Patent ID: 7645036

Claim:
An ink-jet recording ink set, comprising at least one recording liquid containing a colorant and a polymerizable compound and an ink spread suppressing liquid containing at least one surfactant and substantially no colorant, wherein all of the following conditions (A), (B) and (C) are satisfied: (A) the surface tension of the ink spread suppressing liquid is smaller than that of at least one recording liquid contained in the ink-jet recording ink set; (B) at least one of the surfactants contained in the ink spread suppressing liquid satisfies the following relationship: γ s (0)−γ s (saturated)>1 mN/m; and (C) the surface tension of the ink spread suppressing liquid satisfies the following relationship: γ s <(γ s (0)+γ s (saturated) max )/2, wherein, γ s represents the surface tension of the ink spread suppressing liquid; γ s (0) represents the surface tension of a liquid obtained by eliminating all surfactants from the ink spread suppressing liquid; γ s (saturated) represents the saturated surface tension of the liquid obtained by eliminating all surfactants from the ink spread suppressing liquid when one of the surfactants contained in the ink spread suppressing liquid is added to the liquid obtained by eliminating all surfactants from the ink spread suppressing liquid until the surface tension thereof becomes saturated; and γ s (saturated) max represents the maximum value of the γ s (saturated) values of all surfactants satisfying the condition (B) contained in the ink spread suppressing liquid.