Post-treatment solution for digital inkjet printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9328258-B2
Application number	US-201214433260-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2012
Priority date	Oct 29, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A post-treatment solution for digital inkjet printing includes polymer particulates having a minimum film-forming temperature that is at least 50° C., a film-forming agent, and a liquid carrier. The film-forming agent is selected from the group consisting of citrate compounds, sebacate compounds, ethoxy alcohols, glycol oligomers, glycol polymers, glycol ether, glycerol acetals, and cyclic amides. A print medium, printing method, and printing system are also disclosed herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A post-treatment solution for digital inkjet printing, the post-treatment solution comprising:
polymer particulates having a minimum film-forming temperature that is at least 50° C.;
a film-forming agent selected from the group consisting of citrate compounds, sebacate compounds, ethoxy alcohols, glycol oligomers, glycol polymers, glycol ether, glycerol acetals, and cyclic amides; and
a liquid carrier.

2. The post-treatment solution as defined in claim 1 wherein the film-forming agent is a cyclic amide selected from the group consisting of β-lactam, γ-lactam, δ-lactam, and mixtures thereof.

3. The post-treatment solution as defined in claim 2 wherein one of:
the γ-lactam is selected from the group consisting of N-methyl-2-Pyrrolidone, 5-methyl-2-Pyrrolidone, and 2-Pyrrolidone;
the β-lactam is selected from the group consisting of clavam, oxacephem, cephem, penam, carbapenam, and monobactam; and
the δ-lactam is selected from the group consisting of caprolactam and glucarolactam.

4. The post-treatment solution as defined in claim 1 wherein:
the polymer particulates are present in an amount ranging from about 0.5 wt. % to about 50 wt. %;
the film-forming agent and the polymer particulates are present in a weight ratio ranging from about 1:100 to about 1:1; and
the liquid carrier is a balance of the solution so that a solids content of the post-treatment solution is up to 70%.

5. The post-treatment solution as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a surfactant.

6. The post-treatment solution as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a polymer binder.

7. The post-treatment solution as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymer particulates are homopolymers of methacrylic acid esters, or copolymers of an methacrylic acid ester and any of an acrylic acid ester, styrene and divinyl benzene.

8. A printing method, comprising:
applying an inkjet ink on a medium;
applying the post-treatment solution as defined in claim 1 on at least a portion of the medium after the inkjet ink is applied thereon, thereby forming a printed-on medium; and
exposing the printed-on medium to a film-forming process to form a transparent film.

9. The printing method as defined in claim 8 , further comprising controlling a temperature of the film-forming process by controlling a temperature of a glossing roller used in the exposing step to anywhere from 10 degrees less than the minimum film-forming temperature of the polymer particulates to 150 degrees more than the minimum film-forming temperature of the polymer particulates.

10. The printing method as defined in claim 8 , further comprising exposing the printed-on medium to a drying process before performing the exposing step.

11. A print medium, comprising:
a substrate;
an inkjet ink applied to at least a portion of the substrate; and
a post-treatment solution applied to the substrate to form a transparent film on the substrate, the post-treatment solution including:
polymer particulates having a minimum film-forming temperature that is at least 50° C.;
a film-forming agent selected from the group consisting of citrate compounds, sebacate compounds, ethoxy alcohols, glycol oligomers, glycol polymers, glycol ether, glycerol acetals, and cyclic amides; and
a liquid carrier.

12. The print medium as defined in claim 11 , further comprising the transparent film after the applied post-treatment solution has been exposed to a film-forming process.

13. The print medium as defined in claim 11 wherein from about 0.1 gsm to about 15.0 gsm of the post-treatment solution is applied to the substrate.

14. A printing system, comprising:
a media transport device to move a medium;
an inkjet ink applicator to apply an inkjet ink on the medium;
a post-treatment applicator to apply a post-treatment solution on the medium after the inkjet ink is applied on the medium;
the post-treatment solution contained in the post-treatment applicator, the post-treatment solution, including:
polymer particulates having a minimum film-forming temperature that is at least 50° C.;
a film-forming agent selected from the group consisting of citrate compounds, sebacate compounds, ethoxy alcohols, glycol oligomers, glycol polymers, glycol ether, glycerol acetals, and cyclic amides; and
a liquid medium; and

a film-forming system.

15. The printing system as defined in claim 14 wherein the film-forming agent is a cyclic amide selected from:
a γ-lactam selected from the group consisting of N-methyl-2-Pyrrolidone, 5-methyl-2-Pyrrolidone, and 2-Pyrrolidone;
a β-lactam selected from the group consisting of clavam, oxacephem, cephem, penam, carbapenam, and monobactam; and
a δ-lactam selected from the group consisting of caprolactam and glucarolactam.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Zhou Xiaoqi
• Pal Lokendra
• Fu Xulong

Classifications

• C09D133/10 Primary

  Homopolymers or copolymers of methacrylic acid esters · CPC title

• C09D5/00

  Coating compositions, e.g. paints, varnishes or lacquers, characterised by their physical nature or the effects produced {(electrically insulating plastics, resins or waxes H01B3/30)}; Filling pastes · CPC title

• B41M5/502

  characterised by structural details, e.g. multilayer materials (supports, backcoats or intermediate layers for thermal dye transfer donor and receiver sheets B41M5/41, B41M5/42) · CPC title

• C08K5/3415

  Five-membered rings · CPC title

• Y10T428/24884

  Translucent layer comprises natural oil, wax, resin, gum, glue, gelatin · CPC title