Patent ID: 7871465

Claim:
An ink composition comprising at least water, a cyan dye represented by general formula (2) shown below and an aromatic compound having a carboxyl group, wherein the ink composition contains a lithium ion and also contains a sodium ion and/or a potassium ion: wherein M represents a hydrogen atom, a copper metal element or an oxide, hydroxide or halide thereof; wherein R 1 to R 4 each independently represents —SO 2 —Z, and each Z independently represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group, provided that at least one of four Z's is a sulfoalkyl group having an ionic hydrophilic group as a substituent; and wherein a number of moles of the lithium ion is 1.2 times or more relative to a number of moles of the ionic hydrophilic group and a total number of moles of the sodium ion and the potassium ion is 0.7 times or less relative to a number of moles of the ionic hydrophilic group.