JPH01237187A - Recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To record images with excellent surface gloss, image density, resolution and clearness, by a method wherein an ink transport layer has a certain degree of ink-retaining property, and at least a fixed amount of an ink is caused to permeate through the ink transport layer to an ink-retaining layer, thereby recording. CONSTITUTION:An ink is applied to a recording material in which an ink-retaining layer 2 capable of retaining the ink permanently is provided on a surface of a transparent layer l, and an ink transport layer 3 having a certain degree of ink-retaining property as well as an ink transporting property is provided on the ink-retaining layer 2. Of the ink applied to the ink transport layer 3, a portion is absorbed and retained in the transport layer 3 to form a low-density image part 41, and the remainder reaches the ink-retaining layer 2 to form a high-density image part 42. Therefore, when the quantity of the ink is varied, an ink droplet applied in a small quantity is absorbed in the ink transport layer 3 to form a low-density image part 43, whereas the ink applied in a large quantity reaches the ink retaining layer 2 to form a high- density image part 42, and the ink portions applied in intermediate quantities form image parts 44, 45... with densities according to the quantities, resulting in the formation of an image 4 with excellent gradation properties which comprises the low-density, intermediate density and high-density parts.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a recording method, and more specifically to a recorded image that has high surface gloss and image density, and has excellent resolution, gradation, water resistance, and storage stability. The present invention relates to a recording method that provides images with excellent gradation, particularly an inkjet recording method that provides images with excellent gradation.

(Prior art) Inkjet recording methods include various ink ejection methods, such as an electrostatic suction method, a method that applies mechanical vibration or displacement to the ink using a piezoelectric element, and a method that uses the pressure of heating the ink to foam it. Recording is performed by generating and flying small droplets of ink and attaching some or all of them to a recording material such as paper, but this method generates little noise, prints at high speed, and prints at high speeds. It is attracting attention as a recording method that allows color printing.

Ink for inkjet recording is mainly composed of water for safety and recording characteristics, and polyhydric alcohols are added to prevent nozzle clogging and improve ejection stability. In many cases.

The recording material used in this inkjet recording method has conventionally been a recording material consisting of a base material called ordinary paper or inkjet recording paper on which a porous ink receiving layer is provided. However, as the performance of inkjet recording apparatuses has improved and become more widespread, such as faster recording speeds and multicolor recording, more sophisticated and wide-ranging properties are being required of recording materials. In other words, the recording material for inkjet recording to obtain high-resolution, high-quality recorded images must (1) be able to receive ink as quickly as possible on the recording material, and (2) have overlapping ink dots. (3) Ink droplets do not spread on the recording material and the diameter of the ink dot does not become larger than necessary, (4) ) The shape of the ink dot should be close to a perfect circle and its circumference should be smooth; (5) The OD (optical density) of the ink dot should be high and the periphery of the dot should not be blurred. There is.

Furthermore, in order to obtain high-resolution recorded image quality comparable to color photography using a multicolor inkjet recording method, in addition to the above-mentioned required performance, (6) the coloring components of the ink must have excellent color development; 7) The ink fixation properties are particularly excellent, as the same number of droplets as the number of ink colors may adhere to the same spot, (8) The surface must be glossy, (9) Whiteness High performance, etc. are required.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In order to meet the above requirements, recording materials (for example, coated paper) having a porous ink absorbing layer provided on a base material have conventionally been used. However, although the ink absorbing layer of this recording material is porous, the problem is that the ink receiving layer, that is, the recording surface, lacks gloss and the OD (optical density) of the formed ink dots is low.

As methods for imparting surface gloss, methods such as applying a transparent overcoat to the recording surface after recording or laminating a transparent film are known, but these methods
It is complicated because it requires post-processing steps, etc., and it is difficult to implement in general homes and offices, even though mass production is difficult. Even if such a complicated process is adopted, if the image density of the recorded image itself is low, it is still impossible to obtain a recorded image with a high image density.

In addition, glossy paper with a surface gloss has a glossy appearance, but has poor ink absorbency, and cannot cope with high-speed recording, high image density, and an increase in ↑ wink 1.

Also, a recording material has been proposed in which an ink transport layer is provided on a transparent base material, an image is formed by applying ink from the ink transport layer side, and the image is observed from the transparent base material side.

This recording material has the advantage of producing images with excellent ink absorption, surface gloss, water resistance, storage stability, etc. However, since the ink transport layer does not have ink retention properties, if too much ink is used, the image may deteriorate. There is a problem in that bleeding occurs, and when the amount of ink is small, the image density is low and white spots etc. occur, and for the same reason, it is impossible to form an image with high gradation.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording method that provides a recorded image particularly excellent in surface gloss, image density, resolution, and sharpness.

Another object of the present invention is to provide ink receptivity, water resistance, light resistance, blocking resistance of recorded images, as well as the above performance.
An object of the present invention is to provide a recording method that provides recorded images with excellent storage stability.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording method that not only has the above-mentioned performance but also widens the OD (optical density) width (shade) of the formed ink dots, thereby imparting high gradation to the image.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording method that provides an image with excellent gradation and uniform density without the problem of white unevenness or bleeding due to the amount of ink applied.

(Disclosure of the Invention) The above and other objects of the present invention are achieved by the present invention as follows.

That is, the present invention has at least a transparent layer, an ink retention layer, and an ink transport layer, the ink transport layer has a certain amount of ink retention, and the ink exceeding the certain amount passes through the ink transport layer. This is a recording method characterized in that recording is performed by applying ink to an ink transport layer of a recording material held in an ink retention layer.

(Function) To explain the present invention in more detail, the present inventor has discovered that the present invention has high ink absorption during recording, as well as surface gloss, image density, resolution, gradation, water resistance, light resistance, and storage stability. As a result of intensive research, we have developed a specific configuration to provide a recording method that can easily obtain recorded images with excellent quality, without the need for complicated post-processing processes such as lamination, and in particular, a recording method that uses an inkjet method. It has been found that the object of the present invention can be easily achieved by using a recording material having the following properties.

The principle of the method of the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings that schematically show the method. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, a transparent plastic film is used as the transparent layer 1, and ink is permanently retained on one surface of the transparent When ink is applied to a recording material on which an ink transport layer 3 having a high ink transport property but a certain level of ink retention property is formed via an ink holding layer 2, the ink applied to the ink transport layer 3 A part of it is absorbed and retained there, resulting in a low density image area 4 when viewed from the transparent layer 1 side. is formed, and the remainder quickly passes through the ink transport layer 3 and reaches the ink retention layer 2, where it is accumulated to form a high-density image 42.

Therefore, when the amount of applied ink changes, a small amount of ink droplets applied will be absorbed by the ink transport layer 3 and form a low-density image area 43, while a large amount of ink will be applied to a place where the ink is sufficiently applied. As a result of reaching the ink holding layer 2 and being accumulated there, a high-density image portion 42 is formed, and where the amount of ink is between 1, an image portion 44.4 .・- is formed. As a result, the low concentration area -
Image 4 with excellent gradation, having a medium density area and a high density area, respectively.
is formed. Further, by providing an ink retaining layer made of a hydrophilic polymer with high ink receptivity under the ink transport layer, an image created by the ink that reaches the ink retaining layer has a uniform density without causing unevenness.

Such effects are more preferably achieved by using a highly transparent film as the transparent layer and preferably making the ink transport layer an opaque to translucent layer.

Furthermore, if an image is obtained using a recording material having the above-mentioned configuration, as long as the image is observed from the transparent layer side, there is no problem with the image density and surface gloss being lowered on the surface of the ink transport layer 3. The ink transport and retention properties of the ink transport layer 3 can be freely adjusted by mixing a large amount of filler or making it porous, and there is no need to retain ink on the surface of the ink transport layer. There is no need to use materials with high properties, and therefore, water resistance, blocking resistance, etc. can be freely increased.

The ink applied from the ink transport layer 3 side is quickly absorbed, and when the formed image is observed through the transparent layer, high surface gloss can be obtained by using a transparent film with high gloss as the transparent layer. Therefore, there is no need for a lamination process or the like as in the prior art.

Furthermore, the coloring materials that form the image, such as dyes, are not held on the surface of the recording material, but are present inside the ink transport layer and in the ink holding layer, so there is little influence from the outside world. Therefore, migration of the dye due to moisture absorption, discoloration and fading of the dye due to light, etc. are significantly improved.

(Preferred Embodiments) Next, the present invention will be described in more detail by citing preferred embodiments.

The recording material used in the present invention as described above is obtained by forming an ink transport layer on a transparent film which becomes a transparent layer inside the shell via an ink retaining layer. Suitable examples include polyester resins, diacetate resins, triacetate resins, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polystyrene resins, acrylic resins, polycarbonate resins, polyvinyl chloride resins, and polyimides. Examples include films or plates made of resins, cellophane, celluloid, etc. The thickness of such a transparent film is generally about 10 to 5,000 μm.

The ink retaining layer formed on the transparent layer as described above is mainly composed of a water-soluble or hydrophilic polymer capable of receiving water-based ink, such as albumin, gelatin, casein, starch, cationic starch, gum arabic, sodium alginate, etc. natural resins, carboxymethylcellulose, bitroxyethylcellulose, polyamide, polyacrylamide, polyethyleneimine, polyvinylpyrrolidone, quaternized polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylpyricillium halide, melamine resin, phenolic resin, alkyd resin, polyurethane, polyvinyl alcohol, ionic modification Examples include synthetic resins such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyester, and sodium polyacrylate; further, in the present invention,
The most preferred materials are water-soluble resins such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol and/or polyacrylic resins, which can form a layer that can quickly and stably hold several times its own weight of ink. One or more of these materials may be used as desired.

Furthermore, in order to reinforce the strength of the ink retaining layer and/or improve the adhesion with the base material, SBR latex, NBR latex, polyvinyl formal, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl butyral, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl chloride may be used as necessary. , polyvinyl acetate, phenol resin, alkyd resin, etc. may be used in combination with the above water-soluble resin.

It is preferable that the above-mentioned ink retaining layer constituent materials have as high a light transmittance as possible to reduce the loss of image density when a large amount of ink is applied.

The thickness of the ink retaining layer thus formed may be within a range capable of retaining ink, and is not particularly limited as long as it is 0.1 μm or more, although it depends on the amount of ink to be recorded. Practically speaking, a range of 0.5 to 30 μm is suitable.

The ink transport layer formed on the ink retaining layer as described above is
The ink applied as described above is retained up to a certain amount,
It is necessary to have both an ink retention function that prevents the ink from penetrating and reaching the ink retention layer, and a transport function that allows ink to be transported to the ink retention layer when it exceeds a certain amount.

An ink transport layer having such characteristics can be constructed by mixing a polymer that retains ink with a polymer that does not retain a large amount of ink in an appropriate ratio, or by using them alone to form an ink transport layer. Absorbed by polymer,
For example, the thickness of the ink transport layer may be adjusted depending on the amount of ink to be transported and retained to meet the above characteristics.

Materials for forming such an ink transport layer include, in addition to the above-mentioned water-soluble polymers, hydrophilic polymers made by crosslinking these polymers to make them water-insoluble, and hydrophilic and water-insoluble polymers made of two or more types of polymers. Polymer complexes, hydrophilic and water-insoluble polymers having hydrophilic segments, and the like.

When forming an ink transport layer using the above-mentioned water-soluble or hydrophilic polymer, a relatively large amount of inorganic or organic filler is mixed therein to improve the ink retention properties of the water-soluble or hydrophilic polymer. and facilitate the transport of ink through the micro-gaps between the fillers. In this case, by appropriately adjusting the amount of filler added,
It is preferable to adjust the ink retention and ink transport properties of the ink transport layer to appropriate ranges. Also, due to the addition of such fillers, the ink transport layer becomes translucent or opaque, and the surface smoothness is lost, so the background becomes white when viewed from the transparent layer side, and the transparent layer The image density measured from the side is higher.

Such fillers include, for example, silica, clay,
Inorganic fillers such as talc, diatomaceous earth, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate, aluminum silicate, synthetic zeolites, alumina, zinc oxide, lithopone, sachinwhite, etc. may also be used, or particularly preferred are hydrophobic fillers that do not absorb ink. particles such as polystyrene, polyethylene, urea-formalin resin, polyvinyl chloride,
Examples include organic filler particles such as polymethyl methacrylate, and one or more of these may be used. If such hydrophobic particles are used, the ink holding power of the ink transport layer is moderately reduced, and the ink transport power is further increased.

In addition, in the above method, it is also possible to further increase the ink transport speed by making the ink transport layer porous.
Furthermore, by adjusting the degree of porosity, ink retention and transportability can be adjusted. The method of making it porous is to include particles that can be eluted in the layer.
Any conventionally known method can be used, such as a method of subsequently eluating the particles.

Polymers used in this method include, in addition to the water-soluble or hydrophilic polymers mentioned above, acrylic ester resins, polyvinyl acetate resins, polyvinyl butyral resins, ethylene-vinyl acetate resins, and styrene-vinyl acetate resins. Acrylic ester resin, polyolefin resin, polystyrene resin, ionomer resin, polyvinyl ether resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin,
Thermoplastic resins such as polyurethane resins, butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, etc. can be used, and these resins can be used either as solutions in organic solvents or as aqueous emulsions.

The particles for forming the porous layer have a particle size of 0.1 to 100 μm, preferably about 0.2 to 50 μm, and the amount added is 5 to 60% by weight in the ink transport layer to be formed. Preferably it is 10 to 50% by weight.

Furthermore, when forming the ink transport layer, the thickness of the ink transport layer, which is made of a wood-philic polymer that cannot hold a large amount of ink, must be controlled to match the amount of ink applied during recording. It is. If the ink transport layer is too thick compared to the amount of ink applied, the image density seen from the transparent layer side will drop uniformly over the entire range, regardless of the amount of ink, and the book will be damaged. It becomes impossible to expand the concentration range, which is the purpose and effect of the invention.

In addition, if it is too thin, even a small amount of ink will penetrate into the ink retaining layer, and the density in the low density area will increase too much, resulting in not being able to achieve the effect of the present invention. In this case, the ink cannot be retained in the retaining layer, and the dots are spread excessively by the ink, resulting in a decrease in the quality of the formed image. Therefore, the object of the present invention was sufficiently achieved by forming the ink transport layer as a thin layer of 0.1 to 50 μm.

As a method for forming the ink retaining layer and ink transport layer as described above, a coating solution is prepared by dissolving or dispersing the above polymer or a mixture containing appropriate additives in an appropriate solvent, and the coating solution is For example, it is preferable to apply the coating onto a transparent film or ink retaining layer by a known method such as a roll coach ink method, a rod bar coach ink method, a spray coating method, an air knife coating method, etc., and then quickly dry it. A method of hot-melt coating, or a single sheet for an ink retaining layer or an ink transport layer is formed from the above-mentioned materials,
Other methods such as laminating the sheet to the transparent film or ink retaining layer described above may also be used.

As mentioned above, typical aspects of the recording material used in the present invention have been illustrated and explained, but of course the recording material used in the present invention is not limited to these aspects, and the configuration and operation described herein are not limited to these aspects. Anything that has an effect can be used in the present invention.

In the method of the present invention, the ink itself applied to the above-mentioned specific recording material for image formation may be any known ink itself, such as direct dyes, acid dyes, basic dyes, reactive dyes, food colorings, etc. It is a water-soluble dye represented by, and is particularly suitable as an ink for inkjet printing, and when used in combination with the recording materials mentioned above, it can achieve fixing properties, color development, clarity, stability, light fastness, and other required performances. For example, C, 1, Direct Black 17.19.32.51.71.108.
146 C, l Direct Blue 6.22.2S, 71.86.
90.106.199 C,1, Direct Red 1.4.17.28, C,1
, Direct Yellow 12.24.26.86.98.
142 C, 1, Direct Oren-) 34.39.44.46
．． Direct dyes such as 60 C,1, Direct Violet 47.48C,1, Direct Brown 109 C,1, Direct Green 59, C,1
, Acid Black 2.7.24.26.31.52.
63.112.118 C, I, acid blue 9.22.40.59.93,
102, 104, 113, 117.120, 167, 2
29, 234 C1, acid red 1.6.32.3f, 51.52
．． 80.85.87.92.94.115.180.2
56.317.315c, 1. acid yellow 1
1.17.23.25.29.42.61.71 C,1, Acid Orange 7.19 Acidic dyes such as C,1, Acid Violet 49 are preferred; others, C,1, Basic Black 2 C,1 , Basic Blue 1.3.5.7.9.24.
25.26.28.29 C,! , Basiclet 1.2.9.12.13.1
4.37 C,1, Basic Violet 7.14.27C,1
, Food Black 1.2, etc. can also be used.

The above examples of dyes are particularly preferable for inks applicable to the recording method of the present invention, but dyes for inks used in the present invention are not limited to these dyes.

Such water-soluble dyes are generally used in a proportion of about 0.1 to 20% by weight in conventional inks, and this proportion may be the same in the present invention.

A suitable solvent for use in the ink used in the present invention is water or a mixed solvent of water and a water-soluble organic solvent, and particularly preferred is a mixed solvent of water and a water-soluble organic solvent, which is a water-soluble solvent. It contains polyhydric alcohol, which has the effect of preventing ink from drying, as an organic solvent. Further, as water, it is preferable to use deionized water rather than ordinary water containing various ions. Examples of water-soluble organic solvents used in combination with water include methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol, 5ec-butyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, and isobutyl alcohol. Alkyl alcohols with 1 to 4 carbon atoms; Amides such as dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide; Ketones or keto alcohols such as acetone and diacetone alcohol; ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and dioxane; and polyalkylene glycols such as polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol. Class: Alkylene in which the alkylene group has 2 to 6 carbon atoms, such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butylene gelicol, triethylene glycol, 1,2,6-hexandriol, thiodiglycol, hexylene glycol, diethylene glycol, etc. Glycols: Glycerin: Lower alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols such as ethylene glycol methyl (or ethyl) ether, diethylene glycol methyl (or ethyl) ether, triethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether: N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, Examples include 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone. Among these many water-soluble organic solvents, polyhydric alcohols such as diethylene glycol,
Lower alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols such as triethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether are preferred.

The content I of the water-soluble organic solvent in the ink is generally O to 95% by weight, preferably 10 to 80% by weight, more preferably 20 to 5% by weight based on the total weight of the ink.
It is in the range of 0 weight and 1%.

In addition to the above-mentioned components, the ink used in the present invention may also contain a surfactant, a viscosity modifier, a surface tension modifier, etc., if necessary.

In the method of the present invention, the inkjet method for performing recording by applying the above-mentioned ink to the above-mentioned specific recording material is as follows:
Any method may be used as long as it can effectively separate the ink from the nozzle and apply the ink to the recording material that is the projectile.

To explain some methods suitable for the method of the present invention, first there is an electrostatic suction method, and in this method, the number of nozzles and nozzles is
A strong electric field is applied between the ink and the accelerating electrode placed in front of the nozzle, and the ink is drawn out one after another from the nozzle. Information signals are given to the deflection electrodes and recorded while the drawn ink flies between the deflection electrodes. method and without deflecting the ink particles.
There is a method of ejecting ink particles in response to an information signal, and either method is effective for the method of the present invention.

The second method is to forcibly eject minute ink particles by applying high pressure to the ink with a small pump and mechanically vibrating the nozzle with a crystal oscillator. At the same time as the injection, it is charged according to the information signal. When the charged ink particles pass between the deflection electrode plates, they are deflected according to the amount of charge. Another method using this method is called the microdot inkjet method. In this method, ink pressure and excitation conditions are kept within a certain range of appropriate values, and two types of ink droplets, large and small, are ejected from the nozzle tip. Only small and medium-sized droplets are generated and used for recording. The feature of this method is that it is possible to obtain a group of minute droplets even with a conventionally large nozzle diameter.

A third method is a piezo element method, in which a piezo element is used as a pressure means for applying pressure to the ink, rather than a mechanical means such as a pump as in other methods. This method applies an electric signal to a piezo element to cause mechanical displacement, thereby applying pressure to the ink and ejecting it from a nozzle.

Furthermore, there is an inkjet method in which the ink subjected to the action of thermal energy undergoes a sudden change in volume, and the acting force due to this state change is used to eject the ink from a nozzle. can also be used effectively.

(Example) Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to reference examples, examples, and comparative examples. In the text, parts or percentages are based on weight unless otherwise specified. Reference Example 1 A polyethylene terephthalate film (manufactured by Toshi) with a thickness of 100 μm was used as a transparent base material, and an ionomer resin (Chemipearl S-100, manufactured by Mitsui Petrochemicals, solid content 27%) was applied on this film after drying. It was coated using a bar coater method to a film thickness of 5 μm, and dried at 80° C. for 10 minutes to form an ink retaining layer.

Next, a coating solution with the following composition was coated using a bar coater method so that the film thickness after drying was 20 μm, and the coating solution was coated at 80°C for 10 minutes.
Example 1
A white opaque recording material to be used was obtained.

Kouko direct dish bottom 2 low density polyethylene resin dispersion (M-200, solid content 4
0%, manufactured by Mitsui Petrochemicals) 100 parts Surfactant (Perex GT-P, manufactured by Kao) 0.05 parts Reference Example 2 On the same polyethylene terephthalate film as in Reference Example 1, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer solution (V-10
0, solid content 40%, manufactured by Mitsui Petrochemicals) to form an ink holding layer, and then a coating liquid having the following composition to form an ink transport layer in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, and used in Example 2. A white opaque recording material was obtained.

1 Polymethacrylate resin (Microsphere M, manufactured by Matsumoto Yushi) 100 parts Surfactant (Emulgen A-500, manufactured by Kao) 0.05 parts Water 20
Section Reference Example 3 An ink retention layer was formed on the same polyethylene terephthalate film as in Reference Example 1 in the same manner as in Reference Example 2, and then an ink transport layer was coated with a coating liquid having the following composition, so that the film thickness after drying was It was coated to a thickness of 20 μm and dried at 100° C. for 5 minutes to obtain a white opaque recording material used in Example 3.

1 Two-liquid dish wide yupolystyrene resin dispersion (L-8801, solid content 45%
, manufactured by Asahi Kasei) 100 parts Surfactant (Emulgen 810, manufactured by Kao) 0.05 parts Reference Example 4 Only the transport layer of Reference Example 1 was formed on the same transparent film as Reference Example 1, and used in Comparative Example 1. A recording material was obtained.

Reference Example 5 The ink retaining layer of Reference Example 1 was formed on the same transparent film as Reference Example 1, and then a mixture with the following composition was coated so that the film thickness after drying was 20 μm, and the mixture was heated at 100°C. This was dried for 10 minutes to form an ink transport layer, and a recording material used in Comparative Example 2 was obtained.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA220.10% aqueous solution,
(manufactured by Kuraray) 100 parts calcium carbonate (Niscallon #2000, manufactured by Sankyo Sabo Powder)
8 Parts Comparative Example 6 A recording material used in Comparative Example 3 was obtained by forming only the ink retaining layer of Reference Example 1 on the same transparent film as in Reference Example 1.

Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 On each of the recording materials obtained in Reference Examples 1 to 6 above, the following four types of ink were used to eject ink using a rainbow vibrator. Inkjet recording was carried out using a recording apparatus having a demand-type inkjet recording head (discharge orifice diameter 65 μm, piezo vibrator drive voltage 30 to 70 V, frequency 3 KHz).

Yellow ink (:, 1. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone 10 parts diethylene glycol 20 parts polyethylene glycol #200
15 parts water
55 parts Macenta Ink C,1, Acid Red 35 2 parts N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone 10 parts diethylene glycol 20 parts polyethylene glycol #2 (Io
15 parts water
55 parts Cyanc C,1, Direct Blue 86 2 parts N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone 10 parts diethylene glycol
20 parts polyethylene glycol 1200
15 parts water
55 parts black ink [:, 1. Food Black 2 2 parts N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone 10 parts diethylene glycol 20 parts polyethylene glycol #200
15 parts water
55 parts The evaluation results of the above Examples and Comparative Examples are shown in Table 1. Each evaluation item in Table 1 was measured according to the following method.

(1) Ink fixation time was measured by leaving the recording material at room temperature after recording, and measuring the time taken for the ink to dry and stop adhering to the finger when touching the recorded image on the recording surface with the finger.

(2) Image density is measured using a Machhes densitometer (model number, TR-
524), the minimum and maximum values of the black image were measured from the transparent layer side.

(3) Gloss was measured based on JIS Z 8741 as a 45 degree specular gloss of a transparent closed surface.

A comprehensive evaluation was also conducted based on the above results. In addition, in the overall evaluation, the ink absorbs and fixes quickly, has excellent inkjet recording suitability, is glossy, and has a clear image with a wide OD range.
If the gloss is insufficient, or if the gloss is sufficient but the ink fixation time is long and it is unsuitable as a recording material, or if the gloss and recording suitability are lacking, X is used. However, if the OD range was narrow and the high gradation property was poor, or if the image showed white unevenness or bleeding, it was evaluated as △.

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× (Effect) According to the present invention as described above, since the ink transport layer of the recording material used in the present invention has appropriate ink retention and ink transport properties, If the amount of ink is below a certain level, it is retained in the ink transport layer,
On the other hand, if the amount exceeds a certain level, it will penetrate through the transport layer and reach the ink retaining layer. If the ink application l is small, the image viewed from the transparent layer side will be seen through the constituent materials of the ink transport layer and ink retention layer, so the optical density level will be low.
As a result, the range on the low concentration side expanded. In addition, when the amount of ink applied exceeds a certain level, the ink reaches the ink-receptive ink-retaining layer, so when viewed from the transparent layer side, there is no white unevenness or bleeding, and high surface gloss is achieved without compromising optical density. It is now possible to obtain high-quality images.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the principle of the present invention. 1: Transparent layer 2: Ink retaining layer 3: Ink transport layer 4:
Image patent applicant: Canon Co., Ltd. Agent Patent Attorney Yoshi 1) Katsuhiro'-t-62,,'
Jq Kishi

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) It has at least a transparent layer, an ink retention layer, and an ink transport layer, the ink transport layer has a certain amount of ink retention, and the ink exceeding the certain amount passes through the ink transport layer and is retained. A recording method characterized by performing recording by applying ink to an ink transport layer of a recording material held in a layer. (2) The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the ink retaining layer is made of a transparent or semitransparent material. (3) The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the ink transport layer is made of a material with low translucency. (4) The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the ink is applied to the recording material by an inkjet method.