Colorants for photopolymerized images

Claim 2

A COLORANT OF PREDICTABLE REFLECTION DENSITY COMPRISING A MIXING OF AT LEAST ONE INERT POWDER SELECTED FROM ORGANIC AND SILICON COMPOUNDS HAVING AN AVRAGE PARTICLE SIZE OF 1 TO 1000 MICRONS AND AT LEAST TWO PARTICULATE, PIGMENTED RESINS HAVING DIFFERENT REFLECTION DENSITIES, SAID COLORANT BEING MADE BY MIXING SAID PIGMENTED RESINS TOGETHER, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PIGMENTED RESINS CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE SAID INERT POWDER BEFORE MIXING, SAID INERT POWDER BEING UNREACTIVE WITH SAID PIGMENTED RESINS AND BEING PRESENT IN SAID MIXTURE IN AN AMOUNT OF 0.1 TO 100 PARTS OF INERT POWDER PER PART, BY VOLUME, OF ONE OF SAID PIGMENTED RESINS.

Claim 3

The colorant of claim 1 wherein said pigmented resins have an average particle size of about 0.2 to 50 microns, not more than 2% of the pigmented resin particles being larger than 105 microns in diameter.

Claim 4

The colorant of claim 1 wherein said inert powder is non-electroscopic and has a melting point between 40* and 300*C.

Claim 5

The colorant of claim 1, wherein the colorant reflection density is a linear proportion of the volume concentrations and reflection densities of the pigmented resins.

Claim 6

The colorant of claim 1 wherein one or more inert powders as described in claim 1 are contained in the pigmented resin of higher reflection density before the pigmented resins are mixed.

Claim 7

The colorant of claim 1 wherein the amount of said inert powder in said colorant is sufficient to reduce the difference between the actual and predicted reflection densities of said colorant to less than about 10% of the predicted reflection density.

Claim 8

The colorant of claim 1 wherein said particulate, pigmented resins are comprised of cellulose acetate particles having pigment particles imbedded in their surfaces.

Claim 9

The colorant of claim 1 wherein said inert powder is selected from particulate polyethylene, hydrocarbon wax, cellulose acetate and methyl methacrylate resin.

Claim 10

A process of preparing a colorant having a predetermined reflection density comprising mixing one or more inert powders and the Particulate, pigmented resins of claim 1 in amounts determined by the reflection densities of said pigmented resins, said inert powders being unreactive with said pigmented resins and being present in said mixture in an amount of 0.1 to 100 parts of inert powders per part, by volume, of one of said pigmented resins.

Claim 11

A process of preparing a colorant having a predetermined reflection density comprising mixing at least two particulate colored materials, each colored material containing one of the particulate, pigmented resins of claim 1 and at least one of said colored materials containing at least one inert powder of claim 1, said colored materials being mixed in amounts determined by the reflection densities of said colored materials to produce a colorant having a reflection density intermediate between the reflection densities of said colored materials and proportional to the volume concentrations and reflection densities of said colored materials, said inert powder being unreactive with said pigmented resins and being present in said colorant in an amount of 0.1 to 100 parts of inert powder per part, by volume, of one of said pigmented resins.

Claim 12

A process according to claim 11 wherein the reflection density of the colorant produced does not vary from the value predicted by a linear proportion between volume concentrations and reflection densities of said colored materials by more than 10% of the predicted value.

Claim 13

A process according to claim 10 wherein said inert powder is contained in the colored material of higher reflection density before the colored materials are mixed.

Claim 14

A colorant comprising one or more pigmented resins having an average particle size of about 0.2 to 50 microns, not more than 2% of the pigmented resin particles being larger than 105 microns in diameter, and a plurality of different inert powders selected from organic and silicone compounds and having an average particle size of 1 to 1000 microns, said inert powders being unreactive with said pigmented resins and being present in said mixture in an amount of 0.1 to 100 parts of inert powders per part, by volume, of one of said pigmented resins.

Claim 15

A colorant comprising one or more pigmented resins having an average particle size of about 0.2 to 50 microns, not more than 2% of the pigmented resin particles being larger than 105 microns in diameter, and a plurality of different inert powders selected from organic and silicone compounds and having an average particle size of 1 to 1000 microns, said inert powders being unreactive with said pigmented resins and being present in said mixture in an amount of 0.1 to 100 parts of inert powders per part, by volume, of one of said pigmented resins.

Claim 16

The colorant of claim 4 wherein said pigmented resins are of the same color and said inert powder is substantially colorless.

Claim 17

A process according to claim 10 wherein said pigmented resins are of the same color and said inert powder is substantially colorless.