3929results about How to "Improve printing quality" patented technology

A set of printing liquids is disclosed comprising a first anionic printing liquid comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one first colorant, and at least one first anionic polymer; a second anionic printing liquid comprising an aqueous vehicle at least one second colorant, at least one second anionic polymer, and an acid additive having a pKa up to the pKa of the at least first polymer of the first liquid; a third cationic printing liquid comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one third colorant, at least one third cationic polymer, and a pH in the range from about 2 to about 5; and a fourth anionic printing liquid comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one fourth anionic dye, and a precipitating agent. More specifically, the present set of printing liquids may find application in ink-jet printing. The set of ink-jet inks provides improved print quality, specifically, reduced bleed; improved edge-acuity, uniform area fills, and color quality; while maximizing lightfastness without sacrificing printing reliability.

In printing apparatus, when printing near the end of a print media with a printhead having nozzles, a controller causes a print drive to produce a large print media advance movement together with the use of a different group of nozzles from that used for the rest of the print media. This avoids printing artefacts as the print media leaves a pinch in a media feed. In one embodiment the number of nozzles used for printing in the end region is reduced, and the center of the group of nozzles is simultaneously shifted in the direction of print media advance. The size of the print media advance is also changed in the end region. The printing mask used is also changed.

This invention relates to an ink-receptive composition, including: (a) a filler; (b) a binder having a Tg of less than 30° C.; and (c) a cationic polymer; wherein the composition, when coated on a substrate, forms an ink-receptive coating which accepts ink loading greater than about 300%. The coating compositions provide a printable surface receptive to high loading of ink-jet inks which do not crack at loading in excess of 300%, and in one embodiment, do not crack at loading up to about 400%. In addition, the print shows superior liquid resistance and the print quality of the inks is improved and a reduction in bleeding of colors occurs. Also, printed article have outdoor durability especially those with overlaminates.

The invention relates to security feature for identification documents, and in particular to A security feature, comprising a first covert layer comprising a first covert material that is not visible to a human eye under except under a first condition, the first covert layer further comprising a material constructed and arranged to produce, upon an attempted intrusion into any part of the security feature, a first effect that is visible at least under the first condition; an optically variable layer having first and second sides, the first side being disposed adjacent the first covert layer, the optically varying layer being constructed and arranged to cover at least a portion of the first covert layer; and a second covert layer disposed adjacent to the second side of the optically variable layer, the second covert layer being constructed and arranged to cover at least a portion of the optically variable layer, the second covert layer comprising a second covert material that is visible to the human eye only at a second condition.

A method of printing using dry pigments is introduced, wherein a binder material is applied to the surface of an object uniformly or in a pattern, and then dry pigment is applied to the binder material in a pattern or uniformly. The dry pigment sticks to the patterned binder, or the patterned pigment may be bound to the uniform binder, to produce a pattern.

In an ink jet printing process, a desired vacuum is applied to the back side of a print substrate with proper feedback and control. The optimum vacuum exerts a suction force on ink dispersed on the front side of the print substrate to accelerate penetration of the ink into the print substrate and to reduce smear and intercolor bleeding. In addition, the vacuum may be applied in the ink jet printing process in combination with various other techniques including heating of the print substrate at any stage of printing process including before, during, after, and combinations thereof and delaying the time between ink dispersing of two different inks as in the checkerboard printing method. The employment of proper vacuum, inks, and printheads including partial-width or full-width array printheads allows a fast speed multi-color ink jet printing process to be carried out on a print substrate to give high resolution (e.g., 600 spi) multi-color images with good print quality.

A process for the preparation of toner comprising mixing a colorant, a latex, optionally a wax and a polyaluminum sulfosilicate.

Even a simple media sensor obtains a print result of the best print quality by applying a user-set printing condition and the determined media group by performing a print processing using the optimum print profile for any supplied paper. To solve the above-mentioned problem, a print data generating process unit sets a printing condition for print data by selecting a print profile for printing corresponding to any group stored in a print profile storage unit based on a media group determined by a paper type determining process unit and a printing condition set by a print setting process unit in an operation performed by a user according to information obtained from a printer.

An identification document includes a lens system and a specially prepared photo of a document bearer. The lens system and the specially prepared photo cooperate to create a three dimensional photo effect. The document includes two or more document layers. There is a lens structure in one of the document layers, and it includes lens elements. A photo is printed on one or more of the document layers. The photo depicts the document bearer, and includes two or more separate images of the bearer from different perspectives. Parts of the separate images are interleaved together into sets, and the sets are positioned relative to corresponding lens elements of the lens structure. These sets include parts of the separate images such that when viewed through the lens structure, the parts are viewed simultaneously making the subject appear three-dimensional to a viewer.

The present invention relates to ink-jet ink compositions that comprise macromolecular chromophores having functional groups covalently attached for water solubility. Moreover, the MMCs have polymer chains covalently attached to the pigments by nucleophilic substitution to provide enhanced smearfastness, enhanced print quality, improved bleed control, and improved resistance to water when applied to the media. These inks have good viscosity and surface tension, are more soluble in organic solvents and are, therefore, useful in ink-jet printing, including thermal ink jet printing, piezoelectric ink jet printing, and continuous ink jet printing.

A computer-controlled system for producing a multi-color image on a substrate using multi-colored cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) pigment materials made from CLC flakes tuned to predetermined bands of color. An image generator automatically generates an image specifying a pattern over which binder material is to be applied to a substrate by a binder material applicator. A plurality of CLC pigment applicators automatically apply patterns of different-color CLC pigment material to the pattern of binder material, which binds thereto as the binder material dries according to its drying characteristics. An output device is used to automatically return the substrate to a different one of CLC pigment applicators after each application of a pattern of different-color CLC pigment material to the pattern of binder material. The output device automatically repeats the return of the substrate to the CLC pigment applicators until all bands of color in the multi-color image are rendered.

An apparatus and method for ink-jet printing onto an intermediate drum in a helical pattern while correcting for image skew and aliasing. A plurality of ink-jet print heads place an image on an intermediate drum, impervious to ink, in a helical patter. To compensate for helical printing, the image is altered by nozzle placement and image manipulation to correct for skewing errors, and thereafter, the nozzle timing is adjusted to correct for aliasing. The plurality of print heads move parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum while the drum is simultaneously rotating, causing the image to be placed in a helical pattern. Once the entire image is placed on the drum, paper is rolled against the drum under pressure and the image is transferred thereto.

In a thermal head provided with a resistance layer having a plurality of heating element portions which generate heat by energization, an insulating barrier layer which determines the two-dimensional size of each heating element portion by covering each heating element portion, and electrode layers electrically connected to two end portions of each of the plural heating element portions, in the length direction of the resistance, a heat transfer layer is disposed on at least the insulating barrier layer to determine the two-dimensional surface exposure area of the insulating barrier layer by covering part of the insulating barrier layer and to dissipate the heat generated from the plural heating element portions, and surface exposure regions of the insulating barrier layer are specified as effective heating regions of the plural heating element portions by adjusting the two-dimensional size of the heat transfer layer.

The invention provides an identification document comprising a substantially opaque polycarbonate core layer bearing at least one indicium thereon, two layers of substantially transparent polycarbonate fixed to the core layer on opposed sides thereof, and at least one image-receiving layer capable of being imaged by dye diffusion thermal transfer, the image-receiving layer being fixed to one of the layers of substantially transparent polycarbonate on the side thereof remote from the core layer.

An ink jet printer including a printer cartridge containing a printhead attached to a cartridge carriage for translation of the cartridge across a print media. The printer also includes an off carriage ink supply, a printer microprocessor, and a combined ink fill tube and electrical connection cable connected between the cartridge and the off carriage ink supply for providing refill ink to the ink cartridge and control of the carriage and printhead. Improvements to the printer enable low cost, high quality printing to be achieved.

A charge director material for charging a liquid toner, the charge director material comprising (a) nanoparticles of a simple salt and (b) a sulfosuccinate salt of the general formula MAn, wherein M is a metal, n is the valence of M, and A is an ion of the general formula (I)[R1—O—C(O)CH2CH(SO3−)C(O)—O—R2],  (I)wherein each of R1 and R2 is an alkyl group;said charge director material being substantially free of acids of the general formula (I),wherein one or both of R1 and R2 is hydrogen, and if only one of them is hydrogen, the other is an alkyl group,

A process for the preparation of chemical toner by mixing a colorant, a latex, optionally a wax, and a first coagulant of, for example, a polyaluminum sulfosilicate and a second cationic coagulant of, for example, a benzylalkonium chloride.

A method and system which a) analyzes data to be printed, as well as the capabilities, characteristics, and resources available taking into account initial processing performed on a “host” system, transferring of the data stream to the printer over a communications link, and receiving of the data and performing additional processing as required to deliver the data to a print engine for printing; and b) distributes the processing in an optimal way between the host and the printer so as to best achieve the desired result. By moving processing to the host or to the printer, a page can be processed and printed faster. Further, an entire document can be printed faster by such distribution on a page by page, or selected portions of a page basis.

A process comprising aggregating a colorant encapsulated polymer particle containing a colorant with colorant particles and wherein said colorant encapsulated latex is generated by a miniemulsion polymerization.

The invention discloses water-based UV (ultraviolet) ink, consisting of the following components according to a certain weight percentage: water-based light-cured resin, an activated monomer, a photoinitiator, pigments, assistants and a diluent. The assistants consist of a photosensitizer, a polymerization inhibitor, a leveling agent, a defoaming agent, a wetting and dispersing agent, an anti-rubagent, a thixotropic agent and a light stabilizer; and the pigments consist of direct dye, reactive dye and paint. The invention also discloses a preparation method of the water-based UV ink, which comprises the following steps of: weighing the components and sequentially adding the photoinitiator and the water-based light-cured resin into the activated monomer; dissolving the direct dye or the reactive dye in the diluent and then adding the dissolved substances, adding the assistants, evenly stirring the mixture and collecting the materials to obtain the water-based UV ink; or taking a certain amount of the wetting and dispersing agent, dispersing the pigments in the wetting and dispersing agent and then adding the dissolved substances, and evenly stirring the mixture; and adding the rest assistants and the diluent, stirring and then heating the mixture, and collecting the materials to obtain the water-based UV ink. According to the invention, the problem of incapability of the water-based UV ink to multiple kinds of printing modes in the prior art is solved. The preparation method is simple and easy to implement.

A composition that is useful in a wide variety of applications comprises a latex having water as a continuous phase and, as the dispersed phase, hydrophobic polymer particles having associated therewith both a dye and a stabilizer for the dye. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the dye is an infrared absorbing dye. The composition can be used as an inkjet ink, as a coating composition to form an infrared sensitive optical recording layer or for other purposes.

To provide an ink for inkjet recording containing water, water-soluble organic solvent, water-dispersible resin, fluorochemical surfactant or derivative thereof, and coloring agent containing pigment, wherein the ink has a surface tension of 20-35 mN / m and viscosity of 5 mPa·s or more at 25° C., total amount of the water-dispersible resin and the coloring agent in the ink is 5-40% by mass, and mass ratio A / B of the water-dispersible resin A to the coloring agent B is 0.5-4, wherein the ink is applied for a recording medium for inkjet recording containing a support containing cellulose pulp, and one or more barrier layers disposed on at least one face of the support, and wherein the barrier layer contains 30% by mass or more of inorganic pigment having refractive index of 1.5 or more, excluding aluminum hydrate, and 10% by mass or less of inorganic pigment having a refractive index of less than 1.5.

A meltable ink which is solid at room temperature, which ink is suitable for use in an indirect printing process, in which printing process the ink is transferred, by the use of an inkjet printhead, to a transfer element, whereafter the ink is transferred to a receiving material under pressure from the transfer element, the ink having a composition such that it is pressure-transferable at a temperature between a bottom temperature limit and a top temperature limit, wherein the ink has a deformation energy of less than 20×105 Pa.s at a temperature equal to said top temperature limit.

A developer carrier for carrying a developer, the developer carrier comprises: an opposing region that opposes a latent image-carryable region on an image carrier, and a solid portion that is solid at an end portion of the developer carrier in a longitudinal direction thereof; wherein an end of the solid portion, which is on a side of a center of the developer carrier in the longitudinal direction, is located closer to the center of the developer carrier than an edge of the opposing region.

A toner process including, for example, mixing a latex with a colorant wherein the latex contains resin and an ionic surfactant, and the colorant contains a surfactant and a colorant; adding a polyaluminum chloride; affecting aggregation by heating; adding a chelating component and a base wherein the base increases the pH of the formed aggregates; heating the resulting mixture to accomplish coalescence; and isolating the toner.

The present invention provides an aqueous ink containing a dispersion in which a colorant is encapsulated with a polymer to make it dispersible in water, wherein the polymer has aromatic rings in an amount of from 20% by weight to 70% by weight based on the weight of the polymer, and further, the ink contains a compound represented by the following formula: wherein R represents a bivalent organic group, PO represents a propyleneoxy group, EO represents an ethyleneoxy group, x, y, a and b are each the number of repeating units, x represents a number of 1 to 200, y represents a number of 1 to 50, a represents a number of 1 to 30, and b represents a number of 0 to 20.