GB2263254A

GB2263254A - Business form or mailer with external self-contained address recording label

Info

Publication number: GB2263254A
Application number: GB9300747A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Christie Smith
Original assignee: KEN STOKES PRINTING Ltd
Current assignee: KEN STOKES PRINTING Ltd
Priority date: 1992-01-15
Filing date: 1993-01-15
Publication date: 1993-07-21
Also published as: GB9300747D0; GB9200760D0

Abstract

A business form or mailer has an external face (10) provided with a self-contained address-recording adhesive label (28). Internally there may be copying portions (e.g. using carbon paper or carbonless sheets (10, 14)) which are out of register with the label portion (28). Thus impact printing of the external face (without application of ink or other colour-producing component) enables confidential information to be recorded internally (A, C) (by avoiding the label portion) and address information to be recorded externally (B) (and optionally internally as well) (by printing on the label portion). <IMAGE>

Description

STATIONERY The present invention relates to stationery, particularly to sets of business forms.

A known type of set of business forms, which may be produced as a continuous web, has a plurality of sheets which are sealed together around the edges. It is frequently desired to record information selectively on the sheets of a set, after they have been secured together. For example, it may be desired to record confidential information on an internal surface, without this being externally visible. Other information, such as the name and address of an intended recipient, may be recorded on an external surface, and possibly also on one or more internal surfaces.To enable information to be recorded internally, it is a simple matter to arrange for the sheets to include a sheet of carbon paper or the

like, or, more preferably, to include NCRZsheets. Impact printing on the exterior of the set then leads to the recording of printed indicia on one or more internal surfaces. If the impact printing is done using a conventional impact printing head with a printing ribbon interposed between the head and the set, then of course information is also recorded on the external face.It is known to provide an external face with a very dark (uniformly or patterned) surface, with a selected small area that is not darkened, so that ordinary printing thereon is substantially only visible in the non-darkened "window". Thus printing can be effected so that the name and address appears in the window, while confidential information is printed on the darkened area and is substantially unreadable until the set is opened.

However, this is not a very satisfactory approach. The appearance of the finished article is unattractive, and there must always be a fear that the confidential information is not entirely illegible.

Another known technique is to have an additional fly-sheet on top of the set, having a selected area adapted to produce a legible copy on a corresponding area of the top sheet of the set. Information is then printed on the fly-sheet. The portion of it on the selected area is also legible on the top sheet of the set, whereas portions printed on the rest of the fly-sheet are not legible on the top sheet but may be legible on an interior surface. Subsequently the fly-sheet is removed.

Plainly, if the fly-sheet copy of the information is not required, this is very wasteful.

According to the present invention there is provided a stationery item having at least two sheets in register, said item having an external face whereof a predetermined minor portion is provided with self-contained indicia recording means so that if said external face is subject to impact printing (without the application of ink means or visualising components), printed indicia are externally visible only in said minor portion. Internal portions of the item may have indicia recording means (self-contained or otherwise). Such recording internal portions will generally comprise portions not in register with the minor portion of the external face. Thus an impact printing process applied to said external face may involve printing impacts at zones corresponding to recording internal portions.Thus indicia are recorded on internal surface portions but at least some of said indicia are not visible externally. The process may include impacts on the external minor portion which will lead to externally visible indicia (and optionally also to internally recorded indicia).

A stationery item may be produced by a process comprising adhering a sheet portion of self-contained indicia-recording material to a stationery sheet so that said sheet portion provides a minor portion of an external face of the end product.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a stationery item embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the assembled stationery item after impact printing; and Fig. 3 is a view of an intermediate sheet taken from the printed set shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 shows what is in many respects a conventional set of sheets for constituting a business form or the like. Thus there are three main sheets: top sheet 10, bottom sheet 12, and intermediate sheet 14. All sheets are of the same width and have similar marginal portions 16 at each longitudinal side by which they are adhered together. These portions have apertures 18 for engaging the wheels of a printer. Inwardly of the apertures there are tear-lines. There may be at each side an outer tearline 20, so that the outer marginal portion including the apertures can be removed, leaving the sheets still sealed together. There may also be an inner tear-line 22 which is adjacent the limit of adhesion so that the sheets can be separated after tearing along this line.

The intermediate sheet 14 is slightly shorter than the outer sheets 10,12 so that they extend beyond it at each end. They are sealed together at these extending portions 24, and there are tear-lines 26 by which the sealed portions can be removed. The lower face of the top-sheet 10 and the top face of the intermediate sheet 14 are provided with the components of an NCR system, such that an impact on the top sheet 10 tends to produce a corresponding mark on the intermediate sheet 14. A small (suitably self-adhesive) label 28 is adhered to the top face of the top-sheet 10. This label is of "selfcontained paper". Materials of this sort produce a visible mark in response to an impact. Examples of trade marks of papers of this nature are ACTION PAPER and DECAFORM.

Thus for use, an assembly is produced having the three sheets and the label shown in Fig. 1 all connected together. The set is passed through an impact printer and data are recorded by impacts of one or more recording heads. The data are schematically represented in Figs. 2 and 3 by the letters A, B, and C. On the externally visible top face, only the data B applied on the label 28 are visible. These data may, for example, constitute the name and address of the intended recipient. The outer lateral strips (beyond the tear-lines 20) may be removed, to produce an item that can be mailed to the intended recipient. He can then open the "envelope" defind by the outer sheets 10,12 and remove the intermediate sheet 14, on which all of the printed data A, B, C may be readable.

Claims

1. A stationery item having at least two sheets in register, said item having an e---tarnal face whereof a predetermined minor portion is provided with selfcontained indicia recording means so that if said external face is subject to impact printing (without the application of ink means or visualising components), printed indicia are externally visible only in said minor portion.

2. A stationery item according to claim 1 wherein one or more internal portions of the item have indicia recording means.

3. A stationery item according to claim 2 wherein said recording internal portions comprise at least one portion not in register with the minor portion of the external face.

4. A stationery item according to any preceding claim wherein said predetermined minor portion has been provided with self-contained indicia recording means by adhering to it a sheet portion of self-contained indiciarecording material.

5. A stationery item substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompany drawings.

6. A method of producing a stationery item comprising adhering a sheet portion of self-contained indicia-recording material to a stationery sheet, which sheet is connected to one or more other sheets to form a multi-sheet set, so that said sheet portion provides a minor portion of an external face of the end product.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the end product is an item according to any of claims 1 to 5.

8. A method of recording data comprising providing a stationery item according to any of claims l to 5 and subjecting the external face provided with self-contained indicia recording means to impact printing without the application of ink or visualising components so that indicia are externally visible only in the minor portion.

9. A method according to claim 9 wherein the stationery item is according to claim 3, and impact printing is applied both to the minor portion and to at least one portion overlying a recording internal portion out of register with the external minor portion.