JPH0615949A - Method and apparatus for ink jet recording using ink for recording with randomly variable liquid drop diameter of recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make fluctuation of recording caused by the size of an ink liq. drop ejected from a nozzle unremarkable by the title method and apparatus wherein the amt. of ejection of the ink liq. drop ejected from a specified nozzle is not fixed at a const. value but is randomly changed in a specified width. CONSTITUTION:A heat generator 3 is electrically connected with a head driving circuit part 4 and a lead wire 17 through a wire plainly formed on a head base 10 and a part of input electric energy is converted to an ink ejecting energy to eject an ink drop 5 from a nozzle 2. Each heat generator 3 is if necessary, selectively driven to generate heat by means of the head driving circuit 4. When heat is generated by means of the heat generator 3, a bubble is generated in the nozzle 2 and as the bubble grows, the ink liq. drop 5 is ejected in the front of the nozzle. The ejected liq. drop 5 flys to a transfer paper which is placed in the front of the nozzle 2 and is a medium 11 to be recorded and reaches there to form a character and an image. As the ink liq. drop 5 is ejected with growing of the air bubble like this, it is usually called as a bubble jet recording head.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a variable droplet diameter recording method for an on-demand type ink jet recording head which ejects ink as needed to record characters or images. In particular, a BJ (bubble jet) recording head having a plurality of heating elements and nozzles corresponding to these heating elements is provided on a substrate of the recording head, and each BJ (bubble jet) recording head uses a specific ink and transfer paper. The present invention relates to a droplet diameter random variable recording method and apparatus for performing recording by randomly changing the volume of ink droplets ejected from a nozzle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a volume V of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle of a BJ head having a plurality of ink ejection nozzles.
d was not completely uniform, and the average value Vdmean of the volume of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle was different for each nozzle. Further, the volume of ink droplets ejected from a specific nozzle varies within a certain minute range.

FIG. 3 shows the "area of ink that has landed" when the ink that has landed on the recording medium has been colored with the conventional recording head and conventional ink when recording on the conventional transfer paper. The conceptual diagram of "occurrence frequency" is shown. Figure 3
For the sake of explanation, a case in which there are three nozzles is illustrated, but the average value of the landed area of the ink ejected from each nozzle is
A is relatively small, B is medium, and C is relatively large.

Actually, if the ink landed on the recording medium is continuous, it is difficult to measure the area of each drop accurately. Paying attention to the deep correlation between the volume of the ejected ink droplet and the landing area, the volume V of the ink droplet is
d was measured and the following results were obtained.

FIG. 4 shows data obtained by measuring the frequency (%) of the volume Vd of the ink droplet focused on the three nozzles a, b, and c of the 2048 nozzles of the recording head. a is the 253rd bit, b is the 254th bit, and c is the 2nd
It has a characteristic of 55 bits. In this case, the average volume Vdmean of the ink droplets at the nozzle corresponding to each bit and the standard deviation Vdσ are as shown in Table 1 below. Unit is pl
(Picoliter),% in parentheses.

[0006]

[Table 1] Table 1 Nozzle a b c bit 253 254 254 Vdmean pl 147 166 184 Vdσ pl (%) 5 (3.4) 4 (2.4) 4 (2.2 ) The recording data of FIG. It is a value when driven, and the components of the ink used here (ink 16 of the comparative example) and the surface tension / viscosity are shown in Table 2 below.
Shown in.

[0007]

[Table 2] Table 2 C. I. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts Diethylene glycol 15 parts Isopropyl alcohol 4 parts Water 79 parts Surface tension: 49 dyn / cm, viscosity: 1.8 cp Conventionally used for copiers and printers of inkjet and bubble jet recording systems and electrophotographic systems. As a surface sizing agent for a transfer agent for a transfer paper, an internally added sizing agent, gelatin, starch and the like are generally used, and starch has mainly accounted for most of the compounding ratio.

[0008] It is generally said that the blending amount of this starch is 1.0% or more on a weight basis for ink jet and bubble jet recording systems, and for electrophotographic recording. Most of them are about 0.1 to 1.5%, and it is necessary to properly use the above-mentioned two types of transfer materials based on the optimum characteristics in both types of copying machines and printers.

[0009]

As described above, the average Vdmean of the volume of ink droplets ejected from a plurality of nozzles varies within a certain range, and it has been extremely difficult to equalize them all in the past. That is, the average Vdmean of the volume of the ejected ink droplets deviates from the target value due to the nozzle shape and a minute dimensional error in manufacturing. For example, there are variations in the width, height, or cross-sectional area of the nozzle, the shape of the nozzle tip, the distance from the nozzle tip to the heating element, the amount of heat generated by each heating element when the same electric energy is applied, and so on. This is because, as a result, the average Vdmean of the volume of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle varies.

Ink droplets ejected from specific nozzles also vary within a certain range. This is because the BJ recording method originally controls the bubbles to eject the ink, and during the continuous ejection, the next bubbling state changes due to the remaining of the minute bubbles of the previous ejection. . Since the remaining amount of the minute bubbles is not constant and changes each time, the ink droplets ejected from a specific nozzle also vary within a certain range.

Among them, the variation of the average Vdmean of the volume of the ink droplets is particularly the same as the relative movement direction of the recording head 21 and the paper 11 when the recording operation is performed, as shown in FIG. In addition, recording unevenness occurs. The relative movement direction is indicated by an arrow. FIG. 5 shows the recording results at the 251st to 257th bits. The recorded dot diameter is a little smaller at 253 bits, 254 bits at an average value, and 255 b.
It is recorded slightly larger.

Although this recording unevenness is difficult to recognize in a pattern such as a character in which the recording frequency (printing rate) of each nozzle is low, it easily occurs when the same pattern is continuously recorded to increase the printing rate. It is not a problem as long as the recording unevenness cannot be visually recognized, but in reality, when the area of the adjacent recording points colored by the ink ejected on the recording medium changes, it is visually judged as the recording unevenness. It

This unevenness deteriorated the recording quality. In particular, when a large number of recording heads are mass-produced, the recording unevenness is a factor that reduces the production yield of the recording heads that can be satisfied in actual use, which in turn increases the cost.

On the other hand, there is a method of preventing this recording unevenness by providing a means for adjusting the electric energy applied to the heating element of each nozzle at the time of ink ejection. Specifically, the voltage value applied to the heating element of each nozzle and / or the pulse width is adjusted to equalize the volume of ejected ink. However, beyond the number of nozzles, 24, 48, 64 ... 2048
With many books, etc., this adjustment is not easy and it cannot be said to be realistic.

As a transfer paper for ink jet and bubble jet recording, the higher the blending ratio of the surface sizing agent, the less the image defects due to ink bleeding. On the other hand, as a transfer paper for electrophotography, when the compounding ratio of the surface sizing agent exceeds the above range, it is considered that the rollers such as the photoconductor and the fixing roller are contaminated under high temperature or high humidity environment. Has been.

In order to provide a transfer material which can be commonly used for both the above-mentioned ink jet and bubble jet recording transfer papers and electrophotographic transfer papers, the present invention examines the limits of both characteristics. As a result, the present invention has been completed by finding the optimum range of the surface sizing agent, particularly the compounding ratio of the starch amount, which can achieve the commonality of both.

[0017]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems to be solved. That is, the ejection amount of the ink droplets ejected from the specific nozzle of the BJ head using the specific ink is not fixed to a constant value, but is changed at random with a certain width σ to eject the entire ink. The volume Vd of the ink droplet is changed to make the recording unevenness due to the size of the ink droplet ejected from a specific nozzle as a whole inconspicuous.

It is to be noted that this is different from the conventionally disclosed method of processing digital gradation recording data to diffuse the recording points as a whole, that is, the so-called error diffusion method. Unlike the present invention, the amount of ink droplets ejected from the same nozzle is always constant.

Oxidized starch, which is mainly used as a surface sizing agent in the above-mentioned transfer paper, is a free-flowing crystalline substance which has a high fluidity under normal environment. When left in an environment of 85%, it has deliquescent properties and aggregates.

With respect to ink bleeding in the ink jet recording system, although there is a sizing effect in a portion of the transfer paper where the surface sizing agent starch is sufficiently present,
It is a matter of course that bleeding occurs at a portion where the starch is insufficient, and when the starch is not sufficiently and uniformly applied in the paper making process and size press, uneven coating occurs on the paper surface, and Image bleeding occurs.

In the electrophotographic transfer paper, the starch on the paper surface is transferred to the photosensitive drum in the above-mentioned state, and is mixed with the toner and the like by the cleaner blade and scraped off. When the number increases, it is not completely scraped off from the photosensitive drum and remains on the drum, which causes image stain.

[0022]

EXAMPLES Examples showing the details of the present invention will be described below.
The present invention is not limited to these. In the text, unless otherwise specified, the indication of parts or% means weight basis. Example 1 FIG. 1 shows a conceptual diagram of the frequency of occurrence of the ink landed on a recording medium with respect to the colored area of the recording medium when recording is performed by the method of the present invention. With three nozzles,
The average area where the ink ejected from each nozzle landed is
Relatively, A is small, B is medium (average value), and C is large. The variation in the landing area from the specific nozzle is larger than in the conventional case.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the BJ recording head used in the embodiment of the present invention. On the head substrate 10, there are a plurality of heating elements 3 and nozzles 2 corresponding to the plurality of heating elements. There are a total of 2048 nozzles 2 with a density of 8 nozzles per 1 mm in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The heating element 3 is disposed on the head substrate 10 and has a SiO ₂ protective film 8 so as not to come into direct contact with the ink liquid. Heating element 3
Is electrically connected to the head drive circuit unit 4, the lead wire 17 and the wiring formed in a plane on the head substrate 10, and converts a part of the input electric energy into ink ejection energy, The ink droplet 5 is ejected from the nozzle 2.

Recording of characters and images is performed as follows. Each heating element 3 is selectively driven by the head drive circuit 4 as needed to generate heat. When the heating element 3 generates heat, bubbles are generated in the nozzle 2, and the ink droplets 5 are ejected in front of the nozzle as the bubbles grow. The ejected ink droplets 5 fly and land on a transfer paper, which is a recording medium 11 arranged in front of the nozzles 2, to form characters and images. In this way, since the ink droplets 5 are ejected as the bubbles grow, it is usually called a BJ (bubble jet) recording head.

The drive waveform for heating the heating element 3 is a rectangular wave, and its voltage value is constant. Also, the width P of the drive waveform
w is constant at 10 μsec. As the head substrate 10, No. 7059 manufactured by Corning Co. having a glass thickness of about 1 mm was used. The thermal conductivity of this material is KGI = 1.26E-2
J / cm · sec · k.

The components of the used ink are as follows. That is, the ink contains at least 4 to 50% by weight of an oxyethylene addition polymer and / or triol, and has a viscosity of 3.0 at 25 ° C.
The ink has a surface tension of 55 dyne / cm or more and cP or less.

The other inks are at least 4 to 50.
% Oxyethylene addition polymer and / or triol, and 0.1 to 10% alkyl alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a halogen derivative thereof, and 2
The viscosity of the ink at 5 ° C. is 2.0 cP or more.

Desirably, the above ink further contains at least 0.1 to 10% of a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound and / or thiodiglycol. The print unevenness due to the non-uniformity of the average value Vdmean of the volume of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle, which has been a problem in the past, was solved by using the above ink.

The other component of the further used ink is
At least 6 to 50% of an oxyethylene addition polymer and / or triol and 0.001 to 2% of a surfactant are contained, and preferably the above-mentioned ink is at least further: Of the average value Vdmean of the volume of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle, which has been a conventional problem of containing 0.1 to 15% by weight of an alkyl alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a halogen derivative thereof. The uneven recording due to unevenness was solved by adding an appropriate amount of a surfactant to the ink.

Suitable solvents for the ink used in the present invention are
Water or a mixed solvent of water and a water-soluble solvent, and particularly preferable is a mixed solvent of water and a water-soluble organic solvent. Above all, the oxyethylene addition polymer and triol are effective components for preventing the clogging of the nozzle.

Examples of the oxyethylene addition polymer include diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol, and examples of the triol include 1,2,6-hexanetriol and glycerin.

Even if used alone, they have a function as a wetting agent, but when the oxyethylene addition polymer and triol are used in combination, a remarkable effect can be seen in preventing nozzle clogging. The amount of the solvent added to the ink is 4 to 50%, preferably 6 to 30%.

When the above conditions were satisfied, it was possible to randomly change the volume Vd of the ink droplet ejected from a specific nozzle with a certain width σ while maintaining various ink performances such as clogging.

In order to eject ink droplets from the BJ recording head stably for a long time, the ink of the present invention has physical properties such that the viscosity at 25 ° C. is 3 cP or less and the surface tension is 55 dyne / cm or more. It is desirable to be done. Therefore, in order to adjust the ink, it is preferable that the amount of water contained in the ink is 50% or more, preferably 60% or more, and more preferably 70% or more.

The above condition, that is, the ink ejected from the nozzle contains at least 4% to 50% of oxyethylene addition polymer and / or triol, and the viscosity of the ink at 25 ° C. is 3.0 cP. Below, the surface tension is 5
When it was set to 5 dyne / cm or more, the volume Vd of the ink droplet ejected from a specific nozzle could be randomly changed with a certain width σ while maintaining various ink performances such as clogging.

Further, other general water-soluble organic solvent can be used together with the ink. Examples of organic solvents that can be used in combination with the oxyethylene addition polymer and triol include amides such as dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide;
Ketones or keto alcohols such as acetone and diacetone alcohol; ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and dioxane; oxypropylene addition polymers such as dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, polypropylene glycol; ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, trimethylene glycol, butylene Glycol,
Alkylene glycols in which the alkylene group such as hexylene glycol contains 2-6 carbon atoms; thiodiglycol; ethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl)
Lower alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols such as ethers and triethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ethers; lower dialkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols such as triethylene glycol dimethyl (or ethyl) ether and tetraethylene glycol dimethyl (or ethyl) ether Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, 2-pyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone; sulfolane;
It is not limited to these.

The content of the water-soluble organic solvent is generally in the range of 0.5 to 50%, preferably 1 to 30%, based on the total weight of the ink. Ink is added with an alkyl alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a halogen derivative thereof in order to improve ink ejection efficiency when ejecting ink droplets. These alcohols also have a function of increasing penetrability while suppressing ink bleeding when printing on plain paper such as copy paper and bond paper.

Examples of the alkyl alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or their halogen derivatives include methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol, sec-butyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol and isobutyl alcohol. , And the like.

The amount of these alcohols added varies depending on the number of carbon atoms, but when the number of carbon atoms is 1, it is 15% or less, 2
In the case of 1, the content is preferably 10% or less, in the case of 3, 5% or less, and in the case of 4, 3% or less. When the content exceeds the above range, foaming becomes extremely stable, so that Vdσ, which is the object of the present invention, cannot be obtained.

In the above ink, the BJ recording head is
As the physical properties of the ink itself, the viscosity at 25 ° C. is 2 to 15 cP so that the ink droplets can be stably ejected for a long time.
Preferably 2-10 cP, more preferably 2-5 cP,
The surface tension is 45 to 68 dyne / cm, preferably 50
~ 68 dyne / cm, more preferably 54-68 dy
It is desirable to adjust to ne / cm.

Therefore, in order to adjust the above ink, it is preferable that the amount of water contained in the ink is 50% or more, preferably 55% or more, and more preferably 60% or more.

Under the above conditions, that is, the ink ejected from the nozzle is at least 4 to 50% oxyethylene addition polymer and / or triol, 0.1 to 10% alkyl alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or the same. The ink contains a halogen derivative and has a viscosity of 2.
When it is 0 cP or more, ink droplets ejected from a specific nozzle can be randomly changed with a certain width Vdσ while maintaining various ink performances such as clogging.

As the surfactant used in the present invention, any kind of surfactant is effective, but the nonionic surfactant is particularly effective. Among them, acetylene glycol and ethylene oxide ( Those having EO) added are more effective, and those having an ethylene oxide addition number of about 10 are particularly effective.

Direct dyes are used as the dyes constituting the ink.
Acid dyes, basic dyes, food dyes, reactive dyes, disperse dyes, vat dyes, soluble vat dyes, reactive disperse dyes, oil dyes, and various pigments are used, but water-soluble dyes are especially for BJ recording heads. Is particularly preferable.

The content of these dyes is determined by the type of liquid medium component,
Although it is determined depending on the properties required for the ink, etc., it is generally about 0.2 to 20%, preferably 0.5 to 10%, and more preferably 1 to 5% with respect to the total amount of the ink. is there.

FIG. 7 shows the ink of the present invention, Table 3 (I).
2 shows the generation frequency (%) of the volume Vd of the ink droplet ejected from a specific nozzle when the ink 1 of No. 1 is used. The frequency of ink ejection is 800 Hz. The ratio of the standard deviation of the volume Vd of the ejected ink droplets is about 9.9%.

FIG. 8 is Table 3 (II) which is an ink of the present invention.
The occurrence frequency (%) of the volume Vd of the ink droplet ejected from the specific nozzle when the ink 6 of No. 6 is used is shown. The frequency of ink ejection is 800 Hz. The ratio of the standard deviation of the volume Vd of the ejected ink droplets is about 9.8%.

The ink is discharged from the nozzle of the recording head,
In order to always eject a stable ink droplet, the surface tension at 25 ° C. is 30 to 68 dy as a physical property of the ink.
ne / cm, viscosity is 15 cP or less, more preferably 5 c
It is desirable to adjust to P or less. Therefore, in order to adjust the above ink, the amount of water contained in the ink is preferably 50% or more, preferably 60% or more, more preferably 70%.

FIG. 9 shows the ink of the present invention, Table 3 (III).
When using ink 11 of the specific nozzle (254
The generation frequency (%) of the volume Vd of the ink droplet ejected from (bit) is shown. The frequency of ink ejection is 800 Hz
Is. The ratio of the standard deviation of the volume Vd of the ejected ink droplets is about 9.2%. As described above, since the volume Vd of the ink droplets ejected from each nozzle varies, the magnitude of the average value of the volume Vd at a specific nozzle becomes difficult to understand as a whole.

FIG. 10 shows the ratio Vdσ (%) of the standard deviation of the dispersion of the volume Vd of the ejected ink droplet 5 to the ratio of the nonionic surfactant obtained by adding ethylene oxide to acetylene glycol by 10. Show.
Vdσ is 10 for each of n = 32 nozzles.
Twenty-four ink droplets were measured and the average standard deviation was calculated.

From this test, the content of the surfactant in the ink is preferably 0.001% or more. On the other hand, when the content exceeds 2%, when the ink lands on the recording medium, the so-called feathering phenomenon, in which the ink spreads along the minute fiber structure of the recording medium, tends to occur, and the characters to be recorded are recorded. And side effects that deteriorate the quality of images occur. Therefore, the content of the above-mentioned surfactant in the ink is preferably 0.001 to 2%, and more preferably 0.01 to 2%.
It is 1%, more preferably 0.01 to 0.2%.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the recording results of the embodiment. Conventionally, it is difficult to understand the recording unevenness as shown in FIG. 5, which has been known to exist in the relative movement direction of the recording medium 11 and the recording head 21. That is, the recording quality is improved.

As described above, by ejecting the ink droplets so that the volume Vd of the ink droplets ejected from the respective nozzles does not fall within a fixed and relatively narrow range, the respective ink droplets are ejected. From a microscopic point of view, it seems that the recorded characters and images have a grainy appearance, and the recording quality seems to be poor, but from a macroscopic point of view, it is rather improved. it can.

This judgment is made by observing the recording object from a slightly distant position (at a recording density of 8 points per 1 mm, the distance between the recorded recording medium and the eye of the evaluator is 25 cm or more). Will be clearer.

If the fluctuation of the volume of the ink droplet is
When a specific pattern exists, it appears as macroscopic unevenness. Therefore, the fluctuation must have no specific pattern, that is, be random. In this embodiment, the volume V of the ink droplet ejected from each nozzle is
d is unspecified and random.

The amount of solvent and alcohol contained in the ink, the amount of the surfactant added, etc. are delicately adjusted, and the amount of fluctuation is a standard deviation value of 8.0% and 8.5.
%, 9.0%, 9.5%, the above judgment was 9.0% or more, which was judged to be practically sufficient.

The outline of an example of the method for producing the ink (ink 1) used in the present invention is as follows. Table 3
Five hours after mixing the components of (I), the pH was adjusted to 7.5 with a 0.1% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, and a membrane filter with a pore size of 0.22 μm (trade name: Fluoropore Filter, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.) (Manufactured by K.K.) was used for pressure filtration to prepare respective inks. Any of the above ink preparation methods may be based on the prior art.

Volume Vd of ink droplet 5 for each ejected droplet
The measurement was carried out by image-processing the image of the ink droplets projected on the CCD camera with a measuring system in which a strobe flash and a CCD camera were attached to the microscope.

Factors that make it possible to cause fluctuations and variations in the volume Vd of ink droplets to be ejected by using a properly selected ink in a BJ head having a plurality of ink ejection nozzles Is the initial normal state of bubbling after the next (next) bubbles due to the influence of the dissolved gas remaining in the pressure chamber 9 of the recording head 21 at the time of the repeatedly ejecting the ink. It is thought to be because it changes. Ink additives and ink components are expected to affect the number and size of these minute dissolved gases. Example 2 In addition to Ink 1 shown in Example 1, Tables 3 (I) and 3 (I
The effects of the examples were obtained with the inks 2 to 15 shown in I) and 3 (III). On the other hand, Comparative Ink 1 shown in Table 4
In 6 to 19, the effect of the example was not obtained.

The components of the ink of the examples are as described above, but various dispersants, viscosity modifiers, surface tension modifiers, optical brighteners, etc. are used within a range that does not hinder the achievement of the object of the present invention. At that time, it can be added if necessary. For example, viscosity adjusting agents such as polyvinyl alcohol, celluloses and water-soluble resins; surface tension adjusting agents such as diethanolamine and triethanolamine; pH adjusting agents based on buffer solutions;
Examples thereof include antifungal agents.

In the embodiment, the recording head having 8 nozzles per 1 mm has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Generally, the higher the nozzle array density, that is, the recording density, the higher the recording quality. Also in the recording method of the present invention, the microscopic roughness due to the volume of the ink droplets changed at random becomes smaller as the recording density is increased, and the recording image quality is improved.

In the examples, as the head substrate 10, specifically, an example in which No. 7059 manufactured by Corning Co. having a thickness of 1 mm is used is shown, but BJ recording using Pyrex glass, which is the most general glass material, is used. The same effect as in the example was obtained with the head. Also, a head substrate made of a silicon material has almost the same effect.

In the recording method of the embodiment, the ink droplets ejected from the recording head have been described as being either ejected toward the recording medium or not ejected. However, almost all of the recording medium is ejected. The effect is also exerted in an example of a so-called multi-droplet method in which ink is ejected a plurality of times toward the same position.

In the embodiment, the head drive circuit unit is an example using a conventional head drive circuit unit. However, as the head drive circuit unit, a method of randomly changing the energy given to the heating element at the time of ink ejection (see another application). Medium) may be used together.
By changing the energy given to the heating element,
The volume of the ejected ink droplet changes.

Specifically, the pulse width of the rectangular drive pulse applied to the heating element 3 is changed, and / or the voltage value is changed, or the ink ejection applied immediately before the ink ejection pulse is not performed. There is a method of changing the pulse width of the preceding pulse to some extent.

[0066]

Table 3 (I) (Ingredient I of Example Ink) Ink 1 C.I. I. Food Black 2 3 parts Triethylene glycol 7 parts 1,2,6 Hexanetriol 7 parts Water 83 parts Surface tension 63 dyne / cm, viscosity 2.0 cP Ink 2 C.I. I. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts Triethylene glycol 10 parts 1,2,6 hexanetriol 6 parts Water 82 parts Surface tension 58 dyne / cm, viscosity 2.1 cP Ink 3 C.I. I. Direct Black 154 2 parts Diethylene glycol 8 parts 1,2,6 hexanetriol 6 parts Water 84 parts Surface tension 59 dyne / cm, viscosity 1.9 cP Ink 4 C.I. I. Direct Blue 199 2.5 parts Diethylene glycol 11 parts Glycerin 4 parts Water 82.5 parts Surface tension 59 dyne / cm, viscosity 2.0 cP Ink 5 C.I. I. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts Diethylene glycol 15 parts Water 83 parts Surface tension 63 dyne / cm, viscosity 1.8 cP Table 3 (II) (Component II of Ink of Example) Ink 6 C.I. I. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts Triethylene glycol 10 parts 1,2,6 hexanetriol 8 parts Isopropyl alcohol 1 part Water 79 parts Surface tension 56 dyne / cm, viscosity 2.2 cP Ink 7 C.I. I. Food Black 2 3 parts Triethylene glycol 7 parts 1,2,6 hexanetriol 5 parts Thiodiglycol 3 parts 2-Pyrrolidone 3 parts Isopropyl alcohol 1 part Water 78 parts Surface tension 57 dyne / cm, viscosity 2.1 cP ink 8 C.I. I. Direct Black 154 2 parts Triethylene glycol 8 parts Glycerin 6 parts 2 Pyrrolidone 4 parts Ethanol 3 parts Water 77 parts Surface tension 57 dyne / cm, viscosity 2.2 cP ink 9 C.I. I. Direct Blue 199 2.5 parts Diethylene glycol 13 parts Glycerin 4 parts Thiodiglycol 3 parts 2 Butanol 1 part Water 76.5 parts Surface tension 58 dyne / cm, viscosity 2.2 cP ink 10 C.I. I. Direct Yellow 86 1.5 parts Diethylene glycol 36 parts 2 Butanol 1 part Water 61.5 parts Surface tension 54 dyne / cm, viscosity 3.2 cP Table 3 (III) (Component III of the ink of the example) Ink 11 C.I. I. Food Black 2 3 parts Triethylene glycol 5 parts 1,2,6 Hexanetriol 7 parts 2 Butanol 1 part Nonionic surfactant (acetylene glycol with 10 additions of EO) 0.04 parts Water 83.96 parts Ink 12 C. I. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts Triethylene glycol 7 parts 1,2,6 hexanetriol 8 parts Isopropyl alcohol 2.5 parts Nonionic surfactant (acetylene glycol with 10 additions of EO) 0.02 parts Water 80.48 Part Ink 13 C.I. I. Direct Black 154 2 parts Triethylene glycol 8 parts Glycerin 6 parts Ethanol 3 parts Nonionic surfactant (acetylene glycol with 10 additions of EO) 0.08 parts Water 80.92 parts Ink 14 C.I. I. Direct Blue 199 2.5 parts Diethylene glycol 10 parts Glycerin 5 parts Nonionic surfactant (acetylene glycol with 10 additions of EO) 0.1 parts Water 82.4 parts Ink 15 C.I. I. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts Diethylene glycol 15 parts Isopropyl alcohol 3 parts Nonionic surfactant (acetylene glycol with 10 additions of EO) 0.12 parts Water 79.88 parts

[0067]

[Table 4] Table 4 (Components of Ink of Comparative Example) Ink 16 C.I. I. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts Diethylene glycol 15 parts Isopropyl alcohol 4 parts Water 79 parts Surface tension 49 dyne / cm, viscosity 1.8 cP Ink 17 C.I. I. Acid Red 35 2 parts Diethylene glycol 35 parts Water 63 parts Surface tension 56 dyne / cm, viscosity 3.3 cP Ink 18 C.I. I. Food Black 2 3 parts Triethylene glycol 5 parts 1,2,6 Hexanetriol 7 parts 2 Butanol 1 part Water 84 parts Surface tension 54 dyne / cm, viscosity 1.8 cP Ink 19 C.I. I. Direct Blue 199 2.5 parts Glycerin 5 parts Thiodiglycol 4 parts Urea 6 parts n-Butanol 2 parts Water 80.5 parts Surface tension 48 dyne / cm, viscosity 1.8 cP Examples 3 to 6 The present invention, inkjet and bubble jet. In order to determine the blending amount of the surface sizing agent that can be used for both the ink recording system and the electrophotographic system, the starch blending ratio is good in the range of 0.8 to 3.9%. It was found that excellent image quality can be obtained. Examples showing the details of the present invention are described below, but the present invention is not limited to these.

Using the filler, pulp fibrin and sizing agent shown in Table 5, four types of transfer papers (Examples 3 to 6) having physical properties shown in Table 5 were produced by a normal neutral papermaking method. The above four types of transfer papers were set in a bubble jet type printer, and the influence of the degree of ink bleeding on each transfer paper was evaluated. In addition, LBKP of Table 5 shows a hardwood bleached kraft pulp. Further, the above four kinds of transfer papers were set in a cleaning blade type copying machine, and the influence of each transfer paper on copy image quality such as black spots and black streaks was also evaluated.

Regarding the degree of ink bleeding, a bubble jet printer was used to print on the above four types of transfer paper.
The degree of bleeding on the printed image was visually observed. When there was no bleeding, it was evaluated as good, when there was slight bleeding as Δ, and when it was noticeable as x.

Further, with respect to the degree of dirt of the photoconductor, the above copying machine was used, and each of the four types of transfer papers of Examples 3 to 6 was set to 1.
0000 sheets each are run in an environment of 32.5 ° C./85%, and black spots and black streaks on the copy image and the surface of the photoconductor are visually observed. ○: No stain, slight occurrence A case was evaluated as Δ, and a case where it was conspicuous was evaluated as ×.

As shown in the evaluation results of Table 5, the transfer papers of Examples 3 to 5 in which the content of starch is 3.9% or less have practically good image quality, that is, whether there are black spots or black streaks. Alternatively, a slight copy image was obtained. In addition, the starch content is 0.8%
With the above-mentioned transfer papers of Examples 4 to 6, practically good image quality, that is, printed images with almost no bleeding were obtained. Examples 7 to 14 As another example, talc (Examples 7 to 10) and kaolin (Examples 11 to 14) were used as fillers, and an acid papermaking method transfer using a rosin sizing agent as an internal sizing agent was performed. Using paper, the same amount of surface sizing agent as in Examples 3 to 6 shown in Table 5 was used, and the same test was performed, but the same results were obtained.

Using the surface sizing agent according to the present invention, particularly a transfer paper having a starch content of 0.8 to 3.9% (Examples 4 to 5), an ink printing printer of ink jet and bubble jet recording system, and an electronic printing machine. Good images could be obtained in both photographic copying machines.

[0073]

[Table 5]

[0074]

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION A BJ having a plurality of heating elements arranged on a head substrate and a plurality of nozzles corresponding to the heating elements.
By using the recording head, specific ink, and transfer paper to randomly change the volume of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle, the average amount of ink ejected from each nozzle may vary somewhat. However, it is possible to eliminate the recording unevenness recorded by the nozzle or make it inconspicuous, and it is possible to perform recording with good recording quality as a whole. Further, it is possible to use a recording head having characteristics in which the ink ejection volumes from the respective nozzles are slightly different, and it is possible to supply a recording head with a good production yield of the recording head and a low production cost.

As described above, the present invention is mainly composed of the pulp fibrin, the sizing agent, and the filler of the transfer agent for the transfer paper, and the surface sizing agent, particularly starch, is added in an amount of 0.8-3.
By using 9% and making the transfer paper for the ink printing system and the transfer paper for the electrophotographic system common, it is possible to obtain a good image with both of them using only a single transfer paper.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a frequency of occurrence of an ink of the present invention with respect to a colored area of a recording medium when landed on the recording medium.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a recording head used in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a frequency of occurrence of a conventional ink with respect to a colored area of a recording medium when landed on the recording medium.

FIG. 4 is a frequency distribution diagram of the volume of ink droplets ejected from each conventional nozzle.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image recorded by a conventional recording method.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image recorded by the recording method of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an example (1) of a frequency distribution diagram of the volume of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an example (2) of a frequency distribution diagram of the volume of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an example (3) of a frequency distribution diagram of the volume of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a standard deviation value of fluctuation of ink volume with respect to a ratio of a surfactant added to the ink of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Nozzle 3 Heating Element 4 Head Driving Circuit Section 5 Ink Droplet 7 Silicon Substrate 8 Protective Film 9 Pressure Chamber 10 Glass Substrate 11 Recording Medium 17 Lead Wire 19 Ink Supply Tube 20 Ink 21 Recording Head

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication C09D 11/00 PSZ 7415-4J 11/02 PTG 7415-4J 9012-2C B41J 3/04 103 B ( 72) Inventor Yoshinobu Shimomura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A recording head having a plurality of heating elements arranged on a substrate and having a plurality of ink ejection openings for ejecting ink corresponding to the plurality of heating elements, wherein the ink is at least 4 To 50% by weight of an oxyethylene addition polymer and / or triol, and the viscosity of the ink at 25 ° C. is 3.0 cP or less and the surface tension is 5
Recording is performed using a variable-drop-diameter recording ink of an ink jet recording head that is 5 dyne / cm or more and that changes the volume of ink droplets ejected from each of the ink ejection ports in a minute and random manner each time. An ink jet recording method characterized by: 2. The ink is at least 4 to 50.
An ink containing 25% by weight of an oxyethylene addition polymer and / or triol, and 0.1 to 10% by weight of an alkyl alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a halogen derivative thereof. Viscosity is 2.0 cP
The inkjet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the above is the case. 3. The ink is at least 6 to 50.
2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, which comprises a weight% oxyethylene addition polymer and / or a triol, and 0.001 to 2 weight% of a surfactant. 4. The ink according to claim 2, further comprising 0.1
2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, further comprising a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound and / or thiodiglycol in an amount of 1 to 10% by weight. 5. The ink according to claim 3, further comprising 0.1
2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein the ink contains an alkyl alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a halogen derivative thereof in an amount of 1 to 15% by weight. 6. The inkjet recording method according to claim 1, wherein a standard deviation value of the volume distribution of the ink droplets, which is randomly changed, is 9.0% or more. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for randomly changing the energy applied to the plurality of heat generating elements when ejecting ink, and performing an operation of randomly changing the energy applied to the heat generating elements. 7. The inkjet recording method according to any one of 6 to 6. 8. An ink jet recording apparatus using the ink jet recording method according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. In a transfer agent for transfer paper for inkjet recording system and electrophotographic system, the compounding amount of the surface sizing agent for the transfer paper is in the range of 0.8 to 3.9% by weight,
A transfer paper for inkjet recording, which is used in the inkjet recording method according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 10. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1, wherein ink jet recording is performed using the transfer paper according to claim 9. 11. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein ink jet recording is performed using the transfer paper according to claim 9.