Porelon, Inc.

Stephanie S Hinton

Sherron F Stanton

Lisa A Napier

An ink composition suitable for ink jet printing is made from a fatty acid ester base and a diluent, wherein the base consists essentially of a fatty acid which is liquid at room temperature, a polyalkylene glycol, and a dye which has been reacted with the fatty acid to form an ester. The base is combined with a compatible diluent, such as an alcohol having a low-viscosity and low vapor pressure, to provide an ink composition especially suited for ink jet dot printing of high-definition symbols such as bar codes. The ink of the invention resists spreading on rough surfaces, and thus can be used to print bar codes directly on the sides of paperboard cartons.

High-density, low-viscosity ink for use in ink jet printers

An ink roll made of a microporous thermoplastic structure impregnated with an ink has sufficient strength, toughness and flexibility to deliver ink to a transfer roll without substantial misting of the ink from the ink roll surface as the ink roll is driven by a drive roll at peripheral speeds of 200 ips or more. The microporous plastic structure of the roll may be formed from a blend of a first polymer having particles sizes in the range of 1 to 100 .mu.m, and a second polymer having particles sizes from more than 100 .mu.m to 600 .mu.m. The second polymer is selected to impart greater strength and abrasion resistance to the roll than the first polymer. Both of the first and second polymers may be copolymers of PVC and polyvinyl acetate. The second copolymer has more acetate groups than the first polymer, giving it significantly greater strength.

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Cookeville, TN, United States of America

Stephanie S Hinton