Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an ink, and an image forming method, an image forming apparatus, and an image formed product using the ink.
Description of the Related Art
Inkjet recording method is spreading rapidly these days thanks to its simplicity in recording color image and low running cost. Inks used for inkjet recording (hereinafter “inkjet inks”) include an aqueous dye ink in which a dye is dissolved in an aqueous medium and a solvent ink in which an oil-soluble dye is dissolved in an organic solvent. From environmental and safety aspects, an ink in which a water-soluble dye is dissolved in water or in a combination of water and a water-soluble organic solvent is generally used at office and home. However, disadvantageously, a recorded image formed with the water-soluble-dye-containing ink is poor in terms of water resistance and light resistance.
On the other hand, an aqueous pigment ink in which fine particles of pigment are dispersed in water is attracting attention. It is known that an inkjet ink containing a water-dispersible pigment has excellent water resistance and light resistance. In the case in which an image is recorded with such a pigment ink on glossy paper, the pigment in the ink does not permeate the ink receiving layer of the glossy paper and remains on the surface of the paper forming its film. Thus, the image recorded with pigment ink on glossy paper is inferior in terms of rub resistance than that recorded with pigment ink on plain paper or with dye ink that can permeate the ink receiving layer. As the image recorded with pigment ink on glossy paper is rubbed, the ink film will be peeled off and the rubbed surface will be fouled.