Patent ID: 7947762

Claim:
A method comprising: providing an aqueous ink, comprising (a) a polymer having a polyvinyl alcohol unit and (b) a pigment, to inhibit a seeping out phenomenon of the polymer having the polyvinyl alcohol unit from an ejection orifice of an ink jet recording head while the aqueous ink is not ejected from the ejection orifice, wherein the aqueous ink is such that a ratio of (a) a content by mass of polymer that is not adsorbed on the pigment out of the polymer having the polyvinyl alcohol unit to (b) a content by mass of the pigment in the aqueous ink is 2.0% or more, wherein a content of the polymer that is not adsorbed on the pigment out of the polymer having the polyvinyl alcohol unit is 0.20 mass % or less based on the total mass of the aqueous ink, and wherein the polymer having the polyvinyl alcohol unit is obtained by saponifying and neutralizing poly(vinyl acetate-co-benzyl methacrylate-co-acrylic acid).