Image forming method, image forming apparatus, and method for manufacturing printed matter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10723142-B2
Application number	US-201715792833-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2017
Priority date	Nov 8, 2016
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

An image forming method is provided. The method includes the steps of (a) applying an ink to a recording medium to form an image and (b) applying a pressure to the recording medium to which the ink has been applied. The ink comprises water, an organic solvent, and a colorant. When the ink is formed into an ink film, a maximum value of logarithmic damping ratio of the ink film is 1.50 or less and a time elapsed until the logarithmic damping ratio reaches the maximum value is 3,800 seconds or less, when measured by a rigid-body pendulum test at 60° C.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image forming method comprising:
(a) applying an ink to a recording medium to form an image; and
(b) applying a pressure to the recording medium to which the ink has been applied,
wherein the ink comprises water, an organic solvent, and a colorant,
wherein, when the ink is formed into an ink film, a maximum value of logarithmic damping ratio of the ink film is 1.50 or less and a time elapsed until the logarithmic damping ratio reaches the maximum value is 3,800 seconds or less, when measured by a rigid-body pendulum test at 60° C.

2. The image forming method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure in step (b) is in the range of from 3.5 to 8.0 kg/cm 2 .

3. The image forming method of claim 2 ,
wherein the recording medium is a continuous sheet,
wherein step (b) includes winding the recording medium in a roll.

4. The image forming method of claim 3 , further comprising:
(c) applying an ink to the recording medium to form another image after step (b).

5. The image forming method of claim 2 ,
wherein the recording medium includes a substrate and a coating layer on at least one surface of the substrate,
wherein a transfer amount of pure water to the recording medium within a contact time of 100 ms is from 2 to 35 mL/m 2 and that within a contact time of 400 ms is from 3 to 40 mL/m 2 , when measured by a dynamic scanning absorptometer.

6. The image forming method of claim 2 , wherein the ink further comprises urethane resin particles.

7. The image forming method of claim 2 , wherein the organic solvent comprises a glycol ether compound.

8. The image forming method of claim 7 , wherein the glycol ether compound has no hydroxyl group.

9. The image forming method of claim 1 ,
wherein the recording medium is a continuous sheet,
wherein step (b) includes winding the recording medium in a roll.

10. The image forming method of claim 9 , further comprising:
(c) applying an ink to the recording medium to form another image after step (b).

11. The image forming method of claim 9 ,
wherein the recording medium includes a substrate and a coating layer on at least one surface of the substrate,
wherein a transfer amount of pure water to the recording medium within a contact time of 100 ms is from 2 to 35 mL/m 2 and that within a contact time of 400 ms is from 3 to 40 mL/m 2 , when measured by a dynamic scanning absorptometer.

12. The image forming method of claim 1 ,
wherein the recording medium includes a substrate and a coating layer on at least one surface of the substrate,
wherein a transfer amount of pure water to the recording medium within a contact time of 100 ms is from 2 to 35 mL/m 2 and that within a contact time of 400 ms is from 3 to 40 mL/m 2 , when measured by a dynamic scanning absorptometer.

13. The image forming method of claim 1 , wherein the ink further comprises urethane resin particles.

14. The image forming method of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises a glycol ether compound.

15. The image forming method of claim 14 , wherein the glycol ether compound has no hydroxyl group.

16. The image forming method of claim 15 , wherein the glycol ether compound is represented by the following formula (1):

where R 1 represents a hydrogen atom or alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, each of R 2 and R 3 independently represents an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and n represents an integer of from 1 to 5.

17. The image forming method of claim 14 ,
wherein the ink further comprises urethane resin particles,
wherein a mass ratio of the glycol ether compound to the urethane resin particles is in the range of from 0.4 to 1.8.

18. The image forming method of claim 14 , wherein the glycol ether compound accounts for 2.0% to 8.0% by mass of the ink.

19. The image forming method of claim 1 , wherein the maximum value of logarithmic damping ratio of the ink film is from 0.01 to 1.30 and the time elapsed until the logarithmic damping ratio reaches the maximum value is from 100 to 3,000 seconds, when measured by the rigid-body pendulum test at 60° C.

20. A method of manufacturing printed matter comprising:
(a) applying an ink to a recording medium to form an image; and
(b) applying a pressure to the recording medium to which the ink has been applied,
wherein the ink comprises water, an organic solvent, and a colorant,
wherein, when the ink is formed into an ink film, a maximum value of logarithmic damping ratio of the ink film is 1.50 or less and a time elapsed until the logarithmic damping ratio reaches the maximum value is 3,800 seconds or less, when measured by a rigid-body pendulum test at 60° C.

21. An ink comprising:
water;
an organic solvent; and
a colorant,
wherein, when the ink is formed into an ink film, a maximum value of logarithmic damping ratio of the ink film is 1.50 or less and a time elapsed until the logarithmic damping ratio reaches the maximum value is 3,800 seconds or less, when measured by a rigid-body pendulum test at 60° C.

22. The ink of claim 21 , further comprising:
urethane resin particles.

23. The ink of claim 21 , wherein the organic solvent comprises a glycol ether compound.

24. The ink of claim 23 , further comprising: urethane resin particles,
wherein a mass ratio of the glycol ether compound to the urethane resin particles is in the range of from 0.4 to 1.8.

25. The ink of claim 21 , wherein the maximum value of logarithmic damping ratio of the ink film is from 0.01 to 1.30 and the time elapsed until the logarithmic damping ratio reaches the maximum value is from 100 to 3,000 seconds, when measured by the rigid-body pendulum test at 60° C.

26. An image forming method comprising:
(a) applying an ink to a continuous sheet to form an image; and
(b) winding the continuous sheet to which the ink has been applied into a roll,
wherein the ink comprises water, an organic solvent, and a colorant,
wherein, when the ink is formed into an ink film, a maximum value of logarithmic damping ratio of the ink film is 1.50 or less and a time elapsed until the logarithmic damping ratio reaches the maximum value is 3,800 seconds or less, when measured by a rigid-body pendulum test at 60° C.

27. The image forming method of claim 26 , further comprising:
(c) applying an ink to the continuous sheet to form another image after step (b).

28. The image forming method of claim 26 ,
wherein the recording medium includes a substrate and a coating layer on at least one surface of the substrate,
wherein a transfer amount of pure water to the recording medium within a contact time of 100 ms is from 2 to 35 mL/m 2 and that within a contact time of 400 ms is from 3 to 40 mL/m 2 , when measured by a dynamic scanning absorptometer.

29. The image forming method of claim 26 , wherein the ink further comprises urethane resin particles.

30. The image forming method of claim 26 , wherein the organic solvent comprises a glycol ether compound.

31. The image forming method of claim 30 ,
wherein the ink further comprises urethane resin particles,
wherein a mass ratio of the glycol ether compound to the urethane resin particles is in the range of from 0.4 to 1.8.

32. The

Assignees

• Saito Shun
• Sakaguchi Hiromi
• Tamai Takashi
• Kojima Sayuri
• Hirokawa Yuya
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Saito Shun
• Sakaguchi Hiromi
• Tamai Takashi
• Kojima Sayuri
• Hirokawa Yuya

Classifications

• B41M7/00 Primary

  After-treatment of prints, e.g. heating, irradiating, {setting of the ink, protection of the printed stock (pre-treatment or treatment during printing B41M5/0011; printers for treating or overcoating copy materials before, during or after printing B41J11/0015)} · CPC title

• B41J11/0015 Primary

  for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing (selective coating B41J2/2114) · CPC title

• B41J2/2107 Primary

  characterised by the ink properties (supplying ink in a solid state B41J2/17593) · CPC title

• C09D11/30

  Inkjet printing inks · CPC title

• B41J2/211

  Mixing of inks, solvent or air prior to paper contact · CPC title