Method for increasing hydrophilicity of transparencies used as recording media in a thermal ink jet printer

摘要

A transparency for ink jet printing is enhanced for use as an ink jet recording medium by increasing the hydrophilicity of the coating formed on a transparent substrate. In one embodiment, the coating is subjected to a corona plasma discharge exposure to create changes in oxygen functionality at the coating surface resulting in increases in surface hydrophilicity. In another embodiment, the surface is exposed with UV radiation and ozone exposure for controlled periods of time. In both cases, the surface hydrophilicity is increased by generating highly reactive free radical oxygen (O-) which results primarily in increases in the oxygen functional groups C=O and COO-.