability in the pH range of the maintenance liquid, and a solvent constituting the maintenance liquid (for example, water, an organic solvent, or a mixed solvent thereof) A compound having a solubility of 5 mmol / L or more is preferred.

  The basic compound is preferably a compound having a pKa value of 6.0 to 8.5, and more preferably a pKa value of 6.8 to 8.3 in that it exhibits pH buffering capacity effectively in the pH range of the maintenance liquid. It is a compound of this.

  The basic compound may be either an inorganic compound or an organic compound. As the basic compound, a basic organic compound is preferable because a desired pKa value is easily obtained and solubility in a maintenance solution is good. The basic compound may be a monobasic compound or a polybasic compound. The pKa value of the basic organic compound is the pKa value of the conjugate acid.

As a basic compound, the following specific example is mentioned, for example.
・ Cacodylic acid (pKa: 6.2)
2,2-bis (hydroxymethyl) -2,2 ′, 2 ″ -nitrilotriethanol (pKa: 6.5)
Piperazine-N, N′-bis- (2-ethanesulfuric acid) (pKa: 6.8)
Phosphoric acid (pKa2: 6.86)
-Imidazole (pKa: 7.0)
N′-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N ′, 2-ethanesulfuric acid (pKa: 7.6)
N-methylmorpholine (pKa: 7.8)
Triethanolamine (pKa: 7.8)
・ Hydrazine (pKa: 8.11)
Trishydroxymethylaminomethane (pKa: 8.3)

  As content in the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of a basic compound, the range of 0.01-10 mass% is preferable with respect to the maintenance liquid whole quantity, and the range of 0.1-5 mass% is more preferable. When the content of the basic compound is 0.01% by mass or more, the pH fluctuation of the maintenance liquid is suppressed, and when mixed with the ink after washing, it is effective in preventing the occurrence of aggregation of components in the ink. . The content of 10% by mass or less is advantageous in that it is difficult to deposit when the maintenance liquid is concentrated on the head surface.

(Other additives)
In addition to the above-described components, the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention includes, for example, an anti-fading agent, an emulsion stabilizer, a penetration accelerator, a rust inhibitor, an ultraviolet absorber, an antiseptic, an antifungal agent, pH adjusters, surface tension adjusters (nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, anionic surfactants, betaine surfactants, etc.), antifoaming agents, viscosity modifiers, JP 2011-63777 A Other additives such as the silicone-based compounds described in 1) can be included.

The inkjet recording maintenance liquid of the present invention may further contain a surfactant other than the compound represented by the general formula (I) or (II) described above as a surface tension adjusting agent.
Examples of the surfactant include fatty acid salts, alkyl carboxylates, alkyl sulfate esters, alkyl sulfonates, alkyl benzene sulfonates, alkyl naphthalene sulfonates, dialkyl sulfosuccinates, alkyl phosphate esters, naphthalene. Anionic surfactants such as sulfonic acid formalin condensate, polyoxyethylene alkyl sulfate, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl allyl ether, polyoxyethylene fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid Nonionic surface actives such as esters, acetylenic diol derivatives, polyoxyethylene alkylamines, glycerin fatty acid esters, oxyethyleneoxypropylene block copolymers Agents are preferred. When such a surfactant is included, the content in the maintenance liquid is preferably 0.5 to 10% by mass with respect to the total amount of the maintenance liquid in terms of detergency.

  The maintenance liquid of the present invention is preferably a liquid that does not cause aggregation when mixed with the ink composition of the present invention. When aggregation occurs, components such as pigments in the ink composition are further fixed to the discharge head and the like, and the effect of the present invention is reduced.

  The pH of the maintenance liquid in the present invention is preferably 6.0 to 8.5, and more preferably 6.5 to 8.0.

The viscosity at 25 ° C. of the maintenance liquid is preferably 1 mPa · s or more and 100 mPa · s or less from the viewpoint of workability, more preferably 1 mPa · s or more and less than 10 mPa · s, and further preferably 2 mPa · s or more and 5 mPa · s. -Less than s.
The viscosity is a value measured at 25 ° C. using VISCOMETER TV-22 (manufactured by TOKI SANGYO CO. LTD).

The maintenance liquid of the present invention is preferably a colorless liquid containing no pigment.
Moreover, there is no restriction | limiting in particular as solid content (25 degreeC) in a maintenance liquid, From a viewpoint of preventing the solid substance residue after washing | cleaning, 5 mass% or less is preferable, and 2 mass% or less is more preferable.

<Ink set for inkjet recording>
The ink set for ink-jet recording of the present invention is constituted by providing an ink composition containing a pigment, polymer particles, and water, and the above-described maintenance liquid for ink-jet recording of the present invention. The ink set for inkjet recording of the present invention can be suitably configured by further providing a treatment liquid containing an aggregating component for aggregating the components in the ink composition.

  The ink set for ink-jet recording of the present invention has a structure including the above-described maintenance liquid for ink-jet recording, so that it easily adheres to the surface of the ink discharge head because it contains pigments and polymer particles, and dissolves after drying. Since the ink that is difficult to remove, particularly the solid ink solidified by drying, is excellent in solubility, a stable image forming property is maintained for a long time. That is, for example, when mist-like ink is adhered and dried and solidified, even when granular ink is present on the head surface, the discharge hole is blocked in the process of wiping after cleaning, etc. Phenomena such as accumulation are prevented.

-Ink composition-
The ink composition according to the present invention contains a pigment, polymer particles, and water, and can be constituted by using additives such as urea, a derivative thereof, a wax, or a surfactant as necessary. .

(Pigment)
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a pigment in this invention, A conventionally well-known organic and inorganic pigment can be used. For example, polycyclic pigments such as azo lakes, azo pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, perylene and perinone pigments, anthraquinone pigments, quinacridone pigments, dioxazine pigments, diketopyrrolopyrrole pigments, thioindigo pigments, isoindolinone pigments, quinophthalone pigments, basic Examples include dye lakes such as dye type lakes and acid dye type lakes, organic pigments such as nitro pigments, nitroso pigments, aniline black, and daylight fluorescent pigments, and inorganic pigments such as titanium oxide, iron oxide, and carbon black. It is done. Any pigment not described in the color index can be used as long as it can be dispersed in the aqueous phase. Further, it is of course possible to use a pigment whose surface is treated with a surfactant, a polymer dispersing agent or the like, or graft carbon. Among the pigments, it is particularly preferable to use an azo pigment, a phthalocyanine pigment, an anthraquinone pigment, a quinacridone pigment, or a carbon black pigment. Specific examples include pigments described in JP2007-100071A.

(Dispersant)
In the ink composition, it is preferable that at least a part of a pigment contained as a color material is dispersed in an aqueous solvent as color material particles coated with a dispersant. Specifically, it is preferable that a part or all of the pigment is coated with a water-insoluble resin and dispersed in the liquid. In this case, the pigment does not necessarily need to be entirely coated on the particle surface, and may be in a state where at least a part of the particle surface is coated.

The dispersant may be a polymer dispersant or a low molecular surfactant type dispersant. As the polymer dispersant, a water-insoluble polymer dispersant is preferable. The water-insoluble polymer is not particularly limited as long as the pigment can be dispersed, and a conventionally known water-insoluble polymer can be used. As a water-insoluble polymer, it can be comprised including both a hydrophobic structural unit and a hydrophilic structural unit, for example.
Note that “water-insoluble” means that when a polymer is mixed in an aqueous medium at 25 ° C., the amount of the polymer dissolved in the aqueous medium is 10% by mass or less based on the total mass of the mixed polymers.

  The water-insoluble polymer may be a polymer including a repeating unit (a) represented by the following general formula (1) and a repeating unit (b) having an ionic group. The polymer may further contain other structural units such as a hydrophobic repeating unit other than the repeating unit (a) and a hydrophilic repeating unit having a nonionic functional group, if necessary.

<(A) Repeating unit represented by general formula (1)>

In the general formula (1), R ₁ represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, or a halogen atom (for example, a chlorine atom, a bromine atom, an iodine atom, etc.), and L ₁ represents ^* —COO—, ^* —OCO—, ^* —CONR ₂ —, ^* —O—, or a substituted or unsubstituted phenylene group, R ₂ represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms. Incidentally, symbol * in the group represented by L ₁ represents a connecting point with the main chain. L ₂ represents a single bond or a divalent linking group. Ar represents a monovalent group derived from an aromatic ring.

In the general formula (1), R ₁ represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, or a halogen atom, preferably a methyl group.

L ₁ represents ^* —COO—, ^* —OCO—, ^* —CONR ₂ —, ^* —O—, or a substituted or unsubstituted phenylene group. When L ₁ represents a phenylene group, unsubstituted is preferred. R ₂ represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms.

L ₂ represents a single bond or a divalent linking group. The divalent linking group is preferably a linking group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, more preferably a linking group having 1 to 25 carbon atoms, still more preferably a linking group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, Particularly preferred is a linking group having 1 to 15 carbon atoms.
Among them, most preferably, an alkyleneoxy group having 1 to 25 carbon atoms (more preferably 1 to 10), an imino group (—NH—), a sulfamoyl group, and 1 to 20 carbon atoms (more preferably 1 to 15). A divalent linking group containing an alkylene group such as an alkylene group or an ethylene oxide group [— (CH ₂ CH ₂ O) _n —, n = 1 to 6], etc., and a group in which two or more of these are combined is there.

  Ar represents a monovalent group derived from an aromatic ring. The aromatic ring of the monovalent group represented by Ar is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a benzene ring, a condensed aromatic ring having 8 or more carbon atoms, or an aromatic ring condensed with a hetero ring.

  The “condensed aromatic ring having 8 or more carbon atoms” includes an aromatic ring in which at least two benzene rings are condensed, at least one aromatic ring and a condensed alicyclic hydrocarbon ring. Is an aromatic compound having 8 or more carbon atoms. Specific examples include naphthalene, anthracene, fluorene, phenanthrene, acenaphthene and the like.

The “aromatic ring condensed with a heterocycle” is a compound in which an aromatic compound containing no hetero atom (preferably a benzene ring) and a cyclic compound having a hetero atom are condensed. Here, the cyclic compound having a hetero atom is preferably a 5-membered ring or a 6-membered ring. As a hetero atom, a nitrogen atom, an oxygen atom, or a sulfur atom is preferable. The cyclic compound having a hetero atom may have a plurality of hetero atoms. In this case, the heteroatoms may be the same or different from each other.
Specific examples of the heterocyclic ring condensed with an aromatic ring include phthalimide, acridone, carbazole, benzoxazole, and benzothiazole.

  Specific examples of the monomer forming the repeating unit represented by the general formula (1) include vinyl monomers such as (meth) acrylates, (meth) acrylamides, styrenes, and vinyl esters. it can.

  In the present invention, in the hydrophobic structural unit having an aromatic ring via a linking group to the atom forming the main chain, the aromatic ring is bonded to the atom forming the main chain of the water-insoluble resin via the linking group, Since it has a structure that is not directly bonded to the atoms constituting the main chain, an appropriate distance is maintained between the hydrophobic aromatic ring and the hydrophilic structural unit, so that there is an interaction between the water-insoluble resin and the pigment. It tends to occur and is strongly adsorbed to further improve dispersibility.

  Furthermore, the following monomers etc. can be mentioned as a specific example of the monomer which forms the repeating unit represented by the said General formula (1). However, the present invention is not limited to these.

  As (a) Ar in the repeating unit represented by the general formula (1), from the viewpoint of dispersion stability of the coated pigment, benzyl (meth) acrylate, phenoxyethyl acrylate, phenoxyethyl methacrylate, acridone, or A monovalent group derived from phthalimide is preferred.

The said repeating unit can be used individually by 1 type or in mixture of 2 or more types.
The content ratio of the repeating unit represented by the general formula (1) in the polymer is preferably in the range of 5 to 25% by mass, more preferably in the range of 10 to 18% by mass with respect to the total mass of the polymer. . When the content is 5% by mass or more, the occurrence of image failure such as white spots tends to be remarkably suppressed, and when the content is 25% by mass or less, the polymerization in a polymerization reaction solution (for example, methyl ethyl ketone). This is preferable because there is a tendency that problems in production suitability due to a decrease in solubility do not occur.

<Other hydrophobic repeating units>
The water-insoluble polymer may further have a hydrophobic repeating unit other than the repeating unit represented by the general formula (1) as a hydrophobic structural unit. Examples of other hydrophobic repeating units do not belong to hydrophilic structural units (for example, have no hydrophilic functional group), such as (meth) acrylates, (meth) acrylamides, styrenes, and vinyl esters. And a structural unit derived from a vinyl monomer, a hydrophobic structural unit having an aromatic ring via a linking group at the atom constituting the main chain, and the like. These structural units can be used individually by 1 type or in mixture of 2 or more types.

Examples of the (meth) acrylates include alkyl (meth) acrylates such as methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, butyl (meth) acrylate, isobutyl (meth) acrylate, and hexyl (meth) acrylate. Of these, alkyl esters of 1 to 4 carbon atoms of (meth) acrylic acid are preferred. Among these, methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, and butyl (meth) acrylate are preferable, and methyl (meth) acrylate and ethyl (meth) acrylate are particularly preferable.
Examples of (meth) acrylamides, styrenes, and vinyl esters include the compounds described in paragraph numbers [0063] to [0065] of JP-A No. 2001-162692.

<(B) Repeating unit having an ionic group>
Examples of the repeating unit having an ionic group include a repeating unit derived from a monomer having an ionic group such as a carboxyl group, a sulfo group, or a phosphonate group. Examples thereof include vinyl monomers having an ionic functional group such as (meth) acrylic acid, (meth) acrylates, (meth) acrylamides, and vinyl esters. The repeating unit having an ionic group can be introduced by polymerization of the corresponding monomer, but may be one in which an ionic group is introduced into the polymer chain after polymerization. Among these, the repeating unit derived from acrylic acid and methacrylic acid is preferable, and it is preferable to include one or both of a structural unit derived from acrylic acid and a structural unit derived from methacrylic acid.

  In this polymer, the ratio of (b) the repeating unit having an ionic group is 15% by mass or less of the total mass of the polymer, and the polymer includes at least a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid as the repeating unit having an ionic group. Is preferred. (B) When the content of the repeating unit having an ionic group is 15% by mass or less of the total mass of the polymer, the dispersion stability is excellent. Among these, the proportion of the repeating unit (b) having an ionic group is preferably 5% by mass or more and 15% by mass or less, and more preferably 7% by mass or more and 13% by mass or less from the viewpoint of dispersion stability.

  This polymer can be stably present in the aqueous ink composition, and for example, the adhesion and deposition of aggregates in an ink jet head or the like are eased, and the removability of the adhered aggregates is excellent. From this point of view, (a) a hydrophobic structural unit other than the repeating unit represented by the general formula (1), and a hydrophilic structural unit other than the “(b) repeating unit having an ionic group” May further be included.

<Hydrophilic repeating unit>
Examples of the other hydrophilic structural unit include a repeating unit derived from a monomer having a nonionic hydrophilic group. For example, (meth) acrylates having a hydrophilic functional group, (meth) acrylamides, And vinyl monomers having a hydrophilic functional group, such as vinyl esters.
Examples of the “hydrophilic functional group” include a hydroxyl group, an amino group, an amide group (unsubstituted with a nitrogen atom), and alkylene oxides such as polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide described later.

The monomer forming the hydrophilic repeating unit having a nonionic hydrophilic group may have a functional group capable of forming a polymer such as an ethylenically unsaturated bond and a nonionic hydrophilic functional group. For example, there is no particular limitation, and it can be selected from known monomers. Specific examples include hydroxyethyl (meth) acrylate, hydroxybutyl (meth) acrylate, (meth) acrylamide, aminoethyl acrylate, aminopropyl acrylate, and (meth) acrylate containing an alkylene oxide polymer. Can do.
The hydrophilic repeating unit having a nonionic hydrophilic group can be formed by polymerization of the corresponding monomer, but a hydrophilic functional group may be introduced into the polymer chain after polymerization.

The hydrophilic repeating unit having a nonionic hydrophilic group is more preferably a hydrophilic structural unit having an alkylene oxide structure. The alkylene moiety of the alkylene oxide structure is preferably an alkylene group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, more preferably an alkylene having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, and particularly preferably an alkylene having 2 to 4 carbon atoms from the viewpoint of hydrophilicity. Moreover, as a polymerization degree of an alkylene oxide structure, 1-120 are preferable, 1-60 are more preferable, and 1-30 are especially preferable.
Moreover, it is also a preferable aspect that the hydrophilic repeating unit having a nonionic hydrophilic group is a hydrophilic repeating unit containing a hydroxyl group. The number of hydroxyl groups in the repeating unit is not particularly limited, and is preferably 1 to 4, more preferably 1 to 3, from the viewpoint of the hydrophilicity of the water-insoluble resin and the compatibility with the solvent and other monomers during polymerization. 1-2 is particularly preferred.

  As the polymer, the composition of the hydrophilic repeating unit and the hydrophobic repeating unit (including the structural repeat represented by the general formula (1)) affects the degree of hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of each, but the hydrophilicity The ratio of the repeating unit is preferably 15% by mass or less. At this time, it is preferable that a hydrophobic repeating unit is a ratio exceeding 80 mass% with respect to the whole mass of water-insoluble resin, and it is more preferable that it is 85 mass% or more. When the content of the hydrophilic repeating unit is 15% by mass or less, the amount of the component dissolved alone in the aqueous medium is suppressed, and various properties such as pigment dispersion are improved. Is obtained. A preferred content ratio of the hydrophilic repeating unit is more than 0% by mass and 15% by mass or less, more preferably 5 to 15% by mass, and particularly preferably 8 to 12% by mass with respect to the total mass of the water-insoluble resin. %.

  The content of the aromatic ring contained in the water-insoluble resin is preferably 27% by mass or less, more preferably 25% by mass or less, and more preferably 20% by mass or less with respect to the total mass of the water-insoluble resin. More preferably it is. Especially, it is preferable that it is 15-20 mass%, and the range of 17-20 mass% is more preferable. When the content ratio of the aromatic ring is within the above range, the scratch resistance is improved.

Specific examples of the polymer are listed below. However, it is not limited to the following.
・ Phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (50/45/5 [mass ratio])
・ Phenoxyethyl acrylate / benzyl methacrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (30/35/29/6 [mass ratio])
・ Phenoxyethyl methacrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (50/44/6 [mass ratio])
・ Phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / ethyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (30/55/10/5 [mass ratio])
・ Benzyl methacrylate / methyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (60/30/10 [mass ratio])

The acid value of the water-insoluble resin in the present invention is preferably from 30 mgKOH / g to 100 mgKOH / g and more preferably from 30 mgKOH / g to 85 mgKOH / g from the viewpoint of pigment dispersibility and storage stability. It is preferably 50 mgKOH / g or more and 85 mgKOH / g or less.
The acid value is defined by the mass (mg) of KOH required to completely neutralize 1 g of the water-insoluble resin, and is measured by the method described in JIS standards (JIS K 0070, 1992).

  The molecular weight of the water-insoluble resin in the present invention is preferably 30,000 or more in terms of weight average molecular weight (Mw), more preferably 30,000 to 150,000, still more preferably 30,000 to 100,000, particularly preferably 30,000 to 80,000.

  The water-insoluble resin can be synthesized by various polymerization methods such as solution polymerization, precipitation polymerization, suspension polymerization, precipitation polymerization, bulk polymerization, and emulsion polymerization. The polymerization reaction can be performed by a known operation such as a batch system, a semi-continuous system, or a continuous system. The polymerization initiation method includes a method using a radical initiator, a method of irradiating light or radiation, and the like. These polymerization methods and polymerization initiation methods are described in, for example, the revised version of Tsuruta Junji “Polymer Synthesis Method” (published by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, 1971), Takatsu Otsu and Masato Kinoshita, “Experimental Methods for Polymer Synthesis” , Published in 1972, pages 124-154.

  As content in the ink composition of a pigment, the range of 0.1-15 mass% is preferable with respect to the total mass of an ink composition, and the range of 1-10 mass% is more preferable.

(Polymer particles)
The ink composition in the present invention contains at least one kind of polymer particles. By containing the water-insoluble or poorly water-soluble polymer particles separately from the resin that covers the pigment, the fixability of the ink composition to the recording medium and the scratch resistance of the formed image are further improved. improves. On the other hand, the ink is likely to adhere to and accumulate on the ejection head. However, since the ink set of the present invention is configured using the above-described maintenance liquid, ejection such as ink ejection bending or non-ejection over a long period of time. The occurrence of defects can be suppressed and good image forming properties can be maintained.

  The polymer is “water-insoluble or sparingly water-soluble” when the resin is dried at 105 ° C. for 2 hours and then dissolved in 100 g of water at 25 ° C., the amount of dissolution is 15 g or less. Say. From the viewpoint of improving the continuous ejection property and ejection stability of the ink, the dissolution amount is preferably 10 g or less, more preferably 5 g or less, and particularly 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.

  Examples of water-insoluble polymer particles include thermoplastic, thermosetting or modified acrylic, epoxy, polyurethane, polyether, polyamide, unsaturated polyester, phenol, silicone, or fluorine. Resins, polyvinyl resins such as vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, or polyvinyl butyral, polyester resins such as alkyd resins and phthalic resins, melamine resins, melamine formaldehyde resins, aminoalkyd co-condensation resins, urea resins, urea resins And particles of resin such as amino-based materials or copolymers or mixtures thereof. Among these, anionic acrylic resins include, for example, an acrylic monomer having an anionic group (anionic group-containing acrylic monomer) and, if necessary, other monomers copolymerizable with the anionic group-containing acrylic monomer. Obtained by polymerization in a solvent. Examples of the anionic group-containing acrylic monomer include an acrylic monomer having one or more selected from the group consisting of a carboxyl group, a sulfonic acid group, and a phosphonic acid group. Among them, an acrylic monomer having a carboxyl group (for example, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, ethacrylic acid, propylacrylic acid, isopropylacrylic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, etc.) is preferable, and acrylic acid or methacrylic acid is particularly preferable. preferable.

The water-insoluble polymer particles are preferably self-dispersing polymer particles from the viewpoints of ejection stability and liquid stability (particularly dispersion stability) of a system containing a pigment. Self-dispersing resin is water that can be dispersed in an aqueous medium due to the functional group (especially acidic group or salt thereof) of the polymer itself when dispersed by the phase inversion emulsification method in the absence of a surfactant. An insoluble polymer.
Here, the dispersed state means both an emulsified state (emulsion) in which a water-insoluble polymer is dispersed in an aqueous medium and a dispersed state (suspension) in which a water-insoluble polymer is dispersed in an aqueous medium. It includes the state of.
The self-dispersing resin is preferably a self-dispersing resin that can be in a dispersed state in which a water-insoluble polymer is dispersed in a solid state from the viewpoint of ink fixing properties when contained in the ink composition.

  As a method for preparing an emulsified or dispersed state of the self-dispersing resin, that is, an aqueous dispersion of the self-dispersing resin, a phase inversion emulsification method may be mentioned. As the phase inversion emulsification method, for example, a self-dispersing resin is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent (for example, a water-soluble organic solvent) and then poured into water as it is without adding a surfactant. Examples include a method of obtaining an aqueous dispersion in an emulsified or dispersed state after stirring and mixing in a state in which a salt-forming group (for example, acidic group) possessed by the resin is neutralized and removing the solvent.

  In addition, a stable emulsified or dispersed state in the self-dispersing resin 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), and the salt-forming group of the water-insoluble polymer can be neutralized 100%. Mixing agent (sodium hydroxide if the salt-forming group is anionic, acetic acid if it is cationic) and water 200g, stirring (device: stirring device with stirring blades, rotation speed 200rpm, 30 minutes, 25 ° C) Then, even after removing the organic solvent from the mixed solution, it means that the emulsified or dispersed state is stably present at 25 ° C. for at least one week, and the occurrence of precipitation cannot be visually confirmed.

The stability of the emulsified or dispersed state in the self-dispersing resin can also be confirmed by an accelerated sedimentation test by centrifugation. The stability of the sedimentation acceleration test by centrifugation is, for example, adjusted by adjusting the aqueous dispersion of polymer particles obtained by the above method to a solid concentration of 25% by mass, and then centrifuging at 12,000 rpm for 1 hour. It can be evaluated by measuring the solid content concentration of the supernatant after separation.
If the ratio of the solid content concentration after centrifugation to the solid content concentration before centrifugation is large (a value close to 1), the sedimentation of the polymer particles by centrifugation does not occur, that is, the aqueous dispersion of polymer particles Means more stable. In the present invention, the ratio of the solid content concentration before and after centrifugation is preferably 0.8 or more, more preferably 0.9 or more, and particularly preferably 0.95 or more.

The self-dispersing resin preferably has a water-soluble component content that is water-soluble when in a dispersed state of 10% by mass or less, more preferably 8% by mass or less, and 6% by mass or less. More preferably. By setting the water-soluble component to 10% by mass or less, swelling of polymer particles and fusion of polymer particles can be effectively suppressed, and a more stable dispersion state can be maintained. In addition, an increase in the viscosity of the ink composition can be suppressed. For example, when the ink composition is applied to an ink jet method, the ejection stability becomes better.
Here, the water-soluble component is a compound contained in the self-dispersing resin and is a compound that dissolves in water when the self-dispersing resin is in a dispersed state. The water-soluble component is a water-soluble compound that is by-produced or mixed in the production of the self-dispersing resin.

  The main chain skeleton of the water-insoluble resin is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include vinyl polymers and condensation polymers (epoxy resins, polyesters, polyurethanes, polyamides, celluloses, polyethers, polyureas, polyimides, polycarbonates, etc.). Of these, vinyl polymers are particularly preferable.

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, radical transfer of vinyl monomers using dissociable groups (or substituents that can be induced to dissociable groups), polymerization initiators, and iniferters, or dissociable groups on either initiators or terminators 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 resin particles preferably contain a water-insoluble polymer containing a hydrophilic constituent unit and a constituent unit derived from an aromatic group-containing monomer or a cyclic aliphatic group-containing monomer.

  The “hydrophilic structural unit” is not particularly limited as long as it is derived from a hydrophilic group-containing monomer, and two or more hydrophilic groups are derived from one hydrophilic group-containing monomer. It may be derived from a group-containing monomer. The hydrophilic group is not particularly limited, and may be a dissociable group or a nonionic hydrophilic group. The hydrophilic group is preferably a dissociable group and more preferably an anionic dissociative 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 is preferably a dissociable group-containing monomer from the viewpoint of self-dispersibility and aggregability, and is preferably a dissociable group-containing monomer having a dissociable group and an ethylenically unsaturated bond. . 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 and the unsaturated phosphoric acid monomer are described in paragraph numbers [0063] to [0065] of JP-A No. 2001-162692.
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 resin particles preferably contain a polymer having a carboxyl group, from the viewpoint of self-dispersibility and the aggregation rate at the time of contact with the processing liquid when forming an image using the processing liquid, and having a carboxyl group, It is more preferable to include a polymer having an acid value of 25 to 100 mgKOH / g. Furthermore, the acid value is more preferably 30 to 90 mgKOH / g, and particularly preferably 35 to 65 mgKOH / g, from the viewpoint of self-dispersibility. In particular, when the acid value is 25 mgKOH / g or more, the stability of self-dispersibility is good, and when it is 100 mgKOH / g or less, the cohesiveness is improved.

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.
The polymerizable group may be a polycondensable 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 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 cycloaliphatic group-containing monomer is preferably a monomer having a cycloaliphatic group derived from a cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon and an ethylenically unsaturated bond, and a cycloaliphatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer (hereinafter, An alicyclic (meth) acrylate is sometimes preferred.
The alicyclic (meth) acrylate includes a structural site derived from (meth) acrylic acid and a structural site derived from alcohol, and the structural site derived from alcohol is unsubstituted or substituted. It has a structure containing at least one hydrogen group (cycloaliphatic group). The alicyclic hydrocarbon group may be a structural part derived from alcohol itself or may be bonded to a structural part derived from alcohol via a linking group.

The alicyclic hydrocarbon group is not particularly limited as long as it contains a cyclic non-aromatic hydrocarbon group, and is a monocyclic hydrocarbon group, a bicyclic hydrocarbon group, a tricyclic or more polycyclic group. A hydrocarbon group is mentioned. Examples of the alicyclic hydrocarbon group include a cycloalkyl group such as a cyclopentyl group and a cyclohexyl group, a cycloalkenyl group, a bicyclohexyl group, a norbornyl group, an isobornyl group, a dicyclopentanyl group, a dicyclopentenyl group, and an adamantyl group. , Decahydronaphthalenyl group, perhydrofluorenyl group, tricyclo [5.2.1.0 ^2,6 ] decanyl group, and bicyclo [4.3.0] nonane. The alicyclic hydrocarbon group may further have a substituent. The alicyclic hydrocarbon group may further form a condensed ring. As an alicyclic hydrocarbon group in this invention, it is preferable that carbon number of an alicyclic hydrocarbon group part is 5-20 from a viscosity or a soluble viewpoint.

Specific examples of the alicyclic (meth) acrylate are shown below, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
Monocyclic (meth) acrylates include cyclopropyl (meth) acrylate, cyclobutyl (meth) acrylate, cyclopentyl (meth) acrylate, cyclohexyl (meth) acrylate, cycloheptyl (meth) acrylate, cyclooctyl (meth) acrylate, and cyclononyl. Examples thereof include cycloalkyl (meth) acrylates having 3 to 10 carbon atoms in the cycloalkyl group such as (meth) acrylate and cyclodecyl (meth) acrylate. Examples of the bicyclic (meth) acrylate include isobornyl (meth) acrylate and norbornyl (meth) acrylate. Examples of the tricyclic (meth) acrylate include adamantyl (meth) acrylate, dicyclopentanyl (meth) acrylate, and dicyclopentenyloxyethyl (meth) acrylate. These can be used alone or in admixture of two or more.

  Among these, from the viewpoints of dispersion stability and fixing properties of the self-dispersing polymer particles and blocking resistance, a bicyclic or tricyclic or higher (meth) acrylate is preferable, and isobornyl (meth) acrylate, adamantyl ( More preferably, it is at least one selected from (meth) acrylate and dicyclopentanyl (meth) acrylate.

The self-dispersing resin is preferably an acrylic resin containing a structural unit derived from a (meth) acrylate monomer, and an acrylic resin containing a structural unit derived from an aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer or alicyclic (meth) acrylate. A resin is preferable, and further, it includes a structural unit derived from an aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer or alicyclic (meth) acrylate, and the content is preferably 10% by mass to 95% by mass. When the content of the aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer or alicyclic (meth) acrylate is 10% by mass to 95% by mass, self-emulsification or dispersion stability is improved, and ink viscosity is further increased. Can be suppressed.
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 hydrophobicity of particles, 15% by mass to 90% by mass. %, More preferably 15% by mass to 80% by mass, and particularly preferably 25% by mass to 70% by mass.

  The self-dispersing resin includes, for example, a structural unit derived from an aromatic group-containing monomer or a cycloaliphatic group-containing monomer (preferably an alicyclic (meth) acrylate) and a structural unit derived from a dissociable group-containing monomer. Can be configured. 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 them, from the viewpoint of flexibility of the polymer skeleton and ease of control of the glass transition temperature (Tg), alkyl group-containing monomers (for example, methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, isopropyl (meth) acrylate, n-propyl) It may be an alkyl (meth) acrylate such as (meth) acrylate, n-butyl (meth) acrylate, isobutyl (meth) acrylate, t-butyl (meth) acrylate, hexyl (meth) acrylate, ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate). preferable.

The molecular weight of the water-insoluble polymer constituting the self-dispersing resin particles is preferably 3000 to 200,000, more preferably 5000 to 150,000, and more preferably 10,000 to 100,000 in terms of weight average molecular weight. Further preferred. 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). The details of GPC are as described above.

The water-insoluble polymer constituting the self-dispersing resin particles is a structural unit derived from an aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer or a cyclic aliphatic group-containing monomer (preferably an alicyclic type) from the viewpoint of controlling the hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity of the polymer. It is preferable that 15 to 80% by mass of the total mass of the self-dispersing polymer particles is included as a copolymerization ratio of (meth) acrylate.
Furthermore, the water-insoluble polymer is a structural unit derived from an aromatic group-containing (meth) acrylate monomer (preferably a structural unit derived from phenoxyethyl (meth) acrylate and / or benzyl (from the viewpoint of controlling the hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity of the polymer). Structural units derived from (meth) acrylates) or structural units derived from alicyclic (meth) acrylates (preferably structural units derived from isobornyl (meth) acrylates and / or structural units derived from adamantyl (meth) acrylates and / or di). Structural unit derived from cyclopentanyl (meth) acrylate) as a copolymerization ratio, 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 (meta ) Derived from alkyl ester (1-4 carbon atoms) of acrylic acid Preferably includes a structural unit) and that.

  Specific examples of the water-insoluble resin forming the polymer particles include phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (50/45/5), phenoxyethyl acrylate / benzyl methacrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer ( 30/35/29/6), phenoxyethyl methacrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (50/44/6), phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / ethyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (30/55/10 / 5), benzyl methacrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (35/59/6), styrene / phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (10/50 / 5/5), benzyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (55/40/5), phenoxyethyl methacrylate / benzyl acrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (45/47/8), styrene / phenoxyethyl acrylate / Butyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (5/48/40/7), benzyl methacrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / cyclohexyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (35/30/30/5), phenoxyethyl acrylate / methyl methacrylate / butyl Acrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (12/50/30/8), benzyl acrylate / isobutyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (93/2/5), methyl methacrylate / methoxyethyl acrylate / Benzyl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (44/15/35/6), styrene / butyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (62/35/3), methyl methacrylate / phenoxyethyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer ( 45/51/4), methyl methacrylate / isobornyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (20/72/8), methyl methacrylate / isobornyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (40/52/8), methyl Methacrylate / isobornyl methacrylate / dicyclopentanyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (20/62/10/8), methyl methacrylate / dicyclopentanyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (20/72/8), Etc. The values in parentheses represent the mass ratio of the copolymer component.

The insoluble resin forming the polymer particles includes a polymer synthesized in an organic solvent, and the polymer has an anionic group (for example, a carboxyl group), and a part of the anionic group (for example, a carboxyl group) of the polymer or The whole is preferably neutralized and prepared as a polymer dispersion (dispersion) having water as a continuous phase. That is, the production of water-insoluble polymer particles includes a step of synthesizing a polymer in an organic solvent and a dispersion step of forming an aqueous dispersion in which at least a part of the anionic group (for example, carboxyl group) of the polymer is neutralized. It is preferable to provide it. The dispersing 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 a mixture, Dispersing machines, such as a generally used mixing stirring apparatus and an ultrasonic disperser, a high-pressure homogenizer, can be used as needed. In the step (2), the organic solvent is removed from the dispersion obtained in the step (1) by a conventional method such as distillation under reduced pressure, and the phase is changed to an aqueous system, thereby self-dispersing polymer particles. An aqueous dispersion of 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.

Preferred examples of the organic solvent include alcohol solvents, ketone solvents, and ether solvents. As an organic solvent, the organic solvent illustrated by Paragraph 0059 of Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2010-188661 can be used.
As the neutralizing agent, the neutralizing agents exemplified in paragraphs 0060 to 0061 of JP 2010-188661 A can be used.

  The average particle size of the self-dispersing resin particles is preferably in the range of 10 nm to 400 nm in terms of volume average particle size. Further, the particle size distribution of the self-dispersing resin particles is not particularly limited, and may be either a wide particle size distribution or a monodispersed particle size distribution. Further, two or more water-insoluble particles may be mixed and used.

  The content of the polymer particles in the ink composition is preferably 0.5 to 10% by mass and more preferably 1 to 9% by mass with respect to the total amount (mass basis) of the ink composition. When the content of the polymer particles is 0.5% by mass or more, the scratch resistance of the image is improved. Moreover, when the content of the polymer particles is 10% by mass or less, it is advantageous in terms of ejection stability over a long period of time when the ink composition is prepared.

(water)
The ink composition in the present invention can be constituted using water. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular in the quantity of water, Preferably it is 10 to 99 mass% from the point of ensuring stability and discharge reliability.

(Urea or its derivatives)
The ink composition of the present invention preferably contains urea or a derivative thereof. Urea and its derivatives improve the cleaning properties by wiping or the like when an ink composition containing a pigment adheres. In particular, when the polymer particles are contained, the wiping property (wiping property) when dried and solidified is improved.

  Examples of urea derivatives include compounds in which the hydrogen on the nitrogen of urea is substituted with an alkyl group or alkanol, thiourea, compounds in which the hydrogen on the nitrogen of thiourea is substituted with an alkyl group or alkanol, and the like. N, N-dimethylurea, thiourea, ethyleneurea, hydroxyethylurea, hydroxybutylurea, ethylenethiourea, diethylthiourea and the like.

The content of urea and its derivative in the ink composition is preferably 1.0% by mass or more and 20.0% by mass or less, and 2.0% by mass or more and 15.0% by mass with respect to the total mass of the ink composition. % Or less is more preferable.
When the content of urea and its derivative is 1.0% by mass or more, it becomes easier to wipe off when the ink adheres, and the maintainability is improved. Further, when the content of urea and its derivative is 20.0% by mass or less, it is advantageous in terms of prevention of stickiness and blocking due to moisture absorption of urea and its derivative contained in the image.

(Other ingredients)
The ink composition in the present invention may contain other components as necessary in addition to the above components. Other components include, for example, surfactants, ultraviolet absorbers, antifading agents, antifungal agents, pH adjusters, rust inhibitors, antioxidants, emulsion stabilizers, antiseptics, antifoaming agents, viscosity modifiers. And known additives such as dispersion stabilizers and chelating agents.

  The pH of the ink composition in the present invention is not particularly limited, but the pH at 25 ° C. is pH 6.5 to 12 from the viewpoint of preventing the aggregation of the coloring material contained in the ink composition and cleaning properties. The range of pH 7-10 is more preferable. In order to adjust the pH of the ink composition to the above range, a pH adjuster such as the above-mentioned water-soluble basic substance can be used as necessary.

  The ink set of the present invention is configured by providing an ink composition containing a pigment and the above-described maintenance liquid of the present invention. The structure of the maintenance liquid is synonymous with the maintenance liquid of the present invention described above, and the preferred examples are also the same.

  The maintenance liquid and ink set for ink jet recording of the present invention are used for ink jet recording. Specifically, energy is given to ink for ink jet recording, and a known image receiving material (for example, plain paper, resin) is used. (Coated paper, inkjet paper, film, electrophotographic co-paper, fabric, glass, metal, ceramics, etc.).

<Image forming method>
The image forming method of the present invention uses the ink set for ink jet recording of the present invention described above, and an ink application process for applying the ink composition to a recording medium by discharging the ink composition from the head for ink jet recording. And an ink removing step for removing the ink composition adhering to the ink jet recording head with a maintenance liquid for ink jet recording. The image forming method of the present invention can be suitably configured by further providing a treatment liquid application step for applying a treatment liquid containing an aggregating component for aggregating the components in the ink composition to the recording medium.

  Since the image forming method of the present invention is configured using the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of the present invention, as described above, it easily adheres to the surface of the ink ejection head because it contains pigments and polymer particles, and is dried. Since the ink that is difficult to dissolve and remove later, particularly the solid ink solidified by drying, is excellent in solubility, stable image forming property is maintained for a long time. As a result, in the process of wiping after cleaning, for example, the phenomenon that the discharge holes are blocked or deposits are generated in the vicinity of the discharge holes due to ink solidified, such as mist-like fine particles of ink dried and solidified, is prevented. Is done.

-Ink application process-
In the ink application process of the present invention, the ink composition is ejected from an ink jet recording head, whereby the ink composition is applied to the recording medium, and an image is formed on the recording medium. In this step, the ink composition can be applied on the recording medium, and a desired visible image can be formed. The details of the ink composition are as described above.

The inkjet method is not particularly limited, and is a known method, for example, a charge control method that discharges ink using electrostatic attraction, a drop-on-demand method (pressure pulse method) that uses vibration pressure of a piezoelectric element, an electric method An acoustic ink jet system that converts a signal into an acoustic beam, irradiates the ink with ink and ejects the ink using radiation pressure, and a thermal ink jet (bubble jet (registered trademark)) that heats the ink to form bubbles and uses the generated pressure. )) Any method may be used. 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.

  An 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 suction 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.

As an inkjet head, a single serial head is used, and a shuttle system that performs recording while scanning the head in the width direction of the recording medium, and a line in which recording elements are arranged corresponding to the entire area of one side of the recording medium. There is a line system using a head. In the line system, an image can be recorded on the entire surface of the recording medium by scanning the recording medium in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the recording elements, and a carriage system such as a carriage for scanning a short head is not necessary. Further, since complicated scanning control of the carriage movement and the recording medium is not required, and only the recording medium is moved, the recording speed can be increased as compared with the shuttle system.
The image forming method of the present invention can be applied to any of these, but generally, when applied to a line system that does not use a dummy jet, the effect of improving ejection accuracy and image scratch resistance is great.

In the ink application step, from the viewpoint of high-definition printing, the amount of ink droplets to be applied (droplet ejection) is preferably 1.5 to 3.0 pL, and more preferably 1.5 to 2.5 pL. More preferred.
The amount of ink droplets can be adjusted by appropriately selecting the ejection conditions in the ink jet method according to the ink composition to be ejected.

-Ink removal process-
In the ink removing process of the present invention, the ink composition (for example, the solid ink solidified by drying) adhering to the inkjet recording head is ejected with the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording by discharging the ink composition in the ink application process. Remove. Details of the configuration and preferred embodiment of the maintenance liquid used in this step are as described above.

  In the ink removing step, a maintenance liquid is applied to the head (for example, the periphery of the head and the ink flow path; hereinafter, also referred to as “head etc.”) in order to remove the ink composition from the nozzle surface of the head. By applying the maintenance liquid to the head or the like, the ink composition dissolves or swells.

  The maintenance liquid can be applied by, for example, ejection by an ink jet method, application using a roller, spraying, or the like. For example, a water head difference described in JP 2011-73295 A or JP 2011-73339 A is used. As a result, a maintenance liquid column is formed on the maintenance liquid (cleaning liquid) application unit, and when the inkjet recording head passes there, a liquid film is formed between the head and the maintenance liquid application unit, and the maintenance liquid is applied to the head. It is preferred that

  Further, before or after applying the maintenance liquid, it is preferable to remove the ink composition by scraping with a blade or wiping with a cloth or paper. As a preferred method, after the maintenance liquid is applied, the nozzle surface is rubbed with a wiper blade (wiping) and the ink composition is scraped off, the method of removing the ink composition by wind pressure, the liquid pressure of maintenance liquid, etc., A method of wiping the ink composition with a cloth or paper is exemplified, and a method of wiping the ink composition with a cloth or paper is particularly preferable. As a method of always wiping with a new cloth, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-241127 discloses a method of reducing the frequency of replacing the wiping member and making the apparatus compact.

  The wiper blade is preferably made of rubber having elasticity. Specific examples of the material include butyl rubber, chloroprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, silicone rubber, urethane rubber, and nitrile rubber. In order to impart ink repellency to the wiper blade, a wiper blade coated with a fluorine resin or the like may be used.

The application amount of the maintenance liquid, dissolving the ink composition is not particularly limited as long as it is an amount capable of swelling or the like, ^{preferably, 1g / m 2 ~100g / m} 2.

-Treatment liquid application process-
In the treatment liquid application step in the present invention, a treatment liquid containing an aggregating component that aggregates the components in the ink composition is applied to the recording medium. By mixing the ink composition and the aggregating component on the recording medium, aggregation of pigments and the like stably dispersed in the ink composition is promoted.

  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 blade coater, a rod coater, a knife coater, a squeeze coater, a reverse roll coater, a bar coater or the like can be used. The details of the inkjet method are as described above.

  The aggregation component is preferably at least one selected from a cationic polymer, an acidic compound, and a polyvalent metal salt from the viewpoint of image quality.

  As the cationic polymer, a polymer having a primary to tertiary amino group or a quaternary ammonium base as a cationic group is preferably used. The cationic polymer includes a homopolymer of a monomer having a primary to tertiary amino group and a salt thereof, or a quaternary ammonium base (cationic monomer), or the cationic monomer and another monomer (non-cationic). That are obtained as a copolymer or a condensation polymer with a functional monomer). These polymers may be used in any form of water-soluble polymer or water-dispersible latex particles. Specifically, poly (vinyl pyridine) salts, polyalkylaminoethyl acrylate, polyalkylaminoethyl methacrylate, poly (vinyl imidazole), polyethyleneimine, polybiguanide, polyguanide, and copolymers comprising epihalohydrin derivatives and amine derivatives, and It is selected from combinations thereof.

The treatment liquid can be constituted using an aqueous solvent (for example, water) in addition to the cationic polymer.
The content of the cationic polymer in the treatment liquid is preferably 5 to 95% by mass and more preferably 10 to 80% by mass with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid in terms of the aggregation effect.

  Examples of the acidic compound include compounds that can change the pH of the ink composition. Examples of the acidic compound include a compound having 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 or a salt thereof (for example, a polyvalent metal salt). Among these, from the viewpoint of the aggregation rate of the ink composition, a compound having a phosphate group or a carboxyl group is preferable, and a compound having a carboxyl group is more preferable. The compound having a carboxyl group includes polyacrylic acid, acetic acid, glycolic acid, malonic acid, malic acid, maleic acid, ascorbic acid, succinic 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, derivatives of these compounds, or salts thereof (for example, polyvalent metal salts), etc. Is mentioned.

  When the acidic compound is used, the pH (25 ° C.) of the treatment liquid is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 3, more preferably in the range of 0.6 to 2, from the viewpoint of the aggregation rate of the ink composition. A range of 7 to 1.5 is more preferable. At this time, the pH (25 ° C.) of the ink composition is preferably 7.5 or more (preferably 8 or more). In particular, the pH of the ink composition (25 ° C.) ≧ 7.5 and the pH of the treatment liquid (25 ° C.) = 0.7 to 1.5 in terms of image density, resolution, and recording speed. preferable.

  The content of the acidic compound in the treatment liquid is preferably 5 to 95% by mass and more preferably 10 to 80% by mass with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid in terms of the aggregation effect.

Examples of the polyvalent metal salt include alkaline earth metals belonging to Group 2 of the periodic table (eg, magnesium, calcium), transition metals belonging to Group 3 of the periodic table (eg, lanthanum), and Group 13 of the periodic table. Mention may be made of salts of cations (for example aluminum) and lanthanides (for example neodymium). As the metal salt, carboxylate (formic acid, acetic acid, benzoate, etc.), nitrate, chloride, and thiocyanate are suitable. Among them, preferred are calcium salts or magnesium salts of carboxylic acids (formic acid, acetic acid, benzoates, etc.), calcium salts or magnesium salts of nitric acid, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and calcium salts or magnesium salts of thiocyanic acid.
The content of the polyvalent metal salt in the treatment liquid is preferably 1 to 10% by mass, more preferably 1.5 to 7% by mass, and still more preferably 2 to 6% by mass.

  From the viewpoint of the aggregation rate of the ink composition, the viscosity of the treatment liquid is preferably 1 to 30 mPa · s, more preferably 1 to 20 mPa · s, still more preferably 2 to 15 mPa · s, and particularly preferably 2 to 10 mPa · s. . The viscosity is a value measured at 20 ° C. using VISCOMETER TV-22 (manufactured by TOKI SANGYO CO.LTD). The surface tension of the treatment liquid is preferably 20 to 60 mN / m, more preferably 20 to 45 mN / m, and further preferably 25 to 40 mN / m from the viewpoint of the aggregation rate of the ink composition. The surface tension is a value measured at 25 ° C. using an Automatic Surface Tensiometer CBVP-Z (manufactured by Kyowa Interface Science Co., Ltd.).

  The treatment liquid application step may be provided before or after the ink application step using the ink composition, but an embodiment provided before the ink application step is preferable. Before applying (droplet ejection) the ink composition on the recording medium, a treatment liquid for aggregating the components (resin particles and the like) in the ink composition is applied in advance and applied onto the recording medium. The ink composition is ejected in contact with the treatment liquid to form an image. As a result, inkjet recording can be performed at higher speed, and an image with high density and resolution can be obtained even at high speed recording.

  Moreover, it is preferable to heat-dry the treatment liquid on the recording medium after the treatment liquid is applied on the recording medium and before the ink composition is applied. Thereby, ink coloring properties such as bleeding prevention are improved, and a visible image having a good color density and hue can be recorded.

Heating and drying can be performed by a known heating means such as a heater, an air blowing means 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.

<Maintenance method>
The maintenance method of the present invention applies the above-described maintenance liquid for ink jet recording of the present invention to the ink discharge head for ink jet recording to which the ink composition is adhered, and removes the ink composition on the ink discharge head for ink jet recording. It is set as the structure which carries out. The details of the configuration and preferred embodiment of the maintenance liquid are as described above.

  As described above, since the maintenance liquid for ink jet recording of the present invention has high solubility of ink solid matter, it can be easily dissolved and removed by applying the maintenance liquid to the ink discharge head for ink jet recording, and then wiped off, etc. This operation does not cause adverse effects such as blockage of the discharge holes and deposition promotion in the vicinity of the discharge holes.

  In order to remove the ink composition adhering to the nozzle surface of the head, the ink composition is removed by applying a maintenance liquid to the head (for example, the periphery of the head and the ink channel (head etc.)). By applying the maintenance liquid to the head or the like, the ink composition dissolves or swells.

  The application of the maintenance liquid can be performed, for example, by ejection using an inkjet method, application using a roller, spraying, or the like. As a specific example, a maintenance liquid column is formed on a maintenance liquid (cleaning liquid) application unit using a water head difference described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2011-73295, 2011-73339, and the like. When the recording head passes, a method may be used in which a liquid film is formed between the head and the maintenance liquid application unit, and the maintenance liquid is applied to the head.

  The maintenance method can be performed by the same operation as the ink removing step in the above-described image forming method of the present invention.

  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 was isolated by removing the solvent from the obtained polymer, and the obtained solid content was diluted to 0.1% by mass with tetrahydrofuran, and HLC-8020 GPC (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation) was used. Measurement was performed using a column in which three TSKgel Super Multipore HZ-H (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation, 4.6 mm ID × 15 cm) were connected in series. The conditions were as follows: the sample concentration was 0.35 mass%, the flow rate was 0.35 mL / min, the sample injection amount was 10 μL, the measurement temperature was 40 ° C., and the RI detector was used. The calibration curve is "Standard sample TSK standard, polystyrene" manufactured by Tosoh Corporation: "F-40", "F-20", "F-4", "F-1", "A-5000", "A -2500 "," A-1000 ", and" n-propylbenzene ".
The acid value of the polymer was determined by the method described in JIS standard (JIS K0070: 1992).

Example 1
-Preparation of self-dispersing polymer particles A-01-
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. Methyl methacrylate 162.0 g, isobornyl methacrylate 126.0 g, “PME-100” (methoxypolyethylene glycol methacrylate (n = 2), manufactured by NOF Corporation) 50.4 g, methacrylic acid 21.6 g, methyl ethyl ketone A mixed solution consisting of 72 g and 1.44 g of “V-601” (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) 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 and stirred at 75 ° C. for 2 hours, and then a solution composed of 0.72 g of “V-601” and 36.0 g of methyl ethyl ketone was added. In addition, the mixture was 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 methyl methacrylate / isobornyl methacrylate / PME-100 / methacrylic acid copolymer (= 45/35/14/6 [mass ratio]). Got.
The obtained copolymer had a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 65000 (calculated in terms of polystyrene by GPC), an acid value of 39 mgKOH / g, and a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 92 ° C.

  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. Thereafter, the temperature in the reaction vessel was maintained at 80 ° C. for 2 hours, 85 ° C. for 2 hours, and 90 ° C. for 2 hours under atmospheric pressure, and then the pressure in the reaction vessel was reduced to a total of 913 isopropanol, methyl ethyl ketone, and distilled water. 0.7 g was distilled off to obtain an aqueous dispersion (emulsion) of self-dispersing polymer particles A-01 having a solid content concentration of 28.0%.

-Preparation of water-insoluble polymer dispersant P-1-
To a 1000 mL three-necked flask equipped with a stirrer and a condenser, 88 g of methyl ethyl ketone was added and heated to 72 ° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere. A solution prepared by dissolving 0.85 g of dimethyl 2,2′-azobisisobutyrate, 60 g of benzyl methacrylate, 10 g of methacrylic acid, and 30 g of methyl methacrylate in 50 g of methyl ethyl ketone was added dropwise over 3 hours. After completion of the dropwise addition, the reaction was further continued for 1 hour, and then a solution of 0.42 g of dimethyl 2,2′-azobisisobutyrate dissolved in 2 g of methyl ethyl ketone was added, and the temperature was raised to 78 ° C. and heated for 4 hours. The obtained reaction solution was reprecipitated twice in a large excess of hexane, and the precipitated resin was dried. Thus, 96 g of benzyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid / methyl methacrylate copolymer (= 60/10/30 [mass ratio]) (water-insoluble polymer dispersant P-1) was obtained.
The composition of the obtained copolymer was confirmed by ¹ H-NMR, and the weight average molecular weight (Mw) determined by GPC was 44600. The acid value was 65.2 mgKOH / g.

-Preparation of Cyan Pigment Dispersion C-
5.0 g of the water-insoluble polymer dispersant P-1 obtained as described above, 10.0 g of Pigment Blue 15: 3 (manufactured by Dainichi Seika Co., Ltd.), 40.0 g of methyl ethyl ketone, 1 mol / L sodium hydroxide 8.0 g, 82.0 g of ion-exchanged water, and 300 g of 0.1 mm zirconia beads were supplied to the vessel, and dispersed with a ready mill disperser (manufactured by Imex) at 1000 rpm for 6 hours. The obtained pigment dispersion was concentrated under reduced pressure using an evaporator until methyl ethyl ketone was sufficiently distilled off, and concentrated until the pigment concentration was about 12% by mass.
Thereafter, the pigment dispersion was centrifuged at 8000 rpm for 30 minutes to remove coarse particles remaining as precipitates. The absorbance of the supernatant was measured to determine the pigment concentration.
Cyan pigment dispersion C was prepared as described above. The average particle diameter of the pigment particles dispersed in the dispersion was 97 nm.

-Preparation of ink-
Each component was mixed so that it might become the following ink composition using the aqueous dispersion of the cyan pigment dispersion C and the self-dispersing polymer particle A-01 obtained as mentioned above. Subsequently, it was packed in a plastic disposable syringe and filtered through a 5 μm pore size filter made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) (Millex-SV, Millipore, diameter 25 mm) to obtain a cyan ink (ink composition). The pH (25 ° C.) of the cyan ink (stock solution) was 8.3.
<Ink composition>
Pigment blue 15: 3 (cyan pigment) 2.5% by mass
-Water-insoluble polymer dispersant P-1 (solid content) ... 1.25% by mass
・ Self-dispersing polymer particles A-01 (solid content): 8.0% by mass
・ Sanix GP-250 ... 10.0% by mass
(Average molecular weight 250, manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd.)
・ TPGmME: 4.0% by mass
(Tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether; the same applies hereinafter)
・ DPG (dipropylene glycol; the same applies hereinafter) ... 4.0% by mass
・ Orphine E1010 (surfactant, manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) ... 1.0% by mass
・ Urea: 3.0% by mass
・ Snowtex XS (Nissan Chemical Co., Ltd., colloidal silica) ... 0.3% by mass
・ Ion-exchanged water: Remaining amount when 100% by mass as a whole

-Preparation of maintenance liquid-
A maintenance liquid was prepared by mixing components having the following composition. The maintenance liquid was adjusted to pH 7.5 with nitric acid.
<Maintenance liquid composition>
-DEGmBE (water-soluble organic solvent represented by general formula (III)) ... 25.0% by mass
・ DEG (humectant) ・ ・ ・ 10.0 mass%
・ Imidazole (pKa = 7.0, basic compound) 0.5 mass%
・ Benzotriazole: 0.2% by mass
-Compound represented by the general formula (I) or (II) shown in Table 1 below 3.0% by mass
・ Ion-exchanged water: Remaining amount when 100% by mass as a whole

-Evaluation-
The following evaluation was performed about the obtained maintenance liquid. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1 below.

(1) Solubility of ink solid matter The cyan ink was forcibly sprayed on the surface of an ink jet recording head to which perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) was added to give water repellency and dried at room temperature for 1 hour. I let you. The dried solid matter on the head surface was observed and recorded with a microscope, and the ink diameter was determined. Thereafter, a maintenance liquid (cleaning liquid) application unit for generating a liquid column (cleaning liquid coating layer) described in JP 2011-73295 A was prepared, and a maintenance liquid column was formed thereon. The discharge head was passed through the maintenance liquid column at a speed of 80 mm / second to adhere the maintenance liquid to the head surface. The remaining state of the ink solid matter on the head surface was observed with a microscope, and the solubility of the ink solid matter was evaluated based on whether or not each ink having the diameter before washing dissolved and disappeared after washing.
Normally, after the maintenance liquid is attached to the head, wipe it off with a cloth, etc., but if there is undissolved ink, it will move to the ink ejection hole when wiping off, and the ejection hole will be blocked or deposited near the hole. Since it becomes a factor of unstable ejection, the solubility of the ink solid matter was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria without wiping.
<Evaluation criteria>
A: Ink solids having a diameter of 20 μm or less are completely dissolved.
B: Ink solids having a diameter of 15 μm or less are completely dissolved.
C: Ink solids having a diameter of 10 μm or less are completely dissolved.
D: There is a concern that an ink solid having a diameter of 7 μm or more and 10 μm or less remains undissolved, causing a problem in practical use.
E: Ink solids having a diameter of less than 7 μm remain undissolved, which causes a practical problem.

(2) Stability of maintenance liquid Each maintenance liquid was left in a 60 ° C. environment and a 5 ° C. environment for 7 days, and the occurrence of abnormalities such as separation, cloudiness, and precipitation was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria. Evaluation criteria A to C are acceptable.
<Evaluation criteria>
A: No abnormality is observed under any conditions.
B: Abnormalities such as separation, white turbidity, and precipitation occur at 60 ° C. or 5 ° C., but when returned to room temperature, it becomes uniform in a state of standing still.
C: Abnormalities such as separation, white turbidity, and precipitation occur at 60 ° C. or 5 ° C., but become uniform when returned to room temperature and stirred.
D: Abnormalities such as separation, white turbidity, and precipitation occur at 60 ° C. or 5 ° C., and the mixture does not become uniform even after returning to room temperature and stirring.
E: Abnormalities such as separation, white turbidity, and precipitation occur under any condition, and even when the mixture is returned to room temperature and stirred, it does not become uniform.

As shown in Table 1, a compound represented by the general formula (I) or (II), wherein R ¹ and R ² have 9 to 19 carbon atoms, and m = 2 to 10 and m> n. In the composition of the present invention containing the above, a maintenance liquid having excellent solubility of ink solids and no problem with liquid stability was obtained.

(Example 2)
-Preparation of maintenance liquid-
In the preparation of the maintenance liquid “No. 9” in Example 1, the solvent in the composition, DEGmBE, and the moisturizer DEG, were changed to compounds of the same mass shown in Table 2 below, respectively. In the same manner as in Example 9, a maintenance liquid was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1.

Details of the solvent types described in Table 2 are as follows.
DEGmBE ... Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether TEGmBE ... Triethylene glycol monobutyl ether DEGmEE ... Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether DPGmME ... Dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether DEG ... Diethylene glycol DPG ... Dipropylene glycol PG ... Propylene glycol

(Example 3)
-Preparation of colored ink-
Magenta ink (M-21), cyan ink (C-21), yellow ink (Y-21), and black ink (described in paragraph number [0221] and Tables 2 to 3 of JP2011-46908A) K-21) was prepared.

-Preparation of treatment solution-
Components in the following composition were mixed to prepare a treatment liquid. The physical properties of the treatment liquid were a viscosity of 2.3 mPa · s, a surface tension of 41.3 mN / m, and a pH (25 ° C.) of 1.0.
In addition, the viscosity was measured on condition of 20 degreeC using VISCOMETER TV-22 (product made from TOKI SANGYO CO.LTD). The surface tension was measured at 25 ° C. using an Automatic Surface Tensiometer CBVP-Z (manufactured by Kyowa Interface Science Co., Ltd.).

<Composition of treatment liquid>
・ TPGmME: 4.0% by mass
・ DEGmBE (diethylene glycol monobutyl ether): 4.0% by mass
-Malonic acid: 7.6% by mass
・ Malic acid: 6.5% by mass
・ 85% by mass aqueous phosphoric acid solution: 6.0% by mass
・ Benzotriazole: 0.5% by mass
・ Ion exchange water: 71.4% by mass

-Preparation of maintenance liquid-
A maintenance liquid was prepared by mixing components having the following composition. The maintenance liquid was adjusted to pH 7.5 with nitric acid.
<Maintenance liquid composition>
・ DEGmBE (water-soluble organic solvent represented by the general formula (III)) 25.0% by mass
・ DEG (humectant) ・ ・ ・ 10.0 mass%
・ Imidazole (pKa = 7.0, basic compound) 0.5 mass%
・ Benzotriazole: 0.2% by mass
・ Snowtex XS: 0.2% by mass
(Nissan Chemical Co., Ltd., colloidal silica)
-Compounds represented by the general formula (I) or (II) shown in Table 3 below ... 2.0% by mass
・ Ion exchange water: 62.1% by mass

-Image formation and evaluation-
A. Image Formation An ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was prepared, and ink images were formed by discharging the four colored inks as follows. As a recording medium, an OK top coat with a basis weight of 104 to 154 g / m ² + (manufactured by Oji Paper Co., Ltd.) was used. The image forming conditions were resolution: 1200 dpi × 1200 dpi, ejected droplet amount: equivalent to 3 pL.

The ink-jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was loaded with four colored inks prepared in advance, a treatment liquid, and a maintenance liquid.
The ink jet recording apparatus is activated, and the processing liquid is applied to the entire surface by the processing liquid coating device 56 on the processing liquid drum 54 (diameter 450 mm) on the recording medium 22 fed from the paper supply unit 10 (2 μm thickness). did. At this time, a gravure roller was used as the treatment liquid coating device 56.
Next, the recording medium 22 coated with the treatment liquid is dried by a warm air jet nozzle 58 (70 ° C. warm air (9 m ³ / min)) and an IR heater 60 (180 ° C.) to remove the solvent in the treatment liquid. Part was dried.
The recording medium 22 is transported to the drawing unit 14 via the first intermediate transport unit 24, and CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow) colored inks are ejected from the ejection head 72Y according to the image signal for each color solid image. , 72M, and 72C, and ejected onto the recording medium like an image. The ink discharge volume was 1.4 pl in the highlight area and 3 pl (2 drops) in the high density area, and the recording density was recorded at 1200 dpi in both the main scanning and sub-scanning directions. At that time, when a non-ejection nozzle occurs, 5 pl (3 drops) can be ejected from a nozzle adjacent to the non-ejection nozzle, and a process of making it difficult to see non-ejection stripes is performed. Further, since the processing liquid drum 54 and the drying drum 76 are provided separately from the drawing drum 70, even when the processing liquid is dried at a high speed, the adverse effect of the heat and wind does not reach the drawing section, and stable discharge is achieved. Was achieved.
Next, on the drying drum 76, a first IR heater 78 (surface temperature 180 ° C.), a warm air ejection nozzle 80 (air flow of 70 ° C. warm air (12 m ³ / min)), and a second IR heater 82 ( The surface temperature was 180 ° C.). The drying time is about 2 seconds.
Next, the recording medium 22 on which the image was formed was heat-fixed with a nip pressure of 0.30 MPa by a fixing drum 84 at 50 ° C., a first fixing roller 86 and a second fixing roller 88 at 80 ° C. At this time, as the first fixing roller 86 and the second fixing roller 88, a silicone rubber having a hardness of 30 ° is provided on a metal mandrel with a thickness of 6 mm, and a soft PFA coating (50 μm) is provided thereon.
Thickness) was used, and a material excellent in adhesion and peelability to ink images was used.
The recording medium 22 was conveyed at a conveyance speed of 535 mm / s by drum conveyance by the drums 54, 70, 76, and 84.
Through the above steps, an evaluation sample of a recording medium on which an image was formed was obtained.

  Next, after the discharge is completed, the following maintenance liquid loaded in the ink jet recording apparatus is applied to the nozzle surface of the head from the maintenance liquid application unit, and then a plurality of discharge holes of the discharge head are arranged using the tresy The nozzle surface was wiped.

B. Evaluation 2
The following maintenance property was evaluated using the obtained maintenance liquid. The evaluation results are shown in Table 3 below.

(3) Maintenance property When an image is formed as described above, ejection or the like was performed under the following conditions (1) to (3), and the subsequent re-ejection property was evaluated to determine whether the maintenance property was acceptable. From the result of the pass / fail judgment, the maintainability was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria.
~ Discharge conditions and acceptance criteria ~
(A) After 45 minutes of continuous ejection, 30 minutes later, the maintenance liquid was applied to the nozzle surface of the head and wiping was performed once. If the subsequent ink ejection rate was 90% or more, the test was accepted.
(A) Pause for 30 minutes after continuous ejection for 1 minute, and after the suspension, the maintenance liquid was applied to the nozzle surface of the head and wiping was performed once. If the subsequent ink ejection rate was 90% or more, the test was accepted.
(C) After 10 minutes of continuous discharge, 30 minutes later, the maintenance liquid is applied to the nozzle surface of the head and wiping is performed once. If the image formed thereafter is not visually uneven, pass. It was.
~ Measurement of ink discharge rate ~
It was confirmed that all nozzles were discharging at the start of discharge, the number of discharge nozzles after wiping was counted, and the discharge rate was calculated from the following formula.
Discharge rate (%) = (number of discharge nozzles after wiping) / (total number of nozzles) × 100
<Evaluation criteria>
A: All three items A to U pass B: Two items A to U pass C: Only one item A to U passes D: All three items A to U fail

Example 4
In the preparation of the maintenance liquid “No. 34” in Example 3, No. 34 except that imidazole in the composition was removed. A maintenance liquid was prepared in the same manner as in 34.

In this maintenance liquid, pH reduction occurred after aging at 60 ° C. for 7 days. When this maintenance liquid was used and the maintainability was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 3, it was found that the maintenance liquid deteriorated.
This decrease in pH was increased when the compound (surfactant) represented by the general formula (I) or (II) was added, and it was confirmed that the maintenance property was prevented from being deteriorated by the addition of imidazole.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet recording apparatus, 10 ... Paper feed part, 12 ... Processing liquid provision part, 14 ... Drawing part, 16 ... Drying part, 18 ... Fixing part, 20 ... Discharge part, 22 ... Recording medium, 24 ... 1st middle Conveying unit, 26 ... second intermediate conveying unit, 28 ... third intermediate conveying unit, 30 ... intermediate conveying member, 32 ... conveying guide, 34 ... conveying guide, 36 ... blower port, 38 ... blower, 40 ... blower regulation Guide, 42 ... Suction hole, 43 ... Pump, 70 ... Drawing drum, 72C, 72M, 72Y, 72K ... Ink head, 73 ... Holding means, 74 ... Suction hole, 76 ... Drying drum, 84 ... Fixing drum, 86 ... No. 1 fixing roller, 88... Second fixing roller, 143 .. air blowing control unit, 147... Negative pressure control unit

Claims (9)

The maintenance liquid for inkjet recording containing the compound and water which are represented by the following general formula (I) or general formula (II).


[Wherein, R ¹ represents a linear or branched alkyl group having 9 to 19 carbon atoms, or a linear or branched alkenyl group having 9 to 19 carbon atoms, and R ² represents an aryl group. m represents an integer of 3 to 10, n represents an integer of 1 to 6 , and m and n satisfy a relationship of mn ≧ 3 . ] Furthermore, the maintenance liquid for inkjet recording of Claim 1 containing the water-soluble organic solvent represented with the following general formula (III).


[Wherein, R ³ and R ⁵ each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R ⁴ represents an ethylene group or a propylene group. However, R ³ and R ⁵ are not hydrogen atoms at the same time. x represents an integer of 1 to 4. ]   The maintenance liquid for ink jet recording according to claim 1, further comprising a humectant, wherein the content of the humectant is 1 to 20% by mass with respect to the total amount of the liquid.   The maintenance liquid for inkjet recording according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a basic compound having a pKa value of 6.0 to 8.5. An ink composition containing a pigment, polymer particles, and water;
A maintenance liquid for inkjet recording according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An ink set for inkjet recording, comprising:   The ink set for ink jet recording according to claim 5, further comprising a treatment liquid containing an aggregating component for aggregating the components in the ink composition. The ink set for inkjet recording according to claim 5 or 6, is used,
An ink application step of applying the ink composition to a recording medium by discharging the ink composition from an inkjet recording head; and
An ink removing step of removing the ink composition adhering to the inkjet recording head with an inkjet recording maintenance liquid;
An image forming method comprising:   The image forming method according to claim 7, further comprising a treatment liquid application step of applying a treatment liquid containing an aggregating component for aggregating the components in the ink composition to a recording medium. To inkjet recording ink jet head ink composition is adhered to impart ink jet recording maintenance liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the ink composition on the ink-jet recording ink jet head Maintenance method to remove objects.