CA1175383A - Tinted metallized recording medium - Google Patents
Tinted metallized recording mediumInfo
- Publication number
- CA1175383A CA1175383A CA000362813A CA362813A CA1175383A CA 1175383 A CA1175383 A CA 1175383A CA 000362813 A CA000362813 A CA 000362813A CA 362813 A CA362813 A CA 362813A CA 1175383 A CA1175383 A CA 1175383A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- ink
- metal layer
- metal
- color
- recording
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
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- Printing Methods (AREA)
Abstract
TINTED METALLIZED RECORDING MEDIUM
Abstract of the Disclosure Method of coloring the erodible metal surface of a metallized record medium such as used in electroerosion printers by overprinting discrete limited areas of the surface with one or more inks of preselected colors to provide a distinctive halftone tint to the surface without adversely affecting the recording quality of the medium during subsequent selective erosion of the metal coating.
Abstract of the Disclosure Method of coloring the erodible metal surface of a metallized record medium such as used in electroerosion printers by overprinting discrete limited areas of the surface with one or more inks of preselected colors to provide a distinctive halftone tint to the surface without adversely affecting the recording quality of the medium during subsequent selective erosion of the metal coating.
Description
r' ~
7~383 TINTED METALLIZED RECORDING MEDIVM
. . ~
Background_of the Invention This invention relates generally to recording mediums and more particularly to metallized recording mediums in which the metal surface is eroded to expose an underlying layer of contrasting color.
- Metallized papers having a thin layer of metal thereon which i5 erodible by recording electrodes are well known. These papers are usually coated with metal which is sputtered or evaporated over the surface of the paper in an extremely thin layer several hundred Angstroms in thickness. The metal coating covers either a dark paper or a paper having an intermediate layer~which contrasts with the color of the metal coating so that, when exposed, the covered layer provides easily readable marks. The papers may be coated with any of several different metals but the usual metal is aluminum which provides a bright, shiny surface having the silver coloring of the aluminum.
There is some reluctance in certain recording appli-cations, to use this record medium because of the brightness of the surface since a dull or matte finish is preferred.
-Past attempts at providing muted, more acceptable surface finishes have tried coating with differentmetals such as zinc, nickel, tin, copper or bronze.
(See U. S. patents 1,825,551 and 2,833,677.) Usually the coating of these other metals requires more pro-~essing or more expensive metallizers to achieve the Goating. These other metals are able to provide some differences in color, but their expense is a signifi-cant disadvantage. Another drawback of other metals is the variation in surface resistivity which requires different energies for the recording erosion. This ` r`` ~ ~
~ 11 7~3~3 further requires changing the printer marking energy to conform to that necessary to remove the coat.
, Metallized paper has been used lleretofore in certain media with one or more ~pplications such as decorative packaging or labels. In these instances, overprinting of the metal with designs or information may be required.
However, there has been no application of ink where the metal coating was intended for removal.
, _ _ .. . ...... . . .... .... . .. . .... . ........................ . .. . .
Objects and Summary of the Invention It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide a method of coloring metallized record media which does not adversely af~ect recording ; quaLity and`is applicable to various metal coatinys.
, Another important object of this invention is to provide a method of providing coated metallized record media for erodible recording which dulls the surface finish while maintaining a color approxima-ting the original color of the metal coating.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a a method of coating the metal surface of a metallized record medium with one or more various colors to produce any of a wide variety of hues while yet permitting selective metal removal.
still another object of this invention is to provide a 25 method of coating the metal layer of a metallized record medium with an opaque coating to dull the surface reflection of the metal while maintaining the original color and permitting erosion of the metal surface.
,~
.
li 17~383 The foregoing objects of thè invention are attained in accordance with the invention by printing the metal surface of metallized record selected inks applied by means of conventional tint screens to achieve a halftone printing of the metal surface while restricting the coating to discrete areas which in totality cover a small portion of the surface - and which is insufficient to affect the recording ability of the record medium.
The discrete ink marks applied to the metal surface may have various shapes, being spots or lines, which -still leave a significant portion of the metal exposed to the recording head for selective removal during printing. The ink colors may be any chosen to provide the desired hue on the surface of the metallized layer and in the event that the original color of the metal layer is desired, a corresponding pigmented ink of the same color can be applied to dull the glossiness of the original metal coating. In addition, two or more screens can be used to apply different colors to achieve a composite hue.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advan-tages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the acc~mpanying drawing.
Brief Description of the Drawing FIG. 1 represents a portion of a metallized recording member having tinting applied to the recording surface thereof in accordance with the principles of the invention; and FIG. 2 is a representation of a portion of a recording member having tinting applied to the record surface in .... ,~ .
~4 l~75383 an alternative manner, but in accordance with the principles of the invention.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a portion of a metallized recording member 10, well known in the recording technology, which typically comprises a layer ll of paper having on its upper surface a coating 12 of a dark material such as ink which, in turn, is coated with a thin metal layer 13 such as ' 10 evaporated or sputtered aluminum, tin or nickel. Base' paper layer 11 may be a dark, homogenously colored paper thus making coating 12 unnecessary. Recording is accomplished by selectively eroding off the metal by means of electrodes 14 in contact with the metal layer and schematically shown in two parallel rows of a print. The metallized paper surface is connected through a conductive roll or brush 16 to one polarity of voltage source 17, while the recording electrodes are'selectively and momentarily connected through switches 18 to the opposite polarity of the potential. A current flow between the selected elec-trodes 14 and the metal surface 13 is sufficient to vaporize the thin metal layer and expose the under-lying dark, contrasting coating. The exposed area approximates that of the electrode end. Characters, such as the illustrated "E", are formed by the se-quential, selective energization of various electrodes during rela'tive motion of print head 15 and recording - medium 10. Because the character is formed by the vaporization of the metal layer, its edges are not uniform and appear eroded as approximated in the figure.
Most metallized recording media use aluminum as the vaporizable'surface layer 13 and, hence, have a me-talllc sheen the color of the aluminum. The result is ....... " . .
~.
.
~ 1 7~383 that the unrecorded areas of the record member appear ~right and shiny producing a glare which is distrac-ting, making reading uncomfortable or difficult. In addition, there is very little choice of color since color has heretofore been obtained by using a few different metals to form the surface layer. In accord-ance with the invention, a choice of color is provided for thé thin metallized layer by overprinting the metal with lithographic inks by means of commercially available tinting halftone screens. The metallized record member 10 is thus coated over a limited per-centage of its surface with discrete colored areas 19 shown as circular spots in FIG. 1. The fineness of the spots and the integrating reaction of the human eye result in sensing the recording member as having the overall color of the applied inks.
The discrete color areas 19 on the surface of the metal 13 are preferably limited to between lQ~ and 30%
of the total recording surface. When greater portions of the area are coated with the inks, the electrical recording energy required at the recording elements is substantially increased and metal removal cannot be assured. Although the areas coated by ink appear in the character area recorded by the electrode, they are usually removed by the vaporization of the underlying metal layer with the limited coating. Removal of larger portions of the ink coated areas can be accom-plished by increasing the potential applied to the recording electrodes. However, an electrode voltage adjustment is required when a recording member has a greater or lesser portion of its surface covered with the tinting.
The porosity of the thin evaporated or sputtered layers of metal over which the tinting is applied is usually sufficient to provide for nearly instantaneous ' ~ 17~383 drying of the ink. Supplementary drying or curing steps are not required during overprinting to prevent smearing and special surface preparation is unnec-essary. The preferable inks for forming the discrete colored areas are the usual commercial lithographic inks which are not pigmented. However, pigmented inks can be used and the inks may be either electrically conductive or nonconductive. Obviously, when non-conductive inks are used, the vaporizing current flow is not available to the underlying metal layer, but the vaporizing of contiguous metal usually partially erodes that metal covered by the insulative inks.
Tinting screens are commercially available in various densiti~s and fineness. As stated above, the densi-ties from 10% to 30% are preferred although otherdensities may be used, since the resulting recording quality is a subjective matter. It is, of course, further preferable that the finer screens, such as 1~0 to 150 lines per-inch, be used to maintain subse~uent recording resolution. Available tinting screens also can be obtained to record the colored areas in various configurationsO Although inked areas 19 in FIG. 1 are shown as circular, they may be of any other desired configuration. One possibility is that shown in FIG.
7~383 TINTED METALLIZED RECORDING MEDIVM
. . ~
Background_of the Invention This invention relates generally to recording mediums and more particularly to metallized recording mediums in which the metal surface is eroded to expose an underlying layer of contrasting color.
- Metallized papers having a thin layer of metal thereon which i5 erodible by recording electrodes are well known. These papers are usually coated with metal which is sputtered or evaporated over the surface of the paper in an extremely thin layer several hundred Angstroms in thickness. The metal coating covers either a dark paper or a paper having an intermediate layer~which contrasts with the color of the metal coating so that, when exposed, the covered layer provides easily readable marks. The papers may be coated with any of several different metals but the usual metal is aluminum which provides a bright, shiny surface having the silver coloring of the aluminum.
There is some reluctance in certain recording appli-cations, to use this record medium because of the brightness of the surface since a dull or matte finish is preferred.
-Past attempts at providing muted, more acceptable surface finishes have tried coating with differentmetals such as zinc, nickel, tin, copper or bronze.
(See U. S. patents 1,825,551 and 2,833,677.) Usually the coating of these other metals requires more pro-~essing or more expensive metallizers to achieve the Goating. These other metals are able to provide some differences in color, but their expense is a signifi-cant disadvantage. Another drawback of other metals is the variation in surface resistivity which requires different energies for the recording erosion. This ` r`` ~ ~
~ 11 7~3~3 further requires changing the printer marking energy to conform to that necessary to remove the coat.
, Metallized paper has been used lleretofore in certain media with one or more ~pplications such as decorative packaging or labels. In these instances, overprinting of the metal with designs or information may be required.
However, there has been no application of ink where the metal coating was intended for removal.
, _ _ .. . ...... . . .... .... . .. . .... . ........................ . .. . .
Objects and Summary of the Invention It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide a method of coloring metallized record media which does not adversely af~ect recording ; quaLity and`is applicable to various metal coatinys.
, Another important object of this invention is to provide a method of providing coated metallized record media for erodible recording which dulls the surface finish while maintaining a color approxima-ting the original color of the metal coating.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a a method of coating the metal surface of a metallized record medium with one or more various colors to produce any of a wide variety of hues while yet permitting selective metal removal.
still another object of this invention is to provide a 25 method of coating the metal layer of a metallized record medium with an opaque coating to dull the surface reflection of the metal while maintaining the original color and permitting erosion of the metal surface.
,~
.
li 17~383 The foregoing objects of thè invention are attained in accordance with the invention by printing the metal surface of metallized record selected inks applied by means of conventional tint screens to achieve a halftone printing of the metal surface while restricting the coating to discrete areas which in totality cover a small portion of the surface - and which is insufficient to affect the recording ability of the record medium.
The discrete ink marks applied to the metal surface may have various shapes, being spots or lines, which -still leave a significant portion of the metal exposed to the recording head for selective removal during printing. The ink colors may be any chosen to provide the desired hue on the surface of the metallized layer and in the event that the original color of the metal layer is desired, a corresponding pigmented ink of the same color can be applied to dull the glossiness of the original metal coating. In addition, two or more screens can be used to apply different colors to achieve a composite hue.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advan-tages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the acc~mpanying drawing.
Brief Description of the Drawing FIG. 1 represents a portion of a metallized recording member having tinting applied to the recording surface thereof in accordance with the principles of the invention; and FIG. 2 is a representation of a portion of a recording member having tinting applied to the record surface in .... ,~ .
~4 l~75383 an alternative manner, but in accordance with the principles of the invention.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a portion of a metallized recording member 10, well known in the recording technology, which typically comprises a layer ll of paper having on its upper surface a coating 12 of a dark material such as ink which, in turn, is coated with a thin metal layer 13 such as ' 10 evaporated or sputtered aluminum, tin or nickel. Base' paper layer 11 may be a dark, homogenously colored paper thus making coating 12 unnecessary. Recording is accomplished by selectively eroding off the metal by means of electrodes 14 in contact with the metal layer and schematically shown in two parallel rows of a print. The metallized paper surface is connected through a conductive roll or brush 16 to one polarity of voltage source 17, while the recording electrodes are'selectively and momentarily connected through switches 18 to the opposite polarity of the potential. A current flow between the selected elec-trodes 14 and the metal surface 13 is sufficient to vaporize the thin metal layer and expose the under-lying dark, contrasting coating. The exposed area approximates that of the electrode end. Characters, such as the illustrated "E", are formed by the se-quential, selective energization of various electrodes during rela'tive motion of print head 15 and recording - medium 10. Because the character is formed by the vaporization of the metal layer, its edges are not uniform and appear eroded as approximated in the figure.
Most metallized recording media use aluminum as the vaporizable'surface layer 13 and, hence, have a me-talllc sheen the color of the aluminum. The result is ....... " . .
~.
.
~ 1 7~383 that the unrecorded areas of the record member appear ~right and shiny producing a glare which is distrac-ting, making reading uncomfortable or difficult. In addition, there is very little choice of color since color has heretofore been obtained by using a few different metals to form the surface layer. In accord-ance with the invention, a choice of color is provided for thé thin metallized layer by overprinting the metal with lithographic inks by means of commercially available tinting halftone screens. The metallized record member 10 is thus coated over a limited per-centage of its surface with discrete colored areas 19 shown as circular spots in FIG. 1. The fineness of the spots and the integrating reaction of the human eye result in sensing the recording member as having the overall color of the applied inks.
The discrete color areas 19 on the surface of the metal 13 are preferably limited to between lQ~ and 30%
of the total recording surface. When greater portions of the area are coated with the inks, the electrical recording energy required at the recording elements is substantially increased and metal removal cannot be assured. Although the areas coated by ink appear in the character area recorded by the electrode, they are usually removed by the vaporization of the underlying metal layer with the limited coating. Removal of larger portions of the ink coated areas can be accom-plished by increasing the potential applied to the recording electrodes. However, an electrode voltage adjustment is required when a recording member has a greater or lesser portion of its surface covered with the tinting.
The porosity of the thin evaporated or sputtered layers of metal over which the tinting is applied is usually sufficient to provide for nearly instantaneous ' ~ 17~383 drying of the ink. Supplementary drying or curing steps are not required during overprinting to prevent smearing and special surface preparation is unnec-essary. The preferable inks for forming the discrete colored areas are the usual commercial lithographic inks which are not pigmented. However, pigmented inks can be used and the inks may be either electrically conductive or nonconductive. Obviously, when non-conductive inks are used, the vaporizing current flow is not available to the underlying metal layer, but the vaporizing of contiguous metal usually partially erodes that metal covered by the insulative inks.
Tinting screens are commercially available in various densiti~s and fineness. As stated above, the densi-ties from 10% to 30% are preferred although otherdensities may be used, since the resulting recording quality is a subjective matter. It is, of course, further preferable that the finer screens, such as 1~0 to 150 lines per-inch, be used to maintain subse~uent recording resolution. Available tinting screens also can be obtained to record the colored areas in various configurationsO Although inked areas 19 in FIG. 1 are shown as circular, they may be of any other desired configuration. One possibility is that shown in FIG.
2 in which the tinting is done on layer 13 with straight, diagonal lines 20. The dimensions of the tinting marks should be of a diameter or width less than that of a recording element in order to minimize the effect of any remaining ink coated spot within the character region.
Multiple colors may be applied to the surface of metallized paper to effect a particular composite blend. In addition, the applied color may be similar to the metal surface but of different reflectivity so as to reduce the sheen of the surface.
;, ~, .
I ~ 75383 While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Multiple colors may be applied to the surface of metallized paper to effect a particular composite blend. In addition, the applied color may be similar to the metal surface but of different reflectivity so as to reduce the sheen of the surface.
;, ~, .
I ~ 75383 While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims (12)
1. The method of recording by selective removal of material comprising the steps of:
coating one surface of an insulative base ma-terial of a first color with a metal layer of a second color;
overprinting the exposed surface of said metal layer with discrete areas of an ink of a third color to effect a hue on said metal layer; and selectively removing by vaporization via electrodes said metal layer at predetermined locations to expose said base layer of said first color.
coating one surface of an insulative base ma-terial of a first color with a metal layer of a second color;
overprinting the exposed surface of said metal layer with discrete areas of an ink of a third color to effect a hue on said metal layer; and selectively removing by vaporization via electrodes said metal layer at predetermined locations to expose said base layer of said first color.
2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said removal step is effected by selective energi-zation of one or more of a plurality of said electrodes.
3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said discrete areas total less than half of the exposed surface of said metal layer.
4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said discrete areas of ink total between 10% and 30%
of the exposed surface area of said metal layer.
of the exposed surface area of said metal layer.
5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said discrete areas have a regular pattern.
6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said overprinting of said exposed metal surface com-prises at least two steps each with a different color of ink.
7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said insulative base is paper.
8. The method as described in claim 7 wherein said metal layer is aluminum.
9. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said ink is electrically conductive.
10. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said ink is an insulative material.
11. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said discrete areas are parallel stripes of ink.
12. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said discrete areas are each of less area than said electrodes.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000362813A CA1175383A (en) | 1980-10-20 | 1980-10-20 | Tinted metallized recording medium |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000362813A CA1175383A (en) | 1980-10-20 | 1980-10-20 | Tinted metallized recording medium |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1175383A true CA1175383A (en) | 1984-10-02 |
Family
ID=4118204
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000362813A Expired CA1175383A (en) | 1980-10-20 | 1980-10-20 | Tinted metallized recording medium |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1175383A (en) |
-
1980
- 1980-10-20 CA CA000362813A patent/CA1175383A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |