Fixer fluids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9683120-B2
Application number	US-201214426443-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2012
Priority date	Sep 14, 2012
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure provides fixer fluid compositions and related systems and methods. In one example, a fixer fluid can comprise a liquid vehicle, a surfactant, and a cationic polymer. The liquid vehicle can include water and co-solvent having a boiling point from 160° C. to 250° C., the co-solvent present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 1 wt % to 40 wt %. The surfactant can be present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %. The cationic polymer can be present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 0.1 wt % to 25 wt %. The fixer fluid can be formulated for printing on non-porous media and does not include more than 5 wt % volatile co-solvent and more than 3 wt % non-volatile co-solvent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ink set, comprising:
an ink-jettable fixer fluid, the fixer fluid comprising:
a liquid vehicle including water and co-solvent having a boiling point from 160° C. to 250° C., the co-solvent present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 1 wt % to 40 wt %, wherein the co-solvent comprises 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol,
a surfactant, the surfactant present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %, and
a cationic polymer, the cationic polymer present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 0.1 wt % to 25 wt %, wherein the cationic polymer has a cationic charge density higher than 1000 microequivalents per gram cationic functionality,
wherein the fixer fluid is formulated for printing on non-porous media and does not include more than 5 wt % volatile co-solvent having a boiling point of less than 160° C. and more than 3 wt % non-volatile co-solvent having a boiling point of more than 250° C.; and
an ink, the ink comprising an anionic pigment dispersion and a latex.

2. The ink set of claim 1 , wherein the anionic pigment dispersion comprises a self-dispersed pigment, a pigment dispersed with an anionic surfactant, or a pigment dispersed with an anionic polymer; and the latex includes polymerized monomers selected from the group of: styrene, p-methyl styrene, a-methyl styrene, methyl methacrylate, hexyl acrylate, hexyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, ethyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, propyl acrylate, propyl methacrylate, octadecyl acrylate, octadecyl methacrylate, stearyl methacrylate, vinylbenzyl chloride, isobornyl acrylate, tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate, 2-phenoxyethyl methacrylate, benzyl methacrylate, benzyl acrylate, ethoxylated nonyl phenol methacrylate, ethoxylated behenyl methacrylate, polypropyleneglycol monoacrylate, isobornyl methacrylate, cyclohexyl methacrylate, cyclohexyl acrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, n-octyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, tridecyl methacrylate, alkoxylated tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate, isodecyl acrylate, isobornyl methacrylate, isobornyl acrylate, dimethyl maleate, dioctyl maleate, acetoacetoxyethyl methacrylate, diacetone acrylamide, N-vinyl imidazole, N-vinylcarbazole, N-vinyl-caprolactam, combinations thereof, derivatives thereof, and mixtures thereof.

3. The ink set of claim 1 , wherein the liquid vehicle further contains at least one co-solvent selected from the group of: propylene glycol n-butyl ether; ethylene glycol n-butyl ether; 2,3-butanediol; 1,2-propanediol; propylene glycol; dipropylene glycol methyl ether; 1,2-butanediol; diethylene glycol methyl ether; ethylene glycol; 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (hexylene glycol); 2,4-pentanediol; n-methylpyrollidinone; n-ethylpyrollidinone; diethylene glycol ethyl ether; 1,3-butanediol; 3,5-dimethyl-3-hexyne-2,5-diol; 1,2-pentanediol; ethylene glycol n-hexyl ether; 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediol; dipropylene glycol t-butyl ether; dipropylene glycol n-propyl ether; 1,3-propanediol; 2,5-dimethyl-2,5 hexanediol; 2,5-hexanediol; 1,2-hexanediol; 1,4-butanediol; dipropylene glycol n-butyl ether; diethylene glycol n-butyl ether; 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD glycol); 1,5-pentanediol; 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol; tripropylene glycol methyl ether; propylene glycol phenyl ether; ethylene glycol phenyl ether; di(ethylene glycol); di(propylene glycol); 2-pyrollidinone; triethylene glycol methyl ether; and mixtures thereof and wherein the cationic polymer is selected from the group of quaternized polyamines, dicyandiamide polycations, diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride copolymers, quaternized dimethylaminoethyl(meth)acrylate polymers, quaternized vinylimidizol polymers, alkyl guanidine polymers, alkoxylated polyethylene imines, and mixtures thereof.

4. The ink set of claim 1 , wherein the fixer fluid comprises multiple co-solvents having a boiling point from 160° C. to 250° C. present in a combined amount of 5 wt % to 30 wt %, and the cationic polymer is present in the fixer fluid at a concentration of 1 wt % to 5 wt %.

5. A method of producing an image on non-porous media, comprising:
printing a fixer fluid on the non-porous media, the fixer fluid comprising:
a liquid vehicle including water and co-solvent having a boiling point from 160° C. to 250° C., the co-solvent present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 1 wt % to 40 wt %, wherein the co-solvent comprises 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol,
a surfactant, the surfactant present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %, and
a cationic polymer, the cationic polymer present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 0.1 wt % to 25 wt %,
wherein the fixer fluid does not include more than 5 wt % volatile co-solvent having a boiling point of less than 160° C. and more than 3 wt % non-volatile co-solvent having a boiling point of more than 250° C.; and
printing an ink on the fixer fluid, the ink comprising an anionic pigment dispersion and a latex,
wherein the fixer fluid comprises multiple co-solvents having a boiling point from 160° C. to 250° C. present in a combined amount of 5 wt % to 30 wt %, the cationic polymer is present in the fixer fluid at a concentration of 1 wt % to 2.5 wt %, and the cationic polymer has a cationic charge density higher than 1000 microequivalents per gram cationic functionality.

6. A method of producing an image on non-porous media, comprising:
printing a fixer fluid on the non-porous media, the fixer fluid comprising:
a liquid vehicle including water and co-solvent having a boiling point from 160° C. to 250° C., the co-solvent present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 1 wt % to 40 wt %, wherein the co-solvent comprises 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol,
a surfactant, the surfactant present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %, and
a cationic polymer, the cationic polymer present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 0.1 wt % to 25 wt %,
wherein the fixer fluid does not include more than 5 wt % volatile co-solvent having a boiling point of less than 160° C. and more than 3 wt % non-volatile co-solvent having a boiling point of more than 250° C.; and

printing an ink on the fixer fluid, the ink comprising an anionic pigment dispersion and a latex,
wherein the fixer fluid is printed in an amount based on the amount of ink, so that the total cationic equivalents of ionic change is equivalent to a factor X multiplied by the anionic equivalents of the ink, where X is from 0.1 to 10.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein X is from 0.5 to 3.

8. A method of producing an image on non-porous media, comprising:
printing a fixer fluid on the non-porous media, the fixer fluid comprising:
a liquid vehicle including water and co-solvent having a boiling point from 160° C. to 250° C., the co-solvent present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 1 wt % to 40 wt %,
a surfactant, the surfactant present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %, and
a cationic polymer, the cationic polymer present in the fixer fluid in an amount of 0.1 wt % to 25 wt %,
wherein the fixer fluid does not include more than 5 wt % volatile co-solvent having a boiling point of less than 160° C. and more than 3 wt % non-volatile co-solvent having a boiling point of more than 250° C.; and
printing an ink on the fixer fluid, the ink comprising an anionic pigment dispersion and a latex;
wherein the fixer fluid is printed in an amount based on the amount of ink, so that the total cationic equivalents of ionic change is equivalent to a factor X multiplied by the anionic equivalents of the ink, where X is from 0.1 to 10.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein X is from 0.5 to 3.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the fixer fluid is devoid of volatile co-solvents having a boiling point of less than 16

Assignees

• Cagle Jr Phillip C
• Ingle David Michael
• Chonde Yohannes
• Hewlett Packard Development Co Lp

Inventors

• Cagle Jr Phillip C
• Ingle David Michael
• Chonde Yohannes

Classifications

• C09D11/40

  Ink-sets specially adapted for multi-colour inkjet printing · CPC title

• B41M5/0017 Primary

  Application of ink-fixing material, e.g. mordant, precipitating agent, on the substrate prior to printing, e.g. by ink-jet printing, coating or spraying · CPC title

• C09D11/322

  Pigment inks · CPC title

• B41M5/0047

  by ink-jet printing · CPC title

• C09D11/10

  based on artificial resins · CPC title