Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
XEROGRAPHIC PAPER AND COATING COMPOSITIONS THEREFOR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to papers, and more specifically, to papers
for
electrography, such as xerographic compatible photographic papers, that is for
example coated papers containing a supporting substrate with certain coatings,
and
the use of these papers in imaging, especially xerographic processes and
digital
imaging processes, and wherein uniform high gloss and high image quality can
be
obtained. More specifically, the present invention is directed to coating
compositions
for application to supporting substrates as a coating, such for use in
xerographic
engines employing oil-less fusers as well as methods for providing such
coating
compositions to a substrate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Certain polyester coated papers are known, reference for example U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,627,128; 5,534,479 and 4,692,636.
There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,216 a synthetic paper comprised of:
(1 ) a multilayer support, (2) a layer of a transparent film of a
thermophotographic resin
free from an inorganic fine powder formed on one surface of the support (1 ),
and (3) a
primer layer of a specific material, reference the Abstract of the Disclosure
for
example. The support (1 ) comprises (1 a) a base layer of a biaxially
stretched film of a
thermophotographic resin, a surface and a back layer (1 b), and (1 c) composed
of a
monoaxially stretched film of a thermophotographic resin containing 8 to 65
percent by
weight of an inorganic fine powder.
Further, there is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4;705,719 a synthetic paper of
multilayer resin film comprising a base layer (1a) of a biaxially stretched
thermophotographic resin film, and a laminate provided on at least one of
opposite
surfaces of the base layer, the laminate including a paper-line layer (1 b)
and a surface
layer (1 c), the paper like layer containing a uniaxially stretched film of
thermophotographic resin containing 8 to 65 percent by weight of inorganic
fine
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
powder, and wherein the surface layer contains an uniaxially stretched film of
a
thermophotographic resin.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,581, there is disclosed an opaque paper-based receiving
material for ink jet printing which comprises a poly(olefin)coated paper
overcoated with
an ink-receiving layer which contains a mixture of gelatin and starch.
Reportedly,
these receiving materials exhibit gloss, good color density and are smudge
resistant.
Although such receiving materials, when pictorially imaged with an ink jet
printing
device, may enable images acceptable in appearance and feel, the images
thereon
are still not believed to be of the same high quality that is customarily
expected from
and exhibited by photographic prints.
Also, there is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,039 an opaque paper-based
receiving material for ink jet printing, which papers comprise a poly(olefin)-
coated
paper overcoated with an ink-receiving layer which contains an aqueous
dispersion of
a polyester ionomer, namely a poly[cyclohexylenedimethylene-co-oxydiethylene
isophthalate-co-malonate- -co-sodiosulfo benzenedicarboxylate], dispersed in
vinyl
pyrrolidone polymer.
Further, there is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,040 an opaque paper-based
receiving material for ink jet printing which comprises a poly(olefin)-coated
paper
overcoated with an ink-receiving layer which contains an aqueous dispersion of
a
polyester ionomer, namely a poly[cyclohexylenedimethylene isophthalate-co-
sodiosulfobenzene dicarboxylate], dispersed in vinyl pyrrolidone polymer.
Moreover, there is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,041 an opaque paper-
based receiving material for ink jet printing which comprises a poly(olefin)-
coated
paper overcoated with an ink-receiving layer which contains an aqueous
dispersion of
a polyester ionomer, namely a poly[cyclohexylenedimethylene-co-
xylyleneterephthalate-co-malonate-cosodi- oiminobis(sulfonylbenzoate],
dispersed in
vinyl pyrrolidone polymer.
2
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,458, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated
herein
by reference, discloses a recording sheet which comprises (a) a substrate; (b)
a
coating on the substrate which comprises (1 ) a binder selected from the group
consisting of (A) polyesters; (B) polyvinyl acetals; (C) vinyl alcohol-vinyl
acetal
copolymers; (D) polycarbonates; and (E) mixtures thereof; and (2) an additive
having
a melting point of less than about 65°C and a boiling point of more
than about 150°C
and including, for example, furan derivatives; and developing the latent image
with a
toner which comprises a colorant and a resin selected from the group
consisting of (A)
polyesters; (B) polyvinyl acetals; (C) vinyl alcohol-vinyl acetal copolymers;
(D)
polycarbonates; and (E) mixtures thereof; and (3) transferring the developed
image to
a recording sheet which comprises (a) a substrate; (b) a coating on the
substrate
which comprises (1 ) a binder selected from the group consisting of (A}
polyesters; (B)
polyvinyl acetals; (C) vinyl alcohol-vinyl acetal copolymers; (D)
polycarbonates; and
(E) mixtures thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,222 and U.S. Patent 6,325,085, the disclosures of which
are totally incorporated herein by reference, disclose a process for forming
an image
on a substrate, and developing the image with toner. Also disclosed is a
coated
substrate in which a coating of a polyester which is a poly(propoxylated
bisphenol A
fumarate) resin, a polyester resin of a terephthalic acid, bisphenol-A-
ethylene oxide
adduct, cyclohexane dimethanol or a low, from about 1,000 to about 50,000
molecular
weight branched copolyester formed from isophthalic and nonanedioic acids with
diols
and triols is provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,689 discloses a removable and recyclable image forming
material on a substrate. The image forming material comprises a polyester
binding
resin and 30 to 90 wt % of a releasing agent. The releasing agent is
preferably a
hydrophobic resin andlor a wax. The image forming material is formed by first
making
the releasing agent as a dispersion in ethyl acetate. To the dispersion is
added
polyester resin prepared in an oil phase. A dispersion stabilizer of an
aqueous medium
of carboxymethyl cellulose sodium and calcium carbonate is prepared and added
to
the oil phase and mixed until finely divided and the solvent removed by
heating. The
resultant residue is washed, filtered and dried to yield releasing-agent-
containing
3
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
image-forming particles of average particle size of 7.6 ~m with the releasing
agent
being 30 wt % based on solid content. The image forming particles were further
mixed with silica and applied onto a paper substrate for formation of a solid
image.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,07 discloses an image transfer sheet having a formed
image thereon which can be transferred onto an image receiving material such
as
cloth, canvas, plastics, paper, wood, leather, glass, china, metals or the
like. The
image transfer sheet has a releasing layer and a transfer layer thereon.
Alternatively,
a back coat layer is also provided on the uncoated side of the sheet. The
releasing
layer is preferably a silicone compound.
While the above materials and processes may be suitable for their intended
purposes; a need remains for photographic papers particularly suitable for use
in
electrophotographic applications utilizing oil-less fusers. More specifically,
a need
remains for photographic papers which can be used in colour engines employing
oil-
less fusers to reduce any sticking or wrapping on the oil-less fuser roll
while
maintaining high image quality with high uniform gloss. Further, there is a
need for a
coating composition that can be applied to a suitable substrate to form a
coating such
that the coated substrate can be used in an oil-less fuser colour engine as
well as a
method of making such composition and coating.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a feature of the present invention to provide photographic papers with
many of the advantages indicated herein.
It is another feature of the present invention to provide photographic papers,
inclusive of xerographic photopapers particularly suitable for use in
electrophotographic imaging systems; and also wherein there are enabled
developed
images with uniform gloss, and wherein, for example, the coating on the paper,
such
as the composition illustrated herein, does not adhere to an oil-less fuser
roll thereby
resulting in a smooth image surface with high gloss and high image quality.
4
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide photographic
papers
which can be employed with xerographic oil-less fusers, wherein there are
obtained
images with uniform gloss throughout the visible image and which gloss is
improved
compared with silver halide prints.
It is still another feature of the present invention to provide photographic
papers
which can be selected with colour engines that employ oil-less fusers, and
wherein
jamming of the photographic papers in the fusing apparatus is minimized.
According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a photopaper
coating composition comprising;
- a solvent containing up to about 40% by weight of polyester and wax.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
photopaper coating composition comprising;
- a solvent containing up to about 40% by weight of polyester and wax,
wherein said polyester is molecularly dispersed throughout the organic solvent
and the
wax is provided as wax particles of up to about 3pm in diameter.
According to another aspect of the invention is a process for the production
of a
photopaper coating composition, the method comprising;
- mixing up to about ~40% by weight of a solid dispersion of polyesterlwax
particles of a size of about 10 pm to about 50 wm with a solvent under shear
agitation.
According to yet another aspect of the invention is a process for the
production
of a photopaper coating composition, the method comprising;
- mixing up to about 40% by weight of a solid dispersion of polyester/wax
particles in a solvent under shear agitation.
According to yet another aspect of the invention is a process for the
production
of a photopaper coating composition, the method comprising;
- mixing about 15% to about 25% by weight polyester/wax particles having a
size of about 10 ~m to 50 ~m with a solvent under shear agitation to form a
mixture;
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CA 02390901 2002-06-19
- filtering said mixture.
According to another aspect of the present invention is a photopaper
comprising:
- a substrate; and
- a coating over the substrate, wherein the photopaper enables the
generation of toner images with a substantially uniform gloss throughout the
images
on the coating in an oil-less fuser xerographic engine.
According to still another aspect of the present invention is a photopaper
comprising;
- a substrate; and
- a thin polyesterlwax coating over the substrate, wherein said coating
comprises a polyester matrix having wax particles of up to about 3 pm
throughout.
According to still another aspect of the present invention is a photopaper
comprising;
- a substrate; and
- a thin polyester/wax coating over the substrate, wherein said coating
comprises a polyester matrix having wax particles therein, wherein
substantially over
about 90% of said wax particles are up to about 2 Vim.
According to still another aspect of the present invention is a photopaper
comprising;
- a substrate; and
- a thin polyesterlwax coating over the substrate, wherein said coating
comprises a polyester matrix having wax particles therein, wherein
substantially over
about 95% of said wax particles are up to about 2 ~.m.
According to still another aspect of the invention is a photopaper comprising
a
substrate and a thin polyesterlwax coating over the substrate, wherein said
polyester/wax coating comprises wax particles up to about 3 Vim.
6
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
According to still another aspect of the invention is a photopaper comprising
a
substrate and a thin polyester/wax coating over the substrate, wherein said
polyesterlwax coating comprises wax particles up to about 3 Vim.
According to still another aspect of the invention is a process for the
production
of a coating for a photopaper, the method comprising;
- mixing up to about 40% by weight of polyesterlwax particles of a size of
about
~m to 50 pm in a solvent under shear agitation to form a dispersion of wax
micron
sized particles;
10 - filtering said dispersion; and
- evaporating said solvent.
According to yet another aspect of the invention is a method for coating a
photopaper with a coating composition to form a coating that does not adhere
to an
oil-less fuser roll, said method comprising;
- applying a coating composition comprising a solvent containing up to about
40% by weight of molecularly dispersed polyester and micron sized wax
particles to a
substrate; and
- evaporating said solvent.
According to yet another aspect of the invention is a coating for a photopaper
substrate that does not adhere to an oil-less fuser roll, said coating
comprising
polyester having wax particles dispersed therein, wherein over 95% of the wax
particles are up to about 2 Vim.
According to still a further aspect of the invention is a process for making a
coated photopaper that will not stick to an oil-less fuser roll, said process
comprising;
- applying a composition of a solvent containing up to about 40% by weight of
polyester and wax, wherein said polyester is molecularly dispersed within said
solvent
and said wax is provided as particles of up to about 3.0 ym, to a cellulosic
substrate;
and
- drying said composition to evaporate said solvent and form a coating on said
substrate of up to about 8 wm.
7
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
In one embodiment, typically 90% or more of the wax particles are up to about
2 pm.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
The present invention relates to a novel coating composition for application
to
photopaper used in oil-less colour engines. The coating composition forms a
coating
on the photopaper which coating resists sticking and wrapping on oil-less
fuser rolls.
The invention also relates to a novel photopaper having a novel coating
thereon that
prevents sticking of the photopaper to an oil-less fuser roll.
Aspects of the present invention relate to a novel photopaper coating
composition which comprises polyester and wax in a solvent, where the wax is
provided as micron sized particles and the polyester is molecularly dispersed
in the
solvent; a novel coating suitable for use on a variety of substrates that will
not adhere
to an oil-less fuser, roll; a process which comprises making a polyesterlwax
photopaper coating composition for use an a photopaper substrate suitable for
use in
an oil-less colour engine. Other aspects relate to a coated photopaper
substrate
having a polyester and wax coating thereon wherein the coating prevents
sticking and
wrapping of the coated photopaper on an oil-less fuser in a colour engine; a
coated
photopaper providing high absolute gloss, low differential gloss and high
image
quality. Still other aspects relate to making a coated photopaper that will
not jam, stick
or wrap on an oil-less fuser roll.
The present invention relates to a coated photographic paper comprised of a
substrate, such as a cellulosic substrate, and a coating thereover of a
polyester/wax
composition and which coating is preferably thin, for example about 1 ~m to
about 15
~.m thickness, or from about 1 pm to about 10 Vim, or more preferably from
about 2 to
about 8 ~m as measured by a thickness gauge, model MT-12 from Heidenhain, and
wherein there is enabled uniform glossy images with such papers. More
specifically,
there are provided in accordance with the present invention processes for
generating
high, for example, from about 50 to about 100 gloss units (GU) as measured
with a
75° Glossmeter, Glossgard from Pacific Scientific, and which gloss is
uniform, that is it
does not significantly vary, or change on the image, or wherein the
differential gloss
8
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
level is reduced or minimized. Furthermore, the coating provides a surface to
the
photopaper which does not adhere to an oil-less fuser roll.
The coating composition of the invention comprises an organic solvent having
up to about 40% by weight of a polyester and wax. The polyester is molecularly
dispersed within the solvent whereas the wax is provided as micron sized
particles.
More preferably, the coating composition comprises from about 10% to about 40%
by
weight of the polyester and wax, and even more preferably is about 15% to
about 25%
by weight of the polyester and wax in the composition.
The coating composition of the invention is made by mixing solid particles in
the
form of a powder of a polyesterlwax with a suitable organic solvent. The
particles of
powder comprise a suitable polyester resin and a suitable wax in a ratio of
about 98:2
to 85:15 by weight and more preferably from about 96:4 to about 90:10 by
weight.
The particles are about 10 ~.m to about 50 ~m in diameter, more preferably
about 10
~.m to about 20 ~m and most preferably about 10 ~m in size. It is understood
by one
of skill in the art that a mixture of sizes of particles of polyester/wax can
be provided to
make the composition so long as in general, the particle size ranges between
about
10 pm to about 50 Vim. The initial particles of polyester and wax added to the
organic
solvent are a matrix of polyester with the wax dispersed therein. As such, the
polyester dissolves and molecularly disperses within the organic solvent under
shearing conditions whereas the wax does not dissolve in the organic solvent
under
shearing conditions but rather forms microparticles of up to about 3.0 ~m in
diameter
and more preferably up to about 2.0 ~.m.
The polyester forming part of the micro-particles of the coating composition
may comprise a suitable polyester resin or similar polymer or mixtures of
such. For
example, the polyester may comprise more specifically a poly(propoxylated
bisphenol
A fumarate) resin, a polyester resin comprised of poly(terephthalic acid
bisphenol-A-
ethylene oxide adduct), cyclohexane dimethanol or a low, for example from
about
1,000 to about 50,000, and preferably about 20,000 Mw, branched copolyester
formed
from isophthalic and nonanedioic acids with diols and triols, such as resin,
is Vitel
5833BTM polyester or Vitel 5833TM available from the Bostik Company. Other
suitable
coatings may be selected, such as known polyesters and mixtures thereof,
inclusive of
the polyesters of, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,000.
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CA 02390901 2002-06-19
Suitable wax for use in the polyesterlwax micro-particles of the coating
composition may comprise montanic ester waxes, montanic acid waxes, stearamide
waxes, carnauba waxes and mixtures thereof. Exemplitive examples of such waxes
include but are not limited ta: Licowax FTM (a Montanic Ester wax supplied by
the
Clariant Corporation), Licowax ETM (a Montanic Ester wax supplied by the
Clariant
Corporation), Licowax STM (a Montanic Acid wax supplied by the Clariant
Corporation),
Licowax LPTM (a Montanic Acid wax supplied by the Clariant Corporation),
Kemamide
W4OTM (a Stearamide wax supplied by C.K. Witso), Hymicron G270TM (a Stearamide
wax supplied by Chukyo Yushi Company), Hymicron H982TM (a Carnauba wax
supplied by Chukyo Yushi Company) and SL506TM (a Carnauba wax supplied by
Elementis Specialties).
Any suitable substrate can be employed in the invention. The substrates
selected may be commercially available photopaper as ink jet, off set or
xerographic
papers. In one aspect, the substrate is a cellulosic substrate and is
comprised of
alkaline sized and acid sized blends of hardwood kraft and softwood kraft
fibers, which
blends contain from about 10 percent to about 90 percent by weight of softwood
and
from about 90 to about 10 percent by weight of hardwood. Examples of hardwood
include SeaGUll W dry bleached hardwood kraft, preferably present, for
example, in
one embodiment in an amount of about 70 percent by weight. Examples of
softwood
include La Toque dry bleached softwood kraft present, for example, in one
embodiment in an amount of 30 percent by weight. These sized substrates may
also
contain pigments in effective amounts of from about 1 to about 60, and
preferably from
about 1 to about 25 percent by weight, such as clay (available from Georgia
Kaolin
Company, Astro-fil 90 clay, Engelhard Ansilex clay), titanium dioxide
(available from
Tioxide Company--Anatase grade AHR), calcium silicate CH-427-97-8, XP-974
(J.M.
Huber Corporation), and the like. Also, the sized substrates may contain
various
effective amounts of sizing chemicals (for example from about 0.25 percent to
about
25 percent by weight of pulp), such as Mon size (available from Monsanto
Company),
Hercon-76 (available from Hercules Company), Alum (available from Allied
Chemicals
as Iron free alum), and retention aid (available from Allied Colloids as
Percol 292). The
sizing values of papers, including the commercial papers that can be selected
for the
present invention in embodiments thereof, vary between, for example, about 0.4
second to about 4,685 seconds, and papers in the sizing range of about 50
seconds to
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
about 300 seconds are preferred, primarily to decrease costs. The porosity
values of
the substrates, which are preferably porous, vary from about 100 to about
1,260
mil/minute and preferably from about 100 to about 600 millminute to permit,
for
example, the use of these papers for various printing technologies, such as
thermal
transfer, liquid toner development, xerography, ink jet processes, and the
like.
Illustrative examples of commercially available, internally and externally
(surface) sized substrates that may be selected for the present invention, and
which
are treated with a de-sizing agent dispersed in an optional binder with a
substrate
thickness of, for example, from about 50 microns to about 200 microns and
preferably
of a thickness of from about 100 microns to about 175 microns include Diazo
papers,
offset papers such as Great Lakes offset, recycled papers such as
Conservatree,
office papers such as Automimeo, Eddy liquid toner paper and copy papers from
companies such as Nekoosa, Champion, Wiggins Teape, Kymmene, Modo, Domtar,
Veitsiluoto and Sanyo with Xerox 4024.TM. papers and sized calcium silicate-
clay
filled papers being particularly preferred in view of their availability, and
low print
through.
Any suitable solvent may be used in the composition of the invention. Suitable
solvents for use in the present invention include but are not limited to
toluene, methyl
ethyl ketone, isopropanol, dioxolane and mixtures thereof. A preferred solvent
system
is toluene/methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) with the ratio of toluene to methyl ethyl
ketone
being in the range of about 80:20 to 30:70 by weight and more preferably in
the ratio
of about 70:30 to 50:50 by weight. Other suitable solvent systems may include
for
example toluene/isopropanol (in a ratio of about 80:20 to 30:70 by weight),
toluene/dioxolane (in a ratio of about 80:20 to 30:70 by weight) and methyl
ethyl
ketoneldioxolanelisopropanol (in a ratio of about 45:45:10 by weight).
In an aspect of the invention, the photopaper coating composition is made by
the mixing of up to about 40% by weight, more preferably about 10 % to about
40% by
weight, and more preferably about 15% to about 25% by weight of the
polyesterlwax
10 ~,m to about 50 pm in diameter particles in a suitable organic solvent
under
moderate shear agitation. As such, the polyester dissolves into the organic
solvent.
The wax as presented within the micro-particles of polyester/wax does not
dissolve in
the organic solvent but rather forms small microparticles during shearing. The
coating
11
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
composition is then filtered through a suitable bag filter such as a 25 ~.m
bag filter and
collected.
The coating composition is then applied in a thin layer to a desired substrate
using a slot coating head to form a coating on the substrate. The coating
composition
as applied to the substrate is dried to provide a dry, adherent coating on the
substrate
having a thickness of up to about 10 ~m and more preferably about 2 ~.~m to
about 8
~.m. Drying is achieved at a temperature and time sufficient that the wax
particles
move more to the surface of the coating. In this manner, the coating as
provided on
the substrate adheres well to the selected substrate such that it is not
removable
therefrom. The resultant coating comprises polyester having particles of wax
of up to
about 2 ~,m in diameter dispersed throughout. In one embodiment over about 90%
of
the wax particles of the coating are up to about 2 ~.m. More preferably, over
about
95% of the wax particles of the coating are up to about 2 Vim. Even mare
preferably,
over about 98% of the wax f>articles of the coating are up to about 2 t.~m and
even
more preferably, over about 99% of the wax particles of the coating are up to
about 2
Vim.
The coating composition as applied to a desired substrate to form a coating
and
used in a xerographic oil-less fuser, will not stick to the oil-less fuser
roll and yet
provide images with high uniform gloss. Furthermore, the coated photopapers of
the
present invention exhibit good qualities of reduced curl upon printing and can
be used
with a variety of different toners as recited in Applicant's U.S. Patent No.
6,177,222.
Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail. These
Examples are intended to be illustrative, and the invention is not limited to
the
materials, conditions, or process parameters set forth in these embodiments.
All parts
and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated. Comparative Examples
and data are also provided.
EXAMPLES
The variation in gloss level of a xerographic color print can be quantified by
using a specially devised differential gloss test target. The test target
consists of an 8
12
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
and 1l2 by 11 inch sheet having nine equally sized squares of 5 centimeter
dimension
evenly spaced around the area of the sheet.
The nine squares have varying optical density which is achieved by varying the
toner coverage on each square as follows: 0 percent coverage (substrate only),
10
percent coverage, 20 percent coverage, 40 percent coverage, 60 percent
coverage,
80 percent coverage, 100 percent coverage, the color green (2 layers of toner)
and
process black (3 layers of toner). A print of this test target is then
produced on a
xerographic color copierlprinter using a given substrate. The gloss level of
the nine
squares on the resulting xerographic print is measured using a 75°
Glossmeter. The
variation in gloss level is then defined as the difference in gloss between
the highest
and lowest gloss values obtained from the nine squares of varying toner
coverage.
EXAMPLE 1
Coating composition was prepared by adding a resinlwax particles to a solvent
mixture of 60% toluene and 40% methyl ethyl ketone under moderate shear
agitation
for approximately two hours of mixing. The final coating solids were about 25%
by
weight. The resin used in the coating was Vitel 5856B~M, a low molecular
weight non-
crystalline polyester. The wax was selected from montanic acid waxes and
Licowax
STM was specifically used. The ratio of resin to wax was about 92:8.
The coating composition was filtered through a 25 ~m bag filter into a
stainless
steel pressure pot. The coating substrate was a #1 Offset C2S Offset (162 gsm
Centure Gloss Cover manufactured by Consolidated Paper Inc.). Coating was
applied
on a Faustel Model TT coater using a slot coating head. The slot width was 4
mil, die
gap 3 mil, web speed 8 fpm. Drying was achieved using two banks of air-
impingement dryers both operated at 135°C. Dry coating thickness
applied was about
8 Vim. The final coating quality was uniform and without defect. The gloss of
the final
coated sheet was approximately 70 GU (60° Gardiner gloss).
The Faustel coated sheets were evaluated in three different oil-less fusers: 1
)
NICE, which is an oil-less version of fuser used in Xerox DC12 printer, 2) the
oil-less
fuser used in Xerox DC2006 printer and 3) the oil-less fuser used in Xerox
Phaser
7700 printer. The sheets did not stick or wrap on any of the oil-less fusers
and there
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CA 02390901 2002-06-19
was no transfer of coated material to the fuser rolls. The resulting fused
sheets had a
high level of gloss (75° gloss>90GU).
The fused sheets were further tested in an oil-less prototype unit
specifically
developed for photo-finishing applications. The unit consisted of a heated,
smooth,
seamless belt with a cooling zone The prototype unit increased the gloss level
of the
prints, further reduced differential gloss and eliminated toner contouring.
The Faustel
coated sheets that were imaged and fused in Xerox DC2006 printer were passed
through the prototype unit. The prints released freely from the oil-less
prototype belt
with no transfer of material. The resulting prints had high absolute gloss
(75° gloss =
99GU), extremely low differential gloss (less than 1 GU) and no visible toner
contouring or image defects.
EXAMPLE 2
Coating composition was prepared by adding a resinlwax particles to a solvent
mixture of 60% toluene and 40% methyl ethyl ketone under moderate shear
agitation
for approximately two hours of mixing. The final coating solids was about 30%
by
weight. The resin used in the coating was Vitel 5856B~rM, a low molecular
weight non
crystalline polyester. The wax was selected from montanic acid waxes and
Licowax
ST"" was used. The ratio of resin to wax was 94:6.
The coating composition was filtered through a 25 pm bag filter into a
stainless
steel pressure pot. The coating substrate was a #1 Offset C2S Offset (162 gsm
Centure Gloss Cover manufactured by Consolidated Paper Inc.). Coating was
applied
on a Faustel Model TT coater using a slot coating head. The slot width was 4
rnil, die
gap 3 mil, web speed 8 fpm. Drying was achieved using two banks of air-
impingement dryers both operated at 135°C. Dry coating thickness
applied was about
6 ~.m. The final coating quality was uniform and without defect. The gloss of
the final
coated sheet was approximately 70 GU (60° Gardiner gloss).
The Faustel coated sheets were evaluated in three different oil-less fusers: 1
NICE, which is an oil-less version of fuser used in Xerox DC12 printer, 2) the
oil-less
fuser used in Xerox DC2006 printer and 3) the oil-less fuser used in Xerox
Phaser
7700 printer. The sheets did not stick or wrap on any of the oil-less fusers
and there
was no transfer of coated material to the fuser rolls. The resulting fused
sheets had a
high level of gloss (75° gloss>90GU).
14
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
EXAMPLE 3
Coating solution was prepared by adding a resin/wax particles to a solvent
mixture of 60% toluene and 40% methyl ethyl ketone under moderate shear
agitation
for approximately two hours of mixing. The final coating solids was about 25%
by
weight. The resin used in the coating was a 50:50 mixture by weight of Vitel
5856BTM
and Vitel 2200TM. The wax was selected from montanic acid waxes and Licowax
STM
was used. The ratio of resins to wax was 92:8.
The coating composition was filtered through a 25 ~.m bag filter into a
stainless
steel pressure pot. The coating substrate was a #'1 Offset C2S Offset (162 gsm
Centure Gloss Cover manufactured by Consolidated Paper Inc.). Coating was
applied
on a Faustel Model TT coater using a slot coating head. The slot width was 4
mil, die
gap 3 mil, web speed 8 fpm. Drying was achieved using two banks of air-
impingement dryers one operating at 50°C and the other at 105°C.
Dry coating
thickness applied was about 5 Vim. The final coating quality was uniform and
without
defect. The gloss of the final coated sheet was approximately 80 GU
(60° Gardiner
gloss).
The Faustel coated sheets were evaluated in three different oil-less fusers: 1
)
NICE, which is an oil-less version of fuser used in Xerox DC12 printer, 2) the
oil-less
fuser used in Xerox DC2006 printer and 3) the oil-less fuser used in Xerox
Phaser
7700 printer. The sheets did not stick or wrap on any of the oil-less fusers
and there
was no transfer of coated material to the fuser rolls. The resulting fused
sheets had a
high level of gloss (75° gloss>90GU).
EXAMPLE 4
Coating composition was prepared by adding a resinlwax particles to a solvent
mixture of 60% toluene and 40% methyl ethyl ketone under moderate shear
agitation
for approximately two hours of mixing. The final coating solids was about 25%
by
weight. The resin used in the coating was a 75:25 mixture of Vitel 5856BTM and
Vitel
2200TM. The wax was selected from montanic acid waxes and Licowax STM was
used.
The ratio of resins to wax was 94:6.
The coating composition was filtered through a 25 pm bag filter into a
stainless
steel pressure pot. The coating substrate was a #1 Offset C2S OfFset (162 gsm
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
Centure Gloss Cover manufactured by Consolidated Paper Inc.). Coating was
applied
on a Faustel Model TT coater using a slot coating head. The slot width was 4
mil, die
gap 3 mil, web speed 8 fpm. Drying was achieved using two banks of air-
impingement dryers one operating at 50°C and the other at 105°C.
Dry coating
thickness applied was about 8 Vim. The final coating duality was uniform and
without
defect. The gloss of the final coated sheet was approximately 75 GU
(60° Gardiner
gloss).
The Faustel coated sheets were evaluated in three different oil-less fusers: 1
)
NICE, which is an oil-less version of fuser used in Xerox DC12 printer, 2) the
oit-less
fuser used in Xerox DC2006 printer and 3) the oil-less fuser used in Xerox
Phaser
7700 printer. The sheets did not stick or wrap on any of the oil-less fusers
and there
was no transfer of coated material to the fuser rolls. The resulting fused
sheets had a
high level of gloss (75° gloss>90GU).
EXAMPLE 5
Coating composition was prepared by adding a resin/wax particles to a solvent
mixture of 50% toluene and 50% methyl ethyl ketone under moderate shear
agitation
for approximately two hours of mixing. The final coating solids was about 25%
by
weight. The resin used in the coating was Vitel 5856BTM, a low molecular
weight non-
crystalline polyester. The wax was selected from carnauba waxes and SIipAyd
SL506T"" was used. The ratio of resin to wax was 93:7.
The coating composition was filtered through a 25 ~m bag filter into a
stainless
steel pressure pot. The coating substrate was a #1 Offset C2S Offset (162 gsm
Centure Gloss Cover manufactured by Consolidated Paper Inc.). Coating was
applied
on a Faustel Model TT coater using a slot coating head. The slot width was 4
mil, die
gap 3 mil, web speed 8 fpm. Drying was achieved using two banks of air-
impingement dryers both operated at 135°C. Dry coating thickness
applied was about
6 ~.m. The final coating quality was uniform and without defect. The gloss of
the final
coated sheet was approximately 85GU (60° Gardiner gloss).
The Faustel coated sheets were evaluated in three different oil-less fusers: 1
)
NICE, which is an oil-less version of fuser used in Xerox DC12 printer, 2) the
oil-less
fuser used in Xerox DC2006 printer and 3) the oil-less fuser used in Xerox
Phaser
7700 printer. The sheets did not stick or wrap on any of the oil-less fusers
and there
16
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
was no transfer of coated material to the fuser rolls. The resulting fused
sheets had a
high level of gloss (75° gloss>90GU).
EXAMPLE 6
Coating composition was prepared by adding a resinlwax particles to a solvent
mixture of 50% toluene and 50% methyl ethyl ketone under moderate shear
agitation
for approximately two hours of mixing. The final coating solids was about 25%
by
weight. The resin.used in the coating was Vitel 5856BTM, a low molecular
weight non-
crystalline polyester. The wax was selected from montanic ester waxes and
Licowax
FTM was used. The ratio of resin to wax was 93:7.
The coating was filtered through a 25 ~m bag filter into a stainless steel
pressure pot. The coating substrate was a #1 Offset C2S Offset (162 gsm
Centure
Gloss Cover manufactured by Consolidated Paper Inc.). Coating was applied on a
Faustel Model TT coater using a slot coating head. The slot width was 4 mil,
die gap
3 mil, web speed 8 fpm. Drying was achieved using two banks of air-impingement
dryers both operated at 135°C. Dry coating thickness applied was about
6 Vim. The
final coating quality was uniform and without defect. The gloss of the final
coated
sheet was approximately 70GU (60° Gardiner gloss).
The Faustel coated sheets were evaluated in three different oil-less fusers: 1
)
NICE, which is an oil-less version of fuser used in Xerox DC12 printer, 2) the
oil-less
fuser used in Xerox DC2006 printer and 3) the oil-less fuser used in Xerox
Phaser
7700 printer. The sheets did not stick or wrap on any of the oil-less fusers
and there
was no transfer of coated material to the fuser rolls. The resulting fused
sheets had a
high level of gloss (75° gloss>90GU).
EXAMPLE 7
Coating composition was prepared by adding a resin/wax particles to a solvent
mixture of 60% toluene and 40% methyl ethyl ketone under moderate shear
agitation
for approximately two hours of mixing. The final coating solids was about 25%
by
weight. The resin used in the coating was Vitel 5856B rM, a low molecular
weight non-
crystalline polyester. The wax was selected from montanic ester waxes and
Licowax
ETM was used. The ratio of resin to wax was 94:6.
17
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
The coating composition was filtered through a 25 pm bag filter into a
stainless
steel pressure pot. The coating substrate was a #1 Offset C2S Offset (162 gsm
Centure Gloss Cover manufactured by Consolidated Paper Inc.). Coating was
applied
on a Faustel Model TT coater using a slot coating head. The slot width was 4
mil, die
gap 3 mil, web speed 8 fpm. Drying was achieved using two banks of air-
impingement dryers one operating at 50°C and the other at 105°C.
Dry coating
thickness applied was about 9 pm. The final coating quality was uniform and
without
defect. The gloss of the final coated sheet was approximately 65GU (60°
Gardiner
gloss).
The Faustel coated sheets were evaluated in three different oil-less fusers: 1
)
NICE, which is an oil-less version of fuser used in Xerox DC12 printer, 2) the
oil-less
fuser used in Xerox DC2006 printer and 3) the oil-less fuser used in Xerox
Phaser
7700 printer. The sheets did not stick or wrap on any of the oil-less fusers
and there
was no transfer of coated material to the fuser rolls. The resulting fused
sheets had a
high level of gloss (75° gloss>90GU).
EXAMPLE 8
Coating composition was prepared by adding a resinlwax particles to a solvent
mixture of 60% toluene and 40% isopropanol under moderate shear agitation for
approximately two hours of mixing. The final coating solids was about 25% by
weight.
The resin used in the coating was Vitel 5856BTM, a low molecular weight non-
crystalline polyester. The wax was selected from montanic ester waxes and
Licowax
KLETM was used. The ratio of resin to wax was 94:6.
The coating composition was filtered through a 25 pm bag filter into a
stainless
steel pressure pot. The coating substrate was a #1 Offset C2S Offset (162 gsm
Centure Gloss Cover manufactured by Consolidated Paper Inc.). Coating was
applied
on a Faustel Model TT coater using a slot coating head. The slot width was 4
mil, die
gap 3 mil, web speed 8 fpm. Drying was achieved using two banks of air-
impingement dryers one operating at 100°C and the other at
135°C. Dry coating
thickness applied was about 8 ~.m. The final coating quality was uniform and
without
defect. The gloss of the final coated sheet was approximately 65GU (60°
Gardiner
gloss).
18
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
The Faustel coated sheets were evaluated in three different oil-less fusers: 1
)
NICE, which is an oil-less version of fuser used in Xerox DC12 printer, 2) the
oil-less
fuser used in Xerox DC2006 printer and 3) the oil-less fuser used in Xerox
Phaser
7700 printer. The sheets did not stick or wrap on any of the oil-less fusers
and there
was no transfer of coated material to the fuser rolls. The resulting fused
sheets had a
high level of gloss (75° gloss>90GU).
EXAMPLE 9
Coating composition was prepared by adding a resinlwax particles to a solvent
mixture of 50% toluene and 50% dioxolane under moderate shear agitation for
approximately two hours of mixing. The final coating solids was about 25% by
weight.
The resin used in the coating was Vitel 5856BTM, a low molecular weight non-
crystalline polyester. The wax was selected from montanic acid waxes and
Licowax
ST"" was used. The ratio of resin to wax was 95:5.
The coating composition was filtered through a 25 ~m bag filter into a
stainless
steel pressure pot. The coating substrate was a #'I Offset C2S Offset (162 gsm
Centure Gloss Cover manufactured by Consolidated Paper Inc.). Coating was
applied
on a Faustel Model TT coater using a slot coating head. The slot width was 4
mil, die
gap 3 mil, web speed 8 fpm. Drying was achieved using two banks of air-
impingement dryers both operating at 135°C. Dry coating thickness
applied was about
7 ~.m. The final coating quality was uniform and without defect. The gloss of
the final
coated sheet was approximately 75GU (60° Gardiner gloss).
The Faustel coated sheets were evaluated in three different oil-less fusers: 1
)
NICE, which is an oil-less version of fuser used in Xerox DC12 printer, 2) the
oil-less
fuser used in Xerox DC2006 printer and 3) the oil-less fuser used in Xerox
Phaser
7700 printer. The sheets did not stick or wrap on any of the oil-less fusers
and there
was no transfer of coated material to the fuser rolls. The resulting fused
sheets had a
high level of gloss (75° gloss>90GU).
EXAMPLE 10
Coating composition was prepared by adding a resinlwax particles to a solvent
mixture of 45% methyl ethyl ketone, 45% dioxolane and 10% isopropanol under
moderate shear agitation for approximately two hours of mixing. The final
coating
19
CA 02390901 2002-06-19
solids was about 25% by weight. The resin used in the coating was Vifiel
5856BTM, a
low molecular weight non-crystalline polyester. The wax was selected from
carnauba
waxes and SIipAyd SL503TM was used. The ratio of resin to wax was 96:4.
The coating composition was filtered through a 25 ~,m bag filter into a
stainless
steel pressure pot. The coating substrate was a #1 Offset C2S Offset (162 gsm
Centure Gloss Cover manufactured by Consolidated Paper Inc.). Coating was
applied
on a Faustel Model TT coater using a slot coating head. The slot width was 4
mil, die
gap 3 mil, web speed 8 fpm. Drying was achieved using two banks of air
impingement dryers both operating at 135°C. Dry coating thickness
applied was about
6 Vim. The final coating quality was uniform and without defect. The gloss of
the final
coated sheet was approximately 70GU (60° Gardiner gloss).
The Faustel coated sheets were evaluated in three different oil-less fusers: 1
)
NICE, which is an oil-less version of fuser used in Xerox DC12 printer, 2) the
oil-less
fuser used in Xerox DC2006 printer and 3) the oil-(ess fuser used in Xerox
Phaser
7700 printer. The sheets did not stick or wrap on any of the oil-less fusers
and there
was no transfer of coated material to the fuser rolls. The resulting fused
sheets had a
high level of gloss (75° gloss>90GU).
Other embodiments and modifications of the present invention may occur to
those skilled in the art subsequent to a review of the information presented
herein;
these embodiments and modifications, as well as equivalents thereof, are also
included within the scope of this invention:
