A water repellent solution for wood includes an organo-metallic complex of a hydrophobic fatty acid coordinated with a halogenated trivalent chromium and water having a reduced pH prior to mixing with the complex. The solution imparts water repellency and a preservative effect to the wood. Wood treated with the solution has the treatment bonded thereto by a reaction between the wood and the solution.
Wood surfaces treated to be inkjet receptive media are disclosed, where the wood surface is treated in a manner that can control the spread of an ink droplet reaching the wood surface to provide a superior image graphic. The treatment uses an image fixing agent comprising an aqueous solution of containing an organo-metallic complex of a hydrophobic fatty acid coordinated with a halogenated trivalent chromium. Veneers, plywoods, and particle boards having faces of lesser value woods can be digitally imaged to give the appearance of higher value woods or other customized inkjet images. Environmental and economic considerations benefit from the use of commonly available wood surfaces to simulate exotic and threatened wood species.
