Claims
- 1. A process comprising:jetting at least one ink from a color ink set onto a substrate to form a first pixel; and jetting a penetrant ink onto the first pixel to form a heliosed pixel, wherein the first pixel is substantially free of resolution diminution in the heliosed pixel and wherein the penetrant ink when jetted onto the first pixel covers from about 10 to about 50 percent of the area of the first pixel; and wherein the first pixel is accomplished by jetting from about 5 picoliters to about 200 picoliters of one or more colored inks, and wherein the heliosed pixel is accomplished by jetting from about 2 to about 100 picoliters of a penetrant ink onto the first pixel.
- 2. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the color ink set comprises from 1 to about 5 different colored inks.
- 3. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the process produces gray scale images that are substantially free of pixel bleeding, pixel spreading, pixel dot growth, pixel area expansion, and combinations thereof.
- 4. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the process produces gray scale images at a resolution of from about 200×200 spots per inch(spi) to about 1,200×1,200 spi.
- 5. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the penetrant ink physically mixes with the ink or inks of the first pixel.
- 6. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the light absorption of the heliosed pixel is diminished by from about 20 to about 80 percent by the combination of the penetrant ink and the first pixel compared to the light absorption of the first pixel alone.
- 7. A process in accordance with claim 6, wherein the diminished light absorption of the heliosed pixel provides from about 1 to about 5 additional gray scale levels to the color of the first pixel.
- 8. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the penetrant ink is selected from the group consisting of colorant penetrants, dye dispersion reducing materials, colorant agglomerating agents, and mixtures thereof.
- 9. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the color ink set comprises inks selected from the group consisting of cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and a liquid carrier, and mixtures thereof; and wherein the penetrant ink comprises at least one surfactant material, and a liquid carrier.
- 10. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein from 1 to about 5 droplets of the obscurant ink are jetted in forming the heliosed pixel.
- 11. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first pixel is accomplished by jetting three colored inks comprised of process black, and wherein the heliosed pixel is accomplished by jetting a penetrant ink comprised of surfactant and a low molecular weight diol at least within the area defined by the first pixel.
- 12. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the penetrant ink which contacts the color ink of the first pixel produces incomplete penetration of the color ink through the light reflecting upper surface region of the substrate.
- 13. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the penetrant ink which contacts the color ink of the first pixel produces complete penetration of the color ink through the light reflecting upper surface region of the substrate.
- 14. A process in accordance with claim 1, further comprising jetting a plurality of individual first pixels and then jetting at least one penetrant ink drop onto at least one of the first pixels to form at least one heliosed pixel wherein the presence of at least one heliosed pixel provides a heliographic image.
- 15. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the jettings are accomplished with an ink jet apparatus capable of jetting at least two to about five discrete ink formulations simultaneously.
- 16. A process comprising:jetting a penetrant ink onto a substrate to form a penetrant first pixel; and jetting at least one ink from a color ink set over the penetrant first pixel to form a heliosed pixel, wherein the resolution in the heliosed pixel is substantially the same as the resolution in the absence of the penetrant ink and wherein the penetrant ink when jetted onto the first pixel covers from about 10 to about 50 percent of the area of the first pixel; and wherein the first pixel is accomplished by jetting from about 5 picoliters to about 200 picoliters of one or more colored inks, and wherein the heliosed pixel is accomplished by jetting from about 2 to about 100 picoliters of a penetrant ink onto the first pixel.
- 17. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising an ink jet deposition system which jets inks in accordance with claim 1.
- 18. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising an ink jet deposition system which jets inks in accordance with claim 18.
REFERENCE TO COPENDING APPLICATIONS AND ISSUED PATENTS
Attention is directed to commonly owned and assigned copending Application Numbers:
U.S. Ser. No. 09/178,147, filed Oct. 23, 1998, entitled “COLOR LIQUID DEVELOPERS AND PROCESSES THEREOF,” which discloses a process comprising developing a set of colored liquid toners to form spot color images, wherein the color gamut of all the images encompasses substantially the entire PANTONE® color space, wherein the set of colored liquid toners comprises 13 inks consisting of: a yellow ink; an orange ink; two non equivalent red inks; a magenta ink; a purple ink; a violet ink; two non equivalent blue inks; a cyan ink; a green ink; a black ink; and including a white or colorless ink, that is pigment free ink;
U.S. Ser. No. 09/216,774, filed Dec. 21, 1998, entitled “INK COMPOSITIONS AND IMAGING PROCESSES THEREOF,” discloses a process comprising: treating an ink jet receiver substrate with a non-ionic surfactant;
U.S. Ser. No. 09/450,154, filed concurrently herewith, entitled “INK JET APPARATUS AND IMAGING PROCESSES THEREOF,” discloses, for example, a process comprising: jetting at least one ink from a color ink set onto a substrate to form a first pixel; and jetting a heliosing obscurant ink formulation onto the first pixel to form a heliosed pixel.
U.S. Ser. No. 09/450,153, filed concurrently herewith, entitled “INK JET APPARATUS AND IMAGING PROCESSES THEREOF,” discloses, for example, a process comprising: jetting at least one ink from a color ink set onto a substrate to form a first pixel; and jetting a heliosing bleachant ink formulation onto the first pixel to form a heliosed pixel; and
The disclosure of the above mentioned copending applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The appropriate components and processes of those patent applications may be selected for the inks and processes of the present invention in embodiments thereof.
US Referenced Citations (13)