Ink set and recording apparatus
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsIppei Okuda, Tsuyoshi Sano
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ink set includes an ink composition for background containing a pigment for background and a coloring ink composition containing a coloring pigment. Provided that the surface tension of the ink composition for background is S1 (mN/m), and the surface tension of the coloring ink composition is S2 (mN/m), S1 and S2 satisfy −5<(S1−S2)<4. the ink set is used in a first mode in which the ink composition for background and the coloring ink composition are recorded on a recording medium by being caused to be adjacent to each other, or in a second mode in which the ink composition for background is recorded on an image which has been recorded using the coloring ink composition. A recording apparatus includes this ink set.
Claims14
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
- an ink set including:
- an ink composition for background containing a pigment for background and a fluorosurfactant, the pigment for background being either a white pigment or a glitter pigment and
- a coloring ink composition containing a coloring pigment, the coloring pigment being a pigment other than the white pigment or the glitter pigment;
- an ink cartridge containing the ink composition;
- a recording medium on which the ink composition is recorded;
- an ink jet recording head for discharging the ink composition to the recording medium;
- and
- an operation controller for selecting a recording mode on the recording medium,
- wherein:
- the operation controller selects A mode in which the ink composition for background is recorded on an image which has been recorded on the recording medium using the coloring ink composition,
- the recording medium which does not absorbs ink or absorbs ink to low degree,
- the surface tension of the ink composition for background is S1 (mN/m), and the surface tension of the coloring ink composition is S2 (mN/m), S1 and S2 satisfy −5<(S1−S2)<4, and
- a sedimentation speed v of the pigment for background that is represented by a formula v ={(ρ−ρw)gR2}/(18η) is 2.0×10−6(cm/s) or higher, where v represents a sedimentation speed, ρ represents a pigment density, ρw represents a solvent density, g represents acceleration of gravity, R represents a pigment diameter, and η represents a solvent viscosity.
An ink jet recording method comprising:
- an ink set preparing step for preparing an ink set including:
- an ink composition for background containing a pigment for background and a fluorosurfactant, the pigment for background being either a white pigment or a glitter pigment and
- a coloring ink composition containing a coloring pigment, the coloring pigment being a pigment other than the white pigment or the glitter pigment;
- an operating step for selecting A mode as a recording mode, the A mode in which the ink composition for background is recorded on an image which has been recorded on a recording medium using the coloring ink composition;
- an image recording step recording the image on the recording medium using the coloring ink composition;
- and
- a background forming step for recording the background using the ink composition fore background on the image,
- wherein the recording medium which does not absorbs ink or absorbs ink to low degree,
- the surface tension of the ink composition for background is S1 (mN/m), and the surface tension of the coloring ink composition is S2 (mN/m), S1 and S2 satisfy −5<(S1 −S2)<4, and
- a sedimentation speed v of the pigment for background that is represented by a formula v ={(ρ−ρw)gR2}/(18η) is 2.0×10−6 (cm/s) or higher, where v represents a sedimentation speed, ρ represents a pigment density, ρw represents a solvent density, g represents acceleration of gravity, R represents a pigment diameter, and η represents a solvent viscosity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.