Under-/overprinting fluid component for enhancing ink stability in printing

Abstract

A method of improving ink stability. A block co-polymer is added to either an under-/overprinting vehicle or an ink vehicle. The polymer increases chemical interactions between the ink the print media. The under-/overprinting vehicle and the ink vehicle interact through electrostatic interactions while the polymer increases smearfastness by interacting with the print media through non-covalent interactions.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An additive for a printing vehicle, comprising: 
 a block co-polymer comprising 
 a first block comprising a pendant group selected to interact with a substrate via a member of hydrogen bonding, π-bond interactions, Van der Walls forces, and any combination of the above; and  
 a second block comprising a member of an acidic, basic, charged, and chargeable moiety,  
 wherein the first block comprises at least 6 pendant groups and the second block comprises at least 6 acidic, basic, charged or chargeable groups.  
   
     
     
         2 . The additive of  claim 1 , wherein the block co-polymer has a molecular weight between 500 and 500,000.  
     
     
         3 . The additive of  claim 2 , wherein the block co-polymer has a molecular weight between 500 and 10,000.  
     
     
         4 . The additive of  claim 2 , wherein the block co-polymer has a molecular weight between 1,000 and 500,000.  
     
     
         5 . The additive of  claim 1 , wherein the pendant group in the first block comprises a hydroxyl group.  
     
     
         6 . The additive of  claim 5 , wherein the first block comprises poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(allyl alcohol), or poly(vinyl phenol).  
     
     
         7 . The additive of  claim 5 , wherein the first block comprises a linker group interposed between the hydroxyl group and the polymer backbone.  
     
     
         8 . The additive of  claim 1 , wherein the second block comprises a member of poly(ethylene imine), methylated poly(ethylene imine), poly(diallyldimethylamino chloride), polymerized styrene maleic anhydride, and a polymer having a carboxylated pendant group.  
     
     
         9 . The additive of  claim 8 , wherein the polymer having a carboxylated pendant group comprises a linker group, wherein the linker group comprises an aliphatic moiety, an aromatic moiety, or both.  
     
     
         10 . The additive of  claim 1 , further comprising a linker group separating the first and second blocks.  
     
     
         11 . The additive of  claim 10 , wherein the linker group comprises at least one mer of polymerized vinyl benzoate.  
     
     
         12 . The additive of  claim 1 , wherein the block co-polymer comprises,  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein m and n are at least 6 and the molecular weight is between 1,000 and 500,000.  
     
     
         13 . The additive of  claim 1 , wherein the block co-polymer comprises,  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein m is at least 6, n is at least 2 and the molecular weight is between 1,000 and 500,000.  
     
     
         14 . The additive of  claim 1 , wherein the block co-polymer comprises,  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein m and n are at least 6 and the molecular weight is between 1,000 and 500,000.  
     
     
         15 . The additive of  claim 1 , wherein the block co-polymer comprises,  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein m is at least 6, n is at least 2, and the molecular weight is between 1,000 and 500,000.