JP2003237222A - Ink-jet printing compatible material and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] The present invention enables high-quality printing by an ink-jet printing method, and has good drying properties of ink during printing, and is excellent in friction resistance, water resistance, heat resistance, and the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet printing-compatible material and a method for producing the same, which can provide a printed material. An ink receiving layer comprising at least one surface of a support and at least an alkylacetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin, a curing agent capable of crosslinking the same, and silica gel fine particles is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is capable of high-quality printing by an ink jet printing system, has good drying property of ink at the time of printing, and has abrasion resistance, water resistance, and
The present invention relates to a material compatible with inkjet printing and a method for producing the same, which enables provision of a printed material having excellent heat resistance and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, while various types of printers for computer output have prevailed, ink jet printers are excellent in quietness, cost and image quality. The price has increased, and the resolution and output speed have improved dramatically,
Dominating the printer market. Further, it is widely used not only for personal use as a personal printer but also for industrial use such as print proofing, street posters, and signboards. Further, since this inkjet printer can print digital data without a plate, it has been developed for address printing of direct mail, catalogs, etc., where variable information output is indispensable, and there is a remarkable growth in the market.

In these various types of ink jet printing, a large number of media have been proposed according to the application. Among them, there are various types of print media (ink-jet printing compatible materials) to be subjected to ink jet printing, such as paper, non-woven fabric, and plastic film. In printing on such various inkjet printing-compatible materials, for example, a water-based inkjet printing ink is used. This water-based inkjet ink mainly dissolves a water-soluble dye or the like in an water-based solvent, and an additive is added to prevent clogging of the ink nozzle, and thus the drying is slow in general. Therefore, when the printing medium has water absorbability like paper, it is good, but when it is non-water-absorbing like plastic film, the dryness of the ink after printing is poor. The printability is improved by providing an ink image-receiving layer having a property.

On the other hand, in the field of package printing, similarly to other fields, the needs for small lot printing are increasing, and the development of ink jet printing is expected. However, packaging materials tend to be required to have various resistances such as abrasion resistance, water resistance, and heat resistance in terms of their applications, and these resistances are mainly covered in ink jet printing in which water-based ink is used. Is difficult.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to enable high-quality printing by an ink jet printing method and to improve ink drying property at the time of printing. Excellent, yet abrasion resistant,
An object is to provide a material compatible with inkjet printing, which is capable of providing a printed matter having excellent water resistance, heat resistance, and the like, and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 has at least one surface of a support, and at least an alkylacetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin and a curing agent capable of crosslinking the same. And an ink-receiving layer made of silica gel particles, which is a material compatible with inkjet printing.

The invention described in claim 2 is the same as claim 1
In the inkjet printable material according to item 1, the alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin is a polyvinyl alcohol having a saponification degree of 90% or more and a polymerization degree of 500 to 2400, which is acetalized in an amount of 5 to 15 mol%. And

Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3 is the ink jet printable material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the silica gel fine particles are produced by a wet gel method and have an oil absorption amount. 40-250 ml /
100 g or more, the average particle size is 1 to 5 μm, and the ratio to the total solid content of the ink receiving layer is 30.
˜50% by weight.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 4 is the ink-jet printing material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin and a curing agent capable of undergoing a crosslinking reaction with the polyvinyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin. Is a Group IV metal-based compound, and the addition amount of the curing agent is 0.5 to 3.0% with respect to the solid content of the alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin.

Further, in the invention according to claim 5, a coating solution comprising at least an alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin, a curing agent capable of undergoing a crosslinking reaction with the polyvinyl alcohol resin, and silica gel fine particles is applied to at least one surface of the support, And a step of forming the ink receiving layer by heat curing, which is a method for producing a material compatible with inkjet printing.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional structure of an ink jet printing material according to the present invention. This ink jet printing compatible material 1 has one side of the support 2
The ink receiving layer 3 is composed of at least an alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin, a curing agent capable of undergoing a crosslinking reaction with the resin, and silica gel fine particles.

Examples of the support 2 constituting the ink jet printing material 1 of the present invention include polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polymethylmethacrylate and polycarbonate. Films made of resins such as cellophane, cellulose acetate, polyarylate, and polyethersulfone, and various papers such as synthetic paper, high-quality paper, art paper, coated paper, cast coated paper, and paperboard can be used. The surface of the support 1 may be subjected to a known easy-adhesion treatment such as corona discharge treatment or formation of an anchor layer made of polyurethane resin or the like for the purpose of improving the adhesiveness of the ink receiving layer 3 described later.

On the other hand, the ink receiving layer 3 is a layer for receiving ink for ink jet printing. In the present invention, the ink receiving layer 3 is formed of an ink receiving layer constituting material having a specific composition described below, whereby an ink jet printing quality is obtained. Printing is made possible, and the printed matter obtained has high resistance such as abrasion resistance and water resistance. That is, such an ink receiving layer 3 is composed of an ink receiving layer constituent material from at least an alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin, a curing agent capable of undergoing a crosslinking reaction with the same, and silica gel fine particles.

Here, as the alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin, polyvinyl alcohol having a saponification degree of 90% or more and a polymerization degree of 500 to 2400 is used.
15 mol% acetalized is preferable, and
The acetalized portion of the alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin is preferably formal, methylal, ethital, pearl or butyral.

The polyvinyl alcohol has a saponification degree of 9
When it is less than 0%, the hydrophilicity after acetalization is lowered, so that the ink absorbability is remarkably lowered, and when the degree of acetalization of polyvinyl alcohol is less than 5 mol%, the water resistance is remarkably lowered. If it exceeds%, the ink absorbency is significantly lowered.

Examples of the curing agent for crosslinking the above-mentioned alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin include zirconium-based compounds, aziridine-based compounds, epoxy-based compounds, isocyanate-based compounds, etc., but they are dried (100 to 120) during the formation of the ink receiving layer. The use of a zirconium-based curing agent is more preferable in consideration of thermosetting the layer at (° C.).

The amount of the above-mentioned curing agent added is based on the solid content of the alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin.
0.5 to 3.0% is preferable. If the addition amount is less than 0.5%, the water resistance of the coating film is poor, and if it exceeds 3.0%, water resistance progresses, and the printing quality in ink jet printing remarkably deteriorates.

The above-mentioned alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin and curing agent are each one or two of water, methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, ethyl acetate, toluene, xylene and the like. It is dispersed in the above mixed solvent and used as a coating liquid of 10 to 50% by weight.

The fine particles to be filled in the ink receiving layer 3 include, for example, inorganic particles such as silica, clay, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, alumina white, aluminum hydroxide, talc, bentonite, titanium oxide, and organic fine particles. , Polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, vinyl resin such as fluororesin, polyolefin resin such as polyethylene and polypropylene, thermoplastic resin such as polyamide, and thermosetting resin such as polybenzoguanamine resin and urea resin are considered as fine particles. However, silica gel particles are used in the present invention. Among them, it is produced by the wet gel method and has an oil absorption of 40-
250ml / 100g or more, the average particle size is 1 ~ 5μm
Silica gel particles are more preferable. Oil absorption is 40 ml
If the amount is less than 100 g, the water absorption capacity of the ink receiving layer will be low, resulting in poor ink jet printing suitability.
If it exceeds / 100 g, the water absorption capacity becomes too high, which may cause diffusion of ink during ink jet printing, that is, bleeding, which is not preferable. The average particle size is 1 μm
When it is less than 5, the fine particle arrangement in the ink receiving layer becomes too dense, and the ink absorption rate decreases, and when it exceeds 5 μm, the unevenness of the surface of the ink receiving layer becomes large, and the resistance such as abrasion resistance remarkably decreases. Is not preferred.

The amount of the silica gel fine particles added is
The proportion of the total solid content of the ink receiving layer is preferably from 30 to 50% by weight, and if the addition amount is less than 30%, the ink jet printing suitability is poor, and if it exceeds 50%, the resistance of the coating film of the ink receiving layer is significantly reduced. To do.

In addition to the above-mentioned fillers, the ink receiving layer 3 may also contain other resins than those mentioned above, depending on the purpose.
Alternatively, surfactants, ultraviolet absorbers, antioxidants, P
An H modifier, a defoaming agent and other additives may be appropriately mixed within a range not deviating from the performance.

The thickness of the ink receiving layer 3 is usually 1 to 50.
It is about μm, preferably about 3 to 20 μm. If the thickness is too thin, the dyeing property will be insufficient, and the drying property, blocking resistance, etc. will be reduced, while if it is too thick, the cost will be high and the curl will be large.

For the ink receiving layer 3, a coating liquid prepared by mixing the above-mentioned main component and curing agent in an appropriate equivalence ratio is applied to at least one surface of the support 2 by a known coating such as gravure coating, roll coating or wire bar coating. It may be formed by applying by a working means and thermosetting in a subsequent drying (100 to 120 ° C.) step.

The ink-jet ink that can be used for ink-jet printing on the ink-jet printing-compatible material of the present invention is a known ink for ink-jet printing. Usually, a water-soluble dye or pigment is used as a coloring material,
In addition, it is composed of a wetting agent, a dye solubilizing agent, a preservative, water, a water-miscible organic solvent and the like.

[0025]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples. In the text, "part" is based on weight and solid content unless otherwise specified.

[Examples 1 and 2, Comparative Examples 1 to 4] As a support
265 μm thick cup base paper (trade name; NH
Base paper T, manufactured by Nippon Paper Industry Co., Ltd.) was used. Next, with Table 1 below
With the formulation shown in Table 2, water / isopropyl alcohol = 3
/ 2 as a solvent and a solid content of 10%, Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example
Prepare the coating liquid according to 1 to 4 and dry it with an applicator.
The coating weight after drying is 15g / m ²Of the above configuration so that
Apply to each of the supports, then at 100 ° C for 3 minutes
Drying and heat-curing for 1 to 2 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4
A total of 6 packaging materials compatible with inkjet printing were obtained.

[0027]

[Table 1]

[0028]

[Table 2]

Inkjet printer / EM-900 manufactured by Epson Co., Ltd. was applied to the packaging materials for inkjet printing according to Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 obtained as described above.
Using C, a recorded image was formed with four color inks of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, and a total of 6 inkjet prints were obtained. Next, the individual prints obtained were evaluated for the following items. The evaluation results are summarized in Table 3.

[Print Quality] The print quality of the inkjet printed matter is visually evaluated from the character portion, the solid portion, and the thin line portion. ◎: No problem. ○: Almost no problem in the character part and solid part, but it is difficult to express fine lines. Δ: Bleeding in the character part and beading in the solid part were slightly recognized, and thin line expression was impossible. ×: Bleeding in the character part and beading in the solid part are conspicuous, and thin line cannot be expressed.

[Drying property] The gradation pattern immediately after printing was visually evaluated using a sillbon paper and rubbed with a load of 1 kg. ⊚: Good without tailing. ◯: A slight trailing is observed at 100%. Δ: Trailing is recognized in 80 to 100%. X: Tailing is recognized over the entire area.

[Abrasion resistance] Using a gold width for the printed part, 500
The appearance after performing the Gakushin test 20 times under g load was visually evaluated. ⊚: There is almost no damage to the printed part. ◯: The printed part is slightly damaged, but the visibility is no problem. Δ: Most of the coating film is damaged. X: Almost all of the printed part was damaged.

[Water resistance] Using a gold width with the printed part soaked in water, the appearance after visually observing the Gakushin test twice with a load of 500 g was visually evaluated. ⊚: There is almost no damage to the printed part. ◯: The printed part is slightly damaged, but the visibility is no problem. Δ: Most of the coating film is damaged. X: Almost all of the printed part was damaged.

[0034]

[Table 3]

As is clear from the results of Tables 1 to 3, the packaging materials for ink jet printing according to Examples 1 and 2 of the present invention all have excellent printing quality and are excellent in drying property during printing. Furthermore, it also satisfied the high durability required for package applications.

[0036]

As described above, the ink jet printable material of the present invention has an ink receiving layer composed of at least an alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin, a curing agent capable of undergoing a crosslinking reaction with the same, and silica gel fine particles. By heat-curing an alkylacetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin having an excellent balance of hydrophilicity and water resistance, while maintaining its absorbability especially for water-based inkjet inks, it is possible to obtain excellent resistance as required in the field of packaging materials. Abrasion resistance, water resistance, heat resistance, etc. can be secured, and by containing silica gel fine particles, fast drying property at the time of inkjet printing and high printing quality can also be secured.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional explanatory view showing an embodiment of a material for inkjet printing of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Inkjet printing compatible materials 2 support 3 Ink receiving layer

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A material compatible with inkjet printing, wherein at least one surface of a support is provided with an ink receiving layer composed of at least an alkylacetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin, a curing agent capable of undergoing a crosslinking reaction with the same, and silica gel fine particles. 2. The alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin has a saponification degree of 90% or more and a polymerization degree of 50.
0 to 2400 polyvinyl alcohol 5 to 15 mol
%. The material corresponding to inkjet printing according to claim 1, wherein the material is acetalized. 3. The silica gel fine particles are produced by a wet gel method, have an oil absorption of 40 to 250 ml / 100 g or more, an average particle diameter of 1 to 5 μm, and, based on the total solid content of the ink receiving layer. The proportion is 30 to 50% by weight
The inkjet printable material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 4. The alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin and a curing agent capable of cross-linking the same are Group IV metal compounds, and the addition amount of the curing agent is 0.1% based on the solid content of the alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin. 5-
It is 3.0%, The claim 1 thru | or Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.
Inkjet printing compatible material according to any one of 1. 5. An ink receiving layer is formed by applying a coating liquid comprising at least an alkyl acetalized polyvinyl alcohol resin, a curing agent capable of undergoing a cross-linking reaction thereof and silica gel fine particles to at least one side of a support and thermally curing it. A method for producing a material compatible with inkjet printing, which comprises: