JP6444840B2 - Inkjet recording method and inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet recording method and an inkjet recording apparatus.

As an image recording method for forming an image on a substrate such as paper based on an image data signal, there are an electrophotographic method, a sublimation type and a melt type thermal transfer method, an ink jet method and the like.
The inkjet method is inexpensive, and does not require a plate at the time of printing, and ink is ejected only to the required image area to form an image directly on the substrate, so that ink can be used efficiently. The running cost is low, especially for small lot production. Furthermore, it has low noise and is excellent as an image recording method, and has attracted attention in recent years.
In particular, inkjet inks that can be cured by irradiation with radiation such as ultraviolet rays (radiation curable ink jet recording ink compositions) are harder than most ink components because they are cured by irradiation with radiation such as ultraviolet rays. This is an excellent method in that it can be printed on various base materials because it has excellent drying properties and is difficult to blur images.
Examples of conventional ink include those described in Patent Document 1 or 2.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-21818 Special table 2014-529637 gazette

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording method and an ink jet recording apparatus capable of obtaining a printed matter with less ink composition leaching and excellent in alcohol resistance and high temperature resistance.

The above-described problems of the present invention have been solved by the means described in <1> or <8> below. It describes below with <2>-<7> and <9>-<13> which are preferable embodiments.
<1> Polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water, and no polymerization initiator is contained or the content of the polymerization initiator exceeds 0% by mass and is 0.1% by mass or less. A discharge step of discharging a certain ink onto a substrate using an inkjet head, a drying step of removing at least a portion of the water in the discharged ink to dry the ink, and the dried ink An ink jet recording method comprising a curing step of curing with an electron beam in this order;
<2> The inkjet recording method according to <1>, wherein the polymer particles contain polyurethane,
<3> The inkjet recording method according to <1> or <2>, wherein the acceleration voltage of the electron beam is 150 kV or less, and the absorbed dose of the electron beam of the dried ink in the curing step is 30 kGy or less. ,
<4> The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <3>, further including a treatment liquid application step of applying a treatment liquid containing a flocculant to the substrate before the ejection step.
<5> The content of the polymer particles is any one of <1> to <4>, which is 99% by mass or more with respect to the total mass of the ethylenically unsaturated compound in the ink in the ejection step. The inkjet recording method according to the description,
<6> The ink in the ejection step does not contain an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, or the content of the ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000 is the total mass of the ink. The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <5>, which is greater than 0% by mass and equal to or less than 0.1% by mass,
<7> The inkjet recording method according to any one of <1> to <6>, wherein the drying step is a step of heat drying.
<8> A substrate transport apparatus in which an ink jet head, a drying means, and an electron beam source are arranged in this order, and polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water, and a polymerization initiator is not included or An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an ink having a polymerization initiator content of more than 0% by mass and 0.1% by mass or less;
<9> The inkjet recording apparatus according to <8>, wherein an acceleration voltage of the electron beam in the electron beam source is 150 kV or less, and the dried ink can be cured with an absorbed dose of electron beam of 30 kGy or less.
<10> The inkjet recording apparatus according to <8> or <9>, further including a treatment liquid application unit that applies a treatment liquid containing a flocculant to the substrate upstream of the inkjet head in the conveyance direction of the substrate.
<11> The inkjet recording according to any one of <8> to <10>, wherein the content of the polymer particles is 99% by mass or more with respect to the total mass of the ethylenically unsaturated compound in the ink. apparatus,
<12> The ink does not contain an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, or the content of the ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000 is 0 with respect to the total mass of the ink. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of <8> to <11>, which exceeds 0.1% by mass and is 0.1% by mass or less.
<13> The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of <8> to <12>, wherein the drying unit includes a heat dryer.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording method and an ink jet recording apparatus that can obtain a printed matter with less ink composition leaching and excellent in alcohol resistance and high temperature resistance.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the inkjet recording device used suitably for this invention. It is one of the images used for image quality evaluation in an Example. It is another one of the images used for image quality evaluation in the embodiment.

Hereinafter, the contents of the present invention will be described in detail. The description of the constituent elements described below may be made based on typical embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments.
In the present invention, the description of “lower limit to upper limit” representing a numerical range represents “lower limit to upper limit” and the description of “upper limit to lower limit” represents “upper limit, lower limit or more”. That is, it represents a numerical range including an upper limit and a lower limit.
Furthermore, in the description of the group (atomic group) in this specification, the description which does not describe substitution and unsubstituted includes what has a substituent with what does not have a substituent. For example, the “alkyl group” includes not only an alkyl group having no substituent (unsubstituted alkyl group) but also an alkyl group having a substituent (substituted alkyl group).
“(Meth) acrylate” and the like are synonymous with “acrylate and / or methacrylate” and the like.
In the present invention, “mass%” and “wt%” are synonymous, and “part by mass” and “part by weight” are synonymous.
In the present invention, a combination of two or more preferred embodiments is a more preferred embodiment.

(Inkjet recording method)
The ink jet recording method of the present invention contains polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water and does not contain a polymerization initiator or the content of the polymerization initiator exceeds 0% by mass. A discharge step of discharging an ink of 1% by mass or less onto a substrate using an inkjet head, a drying step of drying at least a portion of the water in the discharged ink to dry the ink, and drying And a curing step for curing the above-described ink by an electron beam in this order.

The printed matter obtained by the conventional radiation curable ink jet recording method has a problem that unreacted monomers, polymerization initiators, polymerization initiator residues, etc., which are ink compositions, move from the cured film, particularly for food packaging. When used for package printing such as the above, there is a problem that there is a large amount of migration (seepage) in the package inclusion. There is also a problem that the cured film has a strong odor and the odor moves to the inclusions and surrounding foods.
On the other hand, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-68516 and the like, a method of curing at a low oxygen concentration using a light emitting diode (LED) light source as a curing light source is known. In this case, the unreacted monomer remaining after curing can be almost eliminated, but the polymerization initiator and the decomposition product of the polymerization initiator remain in the ink film and migrate into the package contents. The inventor has found.
On the other hand, inks that are not curable are unlikely to cause the above problems, but it is difficult to ensure the fixing property to the substrate. A water-based ink containing a latex for securing fixability is known. However, it is necessary to lower the glass transition temperature (Tg) of such a latex, and when printed on a substrate for retort food, the ink is softened by boiling at a high temperature such as retort sterilization in the production process of retort food, The present inventor has found that the image quality is deteriorated and that the image is lost even when wiping with alcohol for the purpose of sterilization is performed.
As a result of detailed studies by the present inventor, polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water are included, and the polymerization initiator is not included or the content of the polymerization initiator is 0% by mass. By using an ink exceeding 0.1% by mass and drying and curing by electron beam, printed matter excellent in alcohol resistance and high temperature resistance can be obtained with less odor and migration of the ink composition. The inventor found out.
The migration (leaching) of the ink composition means that a component in the ink composition and / or a compound derived from the component in the ink composition oozes out.

<Discharge process>
The ink jet recording method of the present invention contains polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water and does not contain a polymerization initiator or the content of the polymerization initiator exceeds 0% by mass. It includes a discharge step of discharging 1% by mass or less of the ink onto the substrate using an inkjet head.
Details of the ink used in the present invention will be described later.

The substrate (recording medium, support, etc.) used in the inkjet recording method of the present invention is not particularly limited, and a known substrate can be used.
Among these, as a food flexible packaging base material, a transparent base material is preferable.
In the present invention, “transparent” means that the visible light transmittance is 80% or more, and the visible light transmittance is preferably 90% or more. Further, the transparent substrate may be colored as long as it is transparent, but is preferably a colorless and transparent substrate.
Specific examples of the substrate include glass, quartz, and plastic films (for example, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, cellulose propionate, cellulose butyrate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose nitrate, acrylic resin, chlorinated polyolefin resin, poly Ether sulfone resin, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate, nylon, polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, polycycloolefin resin, polyimide resin, polycarbonate resin, polyvinyl acetal, and the like.
The transparent substrate may be a mixture of two or more of these resins, or may be a laminate of two or more of these resins.

Among them, the substrate is preferably a substrate having an image forming surface made of at least one resin selected from the group consisting of polyolefin resin, polyester resin and polyamide resin, and includes polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene and More preferably, the substrate has an image forming surface made of at least one resin selected from the group consisting of nylon, and at least one resin selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene and nylon More preferably, the substrate is made of.
As polyethylene, LDPE (low density polyethylene), MDPE (medium density polyethylene), HDPE (high density polyethylene), and polypropylene as CPP (unstretched polypropylene), OPP (biaxially stretched polypropylene), KOP (polyvinylidene chloride coating) As the OPP), AOP (PVA-coated OPP), and polyethylene terephthalate, biaxially stretched polyester and nylon are preferably ON (stretched nylon), KON (stretched nylon), and CN (unstretched nylon).
In addition, EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer film), PVA (vinylon), EVOH (polyvinyl alcohol), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride, saran), cellophane (PT, MST, K cello), It is also preferable to use a combination with ZX (Zecron (polyacrylonitrile, PAN)) and PS (polystyrene, styrene).
An optimal material is selected for the substrate depending on the application. Moreover, the film which combined the characteristic of each raw material can also be used as a base material by setting it as the film of a multilayer structure.
Moreover, AL (aluminum foil), VM film (aluminum vapor-deposited film, transparent vapor-deposited film), etc. can be incorporated into the multilayer structure for the purpose of improving the strength of the base material and blocking oxygen.
In recent years, a co-extruded film in which a resin is extruded from two or more parallel slits to form a film and laminate at the same time is also preferably used. Even a thin film of several μm that cannot be formed into a film can be laminated to a maximum of 5 to 7 layers, so that films having various performances and applications are produced.

  Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular as thickness of the said base material, It is preferable that it is 1-500 micrometers, It is more preferable that it is 2-200 micrometers, It is further more preferable that it is 5-100 micrometers, It is 10-90 micrometers. Is particularly preferred.

In the ejection step, ink is ejected onto the substrate using an inkjet head.
As a means for ejecting ink by an ink jet method, an ink jet head is preferably used.
As an inkjet head, for example, a charge control method that ejects ink using electrostatic attraction, a drop-on-demand method (pressure pulse method) that uses vibration pressure of a piezo element, and an electrical signal is converted into an acoustic beam. An acoustic ink jet system that irradiates the ink and discharges the ink using the radiation pressure is preferable.

The ink jet recording apparatus that can be used in the ink jet recording method of the present invention is not particularly limited, and a known ink jet recording apparatus that has an electron beam irradiation means and can achieve a target resolution is arbitrarily selected. Can be used.
As the ink jet recording apparatus that can be used in the ink jet recording method of the present invention, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention described later can be suitably used.
Moreover, it is preferable that the ink jet recording method of the present invention ejects ink by a single pass method.

Examples of the ink jet recording apparatus that can be used in the present invention include an apparatus including an ink supply system, a temperature sensor, and an electron beam source.
The ink supply system includes, for example, an original tank containing ink, a supply pipe, an ink supply tank immediately before the inkjet head, a filter, and a piezo-type inkjet head. The piezo-type inkjet head preferably has a multi-size dot of 1 to 100 pl, more preferably 8 to 30 pl, preferably 320 × 320 to 4,000 × 4,000 dpi, more preferably 400 × 400 to 1,600 ×. It can be driven so as to discharge at a resolution of 1,600 dpi, more preferably 600 × 600 to 1,200 × 1,200 dpi. In the present invention, dpi represents the number of dots per 2.54 cm.

When only one ink is used as the ink used in the ink jet recording method of the present invention, the total droplet ejection amount per unit area of the ink is preferably 0.001 to 10 g / m ^2. more preferably ~9g / m ^2, and particularly preferably 0.5 to 8 g / m ^2.
When two or more inks are used as the ink used in the ink jet recording method of the present invention, the total droplet ejection amount per unit area of the ink is preferably 0.001 to 10 g / m ^2. more preferably ~9g / m ^2, and particularly preferably 0.5 to 8 g / m ^2.

Since it is preferable to set the discharged ink to a constant temperature, the ink jet recording apparatus preferably includes a means for stabilizing the ink temperature. The parts to be kept at a constant temperature are all the piping systems and members from the ink tank (intermediate tank if there is an intermediate tank) to the nozzle ejection surface. That is, heat insulation and heating can be performed from the ink supply tank to the inkjet head portion.
The temperature control method is not particularly limited, but for example, it is preferable to provide a plurality of temperature sensors at each piping site and perform heating control according to the ink flow rate and the environmental temperature. The temperature sensor can be provided near the ink supply tank and the nozzle of the inkjet head. Moreover, it is preferable that the head unit to be heated is thermally shielded or insulated so that the apparatus main body is not affected by the temperature from the outside air. In order to shorten the printer start-up time required for heating or to reduce the loss of heat energy, it is preferable to insulate from other parts and reduce the heat capacity of the entire heating unit.

  It is preferable to keep the temperature of the ink as constant as possible during ejection. Therefore, in the present invention, the control range of the ink temperature is preferably set to ± 5 ° C. of the set temperature, more preferably ± 2 ° C. of the set temperature, and further preferably set temperature ± 1 ° C.

In the ink jet recording method of the present invention, the ink may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
At least one of the inks used in the inkjet recording method of the present invention contains polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water, and does not contain a polymerization initiator or contains a polymerization initiator May be any ink that is greater than 0% by mass and not greater than 0.1% by mass, but all of the inks used in the inkjet recording method of the present invention are all polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, pigments, and The ink preferably contains water and does not contain a polymerization initiator or the content of the polymerization initiator exceeds 0% by mass and is 0.1% by mass or less.
For example, when forming a color image, it is preferable to use at least yellow, cyan, magenta, and black color inks, and it is more preferable to use white, yellow, cyan, magenta, and black color inks.
Further, light color inks such as light magenta and light cyan, special color inks such as orange, green and violet, metallic inks, and the like may be used.
In the ink jet recording method of the present invention, clear ink may be used as ink other than the specific ink.

  In the ink jet recording method of the present invention, when two or more types of ink are used, the order of the inks to be ejected is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to eject the ink from a low brightness ink onto the substrate. When cyan, magenta and black are used, it is preferable to discharge from black to the substrate, and it is preferable to discharge black, cyan, magenta and yellow onto the substrate in this order. Further, when white is used in addition to this, it is preferable to discharge onto the substrate in the order of black, cyan, magenta, yellow and white. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to this, and an ink set including at least a total of seven colors of yellow, light cyan, light magenta, cyan, magenta, black, and white ink can be preferably used. , Black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan, light magenta, and white are preferably discharged onto the substrate in this order.

<Drying process>
The ink jet recording method of the present invention includes a drying step of removing at least a part of water in the ink ejected in the ejection step and drying the ink.
The drying method used in the drying step is not particularly limited as long as at least a part of water in the ink can be removed, but preferably includes thermal drying, drying under reduced pressure, and / or drying by airflow (air drying). .
Especially, in the said drying process, it is preferable to perform at least heat drying.
Although the heating temperature at the time of the thermal drying depends on the boiling point of the organic solvent to be used, the surface temperature of the substrate is preferably 30 ° C to 90 ° C, more preferably 40 ° C to 80 ° C. More preferably, the temperature is 50 ° C to 80 ° C.
Further, the heating time at the time of the thermal drying is preferably 0.05 to 10 seconds, preferably 0.1 to 5 seconds, although it depends on the ink discharge amount and the boiling point of the organic solvent to be used. Is more preferable, and it is still more preferable that it is 0.1 to 3 second.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a heating means used for the said heat drying, Well-known heat dryers, such as a heater, can be used.
The pressure during the drying under reduced pressure is not particularly limited as long as at least part of the water in the ink can be removed.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a pressure reduction means used for the said reduced pressure drying, Well-known pressure reduction means, such as a vacuum pump, can be used.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a ventilation means used for the said air drying, Well-known ventilation means, such as a fan and an air blower, can be used.
In the air drying, a dry gas such as dry air or dry nitrogen may be blown.
In the inkjet recording method of the present invention, when two or more types of ink are used, the drying step may be performed every time one type of ink is ejected or after the ejection of all the inks used is completed. However, it is preferably performed after the discharge of all the inks used is completed.

<Curing process>
The ink jet recording method of the present invention includes a curing step of curing the ink dried in the drying step with an electron beam.
In the ink jet recording method of the present invention, when two or more types of ink are used, the curing step is performed every time one type of ink is discharged and dried, but after all of the ink used is discharged and dried. Although it may be performed, it is preferably performed after the discharge and drying of all the inks used are completed.
The electron beam is considered to reach the lowermost layer (ink in contact with the substrate) even when the two or more types of inks are applied and laminated.

An electron beam (electron beam) is an electron particle beam.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as an electron beam exposure means used for the said hardening process, A well-known electron beam irradiation apparatus and an electron beam accelerator can be used.
As the electron beam irradiation apparatus and the electron beam accelerator, a scanning method, a double scanning method, or a curtain beam method can be adopted, and a curtain beam method that can obtain a large output at a relatively low cost can be adopted.

The acceleration voltage of the electron beam in the curing step is preferably 150 kV or less, more preferably 30 to 150 kV, still more preferably 50 to 130 kV, particularly preferably 70 to 110 kV, 80 Most preferably, it is ˜110 kV. Within the above range, the generation of low molecular compounds derived from the substrate can be suppressed, and the odor and the migration of the ink composition in the obtained printed matter are less.
The electron beam in the curing step is preferably irradiated so that the absorbed dose in the dried ink is 30 kGy or less, more preferably 5 to 30 kGy, and more preferably 10 to 30 kGy. Irradiation is particularly preferred. Within the above range, the generation of a low molecular compound derived from the substrate can be suppressed, the odor and the migration of the ink composition in the obtained printed matter are less, and the energy efficiency is excellent and the economy is excellent.
In the curing step, the electron beam irradiation may be performed only once, or may be performed twice or more, but is preferably performed only once. Further, when the electron beam is irradiated twice or more, it is preferable that the irradiated electron beam is irradiated so that the total absorbed dose is 30 kGy or less.
The irradiation time of the electron beam is not particularly limited as long as it satisfies the above absorbed dose.
The atmosphere around the printed material irradiated with the electron beam is not particularly limited, but the oxygen concentration is preferably 2% by volume or less, more preferably 1% by volume or less, and the oxygen concentration is 300 ppm or less. More preferably. It is excellent in sclerosis | hardenability as it is the said range, especially surface curability. The oxygen concentration is preferably adjusted by nitrogen purge.

  Regarding the electron beam irradiation device and its operating conditions, “UV / EB curing technology” (1982, issued by the Technical Center, Inc.) and “Applied technology of low energy electron beam irradiation” (2000, The well-known thing described in (CMC issuance) etc. can be used.

  Moreover, the conveyance speed of the base material in the inkjet recording method of the present invention, that is, the printing speed is preferably 5 to 300 m / min, more preferably 20 to 200 m / min, and 25 to 100 m / min. More preferably, it is more preferably 25 to 75 m / min. According to the ink jet recording method of the present invention, even during the high-speed printing as described above, it is possible to obtain a printed matter with less odor and migration of the ink composition and excellent in alcohol resistance and high temperature resistance.

<Lamination process>
The ink jet recording method of the present invention may further include a laminating step of forming at least an adhesive layer and a laminating film on the surface of the substrate having the cured ink after the curing step.
The laminating step is more preferably a laminating step in which an adhesive layer and a laminate film are formed on the entire surface of the substrate having the cured ink.
By laminating, elution and blocking of the ink component from the printed matter, and volatilization and elution of the residual monomer can be further suppressed, and it can be preferably used particularly for food packaging.
The adhesive layer is not particularly limited, and can be formed by applying a known adhesive by a known method.
As the laminate film, a resin film is preferably used, and examples thereof include a polyethylene terephthalate film, a polypropylene film, a nylon film, a polyvinyl chloride film, a polyethylene film, and a triacetyl cellulose film. Moreover, those films may be biaxially stretched.
In the laminating process, the laminate film may be bonded after the adhesive layer is formed on the image, or may be bonded on the image after the adhesive layer is first applied to the laminate film.
As a method for laminating, a known method can be used without any particular limitation, and dry lamination can be exemplified.
When a resin film is used as the base material, it is preferable to use a resin film having high adhesiveness with the resin film used on the surface on which the base material is laminated, although it depends on the laminating method selected. .

<Surface treatment process>
The ink jet recording method of the present invention preferably further includes a surface treatment step of subjecting at least one surface of the substrate to a surface treatment prior to the above-described ejection step.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as surface treatment in the said surface treatment process, Although well-known surface treatment can be performed as desired, Hydrophilization treatment is preferable and corona treatment is mentioned more preferably.
By subjecting the surface of the base material to hydrophilic treatment, particularly corona treatment, the adhesion between the base material and the ink and the image quality are improved.
The substrate surface treatment in the inkjet recording method of the present invention may use a substrate that has been surface-treated in advance, or may use an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a surface treatment means. It is preferable to use an ink jet recording apparatus provided with

<Processing liquid application process>
The ink jet recording method of the present invention preferably further includes a treatment liquid application step of applying a treatment liquid containing an aggregating agent to the substrate before the discharge step.
Details of the treatment liquid used in the present invention will be described later.

  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, or the like can be used. The details of the inkjet method are as described above.

The treatment liquid application process may be provided either before or after the ejection process using the specific ink. In this embodiment, the aspect which provided the process liquid provision process before the discharge process is preferable.
Specifically, before applying the specific ink on the base material, a treatment liquid is applied in advance to agglomerate components (polymer particles and the like described later) in the specific ink, and the base material is applied on the base material. An embodiment in which an image is formed by applying a specific ink so as to come into contact with the treatment liquid is preferable. Thereby, inkjet recording can be speeded up, and an image with high density and resolution can be obtained even at high speed.
Moreover, when the inkjet recording method of this invention includes the said surface treatment process, it is preferable to include a process liquid provision process after a surface treatment process.

The application amount of the treatment liquid is not particularly limited, preferably, may be a amount of the applied coagulant is 0.1 g / m ² or more. Especially, the quantity from which the provision amount of an aggregating agent will be 0.2-2.0 g / m < ² > is preferable. When the application amount of the flocculant is 0.1 g / m ² or more, good high-speed flocculence can be maintained according to various usage forms of the specific ink. Moreover, it is preferable that the application amount of the aggregating component is 2.0 g / m ² or less because it does not affect the surface properties of the applied base material (such as a change in gloss).

  Further, in the present invention, the treatment liquid is provided after the treatment liquid application process, and after the treatment liquid is applied onto the substrate, the treatment liquid on the substrate is dried before the specific ink is applied. A drying step may be further provided. As a result, the effect of preventing bleeding and improving ink colorability can be obtained, and as a result, a visible image having a good color density and hue can be recorded. The preferred embodiment of the means and method for drying the treatment liquid is the same as the means and method for drying the image in the preferred embodiment of the drying step described above.

  Drying can be performed by a known heating means such as a heater, a blowing means using blowing air 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 substrate, a method of applying warm air or hot air to the treatment liquid application surface of the substrate, an infrared heater was used. The heating method etc. are mentioned, You may heat combining these two or more.

The ink jet recording method of the present invention may include steps other than those described above.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as another process, A well-known process can be included.

<Ink>
The ink jet recording method of the present invention contains polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water and does not contain a polymerization initiator or the content of the polymerization initiator exceeds 0% by mass. At least an ink of 1% by mass or less (hereinafter also referred to as “specific ink”) is used. In the present invention, the specific ink preferably does not substantially contain a polymerization initiator.
In the present invention, the specific ink is preferably one in which polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group and a pigment are dispersed in water or a solvent containing water as a main component. In the present invention, the main component of the composition such as the specific ink refers to a component occupying 50% by mass or more of the composition.
In the inkjet recording method of the present invention, at least one type of specific ink may be used, but it is preferable that all the inks used are specific inks.
The specific ink used in the present invention is a water-based ink that can be cured by an electron beam.
The specific ink does not contain a polymerization initiator, or the content of the polymerization initiator is more than 0% by mass and 0.1% by mass or less with respect to the total mass of the specific ink. Or the content of the polymerization initiator is preferably more than 0% by mass and 0.05% by mass or less, more preferably no polymerization initiator, with respect to the total mass of the specific ink. . In the above embodiment, a printed matter with less odor and heptane extract can be obtained.

  The specific ink does not contain an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, or the content of the ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000 is 0 with respect to the total mass of the specific ink. It is preferably more than 0.1% by mass and more than 0.1% by mass. That is, the specific ink preferably does not substantially contain an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, does not contain an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, or is less than 1,000. It is more preferable that the content of the ethylenically unsaturated compound is more than 0% by mass and not more than 0.05% by mass with respect to the total mass of the specific ink. It is particularly preferred not to include it. In the above embodiment, a printed matter with less odor and heptane extract can be obtained.

The specific ink in the present invention does not contain particles having a particle size of 1 μm or more, or the content of particles having a particle size of 1 μm or more is 0% relative to the total mass of the specific ink, from the viewpoint of ink ejection properties. It is preferably more than 0.01% by mass and more than 0.01% by mass, and more preferably no particles having a particle size of 1 μm or more.
It does not specifically limit as a material of the said particle | grain, For example, resin, organic substance, an inorganic substance, these compounds, a mixture, etc. are mentioned.
As the particle diameter of the particle, an equivalent circle diameter obtained from the projected area of the particle in the observation image obtained by observing the particle with a transmission electron microscope can be used.

〔water〕
The specific ink used in the present invention contains water.
Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular in content of water, Content of water can be 50 mass% or more with respect to the total mass of specific ink, for example.
The content of the water is preferably 50% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less, more preferably 50% by mass or more and 75% by mass or less, and still more preferably 50% by mass or more and 70% by mass with respect to the total amount of the specific ink. It is as follows.

[Polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group]
The specific ink includes polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group (hereinafter also referred to as “specific polymer particles”).
The particle size of the specific polymer particles is preferably in the range of 1 nm to 400 nm, more preferably in the range of 1 nm to 200 nm, and still more preferably in the range of 10 nm to 100 nm.
If the volume average particle size is 1 nm or more, the production suitability is improved, and if the volume average particle size is 400 nm or less, the storage stability of the specific ink is improved.
Here, the volume average particle diameter of the specific polymer particles refers to a value measured by a particle size distribution measuring apparatus using light scattering (for example, Nanotrack UPA (registered trademark) EX150 manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.).

The weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the specific polymer particles in the present invention is 10,000 or more, preferably 30,000 or more, and more preferably 100,000 or more. The upper limit of the weight average molecular weight is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1,000,000 or less, and more preferably 500,000 or less. In addition, a weight average molecular weight is the value measured as a polystyrene conversion value using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The above GPC uses HLC-8020GPC (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation), and uses 3 columns of TSKgel (registered trademark) and Super Multipore HZ-H (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation, 4.6 mm ID × 15 cm) as elution. This is performed using THF (tetrahydrofuran) as a liquid.
GPC is performed using a RI (Refractive Index) detector with a sample concentration of 0.45 mass%, a flow rate of 0.35 ml / min, a sample injection amount of 10 μl, a measurement temperature of 40 ° C. .
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 glass transition temperature (Tg) of the specific polymer particles is preferably 40 ° C. or higher.
The upper limit of the glass transition temperature of the specific polymer particles is preferably 250 ° C.
The glass transition temperature of the specific polymer particles is preferably in the range of 50 ° C. or higher and 230 ° C. or lower.
For example, when an image is formed by applying a specific ink to a substrate together with a processing liquid described later, the specific polymer particles are contained in the specific ink when contacting the processing liquid or a region where the processing liquid is dried. It preferably has a function of fixing specific ink by destabilizing and aggregating and thickening.
Thereby, the abrasion resistance of the image is further improved. Furthermore, image unevenness is further suppressed. Furthermore, the adhesion of the specific ink to the substrate and the scratch resistance of the image are further improved.

  The glass transition temperature of the specific polymer particles can be appropriately controlled by a commonly used method. For example, by appropriately selecting the type of monomer (polymerizable compound) constituting the specific polymer particle and the composition ratio thereof, the molecular weight of the polymer constituting the specific polymer particle, etc., the glass transition temperature of the specific polymer particle is set within a desired range. Can be controlled.

In this specification, the measured Tg obtained by actual measurement is applied to the glass transition temperature of the specific polymer particles.
Specifically, the measurement Tg means a value measured under normal measurement conditions using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) EXSTAR 6220 manufactured by SII Nanotechnology. However, when measurement is difficult due to polymer decomposition or the like, calculation Tg calculated by the following calculation formula is applied. The calculation Tg is calculated by the following equation (1).
1 / Tg = Σ (Xi / Tgi) (1)
Here, it is assumed that n types of monomer components from i = 1 to n are copolymerized in the polymer to be calculated. Xi is the mass fraction of the i-th monomer (ΣXi = 1), and Tgi is the glass transition temperature (absolute temperature) of the homopolymer of the i-th monomer. However, Σ is the sum from i = 1 to n. The homopolymer glass transition temperature value (Tgi) of each monomer employs the value of Polymer Handbook (3rd Edition) (by J. Brandrup, EH Immergut (Wiley-Interscience, 1989)).

Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular as an ethylenically unsaturated group in a specific polymer particle, A (meth) acryloxy group is preferable.
The number of ethylenically unsaturated groups that the specific polymer particles have is not particularly limited, but is preferably 2 to 100, more preferably 2 to 20, and still more preferably 2 to 6.

As the specific polymer particles, for example, specific polymer particles formed of a resin selected from a thermoplastic resin and a thermosetting resin can be used. These resins have an ethylenically unsaturated group.
Examples of the resin used for forming the specific polymer particles include acrylic resin, epoxy resin, polyurethane, polyether resin, polyamide resin, unsaturated polyester resin, phenol resin, silicone resin, fluorine resin, and polyvinyl resin (eg, vinyl chloride). , Vinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, or polyvinyl butyral), alkyd resin, polyester resin (eg, phthalic acid resin, etc.), amino material (eg, melamine resin, melamine formaldehyde resin, aminoalkyd co-condensation resin, urea resin, urea resin) Etc.) are modified so as to have an ethylenically unsaturated group.
In addition, the resin forming the specific polymer particles may be a copolymer including two or more structural units constituting the resin exemplified above, or may be a mixture of two or more resins. Further, the specific polymer particles themselves may be composite resin particles in which two or more kinds of resins are laminated like a core / shell, for example, as well as a mixture of two or more kinds of resins.
Among the above, the specific polymer particles preferably contain polyurethane from the viewpoint that an ink excellent in adhesion to the substrate can be obtained and a printed matter excellent in alcohol resistance and high temperature resistance can be obtained.

  The polyurethane having an ethylenically unsaturated group is obtained by, for example, reacting a polyol and a polyisocyanate to obtain a polyurethane having a hydroxyl group or an isocyanate group, and then converting the polyurethane into a compound having a hydroxyl group and a (meth) acryloxy group or an isocyanate group and It can be obtained by reacting with a compound having a (meth) acryloxy group.

The specific polymer particles used in the present invention are preferably particles that can be redispersed in water or a solvent containing water as a main component after the drying step and before the curing step.
According to the above aspect, nozzle clogging due to adhesion of dried ink can be suppressed, and the nozzle can be easily cleaned.
Whether or not the specific polymer particles can be redispersed in water or a solvent containing water as a main component can be confirmed by a water friction test.
An ink film is obtained by placing a test ink containing specific polymer particles, a pigment, and a surfactant on a substrate, drying by heat drying, and returning to room temperature. Then, using a lint-free cloth soaked in water, the ink film is lightly wiped only once, and when the pigment remains on the support cannot be visually confirmed, the specific polymer particles are redispersed. Judge that it is possible.

Commercial products may be used as the specific polymer particles. Examples of commercially available products include those shown below.
Examples of the polyurethane having an ethylenically unsaturated group include GM0868-VP manufactured by BASF.
Examples include UCECOAT7571, UCECOAT7571, UCECOAT7655 manufactured by Daicel Ornex Co., Ltd., Superflex R-5002 manufactured by Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd., and the like. Moreover, as a polyurethane which has an ethylenically unsaturated group, the compound as described in a well-known literature (Progress in Organic Coatings, 2006, 55, 291-295) can also be disperse | distributed to water and used.

The specific polymer particles may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
The content of the specific polymer particles in the specific ink is preferably 1 to 50% by mass, more preferably 5 to 30% by mass, and 5 to 25% by mass with respect to the total mass of the specific ink. More preferably it is.
The content of the specific polymer particles in the specific ink is preferably 10 to 98% by mass, more preferably 20 to 95% by mass, and more preferably 30 to 90% with respect to the total solid content of the specific ink. It is particularly preferable that the content is% by mass.
The total solid content in the specific ink is an amount excluding water and a water-soluble solvent.
The content of the specific polymer particles in the specific ink is preferably 99% by mass or more with respect to the total mass of the ethylenically unsaturated compound (compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group) in the specific ink. More preferably, it is 0.5 mass% or more, more preferably 99.9 mass% or more, and particularly preferably 100 mass%.

  The specific polymer particles are preferably added to the specific ink as a dispersion dispersed in water. Further, after being added to the specific ink, it is preferable to disperse again in the specific ink. For the dispersion of the pigment, for example, a dispersion device such as a ball mill, a sand mill, an attritor, a roll mill, an agitator, a Henschel mixer, a colloid mill, an ultrasonic homogenizer, a pearl mill, a wet jet mill, or a paint shaker can be used.

[Pigment]
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a pigment, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, any of an organic pigment and an inorganic pigment may be sufficient. Further, a black pigment, a magenta pigment, a cyan pigment, and a yellow pigment may be used as the coloring pigment. The pigment is preferably insoluble or hardly soluble in water from the viewpoint of ink colorability.
As the pigment, it is preferable to select a compound that does not function as a polymerization inhibitor from the viewpoint of not reducing the sensitivity of the curing reaction by the electron beam.
The pigment used in the present invention is preferably a resin-coated pigment having a structure in which at least a part of the surface of the pigment is coated with a resin (hereinafter also referred to as “coating resin”). Thereby, the dispersion stability of the specific ink is improved, and the quality of the formed image is improved.

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

  When an organic pigment is used, the average particle size of the organic pigment is preferably small from the viewpoint of transparency and color reproducibility, but is preferably large from the viewpoint of light resistance. From the viewpoint of achieving both of these, the average particle size is preferably 10 nm to 200 nm, more preferably 10 nm to 150 nm, and still more preferably 10 nm to 120 nm. The particle size distribution of the organic pigment is not particularly limited, and may be either a wide particle size distribution or a monodispersed particle size distribution. Two or more kinds of organic pigments having a monodispersed particle size distribution may be mixed and used.

You may use a pigment individually by 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types.
The content of the pigment in the specific ink is preferably 1% by mass to 20% by mass and more preferably 2% by mass to 10% by mass with respect to the specific ink from the viewpoint of image density.

-Coating resin-
As the coating resin in the resin-coated pigment, a dispersant is preferable.
The dispersant may be either a polymer dispersant or a low molecular surfactant type dispersant.
The polymer dispersant may be either a water-soluble dispersant or a water-insoluble dispersant.

  As the low molecular surfactant type dispersant, for example, known low molecular surfactant type dispersants described in paragraphs 0047 to 0052 of JP2011-178029A can be used.

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

In addition, in hydrophilic polymer compounds modified from natural products, fiber polymers such as methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, starch such as sodium starch glycolate and sodium starch phosphate And seaweed polymers such as sodium alginate, propylene glycol alginate, and the like.
Further, synthetic hydrophilic polymer compounds include vinyl polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and polyvinyl methyl ether, non-crosslinked polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid or alkali metal salts thereof, water-soluble styrene acrylic resins, and the like. Acrylic resin, water-soluble styrene maleic acid resin, water-soluble vinyl naphthalene acrylic resin, water-soluble vinyl naphthalene maleic resin, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, alkali metal salt of β-naphthalene sulfonic acid formalin condensate, quaternary ammonium, Examples thereof include polymer compounds having a salt of a cationic functional group such as an amino group in the side chain, natural polymer compounds such as shellac, and the like.

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

Among the polymer dispersants, as the water-insoluble dispersant, a polymer having both a hydrophobic portion and a hydrophilic portion can be used. The hydrophilic structural unit is preferably a structural unit having an acidic group, and more preferably a structural unit having a carboxyl group. Examples of the water-insoluble resin include styrene- (meth) acrylic acid copolymer, styrene- (meth) acrylic acid- (meth) acrylic acid ester copolymer, (meth) acrylic acid ester- (meth) acrylic acid copolymer. Examples thereof include a polymer, a polyethylene glycol (meth) acrylate- (meth) acrylic acid copolymer, a vinyl acetate-maleic acid copolymer, and a styrene-maleic acid copolymer.
More specifically, for example, water-insoluble resins described in JP-A-2005-41994, JP-A-2006-273891, JP-A-2009-84494, JP-A-2009-191134 and the like are used in the present invention. Can also be suitably used.

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

  In addition, the weight average molecular weight of a polymer dispersing agent refers to the value calculated | required by the method similar to the weight average molecular weight of the above-mentioned specific polymer particle.

  The polymer dispersant preferably contains a polymer having a carboxyl group from the viewpoints of self-dispersibility and aggregation rate when the treatment liquid comes into contact. The polymer dispersant has a carboxyl group and has an acid value of 130 mgKOH / g or less. It is preferable that the polymer has an acid value of 25 mgKOH / g to 120 mgKOH / g. In particular, when the specific ink in the present invention is used together with a treatment liquid that aggregates the components in the specific ink, a polymer dispersant having a carboxyl group and an acid value of 25 mgKOH / g to 100 mgKOH / g is effective. . The processing liquid will be described later.

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

  The content of the coating resin for coating the pigment with respect to the total mass of the specific ink is preferably 0.5% by mass to 3.0% by mass, more preferably 1.0% by mass to 2.8% by mass, and 1.2% by mass. -2.5 mass% is still more preferable.

  The mass ratio of the coating resin and the inorganic salt (coating resin / inorganic salt) is preferably 10 to 250, more preferably 15 to 200, and more preferably 30 to 150, from the viewpoints of ink viscosity reduction and image surface roughness suppression. Is more preferable.

  The volume average particle diameter (secondary particle diameter) of the resin-coated pigment (pigment in a dispersed state) is preferably 10 nm to 200 nm, more preferably 10 nm to 150 nm, and still more preferably 10 nm to 100 nm. When the volume average particle size is 200 nm or less, the color reproducibility is good, and the droplet ejection characteristics when droplets are ejected by the ink jet method are good. When the volume average particle size is 10 nm or more, light resistance is improved. Further, the particle size distribution of the color material is not particularly limited, and may be either a wide particle size distribution or a monodisperse particle size distribution. Two or more color materials having a monodispersed particle size distribution may be mixed and used. Here, the volume average particle diameter of the pigment in the dispersed state indicates the average particle diameter in the ink state, but the same applies to the so-called concentrated ink dispersion in the previous stage before the ink is formed.

  Here, the volume average particle diameter of the resin-coated pigment refers to a value obtained by the same method as the volume average particle diameter of the specific polymer particles described above.

Moreover, it is preferable that resin which coat | covers the pigment in a resin coating pigment is bridge | crosslinked with the crosslinking agent.
That is, the resin-coated pigment is preferably a resin-coated pigment in which at least a part of the surface of the pigment is coated with a resin crosslinked with a crosslinking agent.
Regarding the resin-coated pigment in which at least a part of the surface of the pigment is coated with a resin crosslinked with a crosslinking agent, paragraphs 0029 to 0048, paragraphs 0110 to 0118, and paragraphs 0111 to 0129 of JP2012-162655A. In addition, the description in paragraphs 0035 to 0071 of JP2013-47311A can be appropriately referred to.

The crosslinking agent is not particularly limited as long as it is a compound having two or more sites that react with a resin, but preferably has two or more epoxy groups from the viewpoint of excellent reactivity with a carboxy group. (A bifunctional or higher functional epoxy compound).
Specific examples of the crosslinking agent include ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, 1,6-hexanediol diglycidyl ether, diethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, dipropylene glycol diglycidyl ether, polypropylene glycol diglycidyl ether, Examples include trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether, and polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, diethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, and trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether are preferable.

  A commercial item can also be used as a crosslinking agent. As a commercial item, Dencol EX-321, EX-821, EX-830, EX-850, EX-851 (made by Nagase ChemteX Corporation) etc. can be used, for example.

  The molar ratio of the crosslinking site of the crosslinking agent (for example, epoxy group) and the crosslinked site of the resin (for example, carboxy group) is preferably 1: 1 to 1:10 from the viewpoint of the crosslinking reaction rate and the dispersion stability after crosslinking. 1: 1 to 1: 5 is more preferable, and 1: 1 to 1: 1.5 is most preferable.

[Surfactant]
The specific ink used in the present invention can contain a surfactant as necessary. The surfactant can be used as a surface tension adjusting agent, for example.
As the surfactant, a compound having a structure having both a hydrophilic portion and a hydrophobic portion in the molecule can be used effectively. Anionic surfactant, cationic surfactant, amphoteric surfactant, nonionic surfactant Either a surfactant or a betaine surfactant can be used. Furthermore, the above-described polymer dispersant may be used as a surfactant.

The surfactant is preferably a nonionic surfactant from the viewpoint of suppressing ink droplet ejection interference, and more preferably an acetylene glycol derivative (acetylene glycol-based surfactant).
Examples of acetylene glycol surfactants include 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol and 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7. -Alkylene oxide adduct of diol etc. can be mentioned, It is preferable that it is at least 1 sort (s) chosen from this. Examples of commercially available products of these compounds include E series such as Olfin E1010 manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
As the surfactant other than the acetylene glycol surfactant, a fluorine surfactant is preferable. Examples of the fluorine surfactant include an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, and a betaine surfactant, and among these, an anionic surfactant is more preferable. Examples of anionic surfactants include Capstone FS30, Capstone FS31, Capstone FS63, Capstone FS61 (manufactured by Dupont), Footgent 100, Footgent 110, Footgent 150 (manufactured by Neos), CHEMGUARD S- 760P (manufactured by Chemguard Inc.) and the like.

When a surfactant (surface tension modifier) is contained in the specific ink, the surfactant adjusts the surface tension of the specific ink to 20 mN / m to 60 mN / m from the viewpoint of favorably discharging the specific ink by the inkjet method. It is preferable to contain the quantity of the range which can be performed, More preferably, it is 20mN / m-45mN / m from the point of surface tension, More preferably, it is 25mN / m-40mN / m.
Here, the surface tension of the specific ink indicates a value measured under the condition of a liquid temperature of 25 ° C. using an Automatic Surface Tensiometer CBVP-Z (manufactured by Kyowa Interface Science Co., Ltd.).

  When the specific ink in the present invention contains a surfactant, the specific amount of the surfactant is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01% by mass or more, more preferably 0.8%, based on the total amount of the specific ink. It is 5 mass%-10 mass%, More preferably, it is 0.1 mass%-3 mass%.

〔urea〕
The specific ink in the present invention can contain urea.
Since urea has a high moisturizing function, it can effectively suppress undesirable drying or coagulation of the ink as a solid wetting agent.
Furthermore, the specific ink in the present invention contains the colloidal silica and urea described above, so that the maintenance performance (wiping workability) of the ink jet head and the like is more effectively improved.

  The urea content in the specific ink in the present invention is preferably 1% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less, more preferably 1% by mass or more and 15% by mass or less, from the viewpoint of improving maintenance properties (wiping workability). 3 mass% or more and 10 mass% or less are still more preferable.

  When the specific ink in the present invention contains urea and colloidal silica, which will be described later, the urea content and the colloidal silica content ratio are not particularly limited, but the urea content ratio relative to the colloidal silica ( (Urea / colloidal silica) is preferably 5 to 1,000, more preferably 10 to 500, and still more preferably 20 to 200.

[Colloidal silica]
The specific ink in the present invention may contain colloidal silica as necessary.
Thereby, the stability at the time of continuous discharge of ink can be improved more.
Colloidal silica is a colloid composed of fine particles of inorganic oxide containing silicon having an average particle size of several hundred nm or less. Colloidal silica contains silicon dioxide (including its hydrate) as a main component, and may contain aluminate (sodium aluminate, potassium aluminate, etc.) as a minor component.
In addition, colloidal silica may contain inorganic salts such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide, and organic salts such as tetramethylammonium hydroxide. These inorganic salts and organic salts act, for example, as colloid stabilizers.
About colloidal silica, the description of Paragraphs 0043-0050 of JP, 2011-202117, A can be referred to suitably, for example.
Moreover, the specific ink in the present invention may contain an alkali metal silicate salt instead of or in addition to the colloidal silica, if necessary. Regarding the alkali metal silicate, the description in paragraphs 0052 to 0056 of JP-A-2011-202117 can be appropriately referred to.

  When the specific ink in the invention contains colloidal silica, the content of the colloidal silica is preferably 0.0001% by mass to 10% by mass, and more preferably 0.01% by mass to 3% by mass with respect to the total amount of the specific ink. 0.02% by mass to 0.5% by mass is more preferable, and 0.03% by mass to 0.3% by mass is particularly preferable.

[Water-soluble polymer compound]
The specific ink in the invention may contain a water-soluble polymer compound as necessary.
The water-soluble polymer compound is not particularly limited, and known water-soluble polymer compounds such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and polyethylene glycol can be used.
Further, as the water-soluble polymer compound, a specific polymer compound that may be contained in a treatment liquid described later, or a water-soluble polymer compound described in paragraphs 0026 to 0080 of JP2013-001854A is also suitable. is there.

  In the present specification, “water-soluble” refers to the property of being soluble in water at a certain concentration or more. “Water-soluble” preferably has a property of dissolving 5 g or more (more preferably 10 g or more) in 100 g of water at 25 ° C.

  When the specific ink in the present invention contains a water-soluble polymer compound, the content of the water-soluble polymer compound is preferably from 0.0001% by mass to 10% by mass, and from 0.01% by mass to the total amount of the specific ink. 3 mass% is more preferable, 0.02 mass%-0.5 mass% is still more preferable, and 0.03 mass%-0.3 mass% is especially preferable.

[Defoamer]
The specific ink in the present invention may contain an antifoaming agent as necessary.
Examples of the antifoaming agent include silicone compounds (silicone defoaming agents) and pluronic compounds (pluronic defoaming agents). Among these, silicone antifoaming agents are preferable.
As the silicone-based antifoaming agent, a silicone-based antifoaming agent having a polysiloxane structure is preferable.

A commercial item can be used as an antifoamer.
Examples of commercially available products include BYK-012, 017, 021, 022, 024, 025, 038, 094 (above, manufactured by Big Chemie Japan Co., Ltd.), KS-537, KS-604, KM-72F (above, Shin-Etsu Chemical). Kogyo Co., Ltd.), TSA-739 (Momentive Performance Materials Japan GK), Olfin AF104 (Nisshin Chemical Co., Ltd.), and the like.

  When the specific ink in the present invention contains an antifoaming agent, the content of the antifoaming agent is preferably 0.0001% by mass to 1% by mass, and 0.001% by mass to 0.1% by mass with respect to the total amount of the specific ink. % Is more preferable.

[Inorganic salt]
The specific ink in the present invention may contain an inorganic salt as necessary.
Thereby, surface alignment of the formed image is suppressed.
Here, the surface area is a rough area in which a high density area and a low density area of a specific ink are unevenly distributed in an intermediate area (halftone area) between a bright area (highlight) and a dark area (shadow) of an image. A phenomenon that appears to be.
“Surface alignment” is not a phenomenon caused by local shortage of specific agglomeration such as “bleeding” or “streak” in the past, but non-aggregation due to non-uniform distribution of processing liquid on the substrate. This is a phenomenon that originates.

As the inorganic salt, hydrochloride or nitrate is preferable.
Among these, monovalent salts are preferable, alkali metal salts are more preferable, and lithium chloride, lithium nitrate, potassium chloride, or potassium nitrate is still more preferable in terms of excellent ink viscosity reduction and surface roughness suppression.
An inorganic salt can be used individually or in combination of 2 or more types.
When the specific ink in the present invention contains an inorganic salt, the content of the inorganic salt in the specific ink (the total content in the case of two or more types) is not particularly limited, but with respect to the total amount of the specific ink, 0.01 mass%-0.1 mass% are preferable, 0.02 mass%-0.1 mass% are more preferable, 0.03 mass%-0.1 mass% are especially preferable.

[Wax particles]
The specific ink according to the present invention can contain at least one wax particle. Thereby, abrasion resistance can be improved more.

  Examples of the wax particles include plant systems such as carnauba wax, candeli wax, beeswax, rice wax, lanolin, and other petroleum waxes such as animal wax, paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, polyethylene wax, oxidized polyethylene wax, and petrolatum. Particles of natural wax or synthetic wax such as montan wax, mineral wax such as ozokerite, synthetic wax such as carbon wax, Hoechst wax, polyolefin wax, stearamide, α-olefin / maleic anhydride copolymer, etc. A mixed particle etc. are mentioned.

The wax is preferably added in the form of a dispersion. For example, the wax can be contained in the specific ink as a dispersion such as an emulsion. As a solvent in the case of a dispersion, water is preferable, but the solvent is not limited to this. For example, a commonly used organic solvent can be appropriately selected and used during dispersion. Regarding the organic solvent, the description in paragraph 0027 of JP-A-2006-91780 can be referred to.
Wax particles can be used singly or in combination.

  As the wax particles, commercially available products may be used. Examples of commercially available products include Nopcoat PEM17 (manufactured by Sannopco), Chemipearl W4005 (manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals), AQUACER 515, AQUACER 593 (all of which are manufactured by Big Chemie Japan).

  Among the above, preferable waxes are carnauba wax and polyolefin wax, and carnauba wax is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of abrasion resistance.

  When the specific ink according to the present invention contains wax particles, the content ratio of the specific polymer particles to the wax particles is in the range of specific polymer particles: wax particles = 1: 5 to 5: 1 (solid content ratio). It is preferable. When the content ratio is within the above range, the image has excellent abrasion resistance.

(Polymerization inhibitor)
The specific ink may contain a polymerization inhibitor from the viewpoint of storage stability and suppression of head clogging.
Examples of the polymerization inhibitor include nitroso polymerization inhibitors, hindered amine polymerization inhibitors, hindered phenol polymerization inhibitors, hydroquinone, benzoquinone, p-methoxyphenol, TEMPO, TEMPOL, and cuperon Al.
A polymerization inhibitor may be used individually by 1 type, or may use 2 or more types together.
The content of the polymerization inhibitor is preferably 0.001 to 2% by mass, more preferably 0.01 to 1% by mass, and more preferably 0.02 to 0.8% with respect to the total mass of the specific ink. It is particularly preferable that the content is% by mass.

(Water-soluble solvent)
The specific ink may contain a water-soluble solvent.
Examples of the water-soluble solvent include alcohols (for example, methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, sec-butanol, t-butanol, pentanol, hexanol, cyclohexanol, benzyl alcohol), polyhydric alcohols ( For example, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, butylene glycol, hexanediol, pentanediol, glycerin, hexanetriol, thiodiglycol, dithiodiglycol, 2-methyl- 1,3-propanediol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, acetylene glycol derivative, trimethylol propylene ), Glycol derivatives (eg, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monobutyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, tri Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol diacetate, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, triethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monophenyl ether), amine (eg, ethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine) , N-methyldiethanolamine, N-ethyldiethanolamine, morpholine, N-ethylmorpholine, ethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine, polyethyleneimine, tetramethylpropylenediamine) and other polar solvents (eg, formamide, N, N-dimethyl) Formamide, N, N-dimethylacetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, sulfolane, 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, 2-oxazolidone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, Acetonitrile, acetone).
Examples of the water-soluble solvent used in combination with methanol include methanol, ethanol, n-butanol, isopropanol, t-butyl cellosolve (ethylene glycol mono t-butyl ether), n-butyl cellosolve (ethylene glycol mono n-butyl ether), isopropyl alcohol, t-Butyl cellosolve and n-butyl cellosolve are preferred.
In addition, the said water-soluble solvent may use 2 or more types together.
The content of the water-soluble solvent is preferably 20% by mass or less, and more preferably 10% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the specific ink.

-Anti-drying agent-
From the viewpoint of preventing clogging of the inkjet nozzles due to drying of the specific ink, the specific ink preferably contains a drying inhibitor (wetting agent).
As the drying inhibitor, a water-soluble solvent having a vapor pressure lower than that of water is preferable. Specific examples include ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, thiodiglycol, dithiodiglycol, 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, acetylene glycol derivatives, Polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin and trimethylolpropane, polyhydric alcohols such as ethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether, triethylene glycol monoethyl (or butyl) ether Lower alkyl ethers, 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, heterocyclic rings such as N-ethylmorpholine, sulfolane, dimethylsulfoxy De, sulfur-containing compounds such as 3-sulfolene, diacetone alcohol, polyfunctional compounds such as diethanolamine, and urea derivatives. Of these, polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin and diethylene glycol are more preferred. Moreover, said anti-drying agent may be used independently and may be used together 2 or more types. When the specific ink contains an anti-drying agent, the content of the anti-drying agent is preferably 1% by mass to 10% by mass with respect to the total mass of the specific ink.

[Other ingredients]
The specific ink of the present invention may contain other components as required in addition to the above components.
Examples of other components include solid wetting agents, anti-fading agents, emulsion stabilizers, penetration enhancers, ultraviolet absorbers, preservatives, antifungal agents, pH adjusting agents, viscosity adjusting agents, rust preventing agents, chelating agents, and the like. And known additives.
The specific ink includes water, specific polymer particles, pigments, and optionally surfactants, urea, colloidal silica, water-soluble polymer compounds, antifoaming agents, inorganic salts, wax particles, and polymerization inhibitors. It is preferable that the total amount of water-soluble solvent and anti-drying agent is 99% by mass or more. Water, specific polymer particles, and pigment, and optionally, surfactant, urea, colloidal silica More preferred is an ink comprising a water-soluble polymer compound, an antifoaming agent, an inorganic salt, wax particles, a polymerization inhibitor, a water-soluble solvent, and a drying inhibitor.

[Physical properties of specific ink]
The physical properties of the specific ink are not particularly limited, but the following physical properties are preferable.
The specific ink preferably has a pH of 7.5 or more at 25 ° C. (± 1 ° C.) from the viewpoint of the aggregation rate and the dispersion stability of the ink.
The pH (25 ° C. ± 1 ° C.) of the specific ink is preferably 7.5 to 13, and more preferably 7.5 to 10.
The viscosity of the specific ink of the present invention is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 25 mPa · s, more preferably in the range of 1 to 12 mPa · s, from the viewpoint of the aggregation rate.
The viscosity is measured under a condition of 30 ° C. using VISCOMETER TV-22 (manufactured by TOKI SANGYO CO. LTD.).

  The surface tension of the specific ink at 25 ° C. (± 1 ° C.) is preferably 60 mN / m or less, more preferably 20 to 50 mN / m, still more preferably 25 to 45 mN / m. When the surface tension of the specific ink is within the above range, the occurrence of curling in the substrate is suppressed, which is advantageous. The surface tension is measured under a condition of 25 ° C. by a plate method using an Automatic Surface Tensiometer CBVP-Z (manufactured by Kyowa Interface Science Co., Ltd.).

<Processing liquid>
The treatment liquid in the present invention contains a flocculant. The aggregating agent is a compound having an action of causing pigment particles and polymer particles in a dispersed state in the ink to gather together and destroying the dispersed state. Any compound having such an action may be used in the present invention. Applicable to.

[Flocculant]
Examples of the flocculant used in the present invention include a cationic polymer, an acidic compound, a polyvalent metal salt, and the like, and it is preferable that the cationic polymer is included from the viewpoint that the migration of the composition is small.
The aggregating agent is preferably a compound that aggregates specific polymer particles in specific ink.

-Cationic polymer-
Preferable examples of the cationic polymer include cationic surfactants. As the cationic surfactant, for example, a primary, secondary, or tertiary amine salt type compound is preferable. Examples of the amine salt type compounds include compounds such as hydrochloride or acetate (for example, laurylamine, cocoamine, stearylamine, rosinamine), quaternary ammonium salt type compounds (for example, lauryltrimethylammonium chloride, cetyltrimethyl). Ammonium chloride, lauryldimethylbenzylammonium chloride, benzyltributylammonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride, etc.), pyridinium salt type compounds (eg, cetylpyridinium chloride, cetylpyridinium bromide, etc.), imidazoline type cationic compounds (eg, 2-heptadecenyl- Hydroxyethyl imidazoline), ethylene oxide adducts of higher alkylamines (eg dihydroxyethyl stearylamine) It can gel. Polyallylamines may also be used. In addition to these, amphoteric surfactants that are cationic in a desired pH range can also be used. For example, amino acid type amphoteric surfactants, R-NH-CH ₂ CH ₂ -COOH type compounds (R is an alkyl group) A carboxylate type amphoteric surfactant (for example, stearyldimethylbetaine, lauryldihydroxyethylbetaine, etc.), amphoteric surfactants such as sulfate ester type, sulfonic acid type, or phosphate ester type, etc. Is mentioned.
The cationic polymer is preferably water-soluble or oil-soluble but dispersed in water in the form of fine particles. By using such a cationic polymer, the treatment liquid can also be an aqueous treatment liquid. Moreover, it is preferable that it is oil-soluble and is disperse | distributed in the fine particle state in water from a viewpoint of water-rubbing improvement.
The molecular weight of the cationic polymer is 10,000 or more, preferably 30,000 or more, and more preferably 100,000 or more. The upper limit of the weight average molecular weight is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1,000,000 or less, and more preferably 500,000 or less. The measurement method is the same as when the molecular weight of a specific polymer is measured.
Specific examples of the cationic polymer include water-soluble cationic polymers such as Charol DC-303P (Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.), Charol DC-902P (Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.), and HP137A (Senka Co., Ltd.). ), Unisense FPA100L (Senka Co., Ltd., Poly (dimethyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (manufactured by Aldrich Co., Ltd.), etc., and Acryt UV-319SX (manufactured by Taisei Fine Chemical Co., Ltd.) as a fine particle aqueous dispersion of a cationic polymer Acrit UV-223SX (manufactured by Taisei Fine Chemical Co., Ltd.), Acrit UV-550CS (manufactured by Taisei Fine Chemical Co., Ltd.), etc. The present invention is not limited to these compounds. Mixed use It is also possible to use a mixture of a water-soluble cationic polymer and a fine particle aqueous dispersion of a cationic polymer, and other coagulants such as acids and polyvalent metals described below can be used in combination.

-Acidic compounds-
Examples of the acidic compound include acidic substances that can lower the pH of the specific ink.
As the acidic compound, either an organic acidic compound or an inorganic acidic compound may be used, and two or more organic acidic compounds and inorganic acidic compounds may be used in combination.

-Organic acidic compounds-
Examples of the organic acidic compound include an organic compound having an acidic group.
Examples of acidic groups include phosphoric acid groups, phosphonic acid groups, phosphinic acid groups, sulfuric acid groups, sulfonic acid groups, sulfinic acid groups, and carboxy groups. In the present invention, the acidic group is preferably a phosphoric acid group or a carboxy group, and more preferably a carboxy group, from the viewpoint of the aggregation rate of the specific ink.

  Organic compounds having a carboxy group (organic carboxylic acid) are polyacrylic acid, acetic acid, glycolic acid, malonic acid, malic acid (preferably DL-malic acid), maleic acid, ascorbic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, fumaric acid. Acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, phthalic acid, 4-methylphthalic 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) are preferred. These compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The organic carboxylic acid is preferably a divalent or higher carboxylic acid (hereinafter also referred to as polyvalent carboxylic acid) from the viewpoint of the aggregation rate of the specific ink, and malonic acid, malic acid, maleic acid, succinic acid, More preferred is at least one selected from glutaric acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, 4-methylphthalic acid, and citric acid, and malonic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid are still more preferred.
Further, using an aqueous dispersion of a water-soluble acid polymer or an oil-soluble acid polymer as an acid is also a preferred embodiment from the viewpoint that there is little shift from ink to contents.

The organic acidic compound preferably has a low pKa.
As a result, the surface charge of particles such as pigments and specific polymer particles in the specific ink that are dispersed and stabilized with a weakly acidic functional group such as a carboxy group is reduced by contacting with an organic acidic compound having a lower pKa, and dispersed. Stability can be reduced.

  The organic acidic compound contained in the treatment liquid preferably has a low pKa, a high solubility in water, and a valence of 2 or more, and a functional group (for example, carboxyl group) that stabilizes the particles in the specific ink. It is more preferable to use a divalent or trivalent acidic substance having a high buffer capacity in a pH range lower than the pKa of the group.

-Inorganic acidic compounds-
Examples of the inorganic acidic compound include phosphoric acid, nitric acid, nitrous acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and the like, but are not particularly limited thereto. As the inorganic acidic compound, phosphoric acid is most preferable from the viewpoint of suppressing the occurrence of uneven glossiness in the image area and the ink aggregation rate.

Phosphoric acid has a low water solubility (25 ° C.) of 0.0018 g / 100 g of water when a calcium salt (calcium phosphate) is used. Therefore, when the inorganic acidic compound contained in the treatment liquid is phosphoric acid, the calcium salt is not dissolved but is fixed, and the effect of suppressing the occurrence of uneven gloss on the surface of the image area is excellent.
In particular, when a substrate having a coating layer containing calcium carbonate is used as the substrate, phosphoric acid is advantageous as the inorganic acidic compound contained in the treatment liquid.

-Multivalent metal salt-
The treatment liquid may use a polyvalent metal salt as a flocculant.
As the polyvalent metal salt, for example, a polyvalent metal salt described in paragraph 0155 of JP2011-042150A can be used.

The total amount of the flocculant contained in the treatment liquid is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of the aggregation speed of the specific ink, the total amount of the treatment liquid is preferably 5 to 70% by mass, and 10 to 60% by mass. More preferably.
In the case where an organic acidic compound and an inorganic acidic compound are used in combination as the acidic compound, the content ratio of the organic acidic compound and the inorganic acidic compound is determined from the viewpoint of suppressing aggregation unevenness and gloss unevenness. The content of is preferably 5 to 50 mol%, more preferably 10 to 40 mol%, still more preferably 15 to 35 mol%.

[Water-soluble polymer compound]
The treatment liquid may contain a water-soluble polymer compound.
The water-soluble high molecular weight compound here does not have the function of aggregating the ink. Those having no cationic group or acidic group are selected. As the water-soluble polymer compound, known water-soluble polymer compounds such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and polyethylene glycol can be used.
As the water-soluble polymer compound, a specific polymer compound described later and water-soluble polymer compounds described in paragraphs 0026 to 0080 of JP2013-001854A are also suitable.

  Although there is no limitation in particular in the weight average molecular weight of a water-soluble high molecular compound, For example, it can be set as 10,000-100,000, Preferably it is 20,000-80,000, More preferably, it is 30,000- 80,000.

Further, the content of the water-soluble polymer compound in the treatment liquid is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 4% by mass with respect to the total amount of the treatment liquid. 0.1-2 mass% is still more preferable, and 0.1-1 mass% is still more preferable.
If the content is 0.1% by mass or more, spreading of the ink droplets can be further promoted, and if the content is 10% by mass or less, the thickening of the treatment liquid can be further suppressed. Moreover, if content is 10 mass% or less, the application | coating nonuniformity of the process liquid resulting from the bubble in a process liquid can be suppressed more.

As the water-soluble polymer compound, a polymer compound containing a hydrophilic structural unit (preferably a monomer unit) having an ionic group (preferably an anionic group) (hereinafter also referred to as “specific polymer compound”). Is preferred. Thereby, the spreading of the ink droplets applied to the substrate can be further promoted, and the roughness of the image is further suppressed.
Examples of the ionic group in the specific polymer compound include a carboxyl group, a sulfonic acid group, a phosphoric acid group, a boronic acid group, an amino group, an ammonium group, and salts thereof. Among them, preferred is a carboxyl group, a sulfonic acid group, a phosphoric acid group, or a salt thereof, more preferred is a carboxyl group, a sulfonic acid group, or a salt thereof, and still more preferred is a sulfonic acid group or a salt thereof. Salt.
The hydrophilic structural unit having an ionic group (preferably an anionic group) is preferably a structural unit derived from a (meth) acrylamide compound having an ionic group (preferably an anionic group).
The content of the hydrophilic structural unit having an ionic group (preferably an anionic group) in the water-soluble polymer compound is, for example, 10 to 100% by mass in the total mass of the water-soluble polymer compound. It is preferably 10 to 90% by mass, more preferably 10 to 70% by mass, still more preferably 10 to 50% by mass, and still more preferably 20 to 40% by mass.

The specific polymer compound includes at least one hydrophobic structural unit in addition to at least one hydrophilic structural unit having the above-described ionic group (preferably an anionic group, particularly preferably a sulfonic acid group). Is more preferable. By including the hydrophobic structural unit, the specific polymer compound is more likely to be present on the surface of the treatment liquid, so that the spread of the ink droplets applied to the substrate is further promoted, and the roughness of the image is further suppressed.
As the hydrophobic structural unit, a structural unit derived from (meth) acrylic acid ester (preferably, alkyl ester having 1 to 4 carbon atoms of (meth) acrylic acid) is preferable.

  Content of the hydrophobic structural unit in a specific high molecular compound can be 10-90 mass% in the total mass of a specific high molecular compound, for example, it is preferable that it is 30-90 mass%, 50-90 It is more preferable that it is mass%, and it is still more preferable that it is 60-80 mass%.

〔water〕
The treatment liquid used in the present invention preferably contains water.
The water content is preferably 50 to 90% by mass and more preferably 60 to 80% by mass with respect to the total mass of the treatment liquid.

(Water-soluble solvent)
The treatment liquid preferably contains at least one water-soluble solvent.
Specifically, as the water-soluble solvent, a water-soluble solvent that can be contained in the specific ink of the present invention can be used in the treatment liquid as well.
Among them, from the viewpoint of curling suppression, polyalkylene glycol or a derivative thereof is preferable, diethylene glycol monoalkyl ether, triethylene glycol monoalkyl ether, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol monoalkyl ether, polyoxypropylene glyceryl ether, and More preferably, it is at least one selected from polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol.

  As content in the processing liquid of a water-soluble solvent, it is preferable that it is 3 mass%-20 mass% with respect to the whole processing liquid from viewpoints, such as applicability | paintability, and it is more preferable that it is 5 mass%-15 mass%. preferable.

[Surfactant]
The treatment liquid may contain a surfactant.
The surfactant can be used as a surface tension adjusting agent. Examples of the surface tension adjusting agent include a low molecular weight nonionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, an anionic surfactant, and a betaine surfactant. Among these, a cationic surfactant is preferable from the viewpoint of the aggregation rate of the specific ink.

  As the surfactant, JP-A-59-157636, pages 37-38 and Research Disclosure No. The compounds listed as surfactants in 308119 (1989) are also included. Further, fluorine (fluorinated alkyl) -based surfactants and silicone-based surfactants described in JP-A Nos. 2003-322926, 2004-325707, and 2004-309806 are also included.

  Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of surfactant in a processing liquid, It is preferable that it is content so that the surface tension of a processing liquid will be 50 mN / m or less, and it will become 20 mN / m-50 mN / m. The content is more preferable, and the content is more preferably 30 mN / m to 45 mN / m.

[Other additives]
The treatment liquid may contain other additives other than the above as necessary.
Other additives that can be contained in the treatment liquid are the same as the other additives that can be contained in the specific ink described above.

-Physical properties of treatment liquid-
The treatment liquid preferably has a pH of 0.01 or more and 7 or less at 25 ° C. (± 1 ° C.) from the viewpoint of the aggregation rate of the specific ink. When a cationic polymer or a polyvalent metal is used as the flocculant, it is preferably from 1 to 7, and more preferably from 2 to 6. On the other hand, when an acidic compound is used, it is preferably from 0.01 to 0.5, and more preferably from 0.05 to 0.3.

  The viscosity of the treatment liquid is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 25 mPa · s, more preferably in the range of 1 to 13 mPa · s, from the viewpoint of the aggregation rate of the specific ink. The viscosity is measured under a condition of 25 ° C. using VISCOMETER TV-22 (manufactured by TOKI SANGYO CO. LTD.).

  The surface tension at 25 ° C. (± 1 ° C.) of the treatment liquid is preferably 60 mN / m or less, more preferably 20 mN / m to 50 mN / m, and 30 mN / m to 45 mN / m. Is more preferable. When the surface tension of the treatment liquid is within the above range, the occurrence of curling in the substrate is suppressed, which is advantageous. The surface tension of the treatment liquid is measured by a plate method using an Automatic Surface Tensiometer CBVP-Z (manufactured by Kyowa Interface Science Co., Ltd.).

(Inkjet recording device)
An ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention includes a base material transport device in which an ink jet head, a drying unit, and an electron beam source are sequentially arranged, polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water, and a polymerization initiator. Or an ink having a polymerization initiator content of more than 0% by mass and 0.1% by mass or less.
The ink in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention has the same meaning as the specific ink, and the preferred embodiment is also the same.
Moreover, the preferable aspect in the inkjet recording device of this invention is the same as the preferable aspect of the inkjet recording device used for the inkjet recording method of this invention mentioned above.
The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is preferably a single pass type ink jet recording apparatus.

In the base material transport apparatus in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the ink jet head, the drying means, and the electron beam source are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream in the transport direction of the base material.
As the ink jet head, the drying means, the electron beam source, and the substrate transport device, known ones can be used.
The acceleration voltage of the electron beam in the electron beam source is preferably 150 kV or less, more preferably 30 to 150 kV, still more preferably 50 to 130 kV, and particularly preferably 70 to 110 kV. Most preferably, it is 80-110 kV. Within the above range, the generation of low molecular compounds derived from the substrate can be suppressed, and the odor and the migration of the ink composition in the obtained printed matter are less.
The dried ink is preferably curable with an electron beam absorbed dose of 30 kGy or less, more preferably curable with an absorbed dose of 5 to 30 kGy, and curable with an absorbed dose of 10 to 30 kGy. Is particularly preferred. Within the above range, the generation of a low molecular compound derived from the substrate can be suppressed, the odor and the migration of the ink composition in the obtained printed matter are less, and the energy efficiency is excellent and the economy is excellent.

The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention preferably has a processing liquid applying means for applying a processing liquid containing a flocculant to the base material upstream of the ink jet head in the transport direction of the base material.
When the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention has a hydrophilization treatment machine to be described later, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention preferably has a treatment liquid applying means downstream of the hydrophilic treatment machine in the transport direction of the substrate.
The treatment liquid used in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention has the same meaning as the treatment liquid, and the preferred embodiment is also the same.
The treatment liquid application apparatus may be an inkjet head or a means for applying a known treatment liquid, such as an application roller.
In addition, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention may have a processing liquid drying unit downstream of the processing liquid application apparatus in the base material transport direction and upstream of the ink jet head in the base material transport direction. The treatment liquid drying means is synonymous with the above-described drying means, and the preferred embodiment is also the same.

In the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, all the inks provided include polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water, and do not contain a polymerization initiator or contain a polymerization initiator. The ink is preferably an ink (specific ink) that exceeds 0 mass% and is 0.1 mass% or less.
The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention preferably has a hydrophilic treatment machine that hydrophilizes the substrate surface, and more preferably has a corona treatment machine. Even if it is a case where the base material which has not performed the hydrophilic treatment is used in the said aspect, the adhesiveness of the base material and ink in an obtained printed matter, and an image quality improve.
In addition, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention preferably includes a base material transport device in which a hydrophilic treatment machine, an ink jet head, a drying means, and an electron beam source are arranged in order, and a corona treatment machine, an ink jet head, a drying means, and an electron beam. More preferably, the apparatus includes a substrate conveying device in which a source is arranged in order, and includes a substrate conveying device in which a corona treatment machine, a treatment liquid application unit, a treatment liquid drying unit, an inkjet head, a drying unit, and an electron beam source are arranged in order. Is more preferable.
The drying means in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention preferably has at least a heat dryer, and more preferably a heat dryer. When it is the said aspect, it is excellent not only in dryness but also in cost and space saving.
The substrate transport device in the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention is preferably a roll-to-roll transport device.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus preferably used in the present invention.
The base material 14 stretched by the delivery roller 12 and the take-up roller 24, which is a transport means for the base material 14, is transported from the feed roller 12 to the take-up roller 24. First, the surface of the base material 14 is corona-treated by the corona treatment machine 16. Subsequently, the treatment liquid is applied to the base material by the treatment liquid application unit 28, and the treatment liquid is applied from the applied treatment liquid by the thermal dryer 26 that is a treatment liquid drying unit installed downstream in the transport direction of the treatment liquid application unit 28. At least some of the water is removed and dried. Thereafter, ink of each color (K: black, Y: yellow, M: magenta, C: cyan) is ejected by the inkjet heads 18K, 18C, 18M, and 18Y that eject ink of each color, and immediately after the inkjet head 18Y. At least a part of water is removed from the discharged black, yellow, magenta, and cyan ink by a thermal dryer 20 that is an installed drying means, and dried. Finally, the electron beam (EB) curing device 22 irradiates the substrate with the electron beam, and the dried ink is cured.
In the EB curing device 22, for example, when an electron beam source is surrounded by an inert gas blanket and connected to an inert gas generator via an inert gas pipe, and the inert gas generator is operated, An embodiment in which the air in the blanket is replaced with an inert gas is preferred. As the inert gas, nitrogen or the like can be used.

(Printed matter)
The printed matter of the present invention is a printed matter formed by the ink jet recording method of the present invention or a printed matter formed using the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.
In addition, the printed matter of the present invention is obtained by further adding an adhesive layer and a laminate film in this order on the printed matter formed by the ink jet recording method of the present invention or the printed matter formed by using the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. It is preferable to have.
The adhesive layer and the laminate film are synonymous with the adhesive layer and the laminate film described in the laminating step, and the preferred embodiments are also the same.

(Example)
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples and comparative examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples. Unless otherwise specified, “part” in the following description means “part by mass”, and “%” means “mass%”.

<Preparation of ink>
Each material was stirred and mixed at 4,000 rpm for 20 minutes at room temperature (25 ° C.) using a mixer (Silverson L4R) at the ratio shown in Table 1, and inks Ex1, Ex2, Comp. Ex1-Comp. Ex3 was prepared respectively. The unit of content of each component shown in Table 1 is part by mass. In Table 1, “-” indicates that the corresponding component is not contained. Moreover, the viscosity and surface tension in Table 1 were measured by the methods described above.

Details of the compounds described in Table 1 are as follows.
<Specific polymer particles>
GM0868-VP (Polyurethane (meth) acrylate aqueous dispersion, solid content 38% by mass, manufactured by BASF)
-BayHydrol UV2688 / 1XP (Polyurethane (meth) acrylate aqueous dispersion, solid content 42 mass%, manufactured by Bayer)
O-106: (UV curable water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution, manufactured by Chukyo Yushi Co., Ltd., solid content 20.4% by mass)
-WBR2101 (urethane latex aqueous solution, manufactured by Taisei Fine Chemical Co., Ltd., solid content 26.0%)

<Drying inhibitor>
2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (manufactured by Perstorp)
<Surfactant>
・ Capstone FS31 (Fluorosurfactant, manufactured by Dupont)
<Thickener>
Additol VXW 6360 (made by Allnex)

<Polymerization initiator>
Polymerization initiator 1 (synthetic product, compound with the following structure)

Polymerization initiator 1 was synthesized according to the method described in paragraphs 0067 to 0071 and 0112 to 0115 of JP-A No. 2000-186242.
<Pigment dispersion>
・ Projet Cyan APD 1000 (Cyan pigment dispersion, manufactured by FUJIFILM Corporation)
<Water>
・ Pure water (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)

Example 1
<Sample preparation and evaluation>
The ink Ex1 is drawn on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate with the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, dried, and then cured using an electron beam (EB) curing apparatus EZCure I (Iwasaki Electric Co., Ltd.) to obtain a printed matter. . At this time, the acceleration voltage of the electron beam (EB) was 110 kV, the dose was 30 kGy, and the nitrogen purge was performed so that the oxygen concentration around the printed material was 300 ppm or less. In Example 1, application and drying of the treatment liquid using the treatment liquid application device 28 and the thermal dryer 26 in FIG. 1 were not performed.
The inkjet head is a samba head (manufactured by Fujifilm Dimatics, 1,200 npi (number of nozzles per inch, 1 inch is 2.54 cm), a minimum droplet size of 2 pl, and a discharge amount of 4 gradations ( No gradation of discharge amount, small droplet: 2 pl, medium droplet: 7 pl, large droplet: 9 pl)).
As a base material, Taiho polyester film FE2001 (thickness: 12 μm, manufactured by Futamura Chemical Co., Ltd.) was used. The conveyance speed of the base material was 50 m / min.

The ink Ex1 was used and evaluated by the following evaluation method. The evaluation results for each item are shown in Table 3.
1. Odor Using the above apparatus, an image having a halftone dot area ratio of 100% was drawn at 1,200 dpi × 1,200 dpi, dried, and cured to create a drawing sample (printed material). A 100% medium drop was used at a dot area ratio of 100%.
The obtained drawing sample was subjected to sensory evaluation by 20 people and evaluated according to the following criteria.
1: Feel no odor at all 2: Feel almost no odor 3: Feel slightly odor 4: Feel odor 5: Feel very odor

2. Ink composition migration (extraction amount)
A drawing sample similar to the odor evaluation was prepared.
A drawing sample of 100 cm ² was extracted with 50 cc of heptane, and the total amount of the extract was measured. The evaluation criteria based on the total amount of the extract are shown below. It can be said that the smaller the total amount of the extract, the less the migration of the ink composition.
1: Less than 5 ppb 2: 5 ppb or more and less than 10 ppb 3: 10 ppb or more and less than 100 ppb 4: 100 ppb or more and less than 1 ppm 5: 1 ppm or more

3. Alcohol resistance A drawing sample similar to the odor evaluation was prepared.
A 100% ethanol solution was put on a cotton swab and the surface of the resulting drawing sample was rubbed. The evaluation criteria are shown below.
1: Discoloration of the sample cannot be confirmed. There is no color transfer on the swab.
2: Discoloration of the sample cannot be confirmed. The cotton swab has a slight color transfer.
3: Slight discoloration of the sample can be confirmed. The cotton swab has color transfer.
4: The color fading of the sample can be confirmed, and the substrate surface is exposed. The cotton swab has color transfer.

4). High temperature resistance Drawing sample similar to odor evaluation was created.
Boiled for 4 minutes in hot water at 120 ° C. under high pressure (2 atm). The evaluation criteria are shown below.
1: No change at all. Even if paper (C2 paper, manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.) is applied immediately after boiling, the color does not move at all.
2: The image is blurred but not worrisome. Even if paper (C2 paper, manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.) is applied immediately after boiling, the color does not move at all.
3: Smudge occurs. Immediately after boiling, the color changes when paper (C2 paper, manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.) is applied.

5). Line Quality A 0.05 pt (17.64 μm) line was drawn for each color, and evaluation was performed from the following viewpoints.
It is possible to draw with a thickness of less than 1:30 μm. The line thickness is uniform.
2: The thickness of the line is 30 μm or more. The line thickness is uniform.
3: The thickness of the line is 30 μm or more, and the thickness of the line is not uniform.

6). Image Quality The images shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 were drawn and the image quality was evaluated.
The drawing condition in this case is 1,200 dpi × 1,200 dpi, and color management is performed such that the highlight portion is ejected at 2 pl and the shadow portion is ejected at 6 pl. About the drawn image, sensory evaluation was implemented by 20 people. The evaluation criteria are shown below. The evaluation results are shown in Table 3.
1: Good image quality without blurring and blurring of the image.
2: The image is slightly blurred or smeared, but I don't mind.
3: The image is blurred and blurred, and I am worried.
4: Blurred and blurred image.

(Example 2)
A sample was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the ink used was changed to Ex2.

(Comparative Example 1)
The ink used is Comp. A sample was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that it was changed to Ex1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 3.

(Comparative Example 2)
The electron beam (EB) curing apparatus of Example 1 is applied to a nitrogen purge LED light source (HOYA CANDEO OPTRONICS LED light source (center wavelength: 385 nm, output: 4 W)) used in MJP20W manufactured by Miyakoshi Co., Ltd. 2NT-8.2 (manufactured by Coflock Co., Ltd.) was connected, and the distance between the base material and the light source was changed to 5 mm, and the light source unit was filled with nitrogen gas). Samples were prepared and evaluated in the same manner as described above.
(Comparative Example 3)
As in Comparative Example 2, the electron beam (EB) curing device was changed to the nitrogen purge LED light source used in MJP20W manufactured by Miyakoshi Co., and the ink used was Comp. A sample was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that it was changed to Ex1.
(Comparative Example 4)
The ink used is Comp. A sample was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that it was changed to Ex2. The evaluation results are shown in Table 3.

Example 3
<Preparation of treatment solution>
Each component described in Table 2 below was mixed to prepare a treatment liquid. The numerical values described in Table 2 indicate the content (parts by mass) of each component. In addition, the viscosity and surface tension in Table 2 were measured by the above-described methods.

The detail of each component described in Table 2 is as follows.
[Cationic polymer]
・ Unisense FPA100L (solid content concentration 27% by mass, manufactured by Senka Co., Ltd.)
〔water〕
・ Pure water (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)

<Sample preparation and evaluation>
Sample preparation and evaluation in the same manner as in Example 1 except that an anilox roller was used as the treatment liquid application device 28 in FIG. 1 and the treatment liquid was applied at a coating thickness of 1 μm before the ink jet drawing in Example 1 above. Went. In Example 3, the treatment liquid was not dried using the heat dryer 26 in FIG.

(Example 4)
<Ejection evaluation>
The ink Ex1, Ex2 or Comp. When printing was performed continuously for 100 m at a dot area ratio of 100% using Ex3, it was confirmed that printing could be performed satisfactorily from the beginning to the end in the examples using the inks Ex1 and Ex2. Meanwhile, ink Comp. Ex3 could not be discharged at all.

(Example 5)
Similarly to the ink Ex1, inks Ex3 to Ex6 having the compositions described in Table 4 below were prepared. Thereafter, samples were prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 using the inks Ex3 to Ex6, and the evaluation results were the same as in Example 1 for any of the inks Ex3 to Ex6. In Table 4, “-” indicates that the corresponding component is not contained. Moreover, the viscosity and surface tension in Table 4 were measured by the methods described above.

Among the descriptions in Table 4, the details of each component not described above are as follows.
<Specific polymer particles>
・ UCECOAT7571 (aliphatic urethane acrylate compound, solid content concentration 35% by mass, manufactured by Daicel Ornex Corporation)
・ UCECOAT7849 (aliphatic urethane acrylate compound, solid content concentration 35% by mass, manufactured by Daicel Ornex Corporation)
・ UCECOAT 7655 (aliphatic urethane acrylate compound, solid content concentration 35% by mass, manufactured by Daicel Ornex Corporation)
・ Superflex R5002 (polyester urethane resin, 39.5 mass% after delivery of solid content, manufactured by Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.)

(Example 6)
Similarly to the treatment liquid 1, treatment liquids 2 to 5 having the compositions shown in Table 5 below were prepared. In Table 5, “-” indicates that the corresponding component is not contained. Moreover, the viscosity and surface tension in Table 5 were measured by the methods described above.

Among the descriptions in Table 5, details of each component not described above are as follows.
<Flocculant>
[Cationic polymer]
・ Charol DC-902P (polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride, manufactured by Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.)
・ Acryt UV-319SX (cationic acrylic emulsion, manufactured by Taisei Fine Chemical Co., Ltd.)
[Acid compound]
・ Malic acid (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)
[Polyvalent metal salt]
・ Calcium nitrate (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)

  Using treatment liquid 2 to treatment liquid 5, tests and evaluations were performed in the same manner as in Example 3. The evaluation results are shown in Table 6.

  10: inkjet recording apparatus, 12: delivery roller, 14: substrate, 16: corona treatment machine, 18K: inkjet head for black ink, 18C: inkjet head for cyan ink, 18M: inkjet head for magenta ink, 18Y: yellow ink Inkjet head, 20: thermal dryer, 22: EB curing device, 24: winding roller, 26: thermal dryer, 28: treatment liquid application means

Claims (13)

An ink containing polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water and containing no polymerization initiator or having a polymerization initiator content of more than 0% by mass and 0.1% by mass or less. A discharge step of discharging onto a substrate using an inkjet head;
A drying step of drying the ink by removing at least a part of the water in the ejected ink; and
Look including a curing step of curing the dried the ink by electron beam in this order,
An ink jet recording method in which a substrate conveyance speed is 5 to 300 m / min .   The inkjet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the polymer particles contain polyurethane.   The inkjet recording method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an acceleration voltage of the electron beam is 150 kV or less, and an absorbed dose of the electron beam of the dried ink in the curing step is 30 kGy or less.   The inkjet recording method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a treatment liquid application step of applying a treatment liquid containing a flocculant to the substrate before the ejection step.   The inkjet recording method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a content of the polymer particles is 99% by mass or more based on a total mass of the ethylenically unsaturated compound in the ink in the ejection step. .   The ink in the ejection step does not contain an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, or the content of the ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000 is based on the total mass of the ink. The inkjet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording method is greater than 0% by mass and 0.1% by mass or less.   The inkjet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the drying step is a step of thermally drying. A substrate conveying device in which an inkjet head, a drying means and an electron beam source are arranged in order;
An ink containing polymer particles having an ethylenically unsaturated group, a pigment, and water and containing no polymerization initiator or having a polymerization initiator content of more than 0% by mass and 0.1% by mass or less Bei to give a,
An ink jet recording apparatus having a substrate transport speed of 5 to 300 m / min .   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein an acceleration voltage of the electron beam in the electron beam source is 150 kV or less, and the dried ink can be cured with an absorbed dose of electron beam of 30 kGy or less.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a treatment liquid application unit that applies a treatment liquid containing a flocculant to the substrate upstream of the inkjet head in the conveyance direction of the substrate.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the content of the polymer particles is 99% by mass or more based on the total mass of the ethylenically unsaturated compound in the ink.   The ink does not contain an ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, or the content of the ethylenically unsaturated compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000 is 0% by mass relative to the total mass of the ink. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11, which is more than 0.1 mass%.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the drying unit includes a heat dryer.

Images