JPH07292581A - Cloth for ink-jet dyeing, dyeing process using the cloth and dyed product produced by the process - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide cloth for ink-jet dyeing capable of forming a distinct image on various cloths and efficiently utilizing the dye. CONSTITUTION:This ink-jet dyeing cloth to be dyed with an ink containing an ionic dye contains a dye-fixing agent at least containing a low-molecular substance having a molecular weight of <=1,000 and having an ionicity reverse to that of the dye and a polymeric substance having a molecular weight of >=2,000 and an ionicity reverse to that of the dye.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dyeing cloth suitable for an ink jet dyeing method, a dyeing method using the dyeing cloth and a dyed product obtained by the dyeing cloth, and particularly, it can be easily dyed with a commercially available ink jet printer. Fabric for dyeing,
The present invention relates to a dyeing method and a dyeing material used for bookmarks, patchwork, accessory cases, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an industrial printing apparatus using an ink jet technique has been put into practical use, and high-definition print cloth has come to be produced by a simple process. In the printing process, a large amount of dye is still washed off in the post-treatment, and both remain in the industrial printing device. Therefore, it is practically difficult for the user to easily perform the desired print with high definition.

In the industrial printing method, after the printing of the cloth is finished, the cloth printed is exposed to high temperature steam called steaming so that the dye molecules are separated from the constituent molecules of the fibers in the cloth. The binding is further promoted, and then unreacted dye molecules are washed away with water to obtain a dyed product. The dye that is washed off at the end generally amounts to 20% to 50% of the dye used during printing. Therefore, in order to maintain a sufficient color density as a dyed product, a large amount of this dye to be washed off must be prepared in advance at the time of printing, and an industrial printing method usually requires a large amount of dye. And

[0004]

Recently, small-sized and low-priced color ink jet printers have become widespread, and there is a demand for easy production of dyeings using this printer.

In a commercially available ink jet printer, the dye contained in the ink is about several percent in order to prevent the ejection efficiency from the fine nozzles of the print head and the ejection failure mainly due to the ink drying at the nozzle tip. It is generally suppressed to.

When such an ink jet printer is used for simple dyeing, it is very difficult to attach a large amount of dye to the cloth at the time of dyeing. Therefore, when dyeing with a commercially available ink jet printer, it is dyed. It is necessary to devise the dye that is sometimes attached so that it hardly flows out during subsequent washing with water. This is also a more important point because it is possible to avoid problems such as an increase in running cost due to dye consumption at the time of printing and a contaminated drainage in a general household.

Further, since it is almost impossible to realize the steaming process in the above-mentioned industrial printing method in a general household, it is also a big problem to eliminate the steaming process.

To solve these problems, the present inventors proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 6-12768 a print medium which can be easily printed with a commercially available ink jet printer, and in which dye does not flow out during washing with water. However, there are various materials or weaves for fabrics, and further improvement is required when attempting to bring out reliable and good dyeing properties to these various fabrics.

When the cloth is composed of a woven fabric and there is a gap between the constituent yarns, when printing is performed under high humidity, the pattern of the dyed image is used. Has a slight increase in bleeding,
In addition, the dye may flow out to some extent during washing with water. These points to be improved should be emphasized when an inkjet technique is used to obtain a clear dyed image on various kinds of fabrics.

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a simple printing technique applicable not only in the industrial field but also in the non-industrial field such as personal use, and various cloths can be used. It is possible to obtain a clear image, and without wasting the dye attached to the cloth,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cloth medium for inkjet dyeing, which has a very large effect of color stopping, a dyeing method using the same, and a dyed product which does not fade even after washing on the cloth after recording on the cloth. .

Another object of the present invention is to record a highly vivid color expression by a simple ink jet printing method to which an ink jet technique is applied not only for industrial purposes but also for a wide range of general household hobby fields on paper. An object of the present invention is to provide a cloth medium for inkjet dyeing, which enables to create a dyed product with the same feeling as in the case of the above.

[0012]

The above object can be achieved by the present invention described below.

That is, the present invention relates to an ink jet dyeing cloth used for dyeing with an ink containing an ionic dye, wherein a low molecular weight substance having an ionic property opposite to the dye and having a molecular weight of 1,000 or less, and the dye. A fabric for inkjet dyeing, comprising a dye fixing agent containing at least a polymer substance having a molecular weight of 2,000 or more having opposite ionic properties, wherein the polymer substance has a molecular weight of 2
000 or more and 200,000 or less, a low molecular weight substance having a molecular weight of 100 or more and 700 or less, both the low molecular weight substance and the high molecular weight substance are cationic, and a cloth The amount of the low-molecular substance and the high-molecular substance applied to the inside is in the range of 0.05 g / m ^{2 to 20} g / m ² , and the component ratio of the low-molecular substance and the high-molecular substance is the weight ratio. In the range of 1: 100 to 1: 1, the fabric further contains a stiffening agent having an ionicity different from that of the dye, the stiffening agent is at least water-soluble, and is not dyed. It includes that an adhesive compound is contained as a main component, that the Clarke stiffness is 10 to 400, and that the stiffening agent is a nonionic compound.

Further, according to the present invention, the above-mentioned ink-jet dyeing cloth is dyed by an ink-jet method using an ink containing an ionic dye, and then the cloth is washed. Is.

Further, the present invention is produced by dyeing the above-mentioned ink jet dyeing cloth by an ink jet method using an ink containing an ionic dye, and then washing and drying the cloth. Which has a molecular weight of 10 which has an ionic property opposite to that of the dye formed by the ink containing the ionic dye.
A dyed product comprising a dye fixing agent containing at least a low molecular weight substance of 00 or less and a high molecular weight substance of 2,000 or more having an ionic property opposite to that of the dye, which is dyed.

[0016]

Preferred Embodiments of the Present Invention The dye fixing agent referred to in the present invention is
When the cloth is dyed, it has the function of firmly binding the dye molecules in the part that forms the dyed image to the molecules of the fibers that make up the cloth. This is to prevent the formed dye from flowing out into the cleaning liquid.

In the present invention, a dye having an ionic property is used as the dye, and examples thereof include a cationic dye and an anionic dye, but the anionic dye is particularly preferably used. This anionic dye is often used as a coloring material for ink jet inks, and when coloring a cloth, the dye and the fibers of the cloth are bound to each other by ionic bonds. Considering the ionicity of this dye, when applying the dye fixing agent to the fabric, the ionicity opposite to that of the dye,
That is, a dye fixing agent having a cationic property is effective.

Examples of the dye fixing agent preferably used in the present invention include those containing a cationic low molecular weight substance having a molecular weight of 1000 or less, a dye and a cationic polymer substance having a molecular weight of 2000 or more. The molecular weight referred to here is a weight average molecular weight which is generally used.

By including such a dye fixing agent in the form of a solution in the cloth, the ink is mixed with the dye fixing agent at the position where it penetrates into the cloth or inside the cloth as dots when the ink droplets arrive. As a result, as the first step of the reaction, the cationic low molecular weight substance provided in the cloth and the dye having an anionic group contained in the ink associate with each other by ionic interaction, and instantaneously from the solution phase. Cause separation.

Next, in the second step of the reaction, the above-mentioned dye-cationic low molecular weight substance association product is adsorbed by the cationic polymer substance provided in the fabric, and the dye coagulation produced by the association. The collection becomes larger. As a result, the aggregates of the dye are less likely to move further in the gaps between the fibers constituting the cloth, and only the liquid portion obtained by solid-liquid separation penetrates into the other fiber portions of the cloth.

At the same time, the agglomerates of the dyes produced here have a very large viscosity and do not move with the movement of the liquid medium, so that adjacent dots have different colors as in full-color image formation. Even if they are formed of ink, they do not mix with each other, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unnecessary bleeding. Then, the agglomerates are essentially water-insoluble, and the formed image has perfect dyeing property. Further, although the complete mechanism is not clear, the cationic polymer substance forming the agglomerate has a strong bond with the fiber molecules constituting the cloth, and thus various fastnesses of recorded images formed are also improved. It is a thing.

The components of the above dye fixing agent will be described in more detail below.

As described above, the cationic low molecular weight substance functions to form an aggregate by an ionic interaction with the dye in the ink used for forming a recorded image. The formation reaction rate of this aggregate needs to be extremely high. Specific examples of the cationic low molecular weight substance satisfying this requirement include primary, secondary and tertiary amine salt type compounds, specifically, hydrochlorides such as laurylamine, coconut amine, stearylamine and rosinamine, and acetates; Quaternary ammonium salt type compounds, specifically lauryl trimethyl ammonium chloride, lauryl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, benzyl tributyl ammonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride, etc .; Pyridinium salt type compounds, specifically cetyl pyridinium chloride, cetyl pyridinium Bromides and the like; imidazoline-type cationic compounds, specifically 2-heptadecenyl-hydroxyethyl imidazoline and the like; ethylene oxide adducts of higher alkyl amines, specifically dihydroxyethyl stearylamine and the like; Mentioned as Shii example.

Further, in the present invention, an amphoteric surfactant having a cationic property in a certain pH range can be used as the cationic low molecular weight substance. Specific examples thereof include amino acid type amphoteric _{surfactants; R-NH-CH 2 -CH} 2 -
COOH type compounds; betaine type compounds, specifically stearyl dimethyl betaine, lauryl dihydroxyethyl betaine and other carboxylic acid amphoteric surfactants; other than these, sulfate ester type, sulfonic acid type, phosphoric acid ester type amphoteric surface active agents, etc. Agents and the like. When these amphoteric surfactants are used, it is necessary to adjust the pH so that the pH is not higher than the isoelectric point when mixed with the ink on the cloth.

The examples of the cationic low molecular weight substances having a molecular weight of 1,000 or less have been given above, but the substances usable in the present invention are not necessarily limited to these. In the present invention, among the above-mentioned cationic substances in the low molecular weight range, those having a molecular weight in the range of 100 to 700 are particularly preferable because they have surface-active ability and react with dye rapidly.

The cationic polymer substance, which is another component of the dye fixing agent, is a dye produced by association by adsorbing the aggregate of the dye in the ink and the cationic low molecular substance into the molecule as described above. By making the agglomerates larger and making them more difficult to move in the gaps between the fibers that make up the fabric, only the liquid portion that has undergone solid-liquid separation penetrates into the other fiber portions of the fabric and Functions to improve quality, bleeding and color retention.

Specific examples of the cationic polymer substance which is such a component include polyallylamine salt, polyallylsulfone, dimethyldiallylammonium chloride,
Water-soluble cationic polymers such as polyamine sulfone salt, polyvinylamine salt, and chitoacetate salt can be used, but are not limited thereto. Further, even if it is usually nonionic, it is possible to use a substance obtained by adding a cationic group to a part of the substance. Specific examples thereof include a copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone and a quaternary salt of aminoalkyl alkylate and a copolymer of acrylamide and a quaternary salt of aminomethyl acrylamide, but are not limited to these substances. . Furthermore, these substances are satisfactory if they are water-soluble, but they may be dispersions such as latex and emulsion. Further, even if it is a solvent other than water-soluble, it is not limited to these as long as it is a solvent that does not damage the cloth.

The molecular weight of these cationic polymer substances is 2
If it is 000 or more, the effect is sufficient in carrying out the present invention, but a suitable molecular weight is 2,000 to 200,000. If it exceeds this range, there is a tendency that the deposition of the dye is impeded and the image density is lowered during printing.

As described above, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dye fixing agent containing at least the cationic low molecular weight substance and the cationic high molecular weight substance is an essential component. An activator or the like may be added. For example, higher alcohol ethylene oxide adduct, alkylphenol ethylene oxide adduct, fatty acid ethylene oxide adduct, polyhydric alcohol fatty acid ester ethylene oxide adduct, higher alkylamine ethylene oxide adduct, fatty acid amide ethylene oxide Adducts, ethylene oxide adducts of fats and oils, polypropylene glycol ethylene oxide adducts, fatty acid esters of glycerol, fatty acid esters of pentaerythritol, fatty acid esters of sorbitol and sorbitan, fatty acid esters of sucrose, Examples thereof include alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols and fatty acid amides of alkanolamines, but are not necessarily limited to those exemplified here.

The cloth used in the present invention is not limited to a special one in carrying out the present invention.
Cloths that are used in various daily applications can be used. Further, it is also preferable to use a cloth cationized by a conventional method. Preferred examples of cloth that can be used include natural fibers such as cotton, wool and silk, or synthetic fibers such as nylon and rayon.

In applying the above-mentioned dye fixing agent to a cloth, a treatment liquid containing the above-mentioned cationic low molecular weight substance and cationic high molecular weight substance or, if necessary, other additives is prepared, This treatment liquid is a known method, for example, mangle, roll coater, blade coater, air knife coater, gate roll coater,
It can be achieved by impregnating or applying by a method such as bar coater, spray coat, slit coat, gravure coater, curtain coater. Then, it is dried using a hot air drying oven, a heating drum, etc. to obtain a treated cloth. After this drying
It is also effective to flatten and finish the cloth with a hot press or the like if necessary.

When the dye fixing agent is applied to the cloth, the total amount of the cationic low molecular weight substance and the cationic high molecular weight substance is preferably in the range of 0.05 g / m ^{2 to 20} g / m ² , More preferably 1 g / m ^{2 to} 10 g / m ²
Is the range. The mixing ratio of these two substances is 1: 100 to 1: 1 by weight, more preferably 1: 100.
A range of 10 to 1: 1 is preferred.

The amount of the cationic substance applied to the fabric is 0.0
If it is less than 5 g / m ^2, it is difficult to obtain the effects of both components as described above, while if it exceeds 20 g / m ² , these components become highly viscous in the fabric, so-called A film-forming effect is made to reduce the absorbability of the ink to the fibers constituting the cloth, and thus the color of the dyed product is deteriorated, or a large amount of the ink remains on the surface of the cloth to cause bleeding. The fixing property to the fabric may be deteriorated.

As described above, the amount of the cationic low molecular weight substance is less than 1: 100 in the respective mixing ratios of the cationic low molecular weight substance and the cationic high molecular weight substance of the dye fixing agent. The formation of aggregates due to ionic interaction with the dye becomes insufficient, image deterioration due to bleeding easily occurs, and when the amount of the cationic polymer substance is less than 1: 1, the aggregates aggregate. There is a tendency that the effect of increasing the size of the aggregates thus formed is insufficient, color fixation in the fabric is incomplete, and the binding between the constituent fibers of the fabric and the dye is weakened.

In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned dye fixing agent, a stiffening agent having an ionicity different from that of the above dye is added, and as a result, the Clark stiffness of the fabric is 10 or more. It is to be a fabric for inkjet dyeing, which is rigidized to 400 or less.

The purpose of this rigidification is to make it easy to attach the cloth to the conveying means in a commercially available ink jet printer, and also to make it possible to automatically feed the cloth. By adding this treatment to the applied cloth, the simple printing in general households is further developed. Further, when operating in a general household, the surrounding environment of the dyeing device is more extensive than in industrial printing, and the influence on bleeding and the like is greater, so this mode is more effective.

As the stiffening agent, a polymer compound generally used as a sizing agent can be applied. Examples of materials that can be used as the sizing agent include carboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid ester, starch, dextrin, guar gum, british gum, tragacanth gum, locust bean gum and the like.

Among these, those having an ionicity different from that of the dye used, or those prepared by adjusting a part of the terminal group in the molecule so as to be used, are selected and used. For example, if the dye has an anionic group, a stiffening agent having a cationic or nonionic property can be used, and among them, the nonionic one is preferable because it does not interact with the dye during dyeing. is there.

These stiffening agents are applied in a solution form to a cloth by a conventionally known coating method, for example, a bar coater, a roll coater, an applicator, or a method such as screen printing, and then dried. Alternatively, the whole cloth is dipped in the solution and then squeezed with a mangle to give it to the cloth. It is also possible to use a method of laminating films formed of a sizing agent by adhesion or pressure bonding.

Since the sizing agent has a high hygroscopicity, the ink easily penetrates even if the sizing agent is present on the recording surface, and the sizing agent can sufficiently penetrate into the cloth itself. Therefore, the sizing agent may be either laminated or impregnated on the cloth.
In addition to these glues, oils, waxes, polymer compounds and inorganic compounds may be added to the above-mentioned stiffening treatment solution in order to adjust the type and degree of stiffening of the fabric and the surface condition of the fabric. Salts, fillers, preservatives and the like may be appropriately mixed depending on the type of cloth used, the type of dyeing liquid, and the like. Furthermore, since the ionicity of the stiffening agent is specified as described above, even when the fabric is washed after dyeing and the stiffening agent is washed away, there is no bond between the dye and the stiffening agent, so that the dyed image Does not cause discoloration.

The order of applying treatment to the cloth with the stiffening agent and the dye fixing agent described above may be basically any method as long as the above-mentioned ionic characteristics are satisfied, The form may be various means.

That is, the cloth is impregnated with the stiffening agent and the dye fixing agent in a mixed state, the dye fixing agent and the stiffening agent are applied in this order, or the dye fixing agent and the stiffening agent are added. Are provided on different surfaces. Each of these has the following features.

First, when the respective solutions of the dye fixing agent and the stiffening agent are mixed and treated at the same time, it is effective in that it is the most general and simple process. In addition, if the ionicity is controlled as described above, aggregation of the solutions and deterioration of the characteristics of the materials in the solutions do not occur when the solutions are mixed. Especially, it is more effective if the stiffening agent is nonionic.

Next, when the dye fixing agent and the stiffening agent are applied in this order, sufficient rigidity cannot be obtained unless a large amount of the stiffening agent is used when the thickness of the fabric to be treated is small. Thus, the use of a large amount of the stiffening agent may impair the penetration of the ink into the print medium. In order to avoid this, the present inventors have found that it is effective to carry out treatment with a dye fixing agent and then treatment with a stiffening agent. That is, in this form, the stiffening agent is likely to become dense near the surface of the fabric, the apparent rigidity of the fabric is easily increased, and a sufficient rigidity can be obtained even with a relatively small amount of the stiffening agent. As a result, even when the ink is ejected onto the print medium by inkjet recording, the ink can sufficiently penetrate into the print medium, and the contact between the dye and the dye fixing agent is not alienated by the stiffening agent.

When the dye fixing agent and the stiffening agent are applied from different surfaces, the functions of the stiffening agent and the dye fixing agent are more effectively exerted, and the surface on which ink jet recording is carried out. In order to increase the existence probability of the dye fixing agent, the treatment of the stiffening agent is performed from the opposite side of the recording surface, and the treatment of the dye fixing agent is performed from the recording surface side. However, it is not particularly limited to which surface the treatment is prioritized, but it is preferable to perform the treatment of the dye fixing agent on the recording surface first in order to make the effect of the dye fixing agent more effective.

In any of these treatment methods, a drying step is necessary after impregnation because the cloth is treated with the dye fixing agent and the stiffening agent in a solution state. Since the number of steps also changes depending on the type of fabric, an appropriate form is selected according to the type of cloth used, the materials of the stiffening agent and dye fixing agent, the types of solvent, and the like. Needless to say, it is necessary to treat the fabric itself with the drying process so that the fabric can be conveyed by a commercially available inkjet printer.

Another aspect of the present invention is to dye the ink jet dyeing fabric described above with an ink containing an ionic dye by an ink jet method, and then wash the ink jet dyeing fabric and dry it. It is an inkjet dyeing method characterized by finishing by finishing, and a dyed product produced by this dyeing method.

After recording on the above-mentioned ink-jet dyeing cloth with an ink-jet printer and naturally drying, the dye is completely fixed and dyed on the cloth due to the effect of the dye-fixing agent. The unreacted dye fixing agent can be washed away. When the stiffening agent is added, the stiffening agent can be washed off at the same time. As a result, the fabric returns to its original texture, and a vividly dyed textile fabric is completed. Further, in this state, since the excess dye fixing agent is removed, another dye does not adhere after this.

Here, after dyeing (recording) with an ink jet printer, in order to further accelerate the fixing of the ink to the cloth, warm air is blown to the cloth immediately after recording, the cloth is passed over a heat fixing device, or a household iron is used. It is also effective to perform heat treatment by using the above method. Also when washing, the way of washing is not particularly limited, and either a household washing machine or hand-washing may be used, and the temperature of water at that time and the presence or absence of detergent, etc. It is not limited. The higher the temperature of water is, the more preferable in terms of improving dyeing.

FIG. 1 shows an image dyeing section of an example of an industrial ink jet dyeing (recording) apparatus according to the present invention.
An inkjet dyeing (recording) method for dyeing a large-sized cloth will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

First, the ink jet dyeing (recording) unit 1 is roughly classified into a frame 6, a guide rails 7 and 8, two ink jet heads 9, and a carriage 1 for moving the same.
0, the ink supply device 11 and its moving carriage 12,
The head recovery device 13 and the electrical system 5 are provided. The inkjet head 9 includes a plurality of nozzle arrays and a conversion device for converting an electrical signal into ink ejection energy, and is selectively selected from the nozzle arrays according to an image signal sent from an image processing unit (not shown). It has a mechanism to eject ink.

The ink jet head is a recording head for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy, and is provided with a heat energy converter for generating heat energy applied to the ink. An inkjet head is used which causes a state change in ink due to the applied thermal energy and ejects the ink from an ejection port based on the state change.

The ink supply device 11 stores ink,
It is for supplying a required amount of ink to the inkjet head, and has an ink storage tank (not shown), a pump for supplying ink from the tank (hereinafter simply referred to as "ink supply pump"), and the like. The main body and the inkjet head 9 are connected by an ink supply tube 15, and normally, the amount of ink discharged from the inkjet head by capillary action is automatically supplied to the inkjet head 9. Further, during the recovery operation of the inkjet head as described below, the ink is forcibly supplied to the inkjet head 9 using the ink supply pump.

The ink jet head 9 and the ink supply device 11 are provided with a carriage 10 and a carriage 12, respectively.
Mounted on the guide rail 7 by a drive device (not shown),
It is configured to reciprocate along the line 8.

The recovery device 13 of the ink jet head is
In order to maintain ink ejection stability of the inkjet head, the inkjet head 9 is provided at a position that can face the inkjet head 9 at the home position (standby position), and can move forward and backward in the direction of arrow A. Performs the following operations.

First, the ink jet head 9 when not in operation
The inkjet head is capped at the home position to prevent the ink from evaporating from the nozzle (capping operation). Alternatively, before the start of image recording, an operation (recovery operation) of forcibly discharging ink from the nozzle by pressurizing the ink flow path in the inkjet head using an ink supply pump to discharge air bubbles and dust inside the nozzle is performed. It fulfills functions such as collecting the ink that is ejected when it is performed.

The electric component system 5 includes a power supply unit and a control unit for performing sequence control of the entire ink jet dyeing (recording) unit. The cloth 16 is conveyed by a predetermined amount in the sub-scanning direction (arrow B direction) by a not-shown conveying device each time the inkjet head 9 moves in the main scanning direction along the carriage 7 to dye (record) for a predetermined length. , Image formation is performed. In the figure, a shaded area 17 indicates a portion where the dyeing (recording) is completed.

As the ink jet head 9,
An inkjet head for single-color recording, a plurality of inkjet heads for recording with different color inks for color recording, and the like can be used.

In addition, a cartridge type in which an ink jet head and an ink tank are integrated, or a structure in which the ink jet head and the ink tank are formed separately and connected to each other by an ink supply tube is used. It can be applied regardless of the configuration.

According to the method of ejecting ink by using thermal energy used in the present invention, high density and high definition of dyeing (recording) can be achieved.

FIG. 2 shows a main part of a constitutional example of an ink jet dyeing (recording) apparatus relating to a method for dyeing cloth by using a commercially available printer according to the present invention.

In this figure, the carriage 706 includes:
Four ink tanks 701 filled with inks of four colors of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively,
Four recording heads 174 for ejecting four color inks
An integrated recording head cartridge 702 is integrated.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the cut sheet-shaped cloth for inkjet dyeing according to the present invention is automatically mounted on the pair of conveying rollers. In the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, the member that presses the recording medium against the cylindrical platen roller is temporarily released, the recording medium is manually mounted, and then the pressing member is pressed again, and the platen roller and the recording medium are closely attached to each other. There are many things, and such a recording device has few restrictions on the rigidity of the recording medium, and it was possible to convey and record even cloth with low rigidity, but since the cloth is set manually, the cloth and the conveyance direction due to skewing etc. It has been difficult to align and wind and convey without wrinkles, and it has been difficult to perform high-definition inkjet printing. Further, it is difficult to stabilize the transportability due to deterioration of pressing force due to repeated use of the releasing mechanism, and the mounting operation itself is inferior in operability. Therefore, the one that can be automatically mounted as in this embodiment is preferable.

Further, in FIG. 2, an inclined feeding tray 705 is provided for stable automatic mounting, and a cut sheet-shaped ink jet dyeing cloth 707 which is made rigid is inserted along the feeding tray. Only by this, the tip end portion is properly abutted on the transport drive roller 703. By rotationally driving the transport driving roller 703 in this state, the leading end of the rigidized cut sheet-shaped cloth for ink-jet printing 707 is correctly guided to the pressure contact portion of the transport roller pair without causing skew or wrinkle. It is automatically attached to a pair of conveying rollers which is a conveying means.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the cut sheet-shaped ink-jet dyeing cloth is cut according to the texture, so that a stable image can be printed (recorded) in the predetermined texture direction, and printing can be performed. When the cloth is cut out and used for patchwork, etc., it is possible to align the pattern of the printing and the cloth, so it is possible to create high-quality creation without distortion. When there is no feeding tray, the leading edge of the cut sheet-shaped fabric medium may be aligned with the pressure contact portion between the transport driving roller and the transport driven roller, and the transport driving roller may be driven to rotate.

The cut sheet-like cloth medium in the present invention has the same transporting characteristics as plain paper as described above, and other known paper feed resist adjusting mechanism or the like can be applied.

Numeral 703 denotes a conveyance driving roller which rotates in the direction of arrow C in the figure while holding down the cut sheet-shaped cloth medium 707 automatically attached together with the conveyance driven roller 704 and sends the cut sheet-shaped cloth medium 707 at any time. The carriage 706 stands by at a home position (not shown) when printing is not performed or when multihead recovery work is performed.

Before the start of printing, the carriage 706 at the position shown in the figure (home position) moves along the carriage guide shaft 708 when a print start command arrives.
The multi-nozzle on the recording head 174 ejects four colors of ink in accordance with the recording signal at a timing based on the read signal of the linear encoder, thereby recording only the recording width d on the recording surface of the medium. By this recording scan, the respective inks of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow land in this order on the recording surface of the medium to form dots. When the recording of the data is completed up to the end of the recording surface of the medium, the carriage returns to the original home position and the recording of the next line is performed again. From the end of the first recording to the start of the second recording, the conveyance drive roller 703 rotates to feed the medium having the recording width d. In this way, data recording on the recording surface of one medium is completed by repeating recording for the recording width d of the recording head and feeding the medium for each scan of the carriage.

At the same time when the recording is completed, the sheet is ejected by the conveying means, and at the same time, the platen 709 forming the flat recording surface at the time of recording is inclined in the ejection direction to assist the ejection of the rear end portion. . In order to assist the discharge and to hold the cut sheet fabric medium in the recording section in a stable manner,
Means such as spur rollers may be provided on the downstream side of the recording unit.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the structure of the recording head 174 for ejecting ink used in the apparatus according to the present invention.

One end of the wiring board 80 is connected to the heater board 8
A plurality of pads corresponding to the respective electric / thermal energy converters for receiving electric signals from the main body device are provided at the other end of the wiring board 80, which are mutually connected to one wiring portion. . As a result, the electric signal from the main body device is supplied to each electric / thermal energy converter.

The metal support 82 for supporting the back surface of the wiring board 80 on a plane serves as a bottom plate of the ink jet unit. The pressing spring 83 is a portion formed by bending a region near the ink discharge port of the grooved top plate 84 in a substantially U-shaped cross section in order to elastically exert a pressure on the line and a relief provided on a metal support. It has a claw that hooks using the hole and a pair of rear legs that receives the force acting on the spring with a metal support. Due to this spring force, the wiring board 80 is attached by pressure contact with the grooved top plate 84.

The wiring board 80 is attached to the support by sticking with an adhesive or the like. A filter 86 is provided at the end of the ink supply pipe 85. The ink supply member 87 is made by molding, and the grooved top plate 84 is also integrally formed with the orifice plate portion 880 and a flow path leading to each ink supply port. The fixing of the ink supply member 87 to the support 82 is performed by the dyeing liquid supply member 8
Two pins (not shown) on the back surface side of 7 are projected through the two holes 88 and 89 of the support member 82 respectively, and this is heat-fused to easily carry out. At this time, the gap between the orifice plate portion 880 and the ink supply member 87 is sealed, and further passes through the groove 90 provided in the support substrate 82,
The gap between the orifice plate and the front end of the support substrate 82 is completely sealed.

In FIG. 4, the four heads 174 capable of ejecting inks of four colors of black, cyan, magenta and yellow, respectively, are integrally assembled in the frame 170.
The structure of a head-integrated inkjet cartridge 702 is shown. The four recording heads are mounted in the frame 170 at predetermined intervals, and the resists in the nozzle row direction are fixed in an adjusted state. In this embodiment, the mechanical reference surface of the head is used for adjustment to improve the mutual landing position accuracy between colors.However, after temporarily fixing the recording head to the frame, the recording head is actually ejected to set the landing position. The mutual impact positions between the colors may be directly adjusted based on the measured data to further improve the accuracy.

Reference numeral 171 denotes a frame cover, and 173
Is a connector for connecting the pads provided on the wiring board 80 of the four recording heads and the electric signals from the recording apparatus main body. Assembling the four heads integrally is effective in improving the mutual landing position accuracy between the heads as described above, in addition to the handling advantage, but can reduce the number of signal line connections with the main body of the recording apparatus. It has a great effect in terms. For example, the signal line common to the four heads such as the GND line can be shared on the connector substrate 172 to reduce the number of lines as it is. Further, if an integrated circuit substrate is provided and time-division driving is performed for each head. It is also possible to share the recording signal line. Such a reduction in the number of electrical connections is effective in a device having a large number of signal lines such as a color machine and a multi-nozzle high speed machine.

With such a configuration, an image recording operation is started in accordance with an image signal sent from a personal computer or the like (not shown) connected to the inkjet printing (recording) apparatus of FIG. Recording) is performed.

In any case, the present invention finds a technical problem from a novel point of view, and provides an ink-jet dyeing cloth which does not always cause excessive bleeding under any circumstances and yet exhibits a perfect color-stopping effect. In addition, it is possible to provide a stiffening treatment at the same time, and it is possible to realize stable conveyance of the fabric medium even when using a commercially available printer. Therefore, an industrial printing method using inkjet technology is possible. It is possible to provide a simple printing method, an apparatus, and a cut sheet-shaped cloth medium used therefor, which can be sufficiently used in general households, as well as the apparatus and the cloth for dyeing, and the dye dyed on the cloth can be used for subsequent washing. Even if it is not faded at all, it is possible to provide a clear printed material with the minimum necessary amount of dye. This has made it possible to apply highly vivid color expression by the printing method applying the inkjet technology to not only the industrial use but also a wide range of general household hobby fields. A further overview of the invention can be seen from the examples below.

[0078]

EXAMPLES Next, details of the ink-jet dyeing fabric of the present invention will be described based on examples. In the text, parts and parts are based on weight unless otherwise specified.

Example 1 First, a treatment liquid (a) having the following composition is prepared as a dye fixing agent.

Treatment liquid (a) -Benzalkonium chloride (cationic low molecular weight substance) 2 parts-Polyallylamine hydrochloride (cationic polymer substance) 5 parts (molecular weight: 10000) -Water 93 parts This treatment liquid (a ), Inside 100% cotton
While sufficiently dipping the cloth of No. 1, the cloth is impregnated with a mangle at a squeezing ratio of 120%, and then successively dried at 140 ° C. for 1 minute to obtain a cloth for inkjet dyeing. The applied amount of the dye fixing agent in the cloth thus obtained was 7.0 g / m ² .

Here, the drawing ratio is defined by the following formula when the weights of the cloth before and after the impregnation treatment are W1 and W2, respectively.

Aperture ratio (%) = {(W2-W1) / W1} × 100 Ink (A) to ink (D) shown below in four colors (corresponding to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively) 1 in different ink tanks,
It was mounted on the inkjet printing (recording) device shown in.
In addition, each ink is obtained by mixing all components, stirring for 2 hours, and then pressure-filtering with a Fluoropore filter FP-100 (trade name, manufactured by Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.).

Ink (A) C.I. I. Food Black 2 3 parts, thiodiglycol 10 parts, ethylene oxide adduct of acetylene glycol 0.05 parts, water balance ink (B), C.I. I. Acid Blue 9 2.5 parts-Thiodiglycol 10 parts-Ethylene oxide adduct of acetylene glycol 0.05 parts-Water balance Manufacturing of ink (C) -C. I. Acid Red 289 2.5 parts • Thiodiglycol 10 parts • Ethylene oxide adduct of acetylene glycol 0.05 parts • Water balance ink (D) • C.I. I. Direct Yellow 86 2 parts-Thiodiglycol 10 parts-Ethylene oxide adduct of acetylene glycol 0.05 parts-Water balance

Using the ink-jet dyeing cloth and inks (A) to (D), the ink-jet dyeing (recording) apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was used to dye the cloth at a resolution of 360 dpi. The dyed product obtained in this way is extremely clear and can reproduce the image in 1-dot units, and even in areas where different colors are adjacent to each other, bleeding caused by unnecessary mixing of the colors occurs. I didn't.

After finishing the dyeing process, even if the dyed fabric is washed with running water, no color fading occurs.
The effect of color stop was perfect.

Example 2 For the ink-jet dyeing fabric prepared in Example 1,
Further, a treatment liquid (b) as a stiffening treatment agent shown below was applied by a roll coater, and then dried at 80 ° C. for 2 minutes,
Further, the cloth is pressed by a hot press plate whose temperature is adjusted to 100 ° C. to be flattened, and then cut into a size of A4 size with a slit cutter in accordance with the direction of the cloth grain of the cloth to make it rigid. A cut sheet-shaped cloth for inkjet dyeing.

Treatment Liquid (b) -Nonionic Carboxymethyl Cellulose 7 parts-Water 93 parts The cut sheet-shaped inkjet dyeing fabric thus obtained is attached to a commercially available general-purpose inkjet recording device shown in FIG. 2 for dyeing. .

The dyed image thus obtained is clear and free of excessive bleeding, and the fabric is then washed with ordinary water for 7 minutes in a domestic washing machine to easily remove the stiffening agent. It is possible. After this washing with water was completed, the product was placed in a dehydrator for 1 minute. During the washing operation, there was no turbidity in the washing water until the end, and the clear dyed image on the fabric did not change in density or saturation. Then, the entire surface of the cloth was sufficiently heated with a household iron to spread the wrinkles, and a desired dyed product was obtained.

Example 3 The cut sheet-shaped ink jet dyeing cloth obtained in Example 2 was used together with the ink jet dyeing (recording) apparatus shown in FIG. 2 in a high humidity environment (30 ° C., 80%).
RH) for 48 hours, after which the same dyeing (recording) operation as in Example 2 was performed under that environment. In this case as well, the cloth was conveyed well in the inkjet printing (recording) apparatus, and the dyed image was free from unnecessary blurring and a clear image was obtained.

After that, the dyed fabric is immersed in 5 liters of water, and hand-washed for 5 minutes,
Drying and ironing were performed in the same manner as in Example 2. As a result, the stiffening agent was completely removed, but the dye did not flow out at all, and a dyed product having the original 100% cotton texture was obtained.

Example 4 A processing liquid (c) having the following composition is prepared as a dye fixing agent.

Treatment liquid (c): Benzyltributylammonium chloride 3 parts (cationic low molecular weight substance) Polyallyl sulfone 3 parts (cationic polymer substance; molecular weight 100000) Water 94 parts In this treatment liquid (c) , While fully immersing the silk fabric made into a piece of fabric, then squeeze with a mangle 110%
Is impregnated, and then successively dried at 140 ° C. for 1 minute to obtain a cloth for inkjet printing. The amount of the dye fixing agent applied to the fabric was 10 g / m ² .

The ink-jet dyeing cloth thus obtained was mounted on the ink-jet dyeing (recording) apparatus shown in Example 1 to dye the cloth at a resolution of 360 dpi. The dyed product obtained in this way was very clear, the image was reproduced on a dot-by-dot basis, and bleeding between the colors did not occur at all even in areas where different colors were adjacent to each other. After finishing the dyeing process, the dyed fabric was washed with warm water of 50 ° C., but there was no decrease in the density and it was possible to obtain a more vivid color.
The effect of the color stop was perfect.

Example 5 A treatment liquid (d) having the following composition, in which a stiffening agent component is contained in a dye fixing agent, is prepared.

Treatment liquid (d) -Benzalkonium chloride 1.5 parts (cationic low molecular weight substance) -Polyallylamine hydrochloride 4 parts (cationic polymer substance; molecular weight 800000) -Gua gum 5 parts (nonionic rigidification) Agent) ・ Water 89.5 parts While fully immersing a piece of silk fabric made in the form of a piece of fabric in this treatment liquid (d), subsequently squeeze with a mangle of 110%.
Is impregnated, and then successively dried at 140 ° C. for 1 minute to obtain a cloth for inkjet dyeing. At this time, the amount of the dye fixing agent applied to the cloth is 5 g /
It was m ² .

Since the fabric for inkjet dyeing is impregnated with the stiffening agent from the initial stage, it can be attached to the commercially available general-purpose inkjet dyeing (recording) conveying means shown in Example 2. Therefore, this ink-jet dyeing fabric was cut into A4 size cut sheets, and 20 sheets were further stacked and mounted on the above-mentioned conveying means, and 20 sheets were continuously dyed. All of the obtained dyed fabrics were clear images, maintained a sufficient density, and had no extra color bleeding. Moreover, since the stiffening agent is nonionic, it does not bind to the dye in the ink, and no color fading occurs even after washing. Further, even if the carrying and dyeing tests are performed in the same environment under the conditions of 30 ° C. and 80% RH, no problems occur with respect to poor carrying, image disturbance, and discoloration during washing. There wasn't.

In the above-mentioned examples, various forms are used in the treatment of the cloth, but in any form, a clear image always remains after washing with water, and no color fading occurs at all. is there.

Further, in the ink jet dyeing (recording) apparatus to which various cloth recording media shown in the above embodiments can be mounted, the ink ejection amount is adjusted according to the cloth thickness and material.
I am able to choose.

When recording is performed using plain paper, the maximum ink ejection amount is limited in terms of deterioration of resolution, bleeding between colors, strike-through, and increase in fixing time. In general, the maximum amount of ink ejected is designed to be 16 to 28 nl / mm ^{2 in} the case of water-based ink.

However, when recording (printing) on a cloth recording medium as in the present invention, more ink may be received depending on the material and thickness of the cloth and the pretreatment conditions. Therefore, in the present embodiment, high-density recording at a printing speed lower than the printing speed corresponding to the recording frequency,
For example, double-density recording is performed at a printing speed of ½, the same recording area is overprinted by a plurality of recording scans, ink jet head drive control for increasing the discharge amount of the dyeing liquid, for example, a thermal ink jet head. It is possible to increase the amount of the dyeing solution injected as required by increasing the heat retention temperature or performing multi-pulse driving.

As described above, by printing the cut sheet-shaped fabric medium using the ink jet recording apparatus provided with the feeding mechanism, the heating mechanism and the driving amount increasing mechanism, the operability, the dyeing property and the depth of color are further enhanced. It is possible to perform excellent simple inkjet printing.

[0102]

As described above, according to the present invention, a substance having a molecular weight of 1000 or less, which has an ionic property opposite to that of a dye, and a molecular weight of 200, which has an ionic property opposite to that of the dye, are included in the cloth.
By adding a dye fixing agent containing at least 0 or more polymer substances, excessive color bleeding is always suppressed even under various circumstances, and after dyeing such as ink jet recording, the dye is left as it is. It is possible to obtain a dyed image with no color fading even after washing. Further, by using the fabric in combination with stiffening, it is possible to strengthen the fabric and improve the transportability, so that it is possible to easily print even with a commercially available inkjet printer. Since the treatment of this cloth is extremely strong, it can be dyed by a recording method other than ink jet. This makes it possible to perform high-definition color expression with simple operations using simple printing methods that have been performed using conventional printing technologies, including inkjet technology, so that it can be applied not only to industrial applications but also to a wide range of household hobby fields. It has become possible to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main configuration diagram of an inkjet dyeing (recording) apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a main configuration diagram of an inkjet dyeing (recording) device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an inkjet recording head applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a color inkjet recording head applicable to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Inkjet Dyeing (Recording) Section 5 Electrical Equipment 6 Frame Frame 7 Guide Rail 8 Guide Rail 9 Inkjet Head 10 Inkjet Head Movement Carriage 11 Ink Supply Device 12 Ink Supply Device Movement Carriage 13 Head Recovery Device 15 Ink Supply Tube 16 Fabric 17 Dyeed portion of fabric 701 Ink tank 702 Inkjet cartridge with four heads 703 Conveyance driving roller 704 Conveyance driven roller 705 Feed tray 706 Carriage 707 Rigid cut sheet-shaped inkjet dyeing fabric 708 Carriage guide shaft 709 Platen

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Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. In an inkjet dyeing cloth used for dyeing with an ink containing an ionic dye, a low molecular weight substance having a molecular weight of 1,000 or less and having an ionic property opposite to the dye, and an ion opposite to the dye. A fabric for inkjet dyeing, comprising a dye fixing agent containing at least a polymer substance having a molecular weight of 2000 or more and having a property. 2. The high molecular weight substance has a molecular weight of 2000 or more 2
The ink-jet dyeing fabric according to claim 1, which is a high molecular weight substance of not more than 0,000. 3. The low molecular weight substance has a molecular weight of 100 or more and 70 or more.
The ink-jet dyeing fabric according to claim 1, which is a low molecular weight substance of 0 or less. 4. The cloth for inkjet dyeing according to claim 1, wherein both the low molecular weight substance and the high molecular weight substance are cationic. 5. The ink-jet dyeing fabric according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the low-molecular substance and the high-molecular substance applied to the fabric is in the range of 0.05 g / m ^{2 to 20} g / m ² . 6. The ink-jet dyeing cloth according to claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of the low molecular weight substance and the high molecular weight component is in the range of 1: 100 to 1: 1. 7. The ink-jet dyeing cloth according to claim 1, wherein the cloth further contains a stiffening agent having an ionicity different from that of the dye. 8. The stiffening agent comprises at least a water-soluble and non-dyeing compound as a main component.
The ink-jet dyeing fabric according to item 1. 9. The ink-jet dyeing cloth according to claim 7, wherein the stiffening agent is a nonionic compound. 10. The cloth for ink-jet dyeing according to claim 7, wherein the cloth is stiffened to have a Clark stiffness of 10 or more and 400 or less. 11. The inkjet dyeing cloth according to claim 1 is colored by an inkjet method using an ink containing an ionic dye, and thereafter,
An inkjet dyeing method, characterized in that the cloth is washed. 12. The inkjet dyeing cloth according to claim 1 is colored by an inkjet method using an ink containing an ionic dye, and thereafter,
A dyed product produced by washing and drying the cloth. 13. A low molecular weight substance having an ionic property opposite to that of the dye and having a molecular weight of 1,000 or less and a high molecular weight substance having an ionic property opposite to that of the dye and having a molecular weight of 2,000 or more by using an ink dot containing an ionic dye. A dyed article, which is obtained by dyeing a cloth containing a dye fixing agent containing at least a molecular substance.