Ink film constructions

An ink film construction comprising:

• (a) a first printing substrate selected from the group consisting of an uncoated fibrous printing substrate, a commodity coated fibrous printing substrate, and a plastic printing substrate;
• and
• (b) an ink dot set contained within a square geometric projection projecting on said first printing substrate, said ink dot set containing at least 10 distinct ink dots, fixedly adhered to a top surface of said first printing substrate, all said ink dots within said square geometric projection being counted as individual members of said set, each of said ink dots containing at least one colorant dispersed in an organic polymeric resin, each of said dots having an average thickness Hdot of less than 2,000 nm, and a diameter Ddot of 5 to 300 micrometers;
• each ink dot of said ink dots having a generally convex shape in which a deviation from convexity, (Ddot), is defined by:
• DCdot=1−AA/CSA,
• AA being a calculated projected area of said dot, said area disposed generally parallel to said first printing substrate;
• and
• CSA being a surface area of a convex shape that minimally bounds a contour of said projected area;
• Wherein a mean deviation from convexity (DCdot mean) of said ink dot set is at most 0.05 wherein each said ink dot of said ink dot set is characterized by a dimensionless aspect ratio (Raspect) defined by:
• Raspect=Ddot/Hdot,
• said aspect ratio being at least 50.

An ink film construction comprising:

• (a) a first printing substrate selected from the group consisting of an uncoated fibrous printing substrate, a commodity coated fibrous printing substrate, and a plastic printing substrate;
• and
• (b) an ink dot set contained within a square geometric projection projecting on said first printing substrate, said ink dot set containing at least 10 distinct ink dots, fixedly adhered to a surface of said first printing substrate, all said ink dots within said square geometric projection being counted as individual members of said set, each of said ink dots containing at least one colorant dispersed in an organic polymeric resin, each of said dots having an average thickness Hdot of less than 2,000 nm, and a diameter Ddot of 5 to 300 micrometers;
• each ink dot of said ink dots having a deviation from a smooth circular shape, (DRdot), represented by:
• DRdot=[P2/(4π·A)]−1,
• P being a measured or calculated perimeter of said ink dot;
• A being a maximal measured or calculated area contained by said perimeter;
• wherein a mean deviation (DRdot mean) of said ink dot set is at most 0.60, wherein each said ink dot of said ink dot set is characterized by a dimensionless aspect ratio (Raspect) defined by:
• Raspect=Ddot/Hdot,
• said aspect ratio being at least 50.

An ink film construction comprising:

• (a) a first printing substrate selected from the group consisting of an uncoated fibrous printing substrate, a commodity coated fibrous printing substrate, and a plastic printing substrate;
• and
• (b) an ink dot set contained within a square geometric projection projecting on said first printing substrate, said ink dot set containing at least 10 distinct ink dots, fixedly adhered to a top surface of said first printing substrate, all said ink dots within said square geometric projection being counted as individual members of said set, each of said ink dots containing at least one colorant dispersed in an organic polymeric resin, each of said dots having an average thickness Hdot of less than 2,000 nm, and a diameter Ddot of 5 to 300 micrometers;
• each ink dot of said ink dots having a deviation from a smooth circular shape, (DRdot), represented by:
• DRdot=[P2/(4π·A)]−1,
• P being a measured or calculated perimeter of said ink dot;
• A being a maximal measured or calculated area contained by said perimeter;
• wherein a mean deviation (DRdot mean) of said ink dot set is at most 0.60,
• wherein (i) each said ink dot of said ink dot set covers a continuous area of said top substrate surface and (ii) each said ink dot of said ink dot set is disposed entirely above said continuous area, such that a projected perpendicular line, extending down towards said top substrate surface, first meets said ink dot, before meeting said top substrate surface, at every point in said continuous area.

An ink film construction comprising:

• (a) a first printing substrate selected from the group consisting of an uncoated fibrous printing substrate, a commodity coated fibrous printing substrate, and a plastic printing substrate;
• and
• (b) an ink dot set contained within a square geometric projection projecting on said first printing substrate, said ink dot set containing at least 10 distinct ink dots, wherein each ink dot of the ink dot set corresponds to a different respective ink film fixedly adhered to a top surface of said first printing substrate, all said ink dots within said square geometric projection being counted as individual members of said set, each of said ink dots containing at least one colorant dispersed in an organic polymeric resin, each of said dots having an average thickness of less than 2,000 nm, and a diameter of 5 to 300 micrometers;
• each ink dot of said ink dots having a generally convex shape in which a deviation from convexity, (DCdot), is defined by:
• DCdot=1−AA/CSA,
• AA being a calculated projected area of said dot, said area disposed generally parallel to said first fibrous printing substrate;
• and
• CSA being a surface area of a convex shape that minimally bounds a contour of said projected area;
• wherein a mean deviation from convexity (DCdot mean) of said ink dot set is at most 0.05;
• wherein for each ink dot of said at least 10 distinct dots, a corresponding ink-film thereof has a corresponding upper-surface distal to said top surface of said substrate such that an upper-surface-concentration of nitrogen at said corresponding film upper-surface exceeds a bulk concentration of nitrogen within said corresponding film, said bulk concentration measured at a depth of at least 30 nanometers below said corresponding upper film surface, and wherein a ratio of said upper-surface-concentration to said bulk concentration is at least 1.1 to 1.

An ink film construction comprising:

• (a) a first printing substrate selected from the group consisting of an uncoated fibrous printing substrate, a commodity coated fibrous printing substrate, and a plastic printing substrate;
• and
• (b) an ink dot set contained within a square geometric projection projecting on said first printing substrate, said ink dot set containing at least 10 distinct ink dots, wherein each ink dot of the ink dot set corresponds to a different respective ink film fixedly adhered to a top surface of said first printing substrate, all said ink dots within said square geometric projection being counted as individual members of said set, each of said ink dots containing at least one colorant dispersed in an organic polymeric resin, each of said dots having an average thickness of less than 2,000 nm, and a diameter of 5 to 300 micrometers;
• each ink dot of said ink dots having a deviation from a smooth circular shape, (DRdot), represented by:
• DRdot=[P2/(4π·A)]−1,
• P being a measured or calculated perimeter of said ink dot;
• A being a maximal measured or calculated area contained by said perimeter;
• wherein a mean deviation (DRdot mean) of said ink dot set is at most 0.60, wherein for each ink dot of said at least 10 distinct dots, a corresponding ink-film thereof has a corresponding upper-surface distal to said top surface of said substrate such that an upper-surface-concentration of nitrogen at said corresponding film upper-surface exceeds a bulk concentration of nitrogen within said corresponding film, said bulk concentration measured at a depth of at least 30 nanometers below said corresponding upper film surface, and wherein a ratio of said upper-surface-concentration to said bulk concentration is at least 1.1 to 1.