Seiko Epson Corporation

Orient Chemical Industries, Ltd.

Yasuhiro Ouki

Miharu Kanaya

Hiroko Hayashi

Akio Owatari

Kiyohiko Takemoto

Yoshiyuki Koike

Takeo Seino

Yasuhiko Kosugi

Satoru Miyashita

Toshihisa Saruta

Kenji Tsukada

Kazunaga Suzuki

Mitsuro Atobe

Tatsuya Yagyu

Takashi Ono

Masaaki Itano

Yasushi Karasawa

Yoshihiro Sawatari

Etsuko Yoshiike

Hidetaka Sakurai

Masaki Sasaki

An ink-jet recording apparatus having an ink-jet recording head including pressure generating chambers communicatively connected to a nozzle opening and a reservoir, pressure generating member for pressurizing the pressure generating chambers, and a control device for applying drive signals to the pressure generating member. The control device applies drive signals to the pressure generating member. The drive signals contain signals corresponding to print data and signals which minutely vibrate the meniscus of ink in the nozzle openings to such an extent as to not eject ink droplets during a nonprint period. The control device causes ejection of ink droplets from the nozzle openings in accordance with print data during printing operations, and minutely vibrates the meniscuses of ink formed at the nozzle openings a preset period of time before or after the discharging of the ink droplets in a printing operation.

Ink-jet recording head that minutely vibrates ink meniscus

Color ink set for ink-jet recording

A disazo dye composition comprising at least a disazo dye represented by the formula (I) and a disazo dye represented by the formula (II): ##STR1## (wherein X and Y indicate an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and M indicates hydrogen or a cation selected from the group consisting of, alkaline metal, NH.sub.4, alkyl-substituted ammonium, alkanolammonium, morpholinium and piperidinium), wherein, when the disazo dye composition is analyzed by liquid chromatography, the area ratio of the peak area (Sp) of the disazo dye represented by the formula (I) to the peak area (Sc) of the disazo dye represented by the formula (II), that is Sp:Sc is from 1:0.4 to 1:2.4. This disazo dye composition provides a high quality image, rapid ink fixing and the like even on the plain paper.

Mixed disazo-dye composition and black aqueous ink composition

An ink composition capable of offering a combination of a high-quality image with a waterfast image is provided. More specifically, an ink composition is provided which, by virtue of a combination of particular dyes, can faithfully reproduce black color, realize a high-quality image (a sharp image having a high optical density and free from bleed) also on plain paper and, at the same time, offer rapid ink fixation and waterfastness and lightfastness of the printed image. Dyes represented by the following formula (I) are used as a fundamental dye and further combined with a plurality of dyes to constitute the ink composition: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents --PO(OM).sub.2 or --COOM, X and Y each independently represent an alkoxy and M represents a cation of a group selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, ammonia, and an organic amine.

Ink composition excellent in reproduction of black color and ink jet

An ink composition for ink jet recording is provided which can satisfy property requirements of quality of print, drying property of print, clogging resistance, water resistance, storage stability, and nonattacking on members constituting an ink passage, such as a printing head. The ink composition for ink jet recording comprises a dye represented by the following formula (I), glycerin, pyrrolidone, a monohydric lower alcohol, a tri(hydroxyalkyl)amine, and water: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents phenyl or naphthyl substituted by a group selected from hydroxyl, --NH.sub.2, --SO.sub.3 M and --COOM, R.sup.2 represents carboxyalkyl, alkoxyalkyl, phenyl, or alkanoyl, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, and R.sup.5 represent hydrogen or --SO.sub.3 M.

Ink composition for ink jet recording

Ink jet recording head and process for producing the same

A coating layer 5 made of a fluorine-containing polymer and having a thickness of 20 to 700 nm is formed on a surface of a nozzle forming member made of plastics which can be ablated by an excimer laser. Then, the nozzle forming member 1 is irradiated from its back by the excimer laser to generate high-density excited species in the irradiated portion. Using the force owing to the decomposition and scattering of the excited species, a nozzle 7 is formed and the coating layer 5 on the nozzle 7 is removed.

Method of forming a nozzle for an ink-jet printer head

Growing community of inventors

Suwa, Japan

Yasuhiro Ouki