Ink jet recording ink set, recording method and recording apparatus therefor, and recording image made thereby

Claim 2

An ink jet recording ink set comprising: light color inks of a plurality of colors, each of the light color inks having at least a pigment, water and a fine polymer particle; and dark color inks of a plurality of colors, each of the dark color inks having at least a pigment and water, wherein each of the dark color inks either does not contain a fine polymer particle or contains a fine polymer particle in smaller quantity than any of said light color inks.

Claim 3

The ink set recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said light color inks of the plurality of colors include a light cyan ink, a light magenta ink and a yellow ink, and said dark color inks of the plurality of colors include a black ink, a cyan ink and a magenta ink.

Claim 4

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said light color inks of the plurality of colors include a light cyan ink, a light magenta ink and a yellow ink, and said dark color inks of the plurality of colors include a black ink, a cyan ink, a magenta ink and a dark yellow ink.

Claim 5

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said light color inks of the plurality of colors include a light black ink, a light cyan ink, a light magenta ink and a yellow ink, and said dark color inks of the plurality of colors include a black ink, a cyan ink and a magenta ink.

Claim 6

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said light color inks of the plurality of colors include a light black ink, a light cyan ink, a light magenta ink and a yellow ink, and said dark color inks of the plurality of colors include a black ink, a cyan ink, a magenta ink and a dark yellow ink.

Claim 7

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said light color inks contain said fine polymer particle in a quantity of from 0.5 to 10 wt %, and said dark color inks contain said fine polymer particle in a quantity of from 0 to 5 wt %.

Claim 8

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein an average particle size of said fine polymer particle is between 50 and 250 nm.

Claim 9

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 wherein surface tension of said dark color inks and said light color inks is between 20 and 40 mN/m.

Claim 10

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 wherein said dark color inks and said light color inks also contain an acetylene glycol surfactant, and a quantity of said acetylene glycol surfactant contained is between 0.5 and 3 wt %.

Claim 11

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said dark color inks and said light color inks further contain one or more penetrating agents selected from the group consisting of diethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, diethylene glycol mono-t-butyl ether, triethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, propylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, dipropylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, and a compound expressed by the following formula (I), and a quantity of said penetrating agents contained is between 1 and 20 wt %: RO—(PO) m —(EO) n —H  (I) wherein R represents an alkyl group having 4 to 10 carbons, PO represents a propyleneoxy group, EO represents an ethyleneoxy group, m≧1, n≧0, and m+n ≦20.

Claim 12

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said pigment is self-dispersing pigment and/or dispersant dispersing pigment.

Claim 13

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 11 , wherein said self-dispersing pigment has in a surface thereof one or more functional groups selected from the group consisting of a carboxyl group, a carbonyl group, a hydroxyl group, and a sulfonic acid group.

Claim 14

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein a total quantity of said pigment and said fine polymer particle contained in each of said dark color inks is between 5 and 15 wt %, and a total quantity of said pigment and said fine polymer particle contained in each of said light color inks is between 5 and 15 wt %.

Claim 15

An ink jet recording method for forming a text and/or an image on an ordinary paper or a special ink jet recording paper comprising: (a) providing the ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , (b) preferentially depositing said dark color inks of the plurality of colors on said ordinary paper; and (c) preferentially depositing said light color inks of the plurality of colors on said special ink jet recording paper.

Claim 16

A recorded image obtained by the ink jet recording method according to claim 14 .

Claim 17

An ink jet recording method for forming a text and/or an image on an ordinary paper or a special ink jet recording paper comprising: (a) providing the ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , and switching a recording mode by a setting of a driver mounted in an ink jet recording device such that said dark color inks are preferentially deposited on said ordinary paper and said light color inks are preferentially deposited on said special ink jet recording paper.

Claim 18

An ink jet recording apparatus comprising (a) means for forming a tet and/or images on an ordinary paper or a special ink jet recording paper, and (b) said ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 .

Claim 19

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein the water is present in each of the light color inks and in each of the dark color inks in an amount by wt % that is greater than an amount of any other component present in the respective light color inks and dark color inks.

Claim 20

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein each of the light color inks and each of the dark color inks comprises an additional solvent that is miscible with water.

Claim 21

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 1 , wherein the fine polymer particle is mixed into the ink in an emulsion form.

Claim 22

An ink jet recording ink set comprising: light color inks of a plurality of colors, each of the light color inks having a pigment, water and a fine polymer particle; and dark color inks of a plurality of colors, each color of said dark color inks corresponding to the same color hue of a color of said light color inks and each of said dark color inks having a pigment and water or having a pigment, water and a fine polymer particle, wherein said ink recording ink set has a relationship expressed by the following formula: 0.8·X≦Y≦1.2·X wherein when pigments and fine polymer particles are solids, a weight percentage of said solids of said light color inks is given by X %, and a weight percentage of said solids in said dark color inks of same color hue as a color of said light color inks is given by Y %.

Claim 23

An ink jet recording ink set comprising: light color inks of a plurality of colors, each of the light color inks having a pigment, water and a fine polymer particle; and dark color inks of a plurality of colors, each color of said dark color inks corresponding to the same color hue of a color of said light color inks and each of said dark color inks having a pigment and water or having a pigment, water and a fine polymer particle, wherein said ink recording ink set has a relationship expressed by the following formula: 0.8·X≦Y≦1.2·X wherein when pigments and fine polymer particles are solids, a weight percentage of said solids of said light color inks is given by X %, and a weight percentage of said solids in said dark color inks of same color hue as a color of said light color inks is given by Y %.

Claim 24

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , wherein said light color inks of the plurality of colors include a light black ink, a light cyan ink, a light magenta ink and a light yellow ink, and said dark color inks for the plurality of colors include a black ink, a cyan ink, a magenta ink and a yellow ink.

Claim 25

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , wherein said light color inks contain said fine polymer particle in a quantity of from 0.5 to 10 wt % and said dark color inks contain said fine polymer particle in a quantity of from 0 to 5 wt %.

Claim 26

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , wherein an average particle size of said fine polymer particle is between 50 and 250 nm.

Claim 27

The ink jet recording ink jet according to claim 21 , wherein surface tension of said dark color inks and said light color inks are between 28 and 40 mN/m.

Claim 28

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , wherein said dark color inks and said light color inks also contain an acetylene glycol surfactant, and a quantity of said acetylene glycol surfactant contained is between 0.5 and 3 wt %.

Claim 29

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , wherein said dark color inks and said light color inks further contain one or more penetrating agents selected from the group consisting of diethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, diethylene glycol mono-t-butyl ether, triethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, propylene glycol mono n butyl ether, dipropylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, and a compound expressed by the following formula (I), and a quantity of said penetrating agents contained is between 1 and 20 wt %: RO—(PO) m —(EO) n —H  (I) wherein R represents an alkyl group having 4 to 10 carbons, PO represents a propyleneoxy group, EO represents an ethyleneoxy group, m>1, n≧0, and m+n ≦20.

Claim 30

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , wherein said pigment is self-dispersing pigment and/or dispersant dispersing pigment.

Claim 31

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 28 , wherein said self-dispersing pigment has in a surface thereof one or more functional groups selected from the group consisting of a carboxyl group, a carbonyl group, a hydroxyl group and a sulfonic acid group.

Claim 32

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , wherein a total quantity of said pigment and said fine polymer particle contained in each of said dark color inks is between 5 and 15 wt % and a total quantity of said pigment and said fine polymer particle of each of said light color inks is between 5 and 15 wt %.

Claim 33

An ink jet recording method for forming a text and/or an image on an ordinary paper or a special ink jet recording paper comprising: (a) providing the ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , (b) preferentially depositing said dark color inks of the plurality of colors on said ordinary paper; and (c) preferentially depositing said light color inks of the plurality of colors on said special ink jet recording paper.

Claim 34

A recorded image obtained by the ink jet recording method according to claim 31 .

Claim 35

An ink jet recording method for forming a text and/or an image on an ordinary paper or a special ink jet recording paper comprising: (a) providing the ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , and switching a recording mode by a setting of a driver mounted in an ink jet recording apparatus such that said dark color inks are preferentially deposited on said ordinary paper and said light color inks are preferentially deposited on said special ink jet recording paper.

Claim 36

An ink jet recording apparatus comprising (a) means for forming a text and/or images on an ordinary paper or a special ink jet recording paper, and (b) said ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 .

Claim 37

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , wherein the water is present in each of the light color inks and in each of the dark color inks in an amount by wt % that is greater than an amount of any other component present in the respective light color inks and dark color inks.

Claim 38

The ink jet recording ink set according to claim 21 , wherein the fine polymer particle is mixed into the ink in an emulsion form.