Ink compositions for use in highlighter markers and associated methods

Abstract

Highlighter ink compositions can be prepared which provide improved abilities to reduce smear during highlighting. Highlighter ink compositions can include an acid buffer having a pKa from about 2 to about 6, a highlighter colorant, and a liquid vehicle. The image for highlighting can be formed on the substrate using any conventional printing technique, such as ink-jet printing or other printing techniques. Application of the highlighter ink compositions of the present invention to a printed image results in a reduced degree of image smear, particularly when the image was produced by an ink-jet printing process. Further, the acid buffer can be configured for reducing mobility of specific ink-jet colorants. In this way, the highlighter ink composition can be specifically tailored for reducing smear of various printed inks.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.