Patent ID: 7686417

Claim:
A maintenance liquid for ink jet recording, comprising water, a resin solvent that is soluble in water, and a moisturizing agent, wherein the resin solvent is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of alcohols, ethers, ketones, esters, nitrogen-containing compounds and sulfur-containing compounds, said resin solvent being present in the maintenance liquid in an amount of from 0.1 to 10% by weight, and wherein said moisturizing agent is selected from the group consisting of polyols and lactams, said moisturizing agent being present in the maintenance liquid in an amount effective to suppress drying of the maintenance liquid due to water evaporation and thereby to inhibit alteration of the maintenance liquid upon standing that might otherwise occur without the moisturizing agent, said amount of the moisturizing agent being from 1 to 50% by weight.