Printing device and printing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10960680-B2
Application number	US-201916699252-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2019
Priority date	Nov 29, 2018
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

A printing device includes an ink container, an ink in the ink container, the ink containing an aqueous clear ink and an aqueous color ink and a heating device configured to heat a substrate, wherein the relationship is satisfied, |SCL−SC|≤5 mN/m, where SCL represents the surface tension of the aqueous clear ink and SC represents the surface tension of the aqueous color ink, wherein the printing device has a low gloss printing and a high gloss printing mode, wherein the heating device heats the substrate while satisfying the relationship: Tlow>Thigh, where Tlow represents the temperature of the substrate in a low gloss printing region in which the aqueous clear ink is printed in the low printing mode and Thigh represents the temperature of the substrate in a high gloss printing region in which the aqueous clear ink is printed in the high printing mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing device comprising:
an ink container;
an ink accommodated in the ink container, the ink containing an aqueous clear ink containing a resin and water and an aqueous color ink containing a resin, a coloring material, and water; and
a heating device configured to heat a substrate,
wherein the following relationship is satisfied, |S CL −S C |≤5 mN/m, where S CL represents a surface tension of the aqueous clear ink and S C represents a surface tension of the aqueous color ink,
wherein the printing device has a low gloss printing mode in which low gloss is imparted and a high gloss printing mode in which high gloss is imparted,
wherein the heating device heats the substrate while satisfying the following relationship: Tlow>Thigh, where Tlow represents a temperature in Celcius of the substrate in a low gloss printing region in which the aqueous clear ink is printed in the low printing mode and Thigh represents a temperature in Celcius of the substrate in a high gloss printing region in which the aqueous clear ink is printed in the high printing mode.

2. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the following relationship is satisfied: Tlow−Thigh≥10 degrees C.

3. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the following relationship is satisfied: Glow>Ghigh, where Glow represents a gloss degree of the substrate for use in the low gloss printing mode and Ghigh represents a gloss degree of the substrate for use in the high gloss printing mode.

4. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein a proportion of the resin in the aqueous clear ink is 8 percent by mass or more.

5. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the resin comprises a polyurethane resin.

6. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the aqueous clear ink further contains a surfactant and a proportion of the surfactant in the aqueous clear ink is 2 percent by mass or less.

7. A printing device comprising:
an ink container;
an ink accommodated in the ink container, the ink containing an aqueous clear ink containing a resin and water and an aqueous color ink containing a resin, a coloring material, and water; and
a heating device configured to heat a substrate,
wherein the following relationship is satisfied, |S CL −S C |≤5 mN/m, where S CL represents a surface tension of the aqueous clear ink and S C represents a surface tension of the aqueous color ink,
wherein the printing device has a low gloss printing mode in which low gloss is imparted and a high gloss printing mode in which high gloss is imparted,
wherein the following relationship is satisfied, HTlow>HThigh, where HTlow represents a temperature in Celcius of the heating device in the low gloss printing mode and HThigh represents a temperature in Celcius of the heating device in the high gloss printing mode.

8. The printing device according to claim 7 , wherein the following relationship is satisfied: HTlow−HThigh≥10 degrees C.

9. The printing device according to claim 7 , wherein the following relationship is satisfied: Glow>Ghigh, where Glow represents a gloss degree of the substrate for use in the low gloss printing mode and Ghigh represents a gloss degree of the substrate for use in the high gloss printing mode.

10. The printing device according to claim 7 , wherein a proportion of the resin in the aqueous clear ink is 8 percent by mass or more.

11. The printing device according to claim 7 , wherein the resin comprises a polyurethane resin.

12. The printing device according to claim 7 , wherein the aqueous clear ink further contains a surfactant and a proportion of the surfactant in the aqueous clear ink is 2 percent by mass or less.

13. A printing method comprising:
applying an ink to a substrate; and
heating the substrate,
wherein the ink contains an aqueous clear ink containing a resin and water and an aqueous color ink containing a resin, a coloring material, and water,
wherein the following relationship is satisfied, |S CL −S C |≤5 mN/m, where S CL represents a surface tension of the aqueous clear ink and S C represents a surface tension of the aqueous color ink,
wherein the printing method has a low gloss printing mode in which low gloss is imparted and a high gloss printing mode in which high gloss is imparted,
wherein, in the heating, the following relationship is satisfied, Tlow>Thigh, where Tlow represents a temperature in Celcius of the substrate in a low gloss printing region in which the aqueous clear ink is printed in the low printing mode and Thigh represents a temperature in Celcius of the substrate in a high gloss printing region in which the aqueous clear ink is printed in the high printing mode.

Assignees

• Takahashi Hiroaki
• Masuda Kiminori
• AKIMA Mio
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takahashi Hiroaki
• Masuda Kiminori
• AKIMA Mio

Classifications

• B41J2/2114 Primary

  Ejecting specialized liquids, e.g. transparent or processing liquids (B41J2/211 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J11/00244

  Means for heating the copy materials before or during printing · CPC title

• B41J11/0022

  using convection means, e.g. by using a fan for blowing or sucking air · CPC title

• B41J29/13

  Cases or covers · CPC title

• B41J2/17553

  Outer structure · CPC title