Environmentally friendly, reliable, fast drying ink for point-of-sale thermal ink jet application

A method for reducing puddling on a nickel orifice plate in a printhead portion of a print cartridge employed in an ink jet printer, said method comprising:

• (a) providing an ink composition comprising
• a vehicle comprising (1) 5 to 10 wt % of a drying agent selected from the group consisting of 1,2-hexanediol and 1,2-pentanediol, (2) 15 to 32 wt % 2-pyrrolidone, (3) 15 to 37 wt % of at least one humectant, and (4) the balance water;
• 0.5 to 10 wt % of a dye;
• and
• 0 to 3 wt % comprising at least one component selected from the group consisting of buffers, corrosion inhibitors, surfactants, biocides, polymers, and binders, with the proviso that the total amount of surfactants is 0.1 wt % or less, based on the total ink composition;
• and
• (b) jetting said ink composition through orifice openings in said nickel orifice plate onto a print medium.

In combination, (1) an ink jet ink for a thermal ink jet printer and (2) an orifice plate in a printhead in said printer, through which droplets of said ink are expelled onto a print medium, said ink jet ink comprising:

• (a) a vehicle comprising
• (i) 5 to 10 wt % of a drying agent selected from the group consisting of 1,2-hexanediol and 1,2-pentanediol,
• (ii) 15 to 32 wt % 2-pyrrolidone,
• (iii) 15 to 37 wt % of at least one humectant, and
• (iv) the balance water;
• (b) 0.5 to 10 wt % of a dye;
• and
• (c) 0 to 3 wt % comprising at least one component selected from the group consisting of buffers, corrosion inhibitors, surfactants, biocides, polymers, and binders, with the proviso that the total amount of surfactants is 0.1 wt % or less, based on the total ink composition,
• and said orifice plate comprising nickel.