Apparatus and method for manufacturing ink jet printed products and ink jet printed products manufactured using the method

An apparatus for forming ink jet printed products, the ink jet printed products being processed by fixing means for effecting a fixing process after ink jet printing so that coloring matter contained in ink is fixed to a printing medium, said apparatus comprising:

• means for performing printing onto a printing medium, said printing means comprising a print head having discharge ports for discharge of ink;
• and
• control means for controlling said printing means in printing such that the average value of an equivalent circle diameter of an ink dot formed at one time in a discharging operation through one of the discharge ports is three-fourths or less the average width of fibers constituting the printing medium after a coloring matter contained in the ink is fixed to the printing medium, the equivalent circle diameter for each ink dot being the diameter of a circle having an area equal to the area of the ink dot.

A method for forming ink jet printed products, said method comprising the steps of:

• attaching ink onto a printing medium using a print head having discharge ports for discharge of the ink;
• and
• fixing the ink onto the printing medium, wherein in said attaching step, the ink is discharged so that an ink dot formed in a discharging operation through one of the discharge ports has an area coverage ratio of less than 100% relative to an area of a corresponding print picture element before said fixing step and a plurality of ink dots are formed with plural ink dots before said fixing step, the plurality of ink dots enclose a central portion to which ink is not applied in an image area where all picture elements are applied with ink among images formed, such that the central portion is covered with ink after said fixing step.

A method for forming ink jet printed products, said method comprising the steps of:

• attaching ink onto a printing medium using a print head having discharge ports for discharge of ink;
• and
• fixing a coloring matter contained in the ink to the printing medium, wherein ink is discharged such that an average value of an equivalent circle diameter of an ink dot formed in a discharging operation through one of the discharge ports is three-fourths or less an average width of fibers making up the printing medium after said fixing step, the equivalent circle diameter for each ink dot being the diameter of a circle having an area equal to the area of the ink dot.

An ink jet textile printing apparatus for printing on a textile recording medium to form ink jet printed textile products, for use with an ink jet recording means for recording on said textile recording medium over a recording region by forming a plurality of ink dots thereon, said ink jet recording means comprising a plurality of discharge ports, each said ink dot being formed by an associated said discharge port, said ink jet recording means forming said ink dots from a recording fluid, and said textile recording medium having a plurality of fibers, said fibers having an average fiber width, the ink jet printed textile products being Processed by fixing means for effecting a fixing process after ink jet printing so that a coloring agent contained in ink is fixed to the textile recording medium, said apparatus comprising:

• means for mounting said ink jet recording means;
• and
• control means for controlling said ink jet recording means so that after fixation in the fixing process, an average value of an equivalent circle diameter of a given ink dot formed in a single discharge operation through a single discharge port is not more than three-fourths of the average fiber width, the equivalent circle diameter for each ink dot being the diameter of a circle having an area equal to the area of the ink dot.

A process of printing on a textile medium, comprising the steps of:

• providing an ink jet head;
• and
• printing on the textile medium by ejecting ink from the ink jet head onto the textile medium, wherein said printing step is carried out such that a plurality of ink dots are formed on the textile medium satisfying the condition that the average of equivalent circle diameters of the plurality of ink dots is three-fourths or less of the average width of the fibers making up the textile medium after a coloring matter contained in the ink is fixed to the textile medium, the equivalent circle diameter for each ink dot being the diameter of a circle having an area equal to the area of the ink dot.

A textile printing apparatus adapted for printing onto a textile medium having fibers of a predetermined average width, comprising:

• printing means, including an ink jet head, for printing on the textile medium by ejecting ink from said ink jet head;
• and
• control means for controlling said printing means, wherein said control means causes ink to be ejected from said printing means so that a plurality of ink dots are formed on the textile medium satisfying the condition that the average of equivalent circle diameters of the plurality of ink dots is three-fourths or less of the predetermined average width of fibers constituting the textile medium after a coloring matter contained in the ink is fixed to the textile medium, the equivalent circle diameter for each ink dot being the diameter of a circle having an area equal to the area of the ink dots.

An apparatus for forming ink jet printed products, the ink jet printed products being processed by a fixator that effects a fixing process after ink jet printing so that coloring matter contained in ink is fixed to a printing medium, said apparatus comprising:

• a print head having discharge ports that discharge ink;
• and
• a controller that controls said print head such that in printing, an ink dot formed in a discharging operation through one of the discharge ports has an area coverage ratio of less than 100% relative to an area of a corresponding print picture element before the ink is fixed to the printing medium, said controller controlling said print head to form a plurality of ink dots on the printing medium, wherein before the fixing process, the plurality of ink dots enclose a central portion to which ink is not applied in an image area where all picture elements are applied with ink among images formed, such that the central portion is covered with ink after the fixing process.

An apparatus for forming ink jet printed products, the ink jet printed products being processed by a fixator that effects a fixing process after ink jet printing so that coloring matter contained in ink is fixed to a printing medium, said apparatus comprising:

• a print head having discharge ports that discharge ink;
• and
• a controller that controls said printhead such that in printing the average value of an equivalent circle diameter of an ink dot formed at one time in a discharging operation through one of the discharge ports is three-fourths or less the average width of fibers constituting the printing medium after a coloring matter contained in the ink is fixed to the printing medium, the equivalent circle diameter for each ink dot being the diameter of a circle having an area equal to the area of the ink dot.