AU2007200561A1 - Printable sheet assembly - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 AVERY DENNISON CORPORATION COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Printable sheet assembly The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- 2 PRINTABLE SHEET ASSEMBLY Background of the Invention 00 0 The present invention relates to printable constructions which are adapted to be into printers or copiers and indicia printed on different portions thereof and the portions thereafter separated into separate printed media, such as business cards. It IN further is concerned with methods for making those printing sheet constructions.

Additionally, it relates to methods of using the sheet constructions to form the printed Scards.

Small size media, such as business cards, ROLODEX-type card file cards, party c invitations and visitors cards, because of their small formal, cannot be fed into and easily printed using today's inkjet printers, laser printers, photocopiers and other ordinary printing and typing machines. Therefore, one known method of producing small size media has been to print the desired indicia on different portions of a large sheet such as 8 by 11 or 8 /2 by 14 or A4 size sheets, and then to cut the sheets with some type of cutting machine into the different portions or individual small size sheets or media with the printing on each of them. However, this method is disadvantageous because the user must have access to such a cutting machine, and the separate cutting step is cost and time inefficient.

To avoid this cutting step, another prior art product has the portions of the sheet which define the perimeters of the media the business cards) formed by preformed perforation lines. (See, PCT International Publication No. WO 97/40979). However, a problem with this product was that since these cards must be durable and professional looking, they had to be made from relatively inflexible, such that they cannot be fed from a stack of sheets using automatic paper feeders into the printers and copiers. One proposed solution to this feeding problem is disclosed in U.S.

Patent 4,704,317 ('317) to Hickenbotham. (This 1- 3 O patent and all other patents and other publications mentioned anywhere in this disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.) The method of the '317 patent reduces the stiffness of the comers of the sheet as by scoring, 0 slitting, die cutting or calendering. However, a number of problems with this method prevented it from becoming generally commercially acceptable.

Another attempted solution to the sheet feeding problem is that disclosed in U.S. Patent 5,571,587 ('587) to Bishop et al. (See also U.S. Patent 4,447,481 to SHolmberg et al.) Pursuant to the '587 patent the sheetstock has a relatively thin portion on at least one of the longitudinal edges thereof which facilitates feeding the sheetstock into a printer or copier. The thin portion is removed from the sheet after printing. The individual printed cards are then separated from one another by pulling or tearing along the preformed microperforated lines. While the perforation ties remaining along the edges of the printed cards thereby formed are small, they are perceptible, giving the card a less than professional appearance and feel.

A card sheet construction which uses clean cut edges instead of the less desirable perforated edges is commercially available from Max Seidel and from Promaxx/"Paper Direct", and an example of this product is shown in the drawings by FIGS. 1-3. (See Canadian Patent Publication No. 2,148,553 (MTL Modem Technologies Lizenz GmbH); see also German DE.42.40.825A1.) Referring to these drawing figures, the prior art product is shown generally at 100. It includes a sheetstock 102, divided by widthwise and lengthwise cut lines 104 in columns and rows of cards 110, surrounded by a perimeter frame 112. On the back side 114 of the sheetstock 102, thin carrier element strips 116 made of polyester are glued with adhesive 118 along and over the widthwise cut lines. These strips 116 hold the cards 110 and the frame 112 together when the sheetstock 102 is fed into a printer or copier as shown generally at 120. After the sheetstock 100 has been fed into the printer or copier 120 and the desired indicia printed on the cards 110, the cards are peeled off of and away from the strips 116 and frame 112. After all of the cards 110 have been so removed from the sheetstock 102, the left-over 4 cK, material formed by the strips 116 and the frame 112 is discarded as waste material.

,.One of the problems with the prior art sheet product 100 is that printers have Sdifficulty picking the sheets up, resulting in the sheets being misfed into the printers. In 00 other words, it is difficult for the infeed rollers to pull the sheets past the separation tabs within the printers. Feeding difficulties are also caused by curl of the sheetstock 102 back onto itself. The "curl" causes the leading edge of the sheet to bend back and flex IN over the separation tabs. Since the sheetstock 102 is a relatively stiff product, it is difficult for the infeed rollers of the printer 120 to handle this problem.

Another problem with the prior art sheet 100 is a start-of-sheet, off-registration problem. In other words, the print is shifted up or down from its expected desired starting position below the top of the sheet. This off-registration problem is often related to the misfeeding problem discussed in the paragraph above. This is because if the printer is having difficultly picking up the sheet, the timing of the printer is effected. And this causes the print to begin at different places on the sheet, which is unacceptable to the users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect the invention is a printable sheet assembly, comprising: a facestock sheet construction having a plurality of parallel vertical through-cut lines and a plurality of parallel horizontal through-cut lines; the plurality of horizontal through-cut lines including first and second horizontal through-cut lines; the plurality of vertical through-cut lines including first and second vertical through-cut lines; the vertical and horizontal through-cut lines forming at least in substantial part perimeter edges of a plurality of cards; the plurality of cards including a card whose perimeter is defined by the first and second horizontal through-cut lines and the first and second vertical through-cut lines; the intersection of the first horizontal through-cut line and the first vertical through-cut line defining a first intersection; the intersection of the first horizontal through-cut line and the second vertical through-cut line defining a second intersection; the intersection of the second horizontal through-cut line and the first vertical through-cut line defining a third intersection; the intersection of the second horizontal through-cut line and the second vertical through-cut line defining a fourth intersection; Sa liner sheet first strip on a back side of the facestock sheet construction; Sthe first strip covering the first horizontal through-cut line; Sthe first strip being substantially wider at the first intersection and at the second 00 intersection than at an area of the first horizontal through-cut line centrally disposed between the first and second intersections; a liner sheet second strip on the back side of the facestock sheet construction; INthe second strip covering the second horizontal through-cut line; Sthe second strip being substantially wider at the third intersection and at the fourth intersection than at an area of the second horizontal through-cut line centrally disposed between the third and fourth intersections; Ssome of the area of the back side surface of the card between the first and second strips being exposed; and the first and second strips allowing the card to be peeled off and removed as a separate printed card after the printable sheet assembly has been passed through a printer or copier and a printing operation conducted on the card.

In a second aspect the invention is a printable sheet assembly, comprising: a facestock sheet construction having a plurality of parallel vertical through-cut lines and a plurality of parallel horizontal through-cut lines; the plurality of horizontal through-cut lines including top and bottom horizontal through-cut lines; the vertical and horizontal through-cut lines forming at least in substantial part perimeter edges of a plurality of cards; a liner sheet top strip on a back side of the facestock sheet construction; the top strip covering the top horizontal through-cut line; a top edge of the top strip being even with a top edge of the facestock sheet construction and left and right side edges of the top strip being even with left and right side edges, respectively, of the facestock sheet construction; a liner sheet bottom strip on the back side of the facestock sheet construction; the bottom strip covering the bottom horizontal through-cut line; a bottom edge of the bottom strip being even with a bottom edge of the facestock sheet construction and left and right side edges of the bottom strip being even with left and right side edges, respectively, of the facestock sheet construction; some of the area of the back side surfaces of the cards being exposed; and the top and bottom strips being attached to the back side of the facestock sheet construction such that at least some of the cards can be peeled off and removed as separate printed cards after the printable sheet assembly has been passed through a printer or copier and a printing operation conducted on the at least some of the cards.

SIn a third aspect the invention is a printable sheet assembly, comprising: O a facestock sheet construction having a plurality of parallel vertical through-cut lines and a plurality of parallel horizontal through-cut lines; the vertical and horizontal through-cut lines forming at least in substantial part IN perimeter edges of a plurality of cards; the horizontal through-cut lines including adjacent first and second horizontal through-cut lines; the vertical through-cut lines including adjacent first and second vertical through-cut lines; the plurality of cards including a card whose perimeter is defined by the first and second horizontal through-cut lines and the first and second vertical through-cut lines; a liner sheet strip assembly on a back side of the facestock sheet construction; the strip assembly covering the first and second horizontal through-cut lines and covering some but not all of the back side surfaces of each of the cards; parallel horizontal lines extending the length of the card and defined by the furthest spaced apart points of the strip assembly on the first and second horizontal through-cut lines lying in a central area of the card and on the same vertical line; a first portion of the strip assembly being on the first vertical through-cut line and between the parallel horizontal lines; a second portion of the strip assembly being on the second vertical through-cut line and between the parallel horizontal lines; and the strip assembly being attached to the back side such that the cards can be peeled off and removed as separate printed cards after the printable sheet assembly has been passed through a printer or copier and a printing operation conducted on the cards.

The present invention further provides a sheet of printable media, comprising: a facestock sheet construction having a front side and a back side; a solid liner sheet releasably secured to and covering at least substantially the entire back side; facestock continuous through-cut lines through the facestock sheet construction to the back side but not through-cut through the liner sheet; the through-cut lines defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable media; the back side of the facestock sheet construction forming back side surfaces of the printable media; 7 areas of the liner sheet covering back sides of at least substantially all of the Sthrough-cut lines and thereby holding the printable media together when the sheet of printable media is fed into a printer or copier for a printing operation on the printable media; and the liner sheet and the through-cut lines allowing the media to be removed from the liner sheet after the printing operation and separated into individual printed media.

tt~ The present invention also provides a method of forming a printable media sheet construction, comprising: forming facestock continuous through-cut lines through a facestock sheet to a 0 10 back side surface thereof, but not through-cut through a liner sheet, the liner sheet 8 being releasably adhered to the facestock sheet so that it covers at least substantially the Sentire back side surface; the through-cut lines defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable media 00 0 which directly abut one another and share at least a common edge; the back side surface of the facestock sheet forming back side surfaces of the printable media; and t areas of the liner sheet covering back sides of the through-cut lines and thereby holding the printable media together when the printable media sheet construction is fed into a printer or copier for a printing operation on a front side surface of the printable media and allowing the printable media to be removed from the liner sheet after the r printing operation into individual printed media.

The dry laminated sheet construction may include printable media, such as business cards, ROLODEX type cards, party invitations, visitor cards or the like. In an embodiment of the present invention, a first step in the formation of this dry laminated sheet construction is to extrusion coat a low density polyethylene (LPDE) layer on a densified bleached kraft paper liner, thereby forming a film-coated liner sheet. Using a layer of hot melt adhesive, a facestock sheet is adhered to the film side of the liner sheet to form a laminated sheet construction web. A more generic description of the "dry peel" materials the LPDE, and densified bleached kraft paper liner is a film forming polymer coated onto a liner stock. The facestock sheet, the film layer and the adhesive layer together define a laminate facestock.

o q (See U.S. Patent 4,863,772 (Cross); see also U.S. Patents 3,420,364 (Kennedy), 3,769,147 (Kamendat et al), 4,004,058 (Buros et al), 4,020,204 (Taylor et al), and S4,405,401 (Stahl)). The sheet construction (which also includes a facestock 0 bonded to the film forming polymer) separates at the film-liner interface rather than the facestock-film interface, when the final construction is subjected to a peeling force.

According to one embodiment of this invention, a web of laminate facestock is calendered along one or both edges thereof to assist in subsequent printer feed of the printable media sheets. The calendered edges help prevent the multiple sheet feed-through, misfeed and registration problems of the prior art.

Lines are die cut through the laminate facestock and to but not through the liner sheet. These facestock cut lines define the perimeters of blank business cards (or other printable media) and a surrounding waste paper frame. These die cut lines do not cause sheets to get caught in one another. This allows sheets to be effectively fed into printers. Lines are then cut through the liner sheet, but not through the laminate facestock, to form liner sheet strips on the back face of the laminate facestock. The liner sheet cut lines can each be straight lines or they can be curving, wavy lines. The lines can be horizontally (or vertically) straight across the sheet or diagonally positioned thereon. According to one alternative, the lines can extend only part way across the sheet, such as from both side edges, to only a central zone of the sheet. Further steps in the process are to sheet the web into individual sheets, stack and package them and distribute the packaged sheets through retail channels to end users.

The laminated (business card) sheets are unpackaged by the user and stacked into the feed tray of a printer or copier and individually and automatically fed, calendered edge first into a printer (and particularly a horizontal feed ink jet printer) or copier where indicia is printed on each of the printable media (or blank business cards) on the sheet. After the printing operation, each of the printed media (or business cards) is peeled off of the liner sheet strips and out from the waste paper frame. The support structure formed by the strips and the frame is 00 0 subsequently discarded. Alternatively, the support structure is peeled off of the Sprinted business cards. The product, in either event, is a stack of cleanly printed C business cards, each having clean die cut edges about its entire perimeter.

00 In other words, the adhesive layer securely bonds the facestock sheet to the LPDE film layer on the liner sheet. It bonds it such that the overall sheet construction separates or delaminates at the film-liner sheet interface, when the user peels the printed business cards and liner strips apart. That is, it does not O separate at the facestock sheet interface. Additionally, the film-coated liner sheet does not significantly affect the flexibility of the sheet as it is fed through the printer. Rather, it is the thickness of the facestock which is the more significant factor. Thus, the facestock sheet needs to be carefully selected so as to not be so stiff that feeding or printing registration problems result.

Pursuant to some of the preferred embodiments of the invention, every other one of the strips is peeled off and removed from the sheet during the manufacturing process and before the sheet is fed into a printer or copier. The remaining strips cover a substantial number of the laminated facestock cut lines and extend onto the waste paper frame to hold the business card blanks and the sheet together as they are fed into and passed through the printer or copier. The remaining strips (and thus the facestock cut lines) preferably extend width-wise on the sheet or are perpendicular to the feed direction of the sheet to make the laminated sheet construction less stiff and more flexible as it passes into and through the printer or copier. By starting off with a single continuous liner sheet to form the strips, the final stripped product is flatter than the prior art products.

Thus, it is less likely that the sheets will bow and snag together.

Other embodiments do not remove any of the strips before the sheet is fed into the printer or copier. In other words, the entire back side of the laminated facestock is covered by the liner sheet having a series of liner-sheet cut lines.

A further definition of the method of making this invention includes forming a roll of a web of dry laminate sheet construction comprising a liner sheet on a facestock sheet. The web is unwound under constant tension from the

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web and the edges of the web are calendered. The facestock sheet of the Sunwound web is die cut without cutting the liner sheet to form perimeter outlines of the printable media (business cards). The liner sheet is then die cut, without 0 cutting the facestock sheet, to form liner strips. Alternating ones of the interconnected liner strips are removed as a waste liner matrix and rolled onto a roll and disposed of. The web is then sheeted into eleven by eight-and-a-half inch sheets, for example, or eight-and-a-half by fourteen or in A4 dimensions; the sheets are stacked, and the stacked sheets are packaged. The user subsequently removes the stack of sheets from the packaging and positions the stack or a portion thereof in an infeed tray of a printer or copier for a printing operation on the printable media or individually feeds them into the printer or copier. After the printing operation, the printed media are separated from the rest of the sheet, as previously described.

Sheet constructions of this invention appear to work on the following ink jet printers: HP550C, HP660C, HP722C, HP870Cse, Canon BJC620, Canon BJC4100, Epson Stylus Color II and Epson Stylus Color 600.

Another advantage of the embodiments of the present invention wherein alternate strips of the liner are removed before the printing operation is that a memory curl is less likely to be imparted or induced in the business cards from the liner sheet. Memory curl occurs when the facestock is removed from a full liner sheet. The liner strips are better than liner sheets since they reduce the amount of memory curl that occurs during removal of the facestock.

A further embodiment of this invention has a strip of the laminated facestock stripped away at one end of the sheet to leave a strip of the liner sheet extending out beyond the end of laminated facestock. This liner strip defines a thin infeed edge especially well suited for feeding the sheets into vertical feed printers and appears to work better than calendering the infeed edge. The opposite (end) edge of the laminated facestock can also be stripped away to leave an exposed liner sheet strip. Alternatively, the opposite edge of the laminated facestock can be calendered. The calendered edge appears to work better for O feeding the sheets into horizontal feed printers. And instructions can be printed on the sheet (or on the packaging or on a packaging insert) instructing the user to orient the sheet so that the exposed liner strip defines the infeed end when a o0 vertical feed printer is used and to orient the sheet so that the calendered edge defines the infeed end when a horizontal feed printer is used.

In fact, this inventive concept of the exposed liner strip at one end and the t calendered edge at the other end can be used for other sheet constructions adapted for feeding into printers for a printing operation thereon. An example thereof is simply a face sheet adhered to a backing sheet. The backing sheet does not need to have cut lines or otherwise formed as strips. And the face sheet does not need to have cut lines; it can, for example, have perforated lines forming the perimeters of the business cards or other printable media.

A preferred sheet construction of the present invention is facially similar to but a significant improvement over the prior art "Paper Direct" product shown in FIGS. 1-3, and described in the Background of the Invention portion of this disclosure. In addition to the previously-discussed problems, that prior art product is too flimsy. Accordingly, a preferred sheet construction of the present invention uses paper strips, instead of polyester film strips, to hold the sheet together. The paper strips are stiffer and preferably wider 9/16 inch wide) than the film strips, thereby giving the sheet construction a firmer, more intact, feel, which is commercially valuable. Additionally, the paper strips allow the sheet to lay flat, with less puckering along the die cut unions, since it reacts to the environment in a similar manner as the cardstock.

Similar to the dry laminate products of this invention described above a laminate cardstock is formed according to this preferred embodiment.

Ultraremovable adhesive is applied to a paper sheet to form therewith a liner sheet and the liner sheet is laminated to a cardstock (facestock) sheet to form this laminate cardstock web. The web is face die cut through the cardstock sheet but not through the liner sheet to thereby form cardstock cut lines that define at least in part perimeters of the printable media (business cards, postcards, greeting cards, and so forth). At the next station the web is then die cut through the liner sheet, but not through the cardstock sheet, to form liner sheet strips on a back side C of the cardstock sheet. Some of the strips define cover strips covering backs of 00 0 some of the cardstock cut lines, and others of the strips define waste strips. The waste strips are then matrix removed from the back of the cardstock sheet. The web is then sheeted into sheets of the desired size, such as 8 1/2 by 11 inches.

The sheets are ready to be fed into a printer or copier, and a printing operation thereby conducted on fronts of the printable media. The printed media are then separated from (peeled off of) the cover strips, ready for use. The cover strips preferably provide the sole means of keeping the die cut printable media together as an intact unit sheet for passing through the printer or copier. Removing the waste strips before the sheet is passed through the printer or copier makes the sheet more flexible so that it can bend and pass better through the winding paths in the printers or copiers.

The ultraremovable adhesive is peeled off with the paper waste strips and the cover strips thereby providing a clean back side to the cardstock sheet (and thereby the printed media). The clean back side(s) (even when a coating thereon is provided) advantageously can be written on, that is, it accepts pencil, ink and even inkjet and laser printing. The ultraremovable adhesive sticks to the paper allowing for easy removal and disposal of the paper strips, and even though it is tacky it does not stick to anything permanently. In contrast, the "Paper Direct" product uses a removable adhesive. (Generally, adhesions of "ultraremovable" adhesives at their highest adhesion levels (to a surface such as stainless steel) are roughly half of what they are for conventional "removable" adhesive. A fundamental difference is that conventional adhesives provide complete contact with a substrate while ultraremovable provide partial contact. This limited contact area is what prevents an ultraremovable adhesive from becoming permanent, over time.) To assist the sheet in being fed into the printer or copier the lead-in edge thereof is preferably calendered, unlike the "Paper Direct" product. The web, I before sheeting, is preferably calendered with textured calendering dies before the face D cutting station. The calendering step is also preferably performed after the printing operation on the web wherein identifying and explanatory information is printed on the O cardstock.

Further aspects of the invention may be described by the following: A sheet of printable media, comprising: V a facestock sheet construction; Sliner material releasably secured to the facestock sheet construction; facestock cut lines through the facestock sheet construction; the facestock cut lines defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable Smedia; and after the sheet has been fed into a printer or copier for a printing operation on the printable media, the media is removable therefrom into individual printed media.

A method for forming a sheet of printable media, comprising the steps of: forming a facestock sheet construction having a liner material releasably secured to the facestock sheet construction; forming facestock cut lines through the facestock sheet construction; where, after the sheet has been fed into a printer or copier for a printing operation on the printable media, the media is removable therefrom into individual printed media.

A method of forming printable media, comprising: providing a laminate cardstock including a liner sheet including a paper sheet and ultraremovable adhesive on the sheet, and a cardstock sheet adhered to the ultraremovable adhesive; cutting through the cardstock sheet to the paper sheet to form cardstock cut lines defining at least in part perimeters of printable media; and defining a plurality of liner sheet strips on a back side of the laminate cardstock.

A method of forming a sheet of printable media, comprising: providing a roll of a web of laminate sheet comprising a liner sheet adhered to a cardstock sheet; unwinding at least a portion of the web from the roll; die cutting the cardstock sheet of the unwound web without cutting the liner sheet to form outline perimeters of printable media; die cutting the liner sheet of the unwound web without cutting the facestock sheet to form liner strips and liner waste strips; after removing the liner waste strips from the web; and after and sheeting the web into sheets.

SA method of forming a printable media sheet construction, comprising: providing a sheet construction including a liner sheet and a facestock sheet; cutting the facestock sheet without cutting the liner sheet to form printable media; cutting the liner sheet without cutting the facestock sheet to form a plurality t of spaced liner strips on the facestock sheet and liner waste strips between the spaced liner strips; and after removing the liner waste strips from off of the facestock sheet.

A printable card sheet construction, comprising: ra cardstock sheet, the sheet having cut-lines defining a plurality of printable media, the sheet having a front face and an opposite rear surface; and a plurality of liner strips, each of the liner strips including a paper strip, (b) an adhesive-receptive coating on the strip, and ultraremovable adhesive on the coating, each of the paper strips being attached to the rear face of the cardstock sheet with the adhesive and over a separate one of the cut-lines, the liner strips holding the printable media together as a unit for passing through a printer or copier for a printing operation on the cardstock sheet.

A method of forming printed media, comprising: providing a printable media sheet construction including a facestock sheet having through-cut lines separating the sheet into a plurality of printable media and a plurality of paper strips attached with ultraremovable adhesive to a back face of the facestock sheet and over at least some of the through-cut lines and thereby holding the printable media together; separately feeding the printable media sheet construction off a stack of same via an automatic feed tray into a printer or copier and thereby conducting a printing operation on the printable media; and after the printing operation, separating the printed printable media from the paper strips off of the ultraremovable adhesive.

A method of forming a printable media sheet construction, comprising: providing a cardstock web; cutting cross-direction lines through the web; after laminating a plurality of paper strips to the web; and after cutting machine-direction lines through the web.

A sheet of printable media, comprising: a facestock sheet having first and second sides; an adhesive layer on said second side; d a film secured on said adhesive layer; said facestock sheet, said adhesive layer and said film forming a laminate 00 facestock; a liner sheet having one face and an opposite outer face, said one face being secured on said film; facestock cut lines on said first side and extending through said laminate facestock and to said liner sheet, and defining at least in part edges of printable media; and liner-sheet cut lines on said outer face, extending through said liner sheet and to C said laminate facestock, and defining liner sheet strips on said laminate facestock.

A sheet of printable media, comprising: a facestock sheet having a front side, a back side, a pair of side edges and first and second end edges; cut lines through said facestock sheet and defining printable media, said cut lines including a first end cut line proximate to and parallel to said first edge, a second end cut line proximate to and parallel to said second edge, and central cut lines disposed between and parallel to said first and second end cut lines; and a plurality of liner strips releasably attached to said back side, said liner strips including a first end liner strip; said first end liner strip covering said first end cut line, extending to both of said first and second side edges and extending to and along said first edge; said first end liner strip including a first flexibility cut line extending a full length of said first end liner strip; and said first flexibility cut line being disposed between said first edge and said first cut line and dividing said first end liner strip into two parts.

A sheet of printable media, comprising: a facestock sheet having a front side, a back side, a pair of side edges, and a pair of end edges; cut lines through said facestock sheet; said cut lines including frame cut lines and grid cut lines; said frame cut lines including a pair of side cut lines spaced in from respective said side edges and parallel thereto and a pair of end cut lines spaced in from respective said end edges, both of said end cut lines engaging both of said side cut lines, and none of said side and end cut lines engaging any of said sheet edges; '7 said frame cut lines separating said facesheet stock into a central area and a a frame encircling said central area; said grid cut lines defining a grid disposed in said central area; 00 said grid cut lines and said frame cut lines separating said central area into a plurality of rectangular printable cards; and a plurality of liner strips releasably secured to said back side parallel to one t another; said liner strips including first strips and second strips; said first strips including end first strips and central first strips; said end first strips covering both of said end cut lines; said central first strips covering all of respective said cut lines of said grid cut lines parallel to said end cut lines; said second strips being positioned between and parallel to said first strips; and each of said second strips at both ends thereof extending beyond said side cut lines.

A sheet of printable media, comprising: a dry laminate facestock including a facestock sheet having first and second sides, an adhesive layer on said second side, and a film layer on said adhesive layer; facestock cut lines on said first side, through said laminate facestock and defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable media; and liner strips adhered to a back side of said film layer, and engaging at least in part said facestock cut lines to thereby hold the printable media together as said laminate facestock is fed into and passed through a printer or copier and a printing operation is performed on the printable media to form printed media.

A multi-layer sheet construction, comprising: a face sheet; and a backing sheet adhered to said face sheet to form a multi-layer sheet having a first edge and an opposite second edge; said backing sheet extending out a distance past said face sheet along said first edge whereby said first edge defines an infeed edge for feeding said multi-layer sheet construction into a horizontal feed printer; and said multi-layer sheet is calendered along said second edge for feeding said multi-layer sheet construction into a vertical feed printer.

A method of forming printable media, comprising the steps of: providing a laminate sheet construction comprising a film-coated liner sheet Shaving a film layer on a liner sheet and a facestock sheet adhered with an adhesive layer to the film layer of the film-coated liner sheet; the facestock sheet, the film layer 00 and the adhesive layer together forming a laminate facestock; cutting through the laminate facestock to the liner sheet to form facestock cut lines defining at least in part perimeters of printable media; and

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t cutting through an outer face of the liner sheet to form liner-sheet cut lines defining a plurality of liner sheet strips on a back side of the laminate facestock.

A method of forming sheets of printable media, comprising the steps of: providing a roll of a web of dry laminate sheet construction comprising a N liner sheet on a facestock sheet; unwinding the web from the roll; calendering an edge of the unwound web; die cutting the facestock sheet of the unwound web without cutting the liner sheet to form outline perimeters of printable media; die cutting the liner sheet of the unwound web without cutting the facestock sheet to form liner strips; after step removing at least some but not all of the liner strips from the web; and after steps and sheeting the web into sheets.

A method of forming a printable media sheet construction, comprising the steps of: providing a sheet construction including a liner sheet and a facestock sheet; cutting the facestock sheet without cutting the liner sheet to form printable media; cutting the liner sheet without cutting the facestock sheet to form a plurality of spaced liner strips on the facestock sheet and a web of interconnected liner waste strips between the spaced liner strips; and after step removing the web as a single unit from off of the facestock sheet.

A method of forming a printable media sheet construction, comprising the steps of: providing a multi-layer sheet including a face sheet and a backing sheet adhered to the face sheet, the multi-layer sheet having a first edge and an opposite second edge; c removing an end strip of the face sheet to expose an end strip of the Sbacking sheet along the first edge, the exposed end strip defining a first infeed end of the multi-layer sheet for feeding the multi-layer sheet into a vertical feed printer; and 00 O calendering the opposite second edge to define a second infeed end of the multi-layer sheet for feeding the multi-layer sheet into a horizontal feed printer.

SA method of forming printable media, comprising: It providing a laminate sheet construction comprising a film-coated liner sheet having a film layer on a liner sheet and a facestock sheet adhered with an adhesive layer to the film layer of the film-coated liner sheet; the facestock sheet, the film layer O 10 and the adhesive layer together forming a laminate facestock; CK1 cutting through the laminate facestock to the liner sheet to form facestock cut lines defining at least in part perimeters of printable media; cutting through an outer face of the liner sheet to form liner-sheet cut lines defining a plurality of liner sheet strips on a back side of the laminate facestock; and wherein the printable media comprise a plurality of rectangular business cards arranged in a matrix including a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows of the cards.

A sheet of printable media, comprising: a dry laminate facestock including a facestock sheet having first and second sides, an adhesive layer on the second side, a film layer on the adhesive layer and a liner sheet on a backside of the film layer but not on a narrow strip along a leading edge of the facestock sheet; and facestock cut lines on the first side, through the laminate facestock but not the liner sheet and defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable media.

A sheet of printable media, comprising: a facestock sheet; a liner sheet on the backside of the facestock sheet but not on a narrow strip along a leading edge of the facestock sheet; adhesive adhering the liner sheet to the facestock sheet; and facestock cut lines through the facestock but not the liner sheet and defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable media.

A method of forming printable media, comprising: providing a laminate cardstock including a liner sheet including a paper sheet and ultraremovable adhesive; cutting through the cardstock sheet to the paper sheet to form cardstock cut lines defining at least in part perimeters of printable media;

;TO

cutting through an outer face of the liner sheet to form cardstock cut lines Sdefining at least in part perimeters of printable media; cutting through an outer face of the liner sheet to form a liner-sheet cut line 00 defining a leading edge liner-sheet waste strip on the back side of the laminate cardstock along a leading edge thereof; and removing the waste strip from the back side.

tt A method of forming a sheet of printable media, comprising: providing a roll of a web of laminate sheet construction including a liner sheet adhered to a cardstock sheet; unwinding at least a portion of the web from the roll; C die cutting the cardstock sheet of the unwound web without cutting the liner sheet to form outline perimeters of printable media; die cutting the liner sheet of the unwound web without cutting thefacestock sheet to forma leading edge liner-sheet waste strip; after removing the liner waste strip from the web; and after and sheeting the web into sheets.

A printing method, comprising: providing a sheet of printable media; the sheet including a facestock sheet, a liner sheet on the backside of the facestock sheet but not on a narrow strip along a leading edge of the facestock sheet; adhesive adhering the liner sheet to the facestock sheet, and facestock cut lines through the facestock sheet but not the liner sheet and defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable media; and feeding the sheet leading edge first into a printer and thereby printing indicia on the printable media.

A sheet of printable media, comprising: a dry laminate facestock including a facestock sheet having first and second sides, an adhesive layer on the second side, a film layer on the adhesive layer and a liner sheet on the film layer, the liner sheet having a flexibility line defining a narrow liner-sheet flexibility strip along a leading edge of the facestock sheet; and facestock cut lines on the first side, through the laminate facestock but not the liner sheet, and defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable media.

A sheet of printable media, comprising: a facestock sheet; 24 a liner sheet on the backside of the facestock, the liner sheet having a flexibility Sline defining a narrow liner-sheet flexibility strip along a leading edge of the facestock sheet; 00 O adhesive adhering the liner sheet to the facestock sheet; and facestock cut lines through the facestock but not the liner sheet, and defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable media.

lt A method of forming printable media, comprising: 0providing a laminate cardstock including a liner sheet including a paper sheet and ultraremovable adhesive on the paper sheet, and a cardstock sheet adhered to the ultraremovable adhesive; cutting through the cardstock sheet to the paper sheet to form cardstock cut lines defining at least in part perimeters of printable media; and cutting through an outer face of the liner sheet to form a liner-sheet flexibility cut line defining a leading edge liner-sheet flexibility strip on a back side of the laminate cardstock.

A method of forming a sheet of printable media, comprising: providing a roll of a web of laminate sheet construction comprising a liner sheet adhered to a cardstock sheet; unwinding at least a portion of the web from the roll; die cutting the cardstock sheet of the unwound web without cutting the liner sheet to form outline perimeters of printable media; die cutting the liner sheet of the unwound web without cutting the facestock sheet to form a leading edge liner-sheet flexibility strip; and after and sheeting the web into sheets.

A printer method, comprising: providing a sheet of printable media; the sheet including a facestock sheet, a liner sheet on a back side of the facestock sheet, the liner sheet having a flexibility line defining a narrow leading edge liner-sheet flexibility strip on the facestock sheet, adhesive adhering the liner sheet to the facestock sheet, and facestock cut lines through the facestock but not the liner sheet and defining at least in part perimeter edge of printable media; and feeding the sheet leading edge first into a printer and printing indicia on the printable media.

A sheet of printable media, comprising: a facestock sheet; a liner sheet adhered to a backside of the facestock sheet; facestock cut lines through the facestock sheet but not the liner sheet, and Sdefining at least in part perimeter edges of printable media; and portions of the liner sheet covering backsides of at least some of the facestock O cut lines, and no portion of the liner sheet being positioned on a narrow leading edge strip along an edge of the facestock sheet on the backside of the facestock sheet, whereby the edge defines a thin leading edge of the sheet of printable media for feeding t into a printer or copier for a printing operation on the printable media and the liner sheet portions help hold the printable media together during the feeding and the printing operation.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more r apparent to those persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. I is a perspective view showing a prior art sheet construction being fed into a printer or copier; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an end of the prior art sheet construction of FIG.

1 showing a sheet portion or card being removed therefrom; FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a laminated sheet construction of the present invention being fed into a printer or copier and a laminated sheet construction of the present invention after a printing operation has been performed thereon by the printer or copier; FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 but of a first laminated sheet construction of the present invention, such as is shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the back of the first laminated sheet construction of FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the front of the first laminated sheet construction of FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-section view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 8; FIG. 9A is a view similar to FIG. 9 and illustrates a portion of a first alternative construction; FIG. 9B illustrates a portion of a second alternative construction; 'o.

2-3 FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 7; FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 8; 00 FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a stack of laminated sheet constructions of the present invention operatively positioned in an automatic feed 5 tray of a printer or copier waiting to be individually fed therein for a printing IN operation and a sheet from the stack having already been printed; FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but of a second laminated sheet construction of the present invention; FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13; FIG. 15 is a back view of a third laminated sheet construction of the present invention; FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. FIG. 17 is a back view of a fourth laminated sheet construction of the present invention; FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 17 and of the fourth laminated sheet construction; FIG. 19 is a back view of a fifth laminated sheet construction of the present invention; FIG. 19A is a back view of sixth laminated sheet construction of the present invention; FIG. 20 is a back view of a seventh laminated sheet construction of the present invention; FIG. 21 is a back view of an eighth laminated sheet construction of the present invention; FIG. 22 shows the dimensions of the strips of FIG. 21; FIG. 23 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 23-23 of FIG.

21; FIG. 24 is a view similar to FIG. 23, but showing a ninth laminated sheet construction of the present invention; S 4 FIG. 25 is a schematic view showing a process and system of making the Ssheet constructions of FIGS. 21 and 26; 00 FIG. 26 is a view similar to FIG. 23, but showing a tenth laminated sheet construction of the present invention; FIG. 27 is a front view of an eleventh laminated sheet construction of the

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N present invention; SFIG. 28 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 28-28 of FIG.

27; and SFIGS. 29A and 29B are front and back views, respectively, of a first r C 10 version of a preferred business card sheet construction of the present invention; FIGS. 30A and 30B are front and back views, respectively, of a second version business card sheet construction; FIGS. 31A and 31B are front and back views, respectively, of a first version greeting card sheet construction of the present invention; FIGS. 32A and 32B are front and back views of a second version greeting card sheet construction; FIGS. 33A and 33B are front and back views of a third version; FIGS. 34A and 34B are front and back views of a fourth version; FIGS. 35A and 35B are front and back views, respectively, of a first version postcard sheet construction of the present invention: FIGS. 36A and 36B are front and back views, respectively, of a second version postcard sheet construction; FIG. 37 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken through one or more of the sheet constructions of FIGS. 29-36; and FIG. 38 shows a process for making one or more of the sheet constructions of FIGS. 29-36.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention A number of different embodiments and manufacturing processes of the dry laminated business card sheet constructions of this invention are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. A representative or first sheet Sconstruction is illustrated generally at 200 in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, for example.

00 Referring to FIG. 4, sheet construction 200 is formed by extrusion coating a low density polyethylene (LDPE) layer 204 onto a densified bleached kraft paper liner sheet (or base paper or base material) 208, which is not siliconized.

D The thin extrusion-cast LDPE layer 204 is unoriented. A suitable liner sheet 208 O with layer 204 is available from Schoeller Technical Papers of Pulaski, New York. The extrusion-coated liner sheet is laminated to a facestock sheet (or card Sstock) 212 using a layer of hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) 216. The Ci 10 facestock sheet 212, the adhesive layer 216 and the film 204 form a laminate facestock 220. The facestock sheet 212 can be current ink jet business card stock available from the Monadnock paper mills and which has good printability and whiteness. The adhesive of layer 216 can be a conventional hot melt adhesive such as H2187-01 hot melt adhesive available from Ato Findlay, Inc. of Wauwatusa, Wisconsin, or hot melt rubber-resin adhesive compositions of the type taught in U.S. Patent 3,239,478 (Harlan, The requirements for the hot melt PSA are not very demanding. The PSA layer 216 need only secure the facestock sheet 212 to the LDPE layer 204 of the dry release base material or liner sheet 208, such that the overall dry laminate facestock construction 224 delaminates at the LDPE-liner sheet interface when a user seeks to peel away the liner, and not at a surface of the facestock sheet 212.

A preferred example of this dry laminate facestock construction 224 is the "Dry Tag" product such as manufactured at the Fasson Roll Division of Avery Dennison Corporation. The facestock sheet 212 can alternatively be fluorescent paper, high gloss paper or thermal transfer label paper. A preferred high photo glossy paper which can be used is the glossy cardstock which is available from Rexam Graphics of Portland, Oregon and has a thickness of approximately eight mil.

Preferred thicknesses of each of the layers of the laminate facestock construction 224 are as follows: the liner sheet 208 3.0 mil; the LDPE film layer 204 .80 to 1.0 mil; the adhesive layer 216 .60 to .75 mil; and the Sfacestock sheet 212 8.3 or 8.5 to 9.0 mil. Alternatively, the liner sheet 208 plus 00 the film layer 204 can have a 3.5 mil thickness. Another alternative is for the thicknesses of the facestock sheet 212 and the liner sheet 208 to be approximately 6.0 and 3.0 mil, respectively, or approximately 7.0 and 2.0 mil, N respectively. The LDPE layer 204 will not significantly affect the flexibility of Sthe sheet construction; rather, it is the thickness of the facestock 212 which is the more significant factor. To assist the picking up and feeding of the laminate facestock construction 224 into the printer or copier 230, the leading edge 234 r C 10 can be, according to one definition of this invention, calendered or crushed, as shown in FIG. 6. More particularly, a 7/16 inch wide portion of the leading edge 234 can be crushed with a calendering die to reduce the caliper from thirteen mil to ten mil, for example.

In addition to calendering the leading edge 234 of the laminate facestock construction 224, further processing steps are needed to form the sheet construction 200. One key step is to form cut lines 240 on and through the laminate facestock. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 11, the cut lines 240 include frame cut lines 244 and grid cut lines 248, and the frame cut lines include side cut lines 252 and end cut lines 256. The frame cut lines 244 define a border or frame 260 around the central area 264 of the sheet. And the grid cut lines 240 form a grid of spaced horizontal and vertical cut lines 270, 274 in the central area 264. Thereby, the grid cut lines 248 and the frame cut lines 244 form the perimeters of rectangular media 280, such as business cards. FIG. 8 shows that a preferred number of the rectangular media 280 is ten, aligned in two columns of five each and surrounded by the frame 260. FIG. 11 shows that preferred dimensions 284, 288, 292, 296 and 298 are 1/2, 3 1/2, 11/32, 3/8 and 2 inches, respectively.

The facestock cut lines 240 extend through the laminate facestock construction 224 and to but not through the liner sheet 208. If the facestock cut lines 240 passed through the liner sheet 208, the laminate facestock construction 224 would fall apart into the rectangular media 280 and the frame 260, each F'--7 separate from the other. The separate small media cannot be passed effectively through the printer or copier 230 for a printing operation on them. Instead, the O0 facestock cut lines 240 do not pass through the liner sheet 208. However, the continuous liner sheet 208, while it would hold the (ten) rectangular media 280 and the frame 260 together during the printing operation, may make the sheet IN construction 200 too rigid, lacking the flexibility to pass through the curving feed Spaths in printers or copiers. In some of the figures which show the back or liner C1 face of the sheet construction, the facestock cut lines 240 are shown in dotted Slines to depict their relationship with the liner sheet strips as discussed below.

C1 10 Although the facestock cut lines 240 and the liner-sheet cut lines discussed below are preferably formed by die cutting, other techniques such as laser cutting or using a circular cutting blade as would be known by those skilled in the art are within the scope of this invention.

Therefore, pursuant to the present invention, liner-sheet cut lines 300 are formed on the liner sheet 208, through the liner sheet and to but not through the laminate facestock 224. They divide the liner sheet 208 into liner strips 304. The liner-sheet cut lines 300 provide flexibility to the sheet construction 200 and according to some of the embodiments of this invention, adequate flexibility.

However, for others the flexibility is not enough, so these embodiments provide that some of the strips are removed from the laminate facestock 224 to form the sheet construction which is passed through the printer or copier 230. More importantly, by removing some of the liner strips, the amount of memory curl induced in the (printed) media is reduced. The remaining strips 308, however, must be sufficient to hold the cut laminate facestock 224 together during the printing operation. In other words, the shape and location of the remaining strips 308 are selected on the one hand to provide sufficient sheet flexibility and to minimize memory curl and on the other hand to provide sufficient sheet integrity.

In particular, according to preferred embodiments, the remaining strips cover all of the facestock cut lines 240 which are parallel to the infeed edge of the sheet.

Where the sheet is to be fed in the portrait direction into the printer or copier 230, Sthe covered facestock cut lines extend width-wise on the sheets.

00 The embodiment of FIG. 7 shows the remaining strips 308, 340 being relatively thin, but still covering and overlapping the horizontal facestock cut lines. FIG. 10 gives the dimensions of the sheet construction 200 and the N remaining strips 308. Dimensions 312, 316, 320, 324 and 328 are 7/8, 3/4, 1 1/4, S8 1/2 and 11.00 inches, respectively. In contrast, the remaining strips 340 in the sheet construction as shown generally at 350 in FIG. 13 are wider. The dimensions of the strips and sheet are shown in FIG. 14 by dimensions 354, 358,

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N 10 362, 366 and 370, as being 1 1/4, 1/2, 1 1/2, 8 1/2 and 11.00 inches, respectively.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are enlarged cross-sectional views of first and second alternative sheet constructions of this invention. They are alternatives to the LDPE/densified bleached kraft paper component of FIG. 9, for example. The relative thicknesses of the layers are not represented in these drawings.

Alternative construction shown generally at 372 in FIG. 9A uses vinyl or another cast film on its casting sheet. Referring to FIG. 9A, the tag facestock or other paper sheet is shown by reference numeral 374a. The PSA layer, vinyl or cast film, and the casting sheet are labeled with reference numerals, 374b, 374c and 374d, respectively. Reference numerals 375a and 375b depict the facestock cut lines and liner cut lines. Similarly, the second alternative shown generally at 376 in FIG. 9B includes tag facestock or other face paper 377a, PSA layer 377b, film #1 377c, film #2 377d and liner 377e. The facestock and die cut lines are shown by reference numerals 378a and 378b, respectively.

While sheet constructions 200, 350 show the liner-sheet cut lines and thus strips 308, 340 extending straight across the sheet, sheet construction 380 has its liner-sheet cut lines 384 extending diagonally across the back of the laminate facestock. This construction is shown in FIG. 15, and FIG. 16 shows dimensions 390, 392, 394 and 398, which can be 1, 2, 1/2, and 1 1/2 inches, respectively.

Sheet construction 380 includes all of the diagonal liner strips 388 still positioned on the laminate facestock during a printing operation. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to remove (unpeel) one or more of the strips before the printing operation. One arrangement would remove alternating ones of the 00 diagonal strips. However, it may be that the remaining (diagonal) strips do not provide the sheet with sufficient integrity to prevent bowing of the sheet on the facestock cut lines.

IND The liner-sheet cut lines 300, 384 are discussed above and as shown in the corresponding drawing figures are all straight lines. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to make them curving or wavy, and a sheet construction embodiment having wavy or curving lines 412 is illustrated generally at 416 in FIG. 17. It is seen therein that the liner-sheet cut lines 412 on opposite sides of the strips 420 thereby formed have opposite or mirror images.

Referring to FIG. 18, preferred dimensions 424, 428, 432, 436, 440 and 442 are 27/32, 1, 1 11/32, 3 1/2, 3/4 and 8 1/2 inches, respectively. The sheet construction embodiment 416 is fed into the printer or copier 230 in the c 'ondition as illustrated in FIG. 17, that is, none of the liner strips has been removed. A variation thereon is illustrated by the sheet construction shown generally at 450 in FIG. 19 wherein alternating ones of the strips (five eye-goggle shaped strips) have been removed exposing the back surface of the facestock laminate as shown at 454.

It is also within the scope of the present invention for the liner-sheet cut lines and thus the liner strips to not extend from one side or edge of the sheet to the other. A sheet construction embodying such a configuration is shown in FIG.

1 9A generally at 455. Essentially the only difference between sheet construction 455 in FIG. 19A and sheet construction 450 in FIG. 19 is that the wavy linersheet cut lines 456 do not extend from one side of the sheet to the other. Rather, they stop near the center of the liner sheet and short connector lines 457a, 457b form pairs of oppositely-facing fish-shaped strips, which when removed expose pairs of oppositely-facing fish-shaped portions 458a, 458b of the laminate facestock. (For straight liner-sheet cut lines, instead of wavy cut lines, the exposed shapes would be rectangles instead of fish shapes.) Strips 459 of the 8-30 liner sheet remain between the adjacent pairs of connector lines 457a, 457b. The Sstrips 459 cover portions of the central vertical facestock cut lines and thereby 00 help to maintain the integrity of the sheet construction.

Flexibility of the sheet constructions at both ends thereof is important.

Accordingly, referring to FIG. 20, flexibility cut lines 460 are formed in the end ID liner strips 462 extending the full width of the strips in the sheet construction embodiment shown generally at 464 and which is similar to the wide strip embodiment of FIG. 13. The dotted lines in that figure show the locations of the facestock cut lines 240 in the laminate facestock 220 and are included in the figure to illustrate the relative positioning of the liner-sheet cut lines 300 (and the strips thereby formed) and the facestock cut lines 240. As can be seen the flexibility cut lines 460 are positioned between the ends of the sheet construction and the adjacent end frame cut lines 256. This provides flexibility to the end portions of the waste frame 260. The flexibility cut lines 460 are preferably formed in the same operation (die cutting) as the liner-sheet cut lines 300. So another way to view the flexibility cut lines 460 is that they are simply liner-sheet cut lines at the ends of the liner sheet 208 where the adjacent strips thereby formed are not removed. The thin liner strips are removed from locations 474 in the illustrated embodiment. And the remaining wide strips 478 are positioned over, covering and overlapping each of the facestock horizontal grid cut lines.

A preferred embodiment of the liner sheet or the liner-sheet cut lines 300 and liner strips is illustrated by sheet construction shown generally at 482 in FIG.

21. Referring thereto, it is seen that the liner-sheet cut lines form three different types of strips, namely, (two) end wide strips 486, (four) central wide strips 490 and (ten) thin strips 494. The end wide strips 486 are provided at both ends of the sheet and extend the full width of the sheet and along the entire edge thereof.

Flexibility cut lines 496 are provided in each of the end wide strips 486, positioned similar to those in the FIG. 19 embodiment. The central wide strips 490 cover each of the horizontal facestock grid cut lines. They are not quite as wide as the corresponding strips in FIG. 19. Thus, more of the frame vertical

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facestock cut lines are exposed on the liner side of the sheet. This can result in Sthem bowing out and snagging as the sheet winds its way through the printer or 00 copier 230.

Accordingly, the sheet construction 482 of FIG. 21 provides for thin strips 494 positioned between and parallel to the wide strips 486, 490. These thin strips I 494 cross over each of the vertical facestock cut lines and thereby prevent the potential bowing out problem. Two of the thin strips are provided between each of the neighboring wide strips. Of course, it is within the scope of the invention to provide for only one thin strip between the neighboring wide strips or to provide for more than two thin strips, or to make them the same width as the wide strips or to eliminate them altogether. The central wide strips 490 and the thin strips 494 all have rounded comers 500, 504.

Each of the thin strips 494 and each of the central wide strips 490 extend a distance past the vertical frame cut lines, but not to the edge of the sheet. In other words, a liner edge or margin is left on both sides extending between the end wide strips 486. What this means is that the liner sheet "strips" which are removed after the liner-sheet cut lines are made and before the sheet construction is sent to the user for a printing operation are interconnected into a web or matrix.

That is, all of the liner portions (or strips) between the thin strips 494 and the adjacent wide strips 486, 490 and between the adjacent thin strips are connected to the borders or margins and thereby to each other in a continuous web or matrix. Thus, by grabbing any portion of this matrix, and preferably a corner thereof, the entire matrix can be pulled off of the laminate facestock in essentially one step. As will be described with reference to FIG. 25, each of the matrices of the sheet construction web is wound onto a roll and the roll subsequently discarded. This is easier, faster, quicker and cheaper than pulling a number of individual liner waste strips off of the laminate facestock as is done when the strips are not interconnected. The dimensions of the strips and their spacings as shown by dimensions 512, 516, 520, 524, 528 and 532 in FIG. 22 are 8 1/2, 8, 1/4, 1/4, 3/4 and 1/8 inches, respectively.

Both end edges are crushed or calendered as can be seen in FIG. 23 at S536, preferably on the facestock side, but in the waste frame portion and not 00 extending into the central area on the printable media. Alternatively and referring to the sheet construction as shown generally at 538 in FIG. 24, both sides can be crushed or calendered or only the liner sheet side as shown at 540.

In A schematic view of the system and process for manufacturing the laminate sheet construction 482 of FIG. 21 is illustrated in FIG. 25 generally at 550. Each of the successive steps or stations is illustrated from left to right in that drawing figure. As shown, a web 554 of the dry laminate facestock formed as described previously and rolled on a roll 558 is delivered from the Avery Dennison Fasson Division, for example, to the press facility, such as a Webtron (Canada) Model 1618 press. At the press facility, the roll 558 is unwound with the facestock side up and the liner side down and is delivered to the printing station shown generally at 562, and which includes a print cylinder 566, an anilox roll 570 and an ink supply 574. At the printing station 562, desired identifying and informational indicia are printed on the facestock of the laminate such as on the frame portion. This indicia can include product code identification, the manufacturer's or distributor's name and logo, and patent numbers, if any.

The web 554 is then pulled to the turning station shown generally at 580 where a turn bar 584 turns the web over so that the liner side is facing up and the facestock side is facing down for delivery to the calendering station. At the calendering station shown generally at 588 and including an anvil 592 and a calendering die 596, both edges of the web on the facestock side thereof are crushed for about 7/16 inch from a 13.4 mil thickness to approximately 10.4 mil.

The web 554 is pulled further to the two die cutting stations. The face cutting station shown generally at 600 includes an anvil 604 and a face cutting die 608, with the anvil positioned on top. At this station the face of the web 554 is cut up to the liner but without cutting the liner to create the business card shapes on the face with cut lines, as previously described. At the liner cutting station as shown generally at 620, the anvil 624 is positioned below the liner cut die 628, in i J 0 a relative arrangement opposite to that at the face cutting station 600. The liner at Sthis station 620 is die cut up to the face without cutting the face. At these die 00 cutting stations 600, 620 a bridge bears down on the die bearers, which forces the die blades to cut into a predetermined portion of the caliper or thickness of the web. This portion is called a step, and is the difference between the bearer and t the end of the die cutting blades. The smaller the step, the deeper the cut into the web, as would be understood by those skilled in the die cutting art.

The liner cutting forms the waste matrix 640 of the liner sheet. This matrix 640 is grabbed and pulled off of the web 554 and wound onto a roll 644 at the waste matrix station, which is shown generally at 648. The finished web 652 is thereby formed and delivered to the sheeting station. The calendering station 588, the face cutting station 600, the liner cutting station 620 and the waste matrix station 648 can essentially be arranged in any order except that the waste matrix station must follow the liner cutting station.

The sheeting station which is shown generally at 660 includes an anvil 664 and a sheeter cylinder 668. The eleven-inch wide web 652 is sheeted into eight-and-a-half inch sheets 672. Of course, if different sizes of sheets 672 (or 482) are desired (such as 8 1/2 by 14 inch or A4 size) then the width of the web and/or the sheeting distance can be altered or selected as needed. The final sheet constructions 672 (or 482) are shown stacked in a stack 680 at the stacking station, which is illustrated generally at 684. Each stack 680 of sheets can then be packaged and distributed to the end user through normal retail distribution channels.

The end user then unpackages the sheets and stacks them in a stack 686 in the infeed tray 694 of a printer (particularly an ink jet printer) or copier 230, such as shown in FIG. 12. (FIG. 12 shows sheet construction 200 and not 482.) The sheet construction 482 has tested well in ten sheet stack (684) automatic feeding tests in the following printers: HP DH 550/660C, Canon BJC 4100, Canon BJC 620, Epson Stylus Color 600 and Epson Stylus Color II. The printer or copier 230 preferably should not have temperatures above the melting point of the 8 34 LDPE used in the sheet construction. During the printing operation by these Sprinters 230, the desired indicia 690 is printed on each of the printable media or 00 cards. This indicia 690 can include the user's (or card owner's) name, title, company, address, phone number, facsimile number, and/or e-mail address, as desired. The printed sheet constructions are shown in the outfeed tray 694 of the In printer 230 in FIGS. 4 and 12. FIG. 4 shows an individual manual feed of the Ssheet constructions.

The individual printed media or business cards 700 are then peeled off of the rest of the sheet construction in an operation as shown in FIG. 5, for example.

1 10 The remaining laminate facestock frame and liner strip product is disposed of.

The result is a stack of neatly and accurately printed business cards 700. Each of the cards 700 has clean die cut edges defining its entire perimeter. The cards 700 were efficiently and quickly printed by the process(es) of this invention, since the sheet constructions can be stacked in the infeed tray and automatically fed into and through the printer 230, unlike the prior art.

A further preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at 710 in FIG. 26. Sheet construction 710 is similar to sheet construction 482 except at one end of the sheet the top end as shown in FIG.

26. Referring thereto, the laminate facestock 220 (and/or the liner sheet 208) is not calendered to make the end edge of sheet construction 710 thinner and thereby easier to efficiently feed into the printer or copier. Instead a one-half inch strip of the laminate facestock 220 is stripped off of the liner sheet leaving only a thin infeed liner strip 714 at that end of the sheet construction. The infeed liner strip 714 is well suited for vertical feed. printers because it allows the sheet to easily curve under the infeed roller(s). And the opposite calendered end is well suited for feeding into horizontal feed printers because of the straight path the sheet(s) take(s) to engage the infeed roller(s). Indicia can be printed on the (front) frame of the laminate facestock 224 instructing the user as to which end of the sheet construction 710 defines the infeed end for vertical feed printers and for horizontal feed printers. A preferred embodiment of sheet construction 710 removes the end liner strip 716 defined by line 496.

0 0 Two alternative systems or method for stripping the laminate facestock strip are illustrated in FIG. 25. For both embodiments only one edge is crushed at the calendering station 588. According to one, the laminate facestock is die cut IN by die 720 (and anvil 722) along die cut line 724 (FIGS. 26-28) at the stripping Sstation shown generally at 728 and the strip removed from the web as shown by arrow 732. (Alternatively, the facestock can be on top of the web for this step.) The die cut line 724 can be the same as the top frame cut line so that there is no "frame" along the top. The stripped web is then wound back onto a roll (558) and placed into position on the facility 588 as denoted by arrow 736. The stripped roll is placed back on the press prior to station 562, in the same place as 558, as shown in FIG. The other method or system does not use the separate stripping station 728. Instead the stripping is conducted in the facility 550. The die cut line 724 is made at the face cutting station 600. The facestock strip is then removed at the removal station shown generally at 740, which can be part of waste matrix station 648. At removal station 740, the face strip 744 is wrapped around a driven roll 748 and exhausted using an air line 752 into a vacuum system.

The arrangement of having one end of a sheet construction formed by stripping a strip (744) of a face sheet (such as laminate facestock) off of a backing sheet (such as a liner sheet) can be used not only on sheet construction 710 and the other previously-described sheet constructions but also on generally any multi-sheet construction.

An example thereof is the sheet construction shown generally at 780 in FIGS. 27 and 28. Referring thereto, the laminate facestock construction is the same as that of FIG. 26, for example. It similarly has the face cut lines 240, the strip cut line 724, and the calendered end 536. However, the liner 212 is a solid sheet with no cut lines or strips formed or removed. Instead of a dry laminate construction, it can be simply a face sheet adhered directly to a backing sheet with adhesive. And the facesheet separation lines (240) instead of being die- cut can be microperfed. It still has the advantage of an efficient feed into a vertical 00 feed printer using one end of the construction as the infeed end and using the other for efficient feed into a horizontal feed printer.

A preferred laminate sheet construction of the present invention is INO illustrated in FIGS. 29A and 29B generally at 800 and is a significant improvement over the previously-discussed "Paper Direct" prior art product; it represents a first version business card sheet construction of the inventions. A second version business card sheet construction is shown generally at 804 in FIGS. 30A and 30B. The invention can also be readily adapted to applications (printable media) other than business cards, such as greeting cards and post cards.

First, second, third and fourth versions of greeting card sheet constructions of the present invention are shown generally at 808, 812, 816 and 820 in FIGS. 31, 32, 33 and 34, respectively. (The and designations for each of FIGS. 29-36 refer to the views of the front and back sides of each of the respective sheet constructions.) Similarly, first and second versions of a post card sheet construction of the invention are shown generally at 824 and 828 in FIGS. 35 and 36. The machine direction is designated by arrow 830. And a cross-sectional view of one or more of the sheet constructions of FIGS. 29-36 is shown generally at 832 in FIG. 37. Variations and alternatives of this cross-sectional view will be discussed later.

What all of the sheet Constructions of FIGS. 29-36 have in common are a facestock sheet 836, through-cut lines 840 defining at least in substantial part the perimeters of printable media, and liner strips 844 on the back of the sheet covering many of the through-cut lines and holding the sheet together as a sheet construction unit for passage through a copier or printer. The facestock sheet 836 is preferably a cardstock sheet. Referring to FIG. 37, the liner strips 844 are preferably paper strips adhered to the facestock sheet with ultraremovable adhesive 848. The ultraremovable adhesive 848 can be the Fasson water-base acrylic suspension polymer (made per U.S. Patent 5,656,705) or the CleanTac 11 adhesive available from Moore. As an example, the liner strips 844 can be Spre-primed uncoated litho paper (white or canary).

00 The cardstock sheet 836 may have or include a face coat 852 (FIG. 37), and the face coat can be a laser color-optimized coating or an ink jet coloroptimized coating. The inkjet coating, for example, is a color optimized coating Itn provided to enhance the appearance and waterfastness of ink jet inks on selected 0substrates (cardstocks). The cardstock sheet 836 may also have or include an adhesive-receptive back coat 856. A liner primer coat 860, such as the polyvinyl 0 alcohol based primer with silicate available from Fasson or a primer available from Moore, may also be provided, sandwiched between the layer of adhesive 848 layer and the paper liner or strips 844.

Examples of usable cardstocks 836 are: ink jet (uncoated) (a) Monadnock Paper Mills: 65# Cover (white, mellow white and antique gray) and Monadnock Paper Mills: 100# Text (white, mellow white and antique gray); ink jet (coated) Monadnock Paper Mills: Lightweight C1S (white, mellow white and antique gray), Monadnock Paper Mills: Heavyweight CIS (white, mellow white and antique gray), and Mitsubishi Paper Mills: CIS Glossy (white); laser (uncoated) Fox River Paper Co.: 100# Text (white, natural and cool gray), and Boise Cascade: 100# Offset (white); and laser (coated) Monadnock Paper Mills: C S w/"Nairobi" or "Harmony" coating (white), and Nakagawa: CIS Magnetic substrate.

Referring to FIG. 37, examples of cross-sectional thicknesses from top to bottom through the sheet construction are: cardstock face coat 852 (approximately 1.0 mil), cardstock 836 (approximately 7.0-9.2 mils), cardstock back coat 856 (approximately .1 mil), adhesive layer 848 (approximately .20-.25 mil), liner primer coat 860 (approximately mil), and liner sheet 844 (approximately 2.8-4.0 mils).

To assist the sheet construction in being consistently and accurately picked up and fed into the printer or copier, the infeed edge (and the opposite end) of the sheet construction can be calendered or crushed, as shown in various S38 of the drawing figures at 864. More particularly, the thickness of the infeed end of the sheet (or the laminate web 870 during the manufacturing process see 00 FIG. 38 and discussions thereof to follow) is reduced by fifteen to twenty-five percent. The calendering can be just of the cardstock 836 and/or the cardstock and the paper liner or strip 844. Alternatively, the paper strip 844 nearest the IN infeed edge of the sheet construction can be parallel to and spaced and small distance one-quarter inch) from the infeed edge of the cardstock, as shown in various figures by reference numeral 872. This reduces the thickness of the infeed end of the sheet construction. Additionally, the uncovered or exposed (one-quarter inch) infeed edge 872 of the cardstock 836 can be calendered, if desired, to further reduce the thickness of the infeed end.

The process(es) for making the sheet constructions of FIGS. 29-36 are similar to the process(es) previously above for making the dry laminate sheet constructions of this invention. They are illustrated schematically in FIG. 38.

And referring thereto, the laninate roll 874 (which includes the cardstock 836 laminated to the paper liner 844 with the ultraremovable adhesive 848) is at the roll unwind station 880. One way to form the roll 874 is to at a first site apply the adhesive to the paper and wind it upon itself and then deliver it to a second site where it is laminated to the cardstock to form the roll. Another way to form the roll is for the cardstock to be delivered from the second site to the first where it is laminated and wound, and the roll then delivered to the second site. The roll 874 is unwound with the face side of the web 870 up and the liner side of the web facing down. The web 870 in this orientation passes to the printing station 884 where the printing rollers 888, 892 print the desired indicia (not shown) on the face side of the web the cardstock face coat). The indicia can include the distributor's or manufacturer's name and/or logo, product code number, patent number(s), printer feeding directions and so forth.

The printed web 870 then passes to the web turning assembly 896, which flips the web over so that the liner side 870a of the web is up and the face side 870b is down. The calendering station 900 is next, and it includes an anvil roll 904 and a calendering die 908 which calenders the "infeed" edge of the web. The Scalendering dies 908 preferably have a random-patterned textured finish. As 00 opposed to a smooth tool, the textured dies 908 grip the web 870 and keep it flat and even during the calendering process. The textured calendered end (864) also 5 assists the printer's rollers to grip the sheet construction for infeeding same.

Itn The web 870 then passes to the face cutting station 916, which includes an O anvil roll 920 and a face cutting die 924, and the through-cut lines 840 in the facestock sheet 836 (but not passing into the liner 844) are formed at this station to define perimeters of the printable media business cards, greeting cards, post cards, etc.). The liner cutting station 930, which includes the liner cutting die 934 and anvil roller 936, is the next station in this manufacturing process. At this station 930 the continuous liner sheet portion of the web 870 is die cut to form alternating cover strips 844 and waste strips 938 on the back of the cardstock sheet 836. The cover strips 844 cover the horizontal cardstock sheet die-cut lines, that is, the through-cut lines 840, which are width-wise parallel to the infeed edge of the cardstock sheet 836. The waste strips 938 are between the cover strips 844. The (separate) paper waste strips 938 are removed (pulled off) at the removal station 942, which can include a matrix rewind mandrel 946.

Alternatively, the waste strips 938 can be removed from the web by a blower system.

The web 870 then passes to the sheeter station 950 where the web is cut or sheeted to the desired (width) dimension, such as 8.5 by eleven inch sheets as shown by a stack of same at 954. The sheets can then be packaged in sets, boxed and distributed to the end user through normal commercial channels as would be known. The sheets are then unpackaged and fed by a user through a printer or copier (see FIGS. 4 and 12) for example for a printing operation on the facestock sheet front (and back) side(s) of the printable media and subsequent separation.

Although a single-web process is illustrated in FIG. 38, it is also within the scope of the present invention to use a dual-web process or system. The single-web process uses an eleven inch wide cardstock laminate web 870. In I 04 contrast, a dual-web system, changes the direction of the web through the stations For presses and uses a seventeen-inch wide roll; that is, two side-by-side streams 00 of 8.5 by 8.5 inch web. Some of today's presses allow the wider web width to be processed. An example of the dual-web system is the "Arsoma" press. Unlike the system or process depicted in FIG. 38, a web turning assembly 896 is not IN provided or needed, because the printing station 884 can print on either the top or bottom of the web 870.

Preferred dimensions and configurations for each of the versions of the business card, greeting card and post card embodiments as depicted in FIGS. 29- 36 will now be discussed. Irrespective of which vendor Fasson or Moore) is used, the liner sheet 844 and adhesive construction 848 will preferably be the same for each of the embodiments. However, the cardstock 836 would change for the embodiments (as well as for whether the sheet construction is intended for laser or ink jet use). For ink jet use a little bit more ink absorbency is required to allow the dies to penetrate the ink and remain adhered to it In contrast, for laser printing, a plastic toner is used that is melted on the cardstock 836, so a little bit different surface treatment is needed to obtain good toner anchorage and good heat transfer through the cardstock material to actually bond the plastic to the cardstock.

For the three embodiments, the biggest difference in the cardstock 836 used is the thickness. Business cards are typically thicker and somewhat stiffer than greeting cards and post cards. For example, an average of 8.2-9.0 mils as opposed to an average of 7.4-7.6 mils. The greeting card embodiment would likely have a scored fold line 960 formed at the facestock die cutting station and incorporated in the same die. The post cards are preferably standard four by six inch size; and the additional cut lines 964 at the top and bottom are provide additional flexibility for feeding and passing the sheet construction through the printer or copier. They can also be provided for the greeting cards. Optional short side perforated lines 968 can also be provided to increase flexibility of the sheet construction.

.41 (Ni Preferred dimensions in inches (in parentheses) for construction 800, referrng to FIGS. 29A and 29B are 970a 970b 970c 970d 00 970e 970f 970g 970h 970i 970j 970k 970m and 970n For construction 804 in FIGS. 30A and 30B, they are 974a 974b 974c 974d 974e 974f IND 9 74g 974h 974i 974j 974k 9 74m 974n and 974p For construction 808 in FIGS. 31A and 311B, they are 978a 978b 978c 978d 978e 978f 978g 978h 978i 978j 978k 978m, 978n and 9'78p (13/16). For construction 812 in FIGS. 32A and 32B, they are 982a (7/16), 982b 982c (13/16), 982d 982c 982f 982g 982h (1116), 982i 982j 982k and 982m For construction 816 in FIGS. 33A and 33B, they are 986a 986b 986c (13/16), 986d (6- 986e 986f 9 8 6g 986h 986i (1116), 986j 986m 986n 986p (11) and 986q For construction 820 in FIGS. 34A and 34B3, they are 990a 990b 990c 990d 990e (13/16), 990f 990g (1116), 990h 990i 990j 990k (8- 1/2) and 990m For construction 824 in FIGS. 35A and 35B, they are 994a 994b 994c (1 994d 993e 994f 994g 994h 994i 994j (5/8)9 994k 994m 994n 994p (1/16), 994q 994r 994s and 994t For construction 828 in FIGS.

36A and 36B, they are 998a 998b (1116), 998c 998d 998e 998f 998g 998h 998i 998k 998m 998n 998p 998q 998r 998s and 998t (11).

Instead of providing the full paper liner laminated to the cardstock, die cutting it and removing the waste strips, an alternative manufacturing method of this invention will now be described. A cardstock web (which does not have a paper liner laminated thereto) is unwound from a roll and indicia printed thereon.

Cross-direction lines are die cut therethrough, and then individual paper strips are laminated (with ultraremovable adhesive) to the cardstock web at the desired F4'-- 0 locations. The next step is to machine-direction die cut the web. Calendering of the edge of the web can be done right before the printing step or immediately 00 before the machine-direction die cutting step. After the machine-direction die cutting step, the web is sheeted, and the sheets are stacked, packaged, boxed and distributed.

SFrom the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that there are a O number of changes, adaptations and modifications of the present invention which come within the province of those skilled in the art. For example, the printed 0 media instead of being business cards can be post cards, mini-folded cards, tent cards or photo frames. However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof.

Claims (37)

1. 4-3 THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: S1. A sheet of printable media, comprising: a facestock sheet construction; 00oO O liner material releasably secured to the facestock sheet construction; facestock cut lines through the facestock sheet construction; the facestock cut lines defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable Itt media; and 0after the sheet has been fed into a printer or copier for a printing operation on the printable media, the media is removable therefrom into individual printed media. 2. A method for forming a sheet of printable media, comprising the steps of: forming a facestock sheet construction having a liner material releasably secured to the facestock sheet construction; forming facestock cut lines through the facestock sheet construction; where, after the sheet has been fed into a printer or copier for a printing operation on the printable media, the media is removable therefrom into individual printed media. 3. A method of forming printable media, comprising: providing a laminate cardstock including a liner sheet including a paper sheet and ultraremovable adhesive on the sheet, and a cardstock sheet adhered to the ultraremovable adhesive; cutting through the cardstock sheet to the paper sheet to form cardstock cut lines defining at least in part perimeters of printable media; and cutting through an outer face of the liner sheet to form liner-sheet cut lines defining a plurality of liner sheet strips on a back side of the laminate cardstock. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the liner sheet includes an adhesive-receptive coating on the paper sheet, and the ultraremovable adhesive is on the coating. The method of claim 3 wherein some of the liner sheet strips define waste strips, and further comprising removing the waste strips from the cardstock sheet.
2. 6. The method of claim 3 further comprising calendering an infeed end of the laminate cardstock.
3. 7. A method of forming a sheet of printable media, comprising: providing a roll of a web of laminate sheet construction comprising a liner sheet adhered to a cardstock sheet; unwinding at least a portion of the web from the roll; 4-4- die cutting the cardstock sheet of the unwound web without cutting the liner Ssheet to form outline perimeters of printable media; o die cutting the liner sheet of the unwound web without cutting the facestock O sheet to form liner strips and liner waste strips; after removing the liner waste strips from the web; and after and sheeting the web into sheets. l t 8. The method of claim 7 further comprising after calendering an edge of the Sunwound web.
4. 9. The method of claim 7 wherein the web is a dual-web, and includes cutting the dual-web into two single lengthwise side-by-side webs. c
5. 10. The method of claim 7 further comprising forming a scored fold line in the cardstock sheet.
6. 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the forming is at the same time as the cardstock sheet die cutting.
7. 12. The method of claim 7 further comprising before printing indicia on the cardstock sheet.
8. 13. The method of claim 7 wherein includes providing a roll of the cardstock sheet, unwinding the cardstock sheet roll, laminating the liner sheet to the unwound cardstock sheet to form the web laminate sheet construction and winding the web to form the web roll.
9. 14. The method of claim 7 wherein the liner sheet includes a paper sheet with ultraremovable adhesive. 13. A method of forming a printable media sheet construction, comprising: providing a sheet construction including a liner sheet and a facestock sheet; +6 cutting the facestock sheet without cutting the liner sheet to form Sprintable media; oO 0 cutting the liner sheet without cutting the facestock sheet to form a plurality of spaced liner strips on the facestock sheet and liner waste strips between the spaced liner strips; and after removing the liner waste strips from off of the facestock Ssheet. 1, 6 The method of claim 15 wherein includes the sheet I 0 construction being provided as a web, and further comprising after sheeting the web into sheets.
10. 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the removing includes pulling the liner waste strips on to a rotating cylinder. The method of claim 17 wherein the pulling includes extracting the liner waste strips using a blower system.
11. 19. The method of claim 15 wherein the media are business cards, greeting cards or postcards. 210 The method of claim I wherein the liner sheet is a paper liner sheet adhered to the facestock sheet with ultraremovable adhesive. -2 2-1. The method of claim 15 further comprising calendering an infeed end of the sheet construction.
12. 22.. The method of claim 5 further comprising before and printing indicia on the facestock sheet. 4- A printable card sheet construction, comprising: Sa cardstock sheet, the sheet having cut-lines defining a plurality of 00 0 printable media, the sheet having a front face and an opposite rear face; and a plurality of liner strips, each of the liner strips including a paper strip, an adhesive-receptive coating on the strip, and ultraremovable t adhesive on the coating, each of the paper strips being attached to the rear face of the cardstock sheet with the adhesive ana over a separate one of the cut-lines, the liner strips holding the printable media together as a unit for passing through a 0 printer or copier for a printing operatipn on the cardstock sheet.
13. 24-. The construction of claim 23 further comprising an ink jet color- optimized coating on the front fact of the cardstock sheet. The construction of claim 2.3 wherein the cardstock sheet includes I 5 a laser color-optimized coating on the front face. 2U. The construCtion of claimZ3 wherein the cardstock sheet includes an adhesive receptive coating on the rear face. 2. The construction of claim 23 wherein an infeed end of the cardstock sheet is calendered.
14. 28. The construction of claim27 wherein the paper strip closest to the infeed end is caleildered. 2-S 24. The construction of claim 23 wherein the paper strip closest to an infeed end ofthe cardstock sheet is parallel to and spaced approximately a quarter of an inch iward from an infeed edge of the cardstock sheet at the infeed end. 0 0. The construction of claim 23 wherein the cardstock sheet includes Ca cardstock, a printer-receptive coat on a front of the cardstock, and an adhesive- 00 0 receptive coat on a back of the cardstock.
15. 31. The construction of claim 3b wherein the front coat is approximately 1.0 mil thick, the cardstock is approximately 7.0-9.2 mils thick, Sthe back coat is approximately 0.1 mil thick, the ultraremovable adhesive is approximately .20-.25 mil thick, the adhesive-receptive coat is approximately .1- mil thick, and the paper strip is approxjmately 2.8-4.0 mils thick. S2-. A method of formingptinted media, comprising: providing a printable media sheet construction including a facestock sheet having through-cut lines separating the sheet into a plurality of printable media and a plurality of paper strips attached with ultraremovable I 5 adhesive to a back face of the facestock sheet and over at least some of the through-cut lines and thereby holding the printable media together; separately feeding the printable media sheet construction off a stack of same via an automatic feed tray into a printer or copier and thereby conducting a printing operation on the printable media; and after the printing operation, separating the printed printable media from the paper strips off of the ultraremovable adhesive.
16. 33. The method of claim 32 wherein the sheet construction includes a calendered edge, ind the feeding is conducted calendered edge first. 34 The method of claim 32- wherein the printable media sheet construction includes the printable media including at least one scored fold line, and after the printing operating folding the printed media on the fold line. t"--8
17. 36. The method of claim32. wherein the facestock sheet includes an T infeed edge, the paper strip closest to the infeed ed4e is generally parallel to the 00 infeed edge and is spaced approximately one-quarter inch from the infeed edge, and the feeding step includes feeding the printable media sheet construction infeed edge first into the printer or copier. S36. The method of claim32 wherein the printing operation defines a first printing operation on a first side of the printable media, and further 0 comprising a second printing operation, before the separating, in the printer or copier on an opposite second side of the printable media.
18. 37. A method of forming a printable media sheet construction, comprising: providing a cardstpck web; I cutting cross-direction lines through the web; after laminating a plurality of paper strips to the web; and after cuttipg machine-direction lines through the web. The method of claim 37 further comprising before printing indicia on the web. 3C The nethod of claim 37 further comprising calendering an edge of the web. .2.b O0. The method of claim3'i wherein the calendering is before (b) 4 I. The method of claim 3f wherein the calendering is after and before O4
19. 42. The method of claim 37 /yherein the laminating uses |i ultraremovable adhesive. 00 O t3. The method of claim 37 further comprising after sheeting the web into sheets. \O In SLt- The method of claim 37 Wherein the cross-direction lines and the machine-direction lines divide the cardstock into individual printable cards. o0 4 A sheet of printable mrtedia, comprising: a facestock sheet having first and second sides; an adhesive layer on said second side; a film secured on said adhesive layer; said facestock sheet, said adhesive layer and said film forming a laminate facestock; a liner sheet having one face and an opposite outer face, said one face being secured on said film; facestock cut lines on said first side and extending through said laminate facestock and to said liner sheet, and defining at least in part edges of printable media; and liner-sheet cut lines on said outer face, extending through said liner sheet and to said lamiAate facestock, and defining liner sheet strips on said laminate facestock. 2 1 4 The sheet of claim H wherein a strip of said laminate facestock at an edge ofhaid laminate facestock is removed to expose a strip of said liner sheet. r 1. The sheet of claim 4-6 wherein said strip of said liner sheet defines an infded edge for feeding the sheet of printable media into a vertical feed ink jet 0 printer. 00 The sheet of claim wherein said strip of said liner sheet is 00 approximately 1/2 inch wide. \41. The sheet of claim i6 wherein oie of said facestock cut lines n 5 defines an edge of said strip of said liner sheet. The sheet of claim 46 whereip said strip of said liner sheet covers Sat least one of said facestock cut lines. 6 The sheet of claim 45 vherein said facestock sheet is a glossy cardstock. The sheet of claim 45 wherein at least some of said liner sheet strips are on and cover at least some of said facestock cut lines to hold at least in I part said laminate facestock together during a printing operation on said first side by a printer or copier. S3. The sheet of claim 52 wherein alternating ones of said liner sheet strips are removed from said laminate facestock before the printing operation. 64 The sheet of claim 5; wherein the printable media comprise business cards. 56 The sheet of claim 4 wherein said liner sheet strips extend across 2- the width ofsaid laminate facestock, parallel to one another. b. The sheet of claim 45 wherein at least some of said strips are along and ovs'r at least some of said facestock cut lines
20. 57. The sheet of claim 45 wherein said line'r-sheet cut lines extend at San angle on said laminate facestock. 00 O0 6 The sheet of claim 46 wherein said facestock cut lines define a Swaste border portion of said laminate facestock durrounding said printable media. S, The sheet of claim 45 wherein a lead-in edge of the sheet is calendered to improve feed of the sheet into the printer or copier. bO. The sheet of claim 4G wherein none of said strips of said liner sheet is removed from said laminate facestock before the sheet is fed into a printer or copier for a printing operation on said first side. 61 The sheet of cldirn wherein an infeed edge of the sheet is thinner than the body of the sheet. b2 The sheet of claim 4 wherein said adhesive layer comprises a hot melt adhesive, said film is a low density polyethylene film, said liner sheet is a densified kraft liner shyet, and said facestock sheet is an uncoated dry tag sheet. 3. The,/heet of claim 2- wherein said hot melt adhesive layer is approximately .6 mil thick, said low density polyethylene film is approximately .8 mil thick, said densified kraft liner sheet is approximately 3.0 mil thick and said uncoated iry tag sheet is approximately 9.0 mil thick. S9t The sheet of claim 46 wherein said strips include strips of a first width and strips of a second width which is different than the first width. 6. The sheet of claim 4 further comprising a leading-edge cut line on said outer face, through said liner sheet and to said laminate facestock, said C leading-edge cut line being disposed about 1/8 to 3/8 inch away from a lead edge Sof the sheet and extending parallel to the lead edge from one side edge of the 00 0 sheet to the other, said leading-edge cut line providing flexibility to a lead end of the sheet for feeding the sheet into a printer or copier or transport therethrough. bb. The sheet of claim b5 wherein said laminate facestock at a lead Send of the sheet is calendered. The sheet of claim 6 wherein said leading-edge cut line is parallel to said liner-sheet cut lines. bg The sheet of claim 4- wherein each of said liner sheet strips extends the full width of said laminate facestock. I 4G The sheet of claim '9wherein at least some but not all of said strips are removed from said laminate facestock before said laminate facestock is fed into a printer for a printing operation on said printable media. _7c? The sheet of claim wherein said removed strips comprise alternate ones of said strips'. 7 The sheet of claim 4- wherein at least some of said liner sheet strips extend only part way across said laminate facestock and are removed from said laminate facestock before the sheet is fed into a printer or copier for a 2 S printing operation on said first side. 7 2. The sheet of claim 71 wherein said at least some of said liner sheet strips include a plurality of pairs of said strips, each pair including a first said strip on 4 left side of said laminate facestock and a second said strip directly 0 ,.53 C opposite on a right side of said laminate facestock wi* a central liner strip 0 0 therebetween.
21. 73. A sheet of printable media, comprising: a facestock sheet having a front side, a back side, a pair of side edges and first and second end edges; cut lines through said facestock sheet 4nd defining printable media, said 0 c ut lines including a first end cut line proximate to and parallel to said first edge, a second end cut line proximate to and ptaallel to said second edge, and central cut lines disposed between and parallel to said first and second end cut lines; and a plurality of liner strips releasably attached to said back side, said liner strips including a first end liner strip; said first end liner strip covdring said first end cut line, extending to both of said first and second side edges and extending to and along said first edge; I 3 said first end liner strip ihcluding a first flexibility cut line extending'a full length of said first end liner strip; and said first flexibility cut line being disposed between said first edge and said first cut line and dividing said first end liner strip into two parts.
22. 74. The shlet of claim 73 wherein said facestock sheet is a glossy cardstock. The sheet of claim 73 wherein said liner strips include a second end liner strip, said second end liner strip covering said second end cut line, 2 extending to both of said first and second side edges and extending to and along said second edge, said second end line strip including a second flexibility cut line extending a full length of said second end liner strip, and said second flexibility cut lini being disposed between said second edge and said second cut line and dividing said second end liner strip into two parts. The sheet of claim 73 wherein said liner strips are bonded to said 1 back side without adhesive. 00 '77. A sheet of printable media, comprising: S a facestock sheet having a front side, a back side, a pair of side edges, and Sa pair of end edges; Scut lines through said facestock sheet; r- said cut lines including frame cut lines and trid cut lines; said frame cut lines including a pair of side cut lines spaced in from respective said side edges and parallel thereto and a pair of end cut lines spaced in from respective said end edges, both of said end cut lines engaging both of said side cut lines, and none of said side and edtl cut lines engaging any of said sheet edges; said frame cut lines separating s4id facesheet stock into a central area and I S a frame encircling said central area; said grid cut lines defining a/grid disposed in said central area; said grid cut lines and said frame cut lines separating said central area into a plurality of rectangular printable cards; and a plurality of liner strips releasably secured to said back side parallel to one another; said liner strips incuding first strips and second strips; said first strips including end first strips and central first strips; said end first strips covering both of said end cut lines; said central first strips covering all of respective said cut lines of said grid cut lines parallel to said end cut lines; said second strips being positioned between and parallel to said first strips; and each of said second strips at both ends thereof extending beyond said side cut lines.
23. 78. The sheet of claim 77 wherein said first strips /define wide strips C and said second strips define thin strips having thinner widths than said wide 00 Sstrips. The sheet of claim 7, wherein one of sai/d end wide strips extends out beyond an edge of said facestock sheet and along Said edge to define a printer infeed end of the sheet. S'0O. The sheet of claim 71 wherein the sheet includes an opposite end opposite to said printer infeed end, and said facestock sheet is calendered along said opposite end. SI. The sheet of claim SO w)erein said printer infeed end defines a printer infeed end for feeding the sheet into a vertical feed printer and said opposite end defines a printer infeed end for feeding the sheet into a horizontal feed printer. 1L. The sheet of claim 7' wherein said one of said end wide strips extends out about 1/2 inch alng said edge. g3. The sheet df claim 7' wherein said one of said end wide strips covers one of said frame cut lines on a back side of said facestock sheet. The sheet of claim 1' wherein said facestock sheet has on said front side a first oalendered end between one said edge and said end cut line closest thereto add a second calendered end between the other said edge and the other said end cut line. S6. The sheet of claim 79 wherein said facestock sheet is a glossy ;0 cardstock F'--b *The sheet of claim 7 wherein both ends of sad thin strips and of 00 said central wide strips are spaced a distance inwardly from adjacent said side edges. S 87 S 87. The sheet of claim G wherein both en of both of said end wide strips engage respective said side edges. gg. The sheet of claim 7. wherein said thin strips are each approximately 1/4 inch wide and said wide strips are each approximately 3/4 inch wide. i. The sheet of claim 7 wherein said facestock sheet comprises a dry tag sheet. I 6 0, The sheet of claim 7? wherein said liner strips comprise densified bleached kraft liner strips. S1 The sheet of clajh 7? wherein both of said end wide strips include flexibility cut lines extending therethrough and to but not into said back side, each of said flexibility cut 'lines being positioned between an adjacent said end edge and an adjacent said end cut line and dividing its said end wide strip into two adjacent parallel strps. 9 2. The dheet of claim 7 wherein each said liner strip is spaced a distance from adjacent said liner strips, two of said thin strips are positioned between each pair of said wide strips, and each of said thin wide strips and said central wide stfips has rounded comers. A sheet of printable media, comprising: 1j Sa dry laminate facestock including a facestock sheed having first and Ssecond sides, an adhesive layer on said second side, and/ a film layer on 00 said adhesive layer; facestock cut lines on said first side, through said laminate facestock and defining at least in part perimeter edges of printable medya; and tI liner strips adhered to a back side of said film layer, and engaging at least in part said facestock cut lines to thereby hold the prinitable media together as said laminate facestock is fed into and passed throuh a printer or copier and a printing operation is performed on the printable nledia to form printed media. S The sheet of claim q3 wherein bne of said liner strips is positioned along an edge of said laminate facestodk and extends out therefrom and therealong. 1 The sheet of claim 1 t Wherein said one of said liner strips defines a thin infeed edge of the sheet of printable media for feeding the sheet into a vertical feed printer. qb. The sheet of claim 95 wherein an edge of said laminate facestock opposite to said infeed edge i4 calendered to define an infeed edge of the sheet of printable media for feeding pie sheet into a horizontal feed printer. 7. The sheet/of claim q- wherein said one of said liner strips extends out from said edge apptoximately 1/2 inch. i The sheet of claim '3 wherein said facestock sheet is a glossy cardstock. 11 The sheet of claim q3 wherein the printed media are cleanly separable fvbm said liner strips and from each other to define a plurality of individual printed media, each of the individual printed media is a printed business card, and said facestock cut lines define a waste border portion of said laminate facestock which encircles said printable media. Ic The sheet of claim 13 wherein said liner strips are generally parallel to each other and spaced a distance apar from neighboring said liner strips. 1 0 1 The sheet of claim 13 whereinlaid liner strips are positioned at an (0 angle on the back side of said laminate facestock. io2. The sheet of claim '1 w)Ierein each of said liner strips has wavy curving side edges. I 5 1o3. The sheet of claim (3 wherein said liner strips are immediately adjacent one another along their side edges and together cover the entirety of said back side of said laminate facesock. i CO-. The sheet of claim q3 wherein said laminate facestock is calendered along a leading edge thereof. I The shget of claim 93 wherein said facestock cut lines define a grid of lines including parallel first cut lines and parallel second cut lines perpendicular to said first cut lines, some of said liner strips cover said second cut 2. lines and other of said liner strips are disposed between adjacent ones of said second cut line, and cross over said first cut lines. 1 0( A multi-layer sheet construction, comprising: a face sheet; and (N a backing sheet adhered to said face sheet to form a multi-layer sheet Shaving a first edge and an opposite second edge; 0 said backing sheet extending out a distance past said face sheet along said first edge whereby said first edge defines an infeed edge for feeding said multi- layer sheet construction into a horizontal feed printer; afd IN said multi-layer sheet is calendered along said second edge whereby said second edge defines an infeed edge for feeding said .hulti-layer sheet construction into a vertical feed printer. (0 (07. The construction of claim 10b further comprising face-sheet cut lines on a front side of said face sheet, extending therethrough to said backing sheet, and defining at least in part edges ofprintable media adapted to be printed on by the horizontal feed printer or the vertical feed printer, and wherein said backing sheet along said first edge covers at least one of said face-sheet cut lines. S The construction of claim 107 further comprising a layer of adhesive positioned between said-face sheet and said backing sheet. The constructidn of claim 107 wherein said face sheet includes on a back surface thereof a layer of adhesive and a film layer on said layer of adhesive. I IC. The coqstruction of claim (07 further comprising an adhesive layer on a back sid 9 of said face sheet and a film layer on said adhesive layer, wherein said face .heet is a facestock sheet, wherein said facestock sheet, said adhesive layer and said film layer define a dry laminate facestock, and wherein said backing sheet is a liner sheet. I\ The construction of claim 110 further comprising facestock cut lines on a front side of said laminate facestock and extending through said 06 laminate facestock and to said liner sheet, and defining at least in part edges of Sprintable media adapted to be printed on by the horizontal feed printer or the 00 vertical feed printer. O S6 11 The construction of claim III further comprising liner-sheet cut IN lines on an outer face of said liner sheet, extending through said liner sheet and to said laminate facestock, and defining liner sheet strips oh said laminate facestock.
24. 113. The construction of claim IlL wherein at least a substantial number of alternating ones of said strips are removed from said laminate facestock before the multi-layer sheet constru9tion is fed into the horizontal feed printer or the vertical feed printer. II-. The construction ofclairq Ill wherein said printable media after a 5 printing operation thereon in the horizontal feed printer or the vertical feed printer and the separation from the rest of the multi-layer sheet construction define printed business cards. 1 5 The construction of claim IlI wherein said adhesive layer is a hot melt adhesive layer, said film is a low density polyethylene film, said liner sheet is a densified bleached kraft liner sheet, and said facestock sheet is an uncoated dry tag sheet. I I7. The construction of claim II1 wherein said facestock sheet 2- 5 comprises a glossy cardstock. 117 A method of forming printable media, comprising the steps of: providing a laminate sheet construction comprising a film-coated liner sheet having a film layer on a liner sheet and a facestock sheet adhered with 0 an adhesive layer to the film layer of the film-coated liner sheet; the facestock sheet, the film layer and the adhesive layer together forming a laminate facestock; 00 cutting through the laminate facestock to the liner sheet to form facestock cut lines defining at least in part perimeters of printable media; And cutting through an outer face of the liner sheet to form liner-sheet cut lines I defining a plurality of liner sheet strips on a back side of th laminate facestock. 11g The method of claim 117 further comprising removing an end strip of the laminate facestock to expose a top surface of a strip of an end one of the S0 liner sheet strips, the exposed strip defining a prtiter infeed end of the laminate sheet construction. 0 The method of claim 11 vg werein the printer infeed end defines a first printer infeed end, and further comprising calendering an end of the laminate sheet construction opposite to the exposed strip to define a second printer infeed end of the laminate sheet constructiol. I 2.0. The method of laim II 9 further comprising feeding the laminate sheet construction via the first printer infeed end into a vertical feed ink jet printer. I L2-. The method of claim I If further comprising feeding the laminate sheet construction via the second printer infeed end into a horizontal feed ink jet printer. zS I 2. The method of claim I I wherein said removing step is before said liner sheet cutting step. i 2 1. The method of claim I I fwherein said removing step is after said 3 0 liner'sheet cutting step. o )7 S12-4. The method of claim I17 further comprising remdving some of the 00 strips from the laminate facestock before feeding the laminote facestock into a printer or copier for a printing operation thereon. IN 5 12 The method of claim 124 wherein said removing includes peeling said some of the strips off of the film layer. S12,. The method of claim 12 wherein the strips remaining on the laminate facestock after said removing step cover at least a substantial proportion I 0 of the facestock cut lines.
25. 127. The method of claim wherein said removing includes removing alternate ones of the strips. The method of clairi 11 7 further comprising feeding the laminate facestock through a printer or qopier for a printing operation on the facestock sheet to print on the printable pledia and thereby form printed media. S2,. The method of claim 122 further comprising after the printing operation, removing the printed media from the strips. T0 The hethod of claim 12 l wherein said removing step includes peeling the printed media off of the strips. 2~ The method of claim 13o wherein the removed printed media comprise individual, printed clean edge business cards. 2T
26. 132. The method of claim wherein said feeding step includes Sautomatically individually feeding the laminate facestock in a staok of same from 0 an automatic feed tray of the printer and into the printer. 13. The method of claim 117 wherein the liner-sheet strips extend NI diagonally on the back of the laminate facestock,
27. 134. The method of claim 117, wherein the liner-sheet cut lines have a Swavy curved shape across the back of the laminate facestock. The method of claim 117 wherein said liner-sheet cut lines cutting step is after said facestock cut lines cutting step. i 3 The method of claim 135fherein said laminate sheet construction I 5 providing step includes cutting the laminate sheet construction off of a web of laminate sheet construction material. 137 The method of clAim 117 wherein said facestock cut lines define the entire perimeters of all of the printable media. I 3 The method of claim 117 wherein said cutting steps both comprise die cutting, I gel The method of claim 117 wherein said cutting steps both comprise 2. laser cutting. 1 O The method of claim (,1t wherein the liner sheet comprises a densified bleached kraft paper liner sheet, and the film layer comprises a low density polyethylene layer which is extrusion coated on the densified bleached 3 O kraft paper liner sheet. 19-e. The method of claim l-7 wherein the adhesive layer comprises Shot melt pressure sensitive adhesive, and the facestock sheet is Jlminated with the O adhesive layer to the film layer of the film-coated liner sheet. D 5 The method of claim 117- wherein the laminate sheet construction is provided in a roll, and further comprising before said cutting steps, loading the C roll onto a press with the liner sheet side up. N
28. 143. The method of claim 14- )wherei said facestock cut lines cutting 1 0 step comprises after said loading step, die cuttitig the laminate sheet construction from the bottom up, and wherein said liner-sheet cut lines cutting step comprises die cutting the laminate sheet construction from the top down. I The method of claim III further comprising calendering a lead-in I edge of the laminate sheet construction. I q. The method of cl.im 144 wherein said calendering step is before both of said cutting steps. 14L The method of claim I Lt4wherein said calendering stop includes calendering both a lead-in edge of the liner sheet and of the facestock sheet. 14-1. The thethod of claim 117 further comprising after both of said cutting steps, feeding the laminate facestock into an ink jet printer for a printing 2 5 operation on the facestock sheet and thereby forming a sheet of printed media. The method of claim 117 wherein at least one of said cutting steps includes lAser cutting. t- o 14- 1 A method of forming sheets of printable media, comrising the steps of: S(a) providing a roll of a web of dry laminate sheet construction O comprising a liner sheet on a facestock sheet; unwinding the web from the roll; I\ calendering an edge of the unwound web; die cutting the facestock sheet of the unwound web without cutting the liner sheet to form outline perimeters of printable media;, die cutting the liner sheet of the unwound web without cutting the CI I 0 facestock sheet to form liner strips; after step removing at least some but not all of the liner strips from the web; and after steps and sheeting the web into sheets. 1 6 I6o. The method of claim I' further comprising removing an end strip of the facestock sheet to expose a top surface of a strip of the liner sheet. 161 The method of claim 60 wherein the exposed liner sheet strip is opposite to the calendered edge. 152 The method of claim IS/ further comprising feeding the sheet with the exposed liner sheet strip first into a vertical feed printer. 1 3. The mehod of claim 151 further comprising feeding the sheet with the calendered e4ge first into a horizontal feed printer. 1s 4 The method of claim 10' wherein step is before steps and 16S. The method of claim 164 wherein step is before step o I 5. The method of claim li wherein step is after stips and 00 o
29. 151. The method of claim PA wherein the removed liner strips of step form a waste liner matrix from the web, and step includes winding the I 5 waste liner matrix on a roll. tIg The method of claim further comprising after step stacking the sheets in a stack and packaging the stackAn a package. I1 The method of claim 14 further comprising after step and before step printing indicia on the facestock Sheet. I 6Q. The method of claim l6 9 q herein the indicia includes product code indicia and manufacturer indicia. I b The method of claim I.9 wherein said printing step is before steps and Ib The method of claim 1(6 wherein said printing step is with the 2 0 facestock sheet facing up and 'he liner sheet facing down, and after said printing step, turning the web so that the liner sheet is facing up. I 63 The methbd of claim 14' wherein steps and are with the web disposed with the liner sheet facing up and the facestock sheet 2- facing down. Sb A method of forming a printable media sheet construction, comprising the Ieps of: 0' providing a sheet construction including a liner sheet and a facestock sheet; S(b) cutting the facestock sheet without cutting the liner sheet to form 00 Sprintable media; S(c) cutting the liner sheet without cutting the facestbck sheet to form a I plurality of spaced liner strips on the facestock sheet and a web of interconnected liner waste strips between the spaced liner strips; and after step removing the web as a single unit from off of the 0 facestock sheet. I The method of claim I1t4 further oomprising removing an end strip of the facestock sheet to expose a printer infeed end strip of the liner sheet. I The method of claim 6 wherein step is after steps and Ib The method of claim I b wherein step is before steps and 1 0 The method of claim IG further comprising calendering an edge of the facestock sheet opposite to the end strip of the liner sheet. I The method jf claim 1q. wherein step includes winding the web on a roll. 2 S 170. The majhod of claim /b4 wherein step is after step 1 71 Thb method of claim (fb4 further comprising calendering opposite ends of the sheet construction. t
30. 172.. A method of forming a printable media sheeq construction, comprising the steps of: providing a multi-layer sheet including a face sheet and a backing Ssheet adhered to the face sheet, the multi-layer sheet having a first edge and an opposite second edge; ND removing an end strip of the face sheet to expose an end strip of the backing sheet along the first edge, the exposed end strip defining a first infeed end of the multi-layer sheet for feeding the multi-layer sheet into a vertical feed Sprinter; and S0 calendering the opposite second edge to define a second infeed end of the multi-layer sheet for feeding the multi-4hyer sheet into a horizontal feed printer. 173 The method of claim 172 wherein the multi-layer sheet comprises I/ a vinyl cast on casting sheet. 1 The method of claim /72 wherein the multi-layer sheet comprises a coextrusion of polymers.
31. 175. The method of cfaim (72 further comprising step feeding the multi-layer sheet into a printer and conducting a printing operation on the face sheet. 17 The method of claim 176 wherein step includes the printer 2. 6 being the vertical feed printer and feeding the multi-layer sheet via the first infeed end into vertical feed, printer.
32. 177. T1e method of claim 176 wherein said feeding comprises automatic stack feeding of the multi-layer sheets. O S1 78. The method of claim t75 wherein step includes the printer being the horizontal feed printer and feeding the multi-layer shee, via the second infeed end into the horizontal feed printer. 00 1797 The method of claim 17' wherein said feeding comprises \0 automatic stack feeding of multi-layer sheets. SI The method of claim 172 further compriing step forming face- sheet cut lines in the face sheet and to but not intoAhe backing sheet to define C 10 printable media. I l. The method of claim 10 whereia step includes removing the strip along one of the face-sheet cut lines. 1 The method of claim i72/ wherein the face sheet includes a facestock sheet, an adhesive layer on a back side of the facestock sheet and a film layer on the adhesive layer, and the face sheet, the adhesive layer and the film layer thereby defining a dry laminate facestock. I S The method of cla4 172 wherein step is before step l<4. The method oflaim 172 wherein step is before step c-I +0 I~6.The method of claim 3 wherein the liner-sheet cut lines are offset from 00 and not coincident width the cardstc cut 1incs, and backsides of d&Ioast some of the cardstock cut lines are covered with the strips to hold the printabig inedia Dogether as a Lui For passing the erdstock sheet through a printer or copier for a printing operation IN on the ptiritablc media. 186 The method of clim 13S wherein the lier-shect cut' lines are continuous die cut lines. Jo The inethod of cllaim 3 wherein thpe liatr-sheet cut lines arc continuous die cut acns.
33. 199. The mrethod of claim 3 wherein thde printable media, define a mnatrix of printable business cards comprising a plurality oif rows and colunms 1 gq, The method of claim )?ES whcrtin the business cards each comprise a singla picce.. single mnate~rial card, and the businoss cards directly abut business cards in adjacent rows and columnns separated onl by tbc cardstock cut line therebetween. 21?, The method of claim 23 wherein the liner strips are die cut on both side edges thcreof Il I The method of clAim 23 wherein the printable mnedia define a matrix of printable business cards comprising a plurality of raws and columns. 26 U i2~. The mnethod of claim Iq I whercin the business cards each comprise a single piece, sing1c, material card, and the busiess cards directly abut business cards in adjacent rows and colmons sepamatd only by the cardstock cut Jirie therebetween. ID I e 3 The n-6ethod or claim iQ6 wherein the calendered second edge k=s a parrianently-crushod reduced thicekness. The method of claim Iiwherein the laminate s~'eet construction prov.iding includes cutting the lan-inate sheet construction off of a web of laminate sheet coflstructloD matrial, tn 5 The method of clabi ill, further comprising abo'eting the laminate shecet comiLruction into a piurality of sheet9, eacli of the sheets ind1udlng a plurality of the priatable mccdia and at least one of thet liner sheet strips. The miethod of claim jli5. whcrvjzi each ot the sheets includes Tnore than one of the liner sheet strips. I The method of claim 14S wherein thie plurality of printable me~dia arc arranged on the sheet in a matrix form including aplurality of columns and rows of tho mnedia. I -MTe ruethod of claim i'7 ,kherein the printable media comprise rcctangular business cards. The method of claim j'?5 wherein the printable media comprise C2tC) rectagular business cards. 2.00. The method of claim r4S further comprising removiing En end strip of rhe laminate facestock to expose a top surface of a strip of an end one of the liaer sheet strips, the exposed strip defining a printer infeed end oflthe laminate sheet construction- -201. The method of claimn 1+J' wherein the printer infeed end-defines a first priniter infeed end,~ and furthe* comprising calendering an end of the laminate sheet construction opposite to the o~xposod strip to define a second printer infeed end of the laminate, shocet construotir 3 0 2ZGL?2. The method of claim '401I fW-ther comprising feeding the lamriniate sheet construction via the fir~l printer infeed ond into a vertical feed ink jet printer. OC) 2.03The method of claim 01fafuther comrnpising feeding t~c laminate shcet construction via the second printe= irtfccd end into a horizontal feed iik jet printer. )Ott, The method of claim Wq whcrain the removing is W~eore the liner sheet IN cuttin~g. Tht mothod. of claim ~q wherein the reinovh* is after thec Liner sheet cutting. frm The method of claim 15furither compriging removing somec of the strips frmthe lani-nate facestock before feeding the laaiinate facestock into a printer or copier for a pxintinZ operation thereon. 2.0-7.The method of claim 2Vbo wherein tb/c removing includes peeling said I some of the strips off of the film layer. ZOEThe inctd of claim.2LX' wherein' the strips remaining on. the laminate facestock after the remnoving cover at leaut a substantial proportion uf the facostock cut lIn. 2j,?qT e tnnthod of claim 2C4b kherein the removing includeBs removing glternate ones of the strips.
34. 210-The method of claim 5 iuher comprising feeding the laminarr, 2! facestocc through a printer or copier for a printing opezation on the faccstock sheet to print on the printable media and ther~by form printed fnedia. 2-1 The method of clai6~ 2 to further comprising after the printing operation, removing tie printed media fron) the strips. 2-12-The methiod o f claim wherein the remroving includes peeling the printed media off of the sttipk 2-*1 -The method of claim 2/2. wherein the removed printfd media compn.ris individual, printed clean edge business cards. 02 2J4The method of claim )-10 Wherein the feeding includes, automnatically 0niid0l fedn teiminaxe facestock in a stack of same from an, automatic feed tray of the printer and into the printer. S The method of claim 05 whereiv the liner-6eet strips extend diagonally on the back of the laminate fiacestock. SThe. method of claim /16 wherein tho liner-she( t cut lines havc: a wavy curved shape across the back of the laminate facestock. 2A-7, The mnethod of claim 06~ wherein the liacr-.sjieet cut lines cutting is afler the fbacesrook cut lines cutting.
35. 219-Tho method of claim )J17 wherein the' shecting includes cutting the IS laminate shett constIuctioa off of a web oflaminate sl~net construction material. 2V The method of claim 11 wherein the facc~stock cut lines define the entire perimeters of all of the printable media- 2.c' 2.2-0. Thc mcthod of cLaim WIS wher4i the cutting steps both comnise die cutting. 22-1, The mothod of cLaim I~wlerein the cutting steps both comprise laser cutting. 2-21. The method of claim I1wherein The liner sheet cordpriscs a densiiied ble.ached krafl paper line sheet, gnd the film layer comprises a low density polyethylene layer which is extrusiogi coated on the densified bleached kraft paper liner sheet.. 22z The method of clrin IqS Wherain the adhesive layer comprises hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive, and the faccstock sheet is laminated with1 the adhesive layer to the film layer of the filrn-coatod liner sfitut. 2/-The method of claimn III wherein the lanminate sheet construction is provided in a roll, and further compisinSg before the cutting stept, loading the roll onto a press with the liner sheet side up.
36. 226. Thb rrncthod of claimi a24 wherein the fatestock cut lines cutting comprises after the loading, die cuttig the laminate sheet c'~nstz-uctionl from tbe bottom c-iup, and wherein the liner-sheet cut lines cuftting comprj ;es die cutting ihe laminate sheet construction from the top down. 2 24Jo The mnthbod of claim j99 further comprising calendering a lead-in edge of the Laminate sheet coIIstructiOU. L2-7. The method of claim))4,2_ wherein thfe caleridering is before both of the catting steps- Is 22-9- The method of claim Z2& whereili the calendering inoludcs calcrndering both a lead-in edge of the liner sheet and of the facestock sheet. The method of claimn 11b fithcr comprising after both of the cutting steps, feeding the laminate facestock into =n inik jet printer for a prinating opcrariori on the fianestock sheer and thereby fortning a &heet of printed modia- The mnethod of claim 145 wherein at least one of the cutting steps includes [aser cutting. The method of cl4rn 06 wherein the liner sheet strips define oppositely-faeing spaced fish-shapod strips. The method of clain 164 further comprising sheeting the sheet S0coristruc Lion into a plurality of' sheets, eac-h of the sheets including a plurality of the printable medlia and at least o~ie of the liner strips. 23 The metboc* of claim 2 32 wbejen the at IQust orjc of the liner strips i nchiudes more than one of) the Liner stripa. 23'# The; method of claim 2 3 7-ftutber comprising ren~bving ani end strip of 00 the facestock shect to expose a printer inkeed end strip of the lineq sheet. The method of claim 234- wherein is after and IND 22 bTbe method of claim 2-34- wherein is beforg and The method of claim 2 3 1t furher comprisirig calerrdering -an edge of the facesiock sheet opposite to the end strip of the liner shotst. Cl The method of claim 232 wherein includes winding the web on a The method of claim) -32 wherein (ch is aftcr 2_4D The method of claim 12-_2 tirthef comnprsing calendzrina opposite ends of the sheet constLru ction. )4i .The method of claim 2321wlhejn the pluralty of printable media jaxe 2-9 aiitanged on the shcot in a matrix form incluAing a pluralitry of columns and rows of the media- 2- z2. The mothod of claim 2-32. wherein the printable mnediLa comprise rectarigular business cards. 2-43. The method of claitn *2Lf2 wherein the printable media comprise rectangular business cards. The method of .zhin Lwherein dt liner shact strips define ?O oppositely- acing spaced fish-sb,~pcd strips. 2_4 S A method of fo'xming printable media, comprising: providing a lamn-uale iheet constunion comprising a film-coated liner sheet having a film layer on a lia~er sheet and a facestock sheet adhered with an adhesive Slayer to the filmi layer of Ahe fitin-coated liner shett; the face-stock sheet, the flm layer anid the adhesivre layt,-r h9gether forming a laminate faitesrock; c-7 cutting through the larriinate facestock to the liner sheet to form facestock cut 00 lines defining at least in part perimeters of printable media; cutting through an outer face of the liner sheet to formi lincr-sheet cut lines defining a plttraliry of liner sheet strips on a back side of thr laminate facestock; and tn 5 wlier(~ia the printable mnedia comprise a plurality of re.6tangubar business cards arranged in a matrix including a plurality of colunms and plurality of rows of thfe cards. 2.4. The maethod of claiw I&A- wherein the Pfintable media comprise a plurality of -rectangular busimes cards arraged in a mnatrix which includes a p lurality of rows and a plurality of columns of the cards. 24-7.The method of claim.3 fafthcr comprihing removing some of tile strips from the lamninate facestock before feeding the Iaurninate facestock into a printer or Scopi er for a printing operation thercon. 9-4. The aiethod of claim2Z47 whercift the strips remaining on the laminate faces-tock aftor the rernoving covcz- at least a si.ostantial proportion of thr, fazestock cut lincs during the prninmg opcration- 2- 4 eiThe miethod vF claim 24 ?wherein the removing includes removing alternate ones of the strips and the rcmainiig strips remaining on the laminate facestock during the printing operation. 2. 2.v A sheet of printable xnedia, comprising-, a dry lamninate faccestock inoluling a facestock sheel having first and scwnd sides, an adhesive layer on the second side, a filmn layer on thc adhesive layer and a i. ncr she'et ou a backside of thc film layer but not on a narrow strip along. a leadinig edgc of the facestock sbetA; and 3 0 facestock cut lines on tbh first side, through the lamninate facestock but not the liner sheet and def Ining at least a rx pan perimeter edges of printable nmeda 2Sf. The sheet of claim' 2 .St0wherein the narrow strip is approximately one- quarter inch wide.
37. 2162. The shect of claim 2-5 0 wherein the printable rneia comprise business eards. 2 ~3.The shoet of claiim 250 wherein the printabletnedia comnprise a inatrix block of business cards surrounded by a waste facestock sheq porimcter, jo 2-cS4 The shect of claim 260 wherein the narrow $trip is 8-1/2 inches long. The shect of claim 260 wherein the flarzvow strip defines a Iirst narrow strip, anid the liner ahcet also not being on a second narrow strip on an ead edge of the facestock sheet oppositc to the leading edge. 2 g A sheet of Printable media, comnprisi~g: a facos-tock sheet-, a hiir sheet onl tht backside of the facattock sheet but not on a narrow strip along a leading edge of the facestock sheet; 2 adhesive adhering the liner sheet to the factstock sheet;' and facestock cut lines through the facest~ok but not the liner sheet and defining at le=s in part perimeter edges of printable media. 'Z G 7. The sheet of claim 2N6. wherein the narrow strip defines a first narow strip, and the liner sheet is also not on a second narrow strip on an end edge of the faccstock sheet oppositc to the leading o'dge. 2G8- The shcet of claim 5 whorein the facestock cut lies~ are die tcou liaes. 310 The shect of claim 2 bL whrein the printable media comprise an array of bu-siness cards. 26o0. The sheet of claizn2s(, wherein the faceock sheet comprises a paper 00 cardstock. A method Of foxming printable media, romprising: providing Ia lawninatt, cardstock including a liner aheet iticluding a paper sheet and ultrarernovable adhesive on the paper shett, anid a cardstock sheei adhered to the ultrarmoavable adhesive, cuttixig through the carcistock shee to tpapter sheet to form cardstock cut lines defining at least in part perimeters of printable tedia; to cutting through an outer fhce: of the liner sheet to fQrm a Linaer-sheet cut line, de±firciig a leading edge liner-sheet waste. strip on tho back side of the laminate cardstock along a loading edge thereof; and removing the waste strip from the back side. 22- The method of claim 2.L wherein the printable media comprise business cards. 21 6- The method of clart 26/ wharein the cutting steps both comprise die curting. 2-64, The inethod, ofctaim)-& I wherein the waste strip is outboard of all of the carcistock cut lines. 21,6 A method of'fomiing a sheet of printable media, comrnpising- 2 5 providing ;y roll of a web of lamjiate sheet construction including a liner sheet adhered to a cardsttck sheet; uuwindinig at least a portion of the web froz the roll; die cur~tng the cardstoclk sheet of the unwound web without cutting the lincr sheet to form uixt ine perizncters of printable media; dic Vtuaing the Iintur sheet of the unwound web without cuffing the (acestoeck shetet to tin a leading cidge lizier-shoet waste strip; atler rumroviiig the liner wast: strip frona the web: axxd OC)(f) after and sheetinig the web into sheets. 2J~b. The method of claim )-6bS wherein ineludes die q9ting the liner sheet without c;Utt~inZ thce facostock sheet to form a trailing cdge linar./sbeet wiaste stiand includcs removing the trailing edge lincr-sheet waste strip frdmr the web. A printing method, comprising: providin a sheet of printable mnedia the sheet including a facestock shoet, a linr slcet on the backside of the 1 0 facestock aheet but not on a nairow strip along a leadinig edge of the faccstock sheet; adhesive adhering the liner sheet to the facesTock sheet, and facestock cut lines through the facestock sheet but not the liner sheet and deflniug at lIat in part perimeter edges of printable mnedia; and feeding the sheet leading edge first into a priiiter and thcreby printing indicia on IS the printable media. 169. The method of claim .261 furthez comprising after the printing, peelinig the media off of tho Liner shcct. The: nuethod of clairn 269 w) erein the peeling causes the printed media to separate from each otber along the faceftock cut lines. 2-70The mnethod of clam 2 A frther comprising before the printing, a cons umer custorn designing the indiciW on a personal computer. 26 211. The method of claifi 2-7o whereixi the printing includes the consumer directing the printor to print the ctvstorm-designed indicia on the printable mnedia. The method of ilam1 20 wherein the printd media comprise printed ':00 two inch by 3-107 ich busincla cards, 277S. The rnediod of claim 107 wherein the nairow strip dcfifies a fnrt narrow strip, and the liner sheet is also not on a second narrow strip on 4X opposite trailing edge of the facestock sheet. 2-71 A she.t of 'printable media, comprising: a dry laminate facestock including a facestock slieqx having first and second sides, an adhesive layer on thr, seroond sido, a film l4ye2- on the adhiesive layer and a liner sheat on the film layer, the liner sheet having a flexibility Jine defining a narrow liner-sheet flexibility strip along a leading edge of die facestock sheet;, and facestock cut liries on the first side, through the zmrinate facestock but not the liner shct, and definiing at least in pant perimeter edge-c of pxiatablc Media. The sheet of claim 27f wherein the trarrow strip is approximately one- quarter inch wide, The sheet of claim 279- wherein die printable media comprise business cards. he sheet of claim 2-74 whdrein the printable media comprise a matrix block of business cards suiounded by aL Waste facestock sheet perimeter. 2-73- The sheet of clim)7 n.27wheiriDr thC n=row SITip iS 8- 1/2 inches long. 6 The sheet of claim2.74 wherein the liner sheet has another fle=jbility 2_S line defining a narrow liner sheet strip along an opposite trailing edge of the facestock sheet 2 -The sheet of claim 27 wherein the: flexibility line is a die cut line. 9-C) 26I The shect otilairn .274wJAerein the flexibility line it between the leading edge of the facestock she,~t and all of the faccatock cut lines. OC) A sheet of printable me~dia, comprising: a faretock sheet; a liner sheet on the backside of the f'acemstock, the lineF sheet having a flexibility line defining a narrow liaor-shoet flexibility strip along a ledding edge of the facestock adhesive adhering tlhe liner shcer to the facesock sheet; and fAcestock cut lines through the fact--sock but not hc lincr sheet, and definixig at least in part perimeter edges of printable media- Tho sheet of claim ?8Z wherein tbe lincr sheet includes an ther flexibility line defining another narTow strip ou, u end edgc of the farestock sheet opposite to the leading edge. 2 The sheet of claim 282., wherein khe flexibility line is a die cut line. TIhe shect of clain)L-9. wher&i the printable media comprise an array of business cards- 25s6 The sheet of claim 2S,5Z wAhercin the flexibility linke is between the leading edge of the faccstock sheet arnd all of *ol facestock cuit lines. 2-97. The sheet of claim 2A'2. wherein the faceztock sheet comprises a paper 2S 2.gS A method of forri'iing printable mnedia, comprising; providing a laminate pardstock including a liner sheet including a paper sheet and ultrutremovab Ie ad1bewive on the paper sheet, and a cardstock sheet adhered to the ultrarcrriovable adhes~ve; Cutting Through thee cardstock sheet to tho paper sheet to form cardstock cut lines 0 defiing at least in part prnieters of prinitable media; and cutting through an outer face of the liner sheet to form a linft-Sheet flexibility cut line deftning a leading odge Liner-sheet flexibility strip on A back Side of the laminate carilstock. 1. The Tnerdiod of claimn 299K wherein the printable n'iedia comprise business cards. 910. The method of claim 2W wherein the cuthig steps both comprize die Cultling. jC) 2 C1 I A method of fonning a sheet of prititabl"& media, comprising: providing a roll of a web of laininatq sheet construction comprising a liner sheet adhered to a cardstock sliest unw-iding at least a portion of the *eb form the roll;, I die cutting the cardstock sheet of the unwound web without cuTting the liner sheet to form outlinc perimeters of printabl~e media; (ci) die cuttintg the liner sheel of the unwound web without cutting the facestock sheet to form a leading edge liner-$iieet flexibility strip; and after and sheeting the web into sheets. I 2-The method of claim Lqj'wlacrein includes die cutting the Liner sheet to form a tz-ailng edge liner-sheet flexibifity strip. 2-,13, A printing method, obinprising: 2 providing a shtet of printatle medial the sheet inctuding a f~acastock sheet, a liner sheet on a back side of the facestock sheet, thte liner sheet having a flexibility line defining a narrow leading edge liner-sheet flexibility strip oiy the facestock sheet, adhesive adhering the liner sheet to the fax-estock sheet, and facostock Cut linas througb the facestock but not the liner sheet and defining at least in PqZ pCiineter cdges of printable media; and feeding the sheet leading edge first into a printer and primting indicia on the printable media. 00 214 Thc mothod of claim .1%3 ifrther comprising af~er the printing, peeling the cut facestock sheet off of the liner sheet. Die inethod of claim 2-q3 wherein the pcelitg cau.Ses the printed media Sto soparate from each other along the facctock out lines. 2A The method of claim 113 further cotaprising before the printing, a consumacr custom dosinig the indicia. on a personal cornputer. ~The raethod of claim. 2 716 wherei the printing includes the colsuner directing the printer to print the custoim-designe4 Andicia on the printable media. 2.1 The method of claim Vq3. whebrein the printed media comprise, printed two inch by 3-1/7 inc~h business cards.' 21 01 A slveet of printable med4, comprising: a fa.cestock sheet: a liner sheet adhered to a back~ide of the facestock sheet; tacestock cut lines through jbe facostock sheet but not the liner sheet, and defining at least in part perimneter O'dges of printable media; and portions of the liner sheet ,overing backsides of a least some of the face-stoak cut linns, and no portioni of th Liner sheet being positioned on a naoW leading edge strip alon~g an cdge of the ftcestock sheet on the backsido of the facestock sbeet, whereby the edge defines a thiti leading edge of the sheert of piintable media for feeding into a printer or copior fo?' a printing operation on the printable media and the liner sheet portions help hold/, thac printable media tn~ether during the feeding and the printing opcrarion. 00' The sheet of claim 29'J wherein the leading edge strip is between the 3,Q leading edge of the, accstock sheet and all of the faoustock out fines, c r 301. A sheet of printable material substantially as described herein with reference to a, Figs. 4 to 38. S302. A method of forming a printable media sheet construction substantially as 00 described herein with reference to Figs. 4 to 38. Dated this eighth day of February 2007 Avery Dennison Corporation SPatent Attorneys for the Applicant: N F B RICE CO