Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Daniel Vincent Keane

Ali Emamjomeh

Yubai Bi

Yi Feng

Ronald Albert Askeland

Brian J Keefe

Lawrence H White

Xavier Bruch

Thomas Michael Sabo

Jeffrey Allen Wagner

Alex Andrea Tallada

Chandrasekhar Nadimpalli

Gonzalo Gaston Llado

Marian Dinares Argemi

Francisco Lopez Moral

Maria Magdalena Martinez Ferrandiz

Alyssa Michelle Siegman

Yi Hong Tor

A fixable, UV curable ink includes an aqueous ink vehicle including water and a co-solvent, a pigment, and a dispersant. A polyurethane polymer dispersion is suspended as droplets within the aqueous ink vehicle. The polyurethane polymer dispersion includes a polyurethane polymer selected from the group consisting of a polyether-based polyurethane, a polyester-based polyurethane, a polycarbonate-based polyurethane, and mixtures thereof. The polyurethane polymer has i) an acid number ranging from 0 mg/g to less than 20 mg/g and ii) a glass transition temperature of less than 0&#xb0; C. A water soluble or water dispersible photoinitiator is present in the fixable, UV curable ink. A base may be included in an amount sufficient to adjust a pH of the UV curable ink so that it ranges from 7.5 to 9.5. An additive may be included and selected from the group consisting of a biocide, a non-ionic surfactant, an anti-kogation agent, a buffer, and combinations thereof.

Fixable, UV curable ink

A printer is disclosed herein. The printer has a printhead having a plurality of ink nozzles for ejecting ink, a servicing mechanism for capturing the ejected ink from the ink nozzles, to service the printhead, and a control device coupled to the printhead and the servicing mechanism for regulating the servicing. As part of the regulation, the control device continues feeding a substrate towards the printhead during an idle period. The idle period of the printhead can be a duration when printing on the substrate is suspended. Further, the control device regulates ejection of ink from the ink nozzles towards the substrate during the idle period and operates the servicing mechanism during the idle period. In an example, the servicing mechanism captures the ink before the ink reaches the substrate.

Servicing a printhead of a printer

An ink set includes a pre-treatment fixing fluid including at least two metal salts and a fixable, ultraviolet (UV) curable ink. The UV curable ink includes an aqueous ink vehicle, a pigment dispersed in the aqueous ink vehicle, and a dispersant. A polyurethane polymer dispersion is suspended as droplets within the aqueous ink vehicle. The polyurethane polymer dispersion includes a polyurethane polymer selected from the group consisting of a polyether-based polyurethane, a polyester-based polyurethane, a polycarbonate-based polyurethane, and mixtures thereof. The polyurethane polymer has i) an acid number ranging from 0 mg/g to less than 20 mg/g and ii) a glass transition temperature of less than 0 C. A water soluble or water dispersible photoinitiator is present in the pre-treatment fixing fluid or in the fixable, UV curable ink.

Ink set including a pre-treatment fixing fluid and a fixable, UV curable ink

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Daniel Vincent Keane