An ejection surface extends in a first direction as a scanning direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and is externally exposed. A plurality of nozzles opens at the ejection surface. A plurality of partial channels is located inside the ejection surface, and at bottom surfaces on a side of the ejection surface, the nozzles open. The plurality of nozzles is arranged in a direction intersecting with the first direction in plural rows to constitute a plurality of nozzle rows. The number of the nozzles arranged in each row is greater than the number of the plural rows. Between the nozzles in each nozzle row, the nozzles in other nozzle rows appear as seen in the first direction. A position of openings in the bottom surfaces of the partial channels differs across at least some of the nozzles in each nozzle row.

An image forming method uses an apparatus for forming an image on both recording media of fabric and recording paper. The image forming method includes: applying a treatment agent to the fabric, the treatment agent coagulating a water-based ink or increasing viscosity of the water-based ink; and discharging the water-based ink onto the fabric by an ink-jet system, the water-based ink being identical to a water-based ink used for forming the image on the recording paper.

Provided is an ink treatment solution set including: an ink composition that is water-based ink jet ink containing a coloring material; and a treatment solution that contains a coagulant, is ejected from an ink jet head, and is used for recording, in which any one of the ink composition and the treatment solution has a dynamic surface tension of greater than 32.0 mN/m and less than 36.0 mN/m at 10 ms and has a difference of equal to or greater than 6.0 mN/m and equal to or less than 10.0 mN/m between the dynamic surface tension at 10 ms and a dynamic surface tension at 1000 ms, an other one of the ink composition and the treatment solution has a dynamic surface tension of greater than 34.5 mN/m and less than 36.5 mN/m at 10 ms and has a difference of equal to or greater than 8.0 mN/m and equal to or less than 10.0 mN/m between the dynamic surface tension at 10 ms and a dynamic surface tension at 1000 ms, and the ink treatment solution set is used for recording on a poorly absorbable recording medium.

A method for creating controlled scattering effects including (a) disposing at least one curable ink layer onto a substrate in an imagewise fashion or in a continuous film fashion; (b) applying a first cure to partially cure the ink layer (a); (c) disposing at least one scattering material onto the ink layer (a); and (d) applying a second cure to fully cure the ink layer (a); wherein the first cure and the second cure are applied in a manner to control the disposition of the scattering material on top of and penetration into the curable ink layer to control surface and subsurface scattering properties.

A non-impact printing device (301) comprising: a coating material (237) being curable and comprising a resin; the coating material comprising an amorphous resin portion in an amount of at least 30 w-% based on the overall amount of resin and comprising with respect to the entire amount of coating material less than 0.5 w-% of flow additive; a printing unit, in particular an electrophotographic printing unit, being configured for printing the coating material (237) so as to form a coating layer, wherein the coating layer forms at least part of a layer package comprising at least one layer; the non-impact printing device being configured for providing the layer package so as to define a surface structure with the layer package; wherein the surface structure is defined by a thickness variation of the layer package; wherein the thickness variation is in a range between 1 m and 1000 m, in particular in a range between 1 and 300 m, and is in particular more than 1 m, in particular more than 5 m, in particular more than 10 m and in particular more than 20 m.

A curable clear ink composition is provided. The curable clear ink composition comprises a surfactant, a monofunctional polymerizable compound having a static surface tension of 33 mN/m or less at 25 degrees C. in an amount of 10% by mass or more but 30% by mass or less, an oligomer having a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 1,000 or more, and an acylphosphine oxide polymerization initiator in an amount of 8% by mass or more but 12% by mass or less.

An image forming method uses an apparatus for forming an image on both recording media of fabric and recording paper. The image forming method includes: applying a treatment agent to the fabric, the treatment agent coagulating a water-based ink or increasing viscosity of the water-based ink; and discharging the water-based ink onto the fabric by an ink-jet system, the water-based ink being identical to a water-based ink used for forming the image on the recording paper.

An ink jet recording method includes an ink attachment step, in which an aqueous ink composition is ejected from a recording head and attached to a recording medium, and a treatment liquid attachment step, in which a treatment liquid containing a flocculant is ejected from a recording head and attached to the recording medium. The recording head for ejecting the treatment liquid has a circulation channel in which the treatment liquid is circulated.

An ink jet recording method includes a treatment liquid attachment step, in which a treatment liquid containing at least one flocculant is attached to a recording medium, and an ink attachment step, in which an aqueous ink composition is attached to the recording medium. The treatment liquid attachment step and the ink attachment step are performed through multiple main scans and multiple sub-scans. A main scan is a movement of a recording head in a main scanning direction, and a sub-scan is a movement of the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction, which crosses the main scanning direction. The recording head has a first ejecting nozzle group, which is a line of nozzles arranged in the sub-scanning direction and ejects the treatment liquid, and a second ejecting nozzle group, which is a line of nozzles arranged in the sub-scanning direction and ejects the aqueous ink composition. The first ejecting nozzle group overlaps, at least in a portion, the second ejecting nozzle group when projected in the main scanning direction. When the treatment liquid is tested using a rigid-body pendulum characteristics tester at 35.0 C. for 20.0 minutes, the minimum oscillation period of the rigid-body pendulum is 70.0% or more of the maximum oscillation period of the rigid-body pendulum.

A white ink can include an aqueous liquid vehicle, from 5 wt % to 70 wt % of a white metal oxide pigment having an average primary particle size from 5 nm to less than 100 nm, and from 0.005 to 10 wt % dispersant associated with a surface of the white metal oxide pigment. The white ink can also include from 2 wt % to 30 wt % core-shell latex particulates.