Acceptor material for inks
AssigneeLabelon Corporation
InventorsRonald F. Lambert, Edward J. Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An acceptor material for printing by ink-jet printers forms quick-drying, water-resistant, light-stable ink records with aqueous ink jet inks. The material comprises a support such as polyester film and a coated layer containing a water-soluble mordant that forms insoluble compounds with and immobilizes the dyestuffs of the ink jet inks and a hardened water managing polymer, preferably, hardened gelatin, which contains polymeric beads that protrude from the layer.
Claims16
An acceptor material for inks that contain an ionic dye and an aqueous vehicle, said material comprising:
- a support, and
- coated on one side of said support (a) a water-soluble mordant which, when admixed in excess with said ionic dye in aqueous solution at room temperature, forms a water-insoluble precipitate and a clear, substantially colorless supernatant liquid, said mordant being dispersed in transparent water-absorbing solid polymer, wherein said polymer has been rendered insoluble in water at room temperature by chemical hardening of said polymer at elevated temperature in an aqueous coating solution prior to coating of said coating solution, and wherein said polymer is non-reactive with and permeable by said ionic dye, and (b) non-porous, clear, substantially spherical polymer beads dispersed in transparent water-absorbing polymer in the uppermost layer of said acceptor material, said uppermost layer being transparent, wherein said water-absorbing polymer has been rendered insoluble in water at room temperature by chemical hardening of said polymer at elevated temperature in an aqueous coating solution prior to coating of said coating solution, and the polymer of said beads has a specific gravity no greater than that of said aqueous coating solution of said hardened transparent water-absorbing polymer, said beads having diameters from about 3 to 15 and the concentration of said beads in the uppermost layer being from about 0.5 to 4 percent by weight based on the weight of said transparent water-absorbing polymer in said uppermost layer.
An acceptor material for ink jet ink containing at least one water-soluble anionic dye and an aqueous vehicle, said material comprising
- a support and,
- coated on said support, a transparent layer of an ink-accepting composition comprising a chemically hardened gelatin matrix which is water-insoluble but water swellable and which has non-porous, spherical polymer beads dispersed therein and protruding from an upper surface of said layer, said beads having diameters from about 3 to 15 .mu.m and the concentration of said beads in said layer being from about 0.5 to 4 percent by weight based on the weight of gelatin in said layer, and
- a water-soluble mordant dispersed in said gelatin matrix, said mordant being a compound which, when mixed in excess in an aqueous solution with said anionic dye at room temperature, forms a water-insoluble precipitate and a clear substantially colorless supernatant liquid,
- said hardened gelatin with said beads forming a water management material which absorbs the aqueous vehicle of said ink and has substantially no affinity for said dye and said mordant being a dye management material which forms a substantially immobile coacervate when contacted with said dye at room temperature in said aqueous vehicle.
An imaged ink jet acceptor sheet which comprises a support and, on said support,
- a layer containing hardened gelatin and, dispersed therein, a water-insoluble coacervate of a water-soluble ionic mordant compound and a water-soluble dye compound, and said layer further having dispersed therein, at or near its surface, non-porous polymer beads of 3 to 15 .mu.m in diameter, the concentration of said beads being in the range from about 0.5 to 4 weight percent based on said hardened gelatin and said sheet having a surface roughness corresponding to a BEKK smoothness measurement from about 5 to 60 sec.sup.-1 and a static coefficient of friction less than about 0.45.
An imaged ink jet acceptor sheet suitable for outdoor display which comprises a support and, on said support,
- an image layer containing a water-insoluble coacervate of a water-soluble mordant compound and a water-soluble dye compound, and
- coated over said image layer a transparent layer of hardened gelatin containing polymeric beads which protrude from said gelatin layer, said beads having diameters from about 3 to 15 .mu.m and the concentration of said beads in said layer of hardened gelatin being from about 0.5 to 4 percent by weight based on the weight of gelatin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.