A method of printing with coffee-based ink comprises providing a thermal ink-jet cartridge having a quantity of a coffee-based ink disposed within; receiving optical density data from a user via a touch-screen computerized interface, where the data describes an optical density of the coffee-based ink present within an ink-jet pod; and computing a customized droplet-size for the coffee-based ink in its current state within the thermal ink-jet cartridge. A suitable printing apparatus can include coffee-based ink in a cartridge, an image-processing system, an image processing module for determining, inter alia, droplet size and missing/defective nozzles, and a nozzle-compensation module. Suitable ink formulations are human-edible and aqueous.

A method of printing with coffee-based ink comprises providing a thermal ink-jet cartridge having a quantity of a coffee-based ink disposed within; receiving optical density data from a user via a touch-screen computerized interface, where the data describes an optical density of the coffee-based ink present within an ink-jet pod; and computing a customized droplet-size for the coffee-based ink in its current state within the thermal ink-jet cartridge. A suitable printing apparatus can include coffee-based ink in a cartridge, an image-processing system, an image processing module for determining, inter alia, droplet size and missing/defective nozzles, and a nozzle-compensation module. Suitable ink formulations are human-edible and aqueous.

An ink composition including water, a pigment, a pigment dispersion polymer A, and a water-soluble polymer B different from the pigment dispersion polymer A, in which the water-soluble polymer B contains a specific acid group and a constitutional unit represented by Formula (1), an ink set, and an image recording method. R.sup.1, R.sup.11, Y.sup.1, and Y.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent substituent, and L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 each independently represent a divalent linking group or a single bond. Y.sup.1 and Y.sup.2 may be bonded to each other to form a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with L.sup.1, L.sup.2, and N.

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An ink composition including water, a pigment, a pigment dispersion polymer A, and a water-soluble polymer B different from the pigment dispersion polymer A, in which the water-soluble polymer B contains a specific acid group and a constitutional unit represented by Formula (1), an ink set, and an image recording method. R.sup.1, R.sup.11, Y.sup.1, and Y.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent substituent, and L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 each independently represent a divalent linking group or a single bond. Y.sup.1 and Y.sup.2 may be bonded to each other to form a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with L.sup.1, L.sup.2, and N.

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An aqueous composition can be used for pre-treating a substrate prior to inkjet printing to provide a white opaque background for inkjet-printed images. This aqueous composition includes: (a) one or more water-soluble salts of a multivalent metal cation at 5-30 weight %; (b) a nonionic or cationic water-soluble or water-dispersible polymeric binder material at 5-30 weight %; and (c) surface-treated visible light-scattering particles having a D.sub.50 (median) particle size of at least 0.04 μm and up to and including 2 μm in an amount of 5-60 weight % based on the total aqueous composition weight. The pre-treated substrate is useful as an inkjet receiving medium that can be readily inkjet-printed particularly with anionically-stabilized aqueous pigment-based inks.

An aqueous composition can be used for pre-treating a substrate prior to inkjet printing to provide a white opaque background for inkjet-printed images. This aqueous composition includes: (a) one or more water-soluble salts of a multivalent metal cation at 5-30 weight %; (b) a nonionic or cationic water-soluble or water-dispersible polymeric binder material at 5-30 weight %; and (c) surface-treated visible light-scattering particles having a D.sub.50 (median) particle size of at least 0.04 μm and up to and including 2 μm in an amount of 5-60 weight % based on the total aqueous composition weight. The pre-treated substrate is useful as an inkjet receiving medium that can be readily inkjet-printed particularly with anionically-stabilized aqueous pigment-based inks.

An ink jet ink composition includes: an acetoacetanilide-based monoazo pigment coated with a water-insoluble polymer; 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone; and water.

An ink jet ink composition includes: an acetoacetanilide-based monoazo pigment coated with a water-insoluble polymer; 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone; and water.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes: an ink composition containing a resin in an amount of 6.0% by mass or more; a liquid discharge unit configured to discharge the ink composition from a nozzle formed in a nozzle surface; and a wiping unit configured to wipe the nozzle surface. The wiping unit includes a wiping member including protrusion-shape fibers. Each of the protrusion-shape fibers has a protruded portion in a cross-section orthogonal to a fiber axis thereof. The protruded portion is continuous in a direction along the fiber axis.

This invention provides an inkjet ink comprising: an α,β-unsaturated ether monomer in which the only radiation-curable functional groups present in the monomer are α,β-unsaturated ether groups; a tri- or higher functionality (meth)acrylate monomer in which the only radiation-curable functional groups present in the monomer are acrylate groups; and a colouring agent; wherein the ink contains less than 5% by weight of water and volatile organic solvents in total, and less than 10% by weight of mono- and di-functional monomers in total, other than the α,β-unsaturated ether monomer, where the amounts by weight are based on the total weight of the ink, and wherein the ink has a viscosity of less than 100 mPas at 25° C. The ink is particularly suitable for printing onto food packaging.