Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Hiroko Uenozono

Kakuji Murakami

Tadashi Fujii

Tomoyuki Yamaguchi

Tomiko Kawakami

An aqueous ink for ink-jet printing comprises as its main components (i) a water-soluble direct dye and/or acid dye, (ii) a polyhydric alcohol and/or an alkyl ether thereof, (iii) water, and (iv) at least one water-soluble non-ionic surface active agent selected from the group consisting of a polyoxyethylene alkyl amine of formula (I), a polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ether of formula (II) and a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether of formula (III): ##STR1## where R.sup.1 represents a group derived from a chain hydrocarbon with 16 to 19 carbon atoms; m, an integer of 0 through 18; and n, an integer of 0 through 18; where m+n equals 8 through 18; ##STR2## where R.sup.2 represents a group derived from a chain hydrocarbon with 7 to 12 carbon atoms; and x represents an integer of 12 through 20; ##STR3## where R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 each represent a group derived from a chain hydrocarbon with 6 to 8 carbon atoms; and y represents an integer of 10 through 15.

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Tokyo, Japan

Hiroko Uenozono