In order to improve bleed, feathering, waterfastness, and general image quality, ink-jet ink printing systems that include an ink-jet ink and a fixer composition have been prepared. With these systems, though the fixer and ink can work together to improve imaging results, undesirable cross-contamination can occur by one of several mechanisms. Commonly, the migration of aerosol droplets from a fixer composition that is jetted from an ink-jet pen can cross-contaminate ink-jet pen nozzles. Undesired aerosols are typically formed when ejected drops break up into one or two primary droplets, and/or smaller satellite droplets such as those resulting from the tail of the ejected drops becoming separated. A portion of this undesired aerosol from a jetted fixer composition can land on the nozzle plate of the ink-jet pen. Once on the nozzle plate of the ink-jet ink pen, the fixer composition can react with residual ink-jet ink, or can be pulled into the interior of the pen through idle nozzles by the force of backpressure. Thus, the cationic crashing agent in the fixer formulation can react or precipitate with the anionic dye of the ink-jet ink either on the nozzle plate or in the interior of the pen capillaries. Over time, loose agglomerates of precipitate particles may condense into larger, more compact particles that can block nozzles and ink channels within the ink-jet print head. This condensation of loose agglomerates can be exacerbated with elevated temperatures commonly present in thermal print heads. Alternatively, cross-contamination can occur due to mechanical cleaning or wiping mechanisms, or can occur due to migration of fixer composition along a common nozzle plate shared by ink-jet nozzles and fixer composition printing nozzles. As such, it would be useful to provide a solution that would lessen nozzle clogging due to cross-contamination.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds