Apparatus and method for ink jet recording
AssigneeMinolta Co., Ltd.
InventorsToshiya Natsuhara, Yasuhiro Ohno, Hideo Hotomi, Masakazu Takahashi
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Abstract
The present invention provides an ink jet printer which performs recording by causing a nozzle to discharge an ink drop onto a recording medium. The nozzle is connected to an ink channel in which aqueous ink is housed. The printer head can vary the dot size on the recording medium by changing the size of the drop that is discharged from the nozzle. The aqueous ink has a degree of surface tension change .DELTA.S that is expressed by the relation .DELTA.S=(S.sub.1 -S.sub.3)/ S.sub.2 of 0.3 or less, wherein S.sub.2 is the surface tension at 25.degree. C., and has a value of 20 to 50 dynes/cm, S.sub.1 is the surface tension at 5.degree. C., and S.sub.3 is the surface tension at 40.degree. C.
Claims20
An ink jet printer which performs recording by causing an ink drop to be discharged from a nozzle and allowing the ink drop to deposit on a recording medium,
- the ink jet printer comprising a printer head including a nozzle for discharging ink drops and an ink channel in which an aqueous ink is housed,
- the printer head being capable of varying a dot size on the recording medium by changing the size of the ink drop to be discharged from the nozzle;
- and
- the aqueous ink having a degree of surface tension change .DELTA.S expressed by the relation .DELTA.S=(S.sub.1 -S.sub.3)/S.sub.2 of 0.3 or less, and S.sub.2 of 20 to 50 dyne/cm, in which S.sub.2 is a surface tension of the aqueous ink at 5.degree. C., S.sub.2 is the surface tension at 25.degree. C., and S.sub.3 is the surface tension at 40.degree. C.
An ink jet recording method in which multiple tone recording is performed by causing an ink drop to be discharged from a nozzle and allowing the ink drop to deposit on a recording medium, characterized in carrying out multiple tone recording on a recording medium by varying the size of ink drop discharged from a nozzle, the aqueous ink having a degree of surface tension change .DELTA.S expressed by the relation .DELTA.S=(S.sub.1 -S.sub.3)/S.sub.2 of 0.3 or less, and S.sub.2 of 20 to 50 dyne/cm, in which S.sub.1 is a surface tension of the aqueous ink at 5.degree. C., S.sub.2 is the surface tension at 25.degree. C., and S.sub.3 is the surface tension at 40.degree. C.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.