Ink jet recording method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9919520-B2
Application number	US-201514624759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2015
Priority date	Feb 18, 2014
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

An ink jet recording method according to the invention includes: ejecting droplets of non-water-based ink, which contains an organic solvent, a color material, and resin, from nozzles of a recording head and causing the droplets to adhere to a recording medium to form an image; and preliminarily ejecting the droplets of the non-water-based-ink from the nozzles of the recording head not for forming the image. In the preliminary ejecting of the droplets, a time interval at which the preliminary ejecting is performed by a predetermined nozzle is equal to or greater than two seconds and equal to or less than twenty five seconds. The organic solvent contains a first solvent which is at least one kind selected from a hydrocarbon-based solvent, an alcohol-based solvent, and an ester-based solvent. Content of the first solvent is equal to or greater than 40% by mass with respect to entire content of the non-water-based ink.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ink jet recording method comprising:
ejecting droplets of non-water-based ink, which contains an organic solvent, a color material, and resin, from nozzles of a recording head and causing the droplets to adhere to a recording medium to form an image; and
preliminarily ejecting the droplets of the non-water-based-ink from the nozzles of the recording head not for forming the image,
wherein in the preliminary ejecting of the droplets, a time interval at which the preliminary ejecting is performed by a predetermined nozzle is equal to or greater than two seconds and equal to or less than twenty five seconds,
wherein the organic solvent contains a first solvent which is an ester-based solvent, the ester based solvent is at least one kind selected from methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, n-propyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, isobutyl acetate, isopentyl acetate, secondary butyl acetate, amyl acetate, methoxybutyl acetate, methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, butyl lactate, methyl caprylate, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, and diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate,
wherein content of the first solvent is equal to or greater than 40% by mass with respect to entire content of the non-water-based ink,
wherein the first solvent contains a solvent with a boiling point of equal to or greater than 145° C. and equal to or less than 185° C.,
wherein the content of the solvent with a boiling point of equal to or greater than 145° C. and equal to or less than 185° C. is equal to or greater than 50% by mass and equal to or less than 95% by mass with respect to the total mass of the first solvent, and
wherein the non-water-based ink further contains a lactone-based solvent.

2. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the resin contains at least one of vinyl chloride-based resin and (meth)acrylic-based resin.

3. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1 ,
wherein content of the resin is equal to or greater than 0.5% by mass and equal to or less than 10% by mass with respect to total mass of the non-water-based ink.

4. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ejecting of the droplets to form an image is performed by a plurality of scanning operations, in each of which the non-water-based ink is ejected while a position of the recording head relative to the recording medium is changed.

5. The ink jet recording method according to claim 4 ,
wherein in the preliminary ejecting of the droplets, the preliminary ejecting is performed between the scanning operations, and the droplets of the non-water-based ink is ejected onto another object than the recording medium.

6. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ejecting of the droplets to form an image is performed by a single scanning operation in which the non-water-based ink is ejected while a position of the recording head relative to the recording medium is changed.

7. The ink jet recording method according to claim 6 ,
wherein in the preliminary ejecting of the droplets, the droplets of the non-water-based ink is made to adhere to a position outside a region, in which the image is to be formed, on the recording medium.

8. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the recording medium is a low-ink-absorbent recording medium.

9. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1 ,
wherein in the ejecting of the droplets to form an image, a surface temperature of the recording medium is equal to or less than 60° C.

10. The ink jet recording method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ester based solvent is at least one kind selected from ethyl lactate and propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate.

11. An ink jet recording method comprising:
ejecting droplets of non-water-based ink, which contains an organic solvent, a color material, and resin, from nozzles of a recording head and causing the droplets to adhere to a recording medium to form an image; and
preliminarily ejecting the droplets of the non-water-based-ink from the nozzles of the recording head not for forming the image,
wherein in the preliminary ejecting of the droplets, a time interval at which the preliminary ejecting is performed by a predetermined nozzle is equal to or greater than two seconds and equal to or less than twenty five seconds,
wherein the organic solvent contains glycol ethers with a standard boiling point of equal to or greater than 120° C. and equal to or less than 185° C.,
wherein content of glycol ethers with the standard boiling point of equal to or greater than 120° C. and equal to or less than 185° C. is equal to or greater than 55% by mass and equal to or less than 75% by mass with respect to total mass of the non-water-based ink
wherein the organic solvent further contains glycol ethers with a standard boiling point exceeding 185° C.,
wherein the content of the glycol ethers with a standard boiling point exceeding 185° C. is equal to or greater than 5% by mass and equal to or less than 22% by mass with respect to total mass of the non-water-based ink, and
wherein the content of water in the non-water-based ink is equal to or less than 3% by mass.

12. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11 ,
wherein the resin contains at least one of vinyl chloride-based resin and (meth)acrylic-based resin.

13. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11 ,
wherein the resin contains vinyl chloride-based resin.

14. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11 ,
wherein content of the resin is equal to or greater than 0.5% by mass and equal to or less than 10% by mass with respect to total mass of the non-water-based ink.

15. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11 further comprising:
in the ejecting of the droplets to form an image, heating the recording medium.

16. The ink jet recording method according to claim 15 ,
wherein in the heating of the recording medium, a surface temperature of the recording medium is heated to a temperature of equal to or greater than 35° C.

17. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11 ,
wherein the non-water-based ink further contains a lactone-based solvent.

18. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11 ,
wherein the ejecting of the droplets to form an image is performed by a plurality of scanning operations, in each of which the non-water-based ink is ejected while a position of the recording head relative to the recording medium is changed.

19. The ink jet recording method according to claim 18 ,
wherein in the preliminary ejecting of the droplets, the preliminary ejecting is performed between the scanning operations, and the droplets of the non-water-based ink is ejected onto another object than the recording medium.

20. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11 ,
wherein the glycol ethers with the standard boiling point of equal to or greater than 120° C. is at least one kind selected from an alkylene glycol monoethers and alkylene glycol diethers.

21. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11 ,
wherein the color material is a pigment.

22. The ink jet recording method according to claim 11 ,
wherein the content of glycol ethers with the standard boiling point of equal to or

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Coporation
• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nagase Makoto
• Sao Akihito
• Kubota Kenichiro
• Ito Jun
• Koike Naoki

Classifications

• B41J2/14 Primary

  Structure thereof {only for on-demand ink jet heads} · CPC title

• B41M5/0047 Primary

  by ink-jet printing · CPC title

• B41M5/0064

  on plastics, horn, rubber, or other organic polymers · CPC title

• B41M5/0023

  Digital printing methods characterised by the inks used (inks per se C09D11/00) · CPC title

• B41J2/16526

  by applying pressure only · CPC title