Ink, ink-jet recording method making use of the same and instrument provided with the ink

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention has been completed with the foregoing circumstances in view and has as an object the provision of an ink, which even in recording on plain paper, can give good quality of character while retaining good fixing ability, provide images sufficient in color depth and high in evenness of color strength and in particular, form images high in image quality in which bleeding in a color image is prevented, color reproductivity is good and the images are bright and even, and an ink-jet recording method making use of such an ink and instruments provided with such an ink.
It is another object of the present invention to lessen the difference in suitability for ink-jet recording between different kinds of paper as much as possible.
The above objects can be achieved by the present invention described below.
According to the present invention, there is thus provided an ink comprising a recording agent and a liquid medium dispersing or dissolving the recording agent therein, wherein a finely particulate cellulose derivative is dispersed in the ink.
In the ink according to the present invention, the finely particulate cellulose derivative may preferably have a particle size distribution ranging from 0.
01 .
mu.
m to 10 .
mu.
m.
The finely particulate cellulose derivative may preferably be porous.
The recording agent may preferably be a water-soluble dye or a pigment.
According to the present invention, there is also provided an ink-jet recording method in which droplets of an ink are ejected out from an orifice in accordance with a recording signal to make a record on a recording material, wherein said ink used is the ink described above.
According to the present invention, there is further provided a recording unit comprising an ink container portion with an ink held therein and a head from which the ink is ejected in the form of ink droplets, wherein said ink is the ink described above.
According to the present invention, there is still further provided an ink-jet recording apparatus comprising a recording head from which an ink is ejected in the form of ink droplets, an ink cartridge having an ink container portion with an ink held therein, and an ink feeder for feeding the ink from the ink cartridge to the recording head, wherein said ink is the ink described above