Eastman-kodak Company

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag

Nexpress Solutions, Inc.

David Daniel Putnam

Douglas E Bugner

Mark Edward Irving

Allan Francis Sowinski

Barbara Boland Lussier

Todd Russell Griffin

Mridula Nair

James Stephen Honan

Thomas Joseph Dannhauser

Cumar Sreekumar

Brian L Lindstrom

Michael T Regan

Shari L Eiff

Dana G Marsh

Robert E Contois

Donald Saul Rimai

Thomas Nathaniel Tombs

Hwei-Ling Yau

Peter S Alexandrovich

Mary Christine Brick

Jiann-Hsing Chen

Tamara K Jones

Robert E Zeman

Joseph Salvatore Sedita

Kevin D Lofftus

John F Crichton

Wilbur Charles Kasiske, Jr

Satyanarayan A Srinivsan

Maria Cristina Barbosa DeJesus

Douglas Eugene Bugner

Brian L Lindstom

An aqueous composition can be used for pre-treating a substrate prior to inkjet printing to provide a white opaque background for inkjet-printed images. This aqueous composition includes: (a) one or more water-soluble salts of a multivalent metal cation at 5-30 weight %; (b) a nonionic or cationic water-soluble or water-dispersible polymeric binder material at 5-30 weight %; and (c) surface-treated visible light-scattering particles having a D(median) particle size of at least 0.04 &#x3bc;m and up to and including 2 &#x3bc;m in an amount of 5-60 weight % based on the total aqueous composition weight. The pre-treated substrate is useful as an inkjet receiving medium that can be readily inkjet-printed particularly with anionically-stabilized aqueous pigment-based inks.

Inkjet printed articles and method of making

An ink set has two or more aqueous pigment-based inks, each of which has 75-95 weight %, a) one or more pigment colorants, and b) one or more water-miscible humectants that are present in a total amount of at least 1 weight % and up to and including 20 weight %, and consist essentially of compounds, each of which has a carbon atom to oxygen atom ratio of at least 1.0:1.0 and only two hydroxy groups. The weight % amounts of water and the b) water-miscible humectants are based on the total weight of each aqueous pigment-based ink. The aqueous pigment-based inks in the ink set can be used individual or in combination to provide monochrome or polychrome inkjet-printed images on various ink-receptive media and using various inkjet printing equipment and methods.

Ink set for inkjet printing

A flexible inkjet-printed article is prepared by: A') providing an ink receptive medium having a substrate and an aqueous-based ink-receptive layer. This layer has: (a) a water-soluble salt of a multivalent metal cation; (b) one or both of a polyvinyl alcohol and a polyvinyl amine (or a copolymer derived from a vinyl alcohol and a vinyl amine) at 0.5-30 weight %; and optionally, (c) a crosslinking agent and (d) silica particles. At least one aqueous pigment-based ink is deposited directly on the aqueous-based ink-receptive layer, each having: a) an anionically-stabilized pigment colorant; and b) a water-miscible humectant at 1-20 weight %, each having a carbon to oxygen atom ratio of &#x2265;1.0:1.0 and only two hydroxy groups. After drying, a functional layer with adhesive composition is formed on the inkjet-printed image and a flexible material is laminated to the functional layer, to form a flexible inkjet printed article.

Method of preparing laminated article

Inkjet printing is carried out to provide monochrome or polychrome inkjet-printed images. An ink-receptive medium is provided with a substrate with an aqueous-based ink-receptive layer disposed thereon. The aqueous-based ink-receptive layer has: (a) one or more water-soluble salts of a multivalent metal cation in an amount of 0.6-49 weight %; (b) one or both of a polyvinyl alcohol and a polyvinyl amine (or a copolymer of a vinyl alcohol and vinyl amine) in a total amount of 0.5-30 weight %; and optionally, (c) a crosslinking agent and (d) silica particles. One or more aqueous pigment-based inks are inkjet printed onto this aqueous-based ink-receptive layer, each ink comprising: a) one or more anionically-stabilized pigment colorants; b) one or more water-miscible humectants that are present in a total amount of 1-20 weight % and each having a carbon atom to oxygen atom ratio of at least 1.0:1.0 and only two hydroxy groups.

Method for inkjet printing

An inkjet-printed article has an ink receptive medium with a substrate and an aqueous-based ink-receptive layer disposed thereon. The aqueous-based ink-receptive layer includes: (a) a water-soluble salt of a multivalent metal cation at 0.6-49 weight %; (b) one or both of a polyvinyl alcohol and a polyvinyl amine (or a copolymer derived from a vinyl alcohol and a vinyl amine) at 0.5-30 weight %; and optionally, (c) a crosslinking agent or (d) silica particles. The article also has an inkjet-printed image disposed on the aqueous-based ink-receptive layer, provided from one or more aqueous pigment-based inks, each of which has a) an anionically-stabilized pigment colorant; b) one or more water-miscible humectants at a total amount of 1-20 weight %, each of which has a carbon atom to oxygen atom ratio of at least 1.0:1.0 and only two hydroxy groups.

Article prepared by inkjet printing

A flexible inkjet printed article includes an ink receptive medium comprising a substrate and an aqueous-based ink-receptive layer. The aqueous-based ink-receptive layer has: (a) a water-soluble salt of a multivalent metal cation; (b) one or more of a polyvinyl alcohol and a polyvinyl amine (or a copolymer derived from a vinyl alcohol and a vinyl amine) at 0.5-30 weight %; and optionally, (c) a crosslinking agent or (d) silica particles. An inkjet-printed image is disposed on the ink-receptive layer, provided from one or more aqueous pigment-based inks, each having: a) one or more anionically-stabilized pigment colorants; b) one or more water-miscible humectants at 1-20 weight %, each of which has a carbon atom to oxygen atom ratio of at least 1.0:1.0 and only two hydroxy groups. A functional layer comprising an adhesive composition disposed on the inkjet-printed image; and a flexible polymeric film or paper adhered to the functional layer.

Laminated article

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a multi-layered structure includes:

Multilayered structure with water-impermeable substrate

A method for improving durability of aqueous ink deposited on a substrate having multivalent metal salt present at the surface of the substrate is disclosed. The method includes depositing aqueous ink on the surface of the substrate, wherein the aqueous ink is an anionically stabilized pigment ink, drying the substrate to substantially remove the water from the deposited aqueous ink, applying substantially pure water and heat to the dried substrate with deposited aqueous ink, and removing the applied water and heat to return the dried substrate to an ambient temperature and moisture content. The applied substantially pure water and heat are sufficient to cause a significant improvement of the durability of the deposited ink on the substrate.

Aqueous ink durability deposited on substrate

A method of printing with water-based inkjet inks on a water-impermeable, low-surface-energy substrate, includes:

Printing on water-impermeable substrates with water-based inks

In one aspect a method for operating a printer is provided in which a toner image is formed on a receiver using a toner having a polymeric binder and a wax. A contact surface is used to apply heat and pressure to heat the toner at least to a glass transition temperature for the toner and to heat the wax to at least an incorporated melting temperature. The toner image is allowed to cool below a glass transition temperature of the toner to form a fused toner image having a viewing surface and the wax is allowed to cool below the melting temperature for the wax so that after cooling the viewing surface has first portions with wax globules and second portions without wax globules. The viewing surface is wiped to move at least some of the wax from the wax globules in the first portions onto the second portions.

Method for managing wax on a print having a toner image therein

Printers are provided having wax management systems. In one aspect, a printer has a print engine provides a toner image on a receiver using a toner having a binder polymer and a wax and a fuser having a contact surface that heats the toner at least to a glass transition temperature for the toner and the wax at least to an incorporated melting temperature to cause at least some of the wax to separate from the toner. A controller allows the toner image to cool to form a fused toner image having a viewing surface and the wax to cool to form first portions of the viewing surface with wax globules and second portions without wax globules. A wiping system wipes the viewing surface to move at least some of the wax from the wax globules onto the second portion when the toner image and wax are cooled.

Printer with wax management system

A surface decorated particle including a core particle phase having an outer surface; and fine inorganic particles on the outer surface of the core particle phase; wherein the fine inorganic particles have hydrophobic groups covalently bonded primarily on portions of surfaces of the fine inorganic particles positioned away from the core particle phase. Such surface decorated particles are obtainable by a method including stabilizing dispersed hydrophobic phase particles in an aqueous phase with fine inorganic particles having a relatively hydrophilic surface; and treating the stabilized dispersed hydrophobic phase particles with a hydrophobic group containing reactant to form hydrophobic groups covalently bonded to surfaces of the fine inorganic particles. In a particular embodiment, such surface decorated particles are obtainable by a limited coalescence process for preparing binder polymer particles using inorganic stabilizer particles that provide a plurality of surface bonding sites and reacting such sites with a plurality of alkoxy silane moieties that contains pendant hydrophobic groups.

Surface decorated particles

A method for forming surface decorated particles including stabilizing dispersed hydrophobic phase particles in an aqueous phase with fine inorganic particles having a relatively hydrophilic surface; and treating the stabilized dispersed hydrophobic phase particles with a hydrophobic group containing reactant to form hydrophobic groups covalently bonded to surfaces of the fine inorganic particles. In a particular embodiment, the invention provides a limited coalescence process for preparing binder polymer particles using inorganic stabilizer particles that provide a plurality of surface bonding sites and reacting such sites with a plurality of alkoxy silane moieties that contains pendant hydrophobic groups.

Method for forming surface decorated particles

Wax management systems are provided. In one aspect a wax management system has print positioning system having an input to receive a fused toner print having a toner image with a viewing surface that has first portions with wax globules and second portions without wax globules and a print positioning apparatus that arranges the print for wiping by a wiping system having a wiping surface that wipes the viewing surface to move at least some of the wax from the wax globules onto the second portion. A wax management device controller determines when fused toner print is at a temperature where the toner image is below a glass transition temperature of the toner and the wax is below a melting temperature for the wax and to position the print for wiping. The controller causes the wiping system to wipe the print after the controller makes the determination.

Wax management system

Porous particles comprising a polymer binder and at least one additive distinct from any pore stabilizing compound present in the particle, wherein: the polymer binder comprises a solid compositionally continuous phase having an external particle surface; discrete pores are dispersed within the solid compositionally continuous phase, forming internal pore surfaces; and the at least one additive is present primarily in the discrete pores. The additive may further preferably not be present in the solid compositionally continuous phase, and be substantially absent from the external particle surface. A toner set for forming a color electrophotographic image comprising a plurality of different colored toners, where at least one of the different colored toners comprise such porous particles comprising additives, and in a particular embodiment wherein at least two different colored toners each comprise different pigments present primarily in the internal pores. A process of making such porous particles.

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Fairport, NY, United States of America

David Daniel Putnam