The present disclosure relates to an electrophotographic active ink composition comprising a thermoplastic polymer comprising a copolymer of an olefin and acrylic acid and/or metacrylic acid; active photovoltaic material comprising electron donor material and electron acceptor material; a charge adjuvant, and a liquid carrier.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compound exhibiting a cyan color having properties such as high chroma, high light fastness, and high solubility. The compound is represented by the following General Formula (1).

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In Formula (1), R.sub.1 R.sub.2 each independently represent a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 6 or more and 12 or fewer carbon atoms, R.sub.3 represents a 4-alkylphenyl group, a 4-halogenated phenyl group, or a 3-alkoxyphenyl group, R.sub.4 represents a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 1 or more and 8 or fewer carbon atoms, and R.sub.5 represents a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 1 or more and 8 or fewer carbon atoms or a benzyl group.

An image forming system includes an image forming unit including a first photosensitive member, a first developing unit, a second photosensitive member, a second developing unit, a third photosensitive member, a third developing unit, a fourth photosensitive member, and a fourth developing unit, a varnish applying unit; an irradiation unit; and a controller configured to control image formation by the image forming unit to form a black image, on which the varnish is superimposed, with the yellow toner, the magenta toner, and the cyan toner.

An information processing apparatus includes circuitry to control a display to display a setting screen for a background pattern that allows a user to designate a special consumable material as a color to be used for information specified as the background pattern; generate print data using the designated special consumable material; and transmit the print data to an image forming apparatus.

According to an example, a resin, a carrier liquid, and a pearlescent pigment may be mixed to form a liquid electrophotographic ink.

Example implementations provide a method of controlling an ink developer used in electro-photography; the method comprising, following cessation of printing, varying a plurality of voltages associated with movement of ink within the ink developer at temporally disparate times.

An electrostatic ink composition is disclosed. The electrostatic ink composition can comprise: a liquid carrier; and particles dispersed in the liquid carrier, wherein the particles comprise a thermoplastic resin, and a metal or metal alloy pigment having a melting of point of less than about 200 C. The metal or metal alloy pigment can have a diameter of from about 0.01 m to about 50 m.

The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a conductive liquid electrophotographic ink composition. The method comprises: heating a polymer resin in a carrier liquid to dissolve the polymer resin; adding conductive metallic pigment Particles to the carrier liquid; and cooling the carrier liquid to effect precipitation of the polymer resin from the carrier liquid, such that a coating comprising the resin is formed on the conductive metallic pigment particles; wherein: I) the polymer resin comprises (i) a copolymer of an alkylene monomer and a monomer selected from acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, and (ii) an ionomer of an alkylene monomer and a monomer selected from acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, wherein at least a portion of the acrylic acid and/or methacrylic acid groups are neutralised with metal ions; and/or II) a charge adjuvant is included in the coating that is formed on the conductive metallic pigment particles.

Herein is disclosed an electrostatic ink composition. In some examples, the electrostatic ink compositions comprise: a carrier liquid; a resin; and a phosphorescent pigment.

A squarylium dye [A] that has high invisibility, i.e., exhibits low absorption in the visible light region (400 nm to 750 nm), has excellent near-infrared absorption capability and high light resistance, tends not to exhibit aggregations, and has specific X-ray diffraction peaks; and an image-forming material and the like containing the squarylium dye [A] having said characteristics. The problem is solved by a squarylium dye [A] having specific X-ray diffraction peaks represented by general formula (1). Moreover, the problem is also solved by various materials containing the squarylium dye [A].