Claims
- 1. An ink jet printing process comprising the steps of:
A) providing an ink jet printer that is responsive to digital data signals; B) loading said printer with ink jet recording elements comprising a support having thereon an image-receiving layer; C) loading said printer with an ink jet ink composition comprising water, humectant and a self-assembling colorant that is capable of spontaneously forming a nanoparticulate dispersion without any prior physical attrition or surface modification, said colorant having the formula: (A)m-Q-(Z)n wherein:
Q represents a chromophore; each A independently represents an organic or inorganic group capable of hydrogen bonding or other non-covalent bonding; each Z independently represents an organic or inorganic group capable of electrostatic bonding; and m and n each independently represents an integer from 0 to 10; with the proviso that n+m is at least 1; and with the further proviso that at least about 50 wt. % of the colorant is present in the composition as particles; and D) printing on the image-receiving layer using said ink jet ink in response to said digital data signals.
- 2. The process of claim 1 wherein said Q represents a colorant selected from the class consisting of anthraquinone, naphthoquinone, quinacridone, quinophthalone, indigo, thioindigo, perylene, dioxazine, 1,4-diketopyrrolopyrrole, anthrapyridine, anthrapyrimidine, anthanthrone, flavanthrone, indanthrone, isoindoline, isoindolinone, perinone, pyranthrone, porphyrin, and azo chromophores.
- 3. The process of claim 1 wherein each said A independently represents sulfonate, sulfinate, phosphonate, carboxylate, ammonium, substituted ammonium, pyridinium, amidinium or guanidinium.
- 4. The process of claim 1 wherein said Z represents hydroxy, a sugar residue, a polyoxyalkylene group, a sulfamoyl or carbamoyl group and its mono- and di-substituted derivatives, a heterocyclic group or an alkylsulfonyl group.
- 5. The process of claim 1 wherein said colorant is present in an amount of from about 0.2 to about 10 wt. %, said humectant is present in an amount of from about 5 to about 70 wt. %, and the balance is water.
- 6. The process of claim 1 which also includes a water-soluble dye.
- 7. The process of claim 1 wherein said particles are less than about 0.3 μm in size.
- 8. The process of claim 1 wherein said particles are less than about 0.1 μm in size.
- 9. The process of claim 1 wherein said colorant has the formula:
- 10. The process of claim 1 wherein said support is paper, resin-coated paper or a plastic.
- 11. The process of claim 1 wherein said image-receiving layer comprises interconnecting pores.
- 12. The process of claim 11 wherein said image-receiving layer comprises from about 20% to about 95% inorganic particles and from about 5% to about 80% of a polymeric binder.
- 13. The process of claim 11 wherein said image-receiving layer comprises organic particles.
- 14. The process of claim 11 wherein said image-receiving layer comprises a polymeric open-pore membrane.
- 15. The process of claim 12 wherein said inorganic particles comprise silica, alumina, titanium dioxide, clay, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate or zinc oxide.
- 16. The process of claim 12 wherein said polymeric binder is gelatin, poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl pyrrolidinone) or poly(vinyl acetate) or copolymers thereof.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Reference is made to commonly assigned, co-pending U.S. patent applications:
[0002] Ser. No. ______ by Andrievsky et al., filed concurrently herewith (Docket 84969) entitled “Ink Jet Ink Composition”;
[0003] Ser. No. ______ by Andrievsky et al., filed concurrently herewith (Docket 84190) entitled “Ink Jet Ink Composition”; and
[0004] Ser. No. ______ by Andrievsky et al., filed concurrently herewith (Docket 84968) entitled “Ink Jet Printing Process”.