JP2003211648A - Method for printing solid image - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain printing results of color solid images having desired shapes and visual effects by solving the problem that a desired solid cannot be formed when a solid color output is to be obtained by an inkjet printer with the use of an expansive ink and a normal color ink. <P>SOLUTION: Printing data for a solid layer and a color printing layer is generated for each layer. Forming the solid layer by a curing solid ink and coloring by the normal color ink are repeated, whereby color solid layers are formed stepwise. Moreover, there are set a means for selecting whether or not an overlapping range of the solid layer is to be colored by the normal color ink and whether or not the color is to be changed to an arbitrary color when the coloring is carried out, and a means for selecting whether or not the solid layer and the color printing layer of each layer are to be printed. A combination of solid layers and color printing layers is thus formed, so that the desired color solid image is formed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing method suitable for printing an image having a three-dimensional effect by making unevenness in an image to be printed in a printer which ejects ink from a print head for printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is known that an ink jet printer is used to separately print a three-dimensional layer and a color printing layer to obtain an output result having a three-dimensional effect like a painting for viewing. For example,
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-226459 proposes a method of forming a three-dimensional image using an expansive ink. However, in the method of the above-mentioned publication, when printing is performed with an expansive ink using a foam material or the like, the shape of the expansion and the adjacent expansive materials interfere with each other to form a cube in a wide area, or in a desired height direction. However, it is difficult to form a layer with the above steps, there is no degree of freedom in the three-dimensional image to be formed, and there is a limitation in the visual effect that can be expressed in the print result.

[0003]

As described above, it is difficult to form a solid in a desired range or to form a solid at a desired height by stacking layers in the conventional technique using the expansive ink. there were.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems and to easily obtain a print result having a desired three-dimensional shape and a visual effect.

[0005]

A printer according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a print head for ejecting a curable solid ink and a normal color ink, and a light transmissive from the print head for ejecting the curable solid ink. By ejecting a certain thermosetting solid ink, the ink is raised to have a certain height to form a three-dimensional layer, and the normal color ink is ejected from the print head that ejects the normal color ink to the three-dimensional layer. Coloring. By repeating the above operation stepwise and performing printing so as to form a layer in the height direction, it is possible to easily form a desired three-dimensional color image with the printer alone.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when printing is performed by superposing on the layer to be printed, the printing range using the normal color ink of the layer is printed using the normal color ink of the upper layer. Means for masking with a range and selecting to replace the range with a non-coloring designation by utilizing the characteristics of the light-transmitting thermosetting solid ink, or to replace the range color designation with another color such as the color of the print medium By having the above, when coloring on the three-dimensional layer by the thermosetting solid ink formed in the upper layer of the range, the color of the lower layer is affected, and a visual effect different from that of the original image is obtained, or the print medium By obtaining the same visual effect as the original image by making it the same color as, it is possible to express the desired suitable color in the print result.In addition, printing of thermosetting solid ink at the user's will, Also By having means for selecting not to print the normal color ink for each layer or for all layers, only three-dimensional formation by the thermosetting solid ink, printing only the normal color ink, any layer of the three-dimensional layer In addition, it is possible to form a color three-dimensional image having a desired visual effect by allowing coloring with a normal color ink.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 3 to 6 explain the outline of the visual effect obtained by the combination of the light-transmitting thermosetting solid ink of the present invention and the printing layer of the normal color ink. In this embodiment, the three-dimensional layer and the colored layer are two layers for the sake of simplification of description, but a complicated color three-dimensional image can be formed by further providing layers.

In one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, a cube 26b is formed on the print medium 26a by a light-curable thermosetting solid ink, and the cube 26b is colored 26c by a normal color ink. A cube 26d made of a thermosetting solid ink having a light transmitting property is formed on the upper layer of the coloring 26c, and the cube 26d is colored 26e with a normal color ink. 2 is a basic printing pattern of the light-transmitting thermosetting solid ink of the present invention and a normal color ink.

In another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4, a cube 27b is formed on a print medium 27a by a thermosetting solid ink having a light transmitting property, and a cube 27e is formed on an upper layer of the cube 27a. Part (= part where 3D printing overlaps)
In addition, the coloring 27d is performed with a color different from the original image with the normal color ink, and the portion where the cube 27e is not formed on the upper layer of the cube 27a (= the portion where the three-dimensional printing does not overlap) is colored with the color ink 27c. A cube 27e made of thermosetting solid ink having a light-transmitting property is formed on the upper layers of the colorings 27c and 27d, and the cube 27e is colored 27f with a normal color ink. In this example, the printing pattern of the upper layer has a visual effect different from that of the original image by allowing the coloring of the lower layer to be seen through.

In another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5, a cube 28b is formed on the print medium 28a by a thermosetting solid ink having a light-transmitting property, and the cube 27b is not colored. A cube 28c is formed on the upper layer of 27b with a light-transmitting thermosetting solid ink, and the cube 28c is colored 28d with a normal color ink. In this example, the print pattern is capable of coloring a part of the three-dimensional object to be formed.

In another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 6, a cube 29b is formed on the print medium 29a with a light-curable solid thermosetting ink, and the cube 29b is colored with a normal color ink 29c. Then, coloring 29d is performed without forming a solid in the next layer. It is a pattern that can be printed only with normal color ink.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a flow chart. 1 and 2 are control flowcharts of the host device and the printer to which the present invention is applied.

First, the control flow of the host device will be described with reference to FIG. In S1, print data for the three-dimensional layer and the color print layer are generated for each layer. The print data is generated for the number of layers x for both the three-dimensional layer and the color print layer. In step S2, the number of layers x is substituted into the variables t, y, and c in order for the user to set the printing of each layer. In S3, it is selected whether or not the color designation of the portion where printing is overlapped is set separately from the original image.

When the change is selected in S3, it is confirmed in S4 whether the variable y is 0 (whether there is any layer to be processed). If y is not 0 in S4, a portion Py that overlaps the print range of the color print layer Cy + 1 is extracted from the print range of the color print layer Cy in S5. In S6, it is selected whether or not the range Py is colored.

When the color is selected in S6, the color, texture, print pattern or the like to be colored in the range Py is selected in S7. (= The range Py of the color print layer Cy is replaced with a color different from the original image.) The variable y is subtracted by 1 in S8, and the process returns to S4. If no color is selected in S6, the color designation of the range Py is discarded in S9. (= The range Py of the color print layer Cy is replaced with an instruction not to color.) The variable y is subtracted by 1 in S8, and the process returns to S4.

If y is 0 in S4, it means that the processing of the range Py in all layers has been completed, and the flow advances to processing S10. When selecting not to change in S3, the variable t is selected in S10.
Check whether is 0 or not. If t is not 0 in S10, S
At 11, it is selected whether to print the three-dimensional layer Tt. S11
If no printing is selected in step S12, the print data of the three-dimensional layer Tt is discarded and an instruction not to print the three-dimensional layer is given. At S13, t is decremented by 1, and the process returns to S10. When printing is selected in S11, the print data of the three-dimensional layer Tt is validated, t is subtracted by 1 in S13, and the process returns to S10.

When t is 0 in S10, all three-dimensional layers Tt
Indicates that the selection of whether or not to print
Check if c is 0 or not. If c is not 0 in S14, it is selected in S15 whether or not to print the color print layer Cc. When selecting not to print in S15, the print data of the color print layer Cc is discarded in S16, and an instruction is given not to print the color print layer. 1 is subtracted from c in S17, and the process returns to S14. If you select to print in S15,
The print data of the color print layer Cc is validated, and c is obtained in S17.
Is subtracted by 1, and the process returns to S14.

If c is 0 in S14, it indicates that selection of whether or not to print all the color printing layers Cc is completed, and in S18, print data of three-dimensional printing and color printing of each layer and a layer to be printed. Transfer the number x to the printer.

Next, the control flow of the printer will be described with reference to FIG. In S19, it is confirmed whether x is 0 (whether there is a layer to be processed). If x is not 0 in S19, the print medium is moved to the print start position in S20, and S2 is set.
At 1, it is confirmed whether or not there is print data of the three-dimensional layer Tx.
If there is print data in S21, the three-dimensional layer Tx is printed with thermosetting solid ink having light transparency in S22, and the process proceeds to S23. If there is no print data for the three-dimensional layer Tx in S21, it is confirmed in S23 whether there is a color print layer Cx. If there is print data for the color print layer Cx in S21, the color print layer Cx is printed with normal color ink in S24, and the process proceeds to S25. Color print layer Cx in S23
If there is not, x is decremented by 1 and the process returns to S19.

When x is 0 in S19, it indicates that printing of all layers is completed, and printing is completed.

[0022]

As described above, in the present invention, the uneven color three-dimensional layer is gradually formed by repeating the formation of the unevenness with the light-curable thermosetting solid ink and the coloring with the normal color ink. It is possible to form the three-dimensional layer, and the three-dimensional layer and the color printing layer are printed at each layer without coloring with the normal color ink in the three-dimensional layer overlapping range or changing the range to an arbitrary color. By including the means for not performing, it becomes possible to give a desired three-dimensional shape and a visual effect to the print result.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a host device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a printer to which the invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is an example of a print result obtained by combining a curable solid ink and a normal color ink.

FIG. 4 is another example of a print result.

FIG. 5 is another example of the print result.

FIG. 6 is another example of a print result.

[Explanation of symbols]

26 ... Print combination example 1, 26a ... Print medium, 26b
... 1st three-dimensional layer, 26c ... 1st three-dimensional layer coloring, 26d ... 2nd three-dimensional layer, 26e ... 2nd three-dimensional layer coloring, 27 ... Printing combination example 2, 27a ... Print medium, 27b ... 1st three-dimensional layer,
27c ... Coloring of the first three-dimensional layer that does not overlap with the second three-dimensional layer, 27d ... Coloring of the first three-dimensional layer that overlaps with the second three-dimensional layer, 27e ... Second solid layer, 27f ... Coloring of the second three-dimensional layer. ,
28 ... Print combination example 3, 28a ... Print medium, 28b
... first three-dimensional layer, 28c ... second three-dimensional layer, 28d ... coloring of second three-dimensional layer, 29 ... printing combination example 4, 29a ... print medium, 29b ... first three-dimensional layer, 29c ... coloring of first three-dimensional layer,
29d ... Coloring of the second three-dimensional layer

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Shingo Takayanagi             456 Boundary, Sakai, Hiraida-cho, Ashigarakami-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture             Ceremony Hitachi Information Technology             -In (72) Inventor Mitsugu Iwata             810 Shimo-Imaizumi Stock Exchange, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture             Hitachi Digital Media Systems             Within the department F term (reference) 2C056 EA11 EC07 EC28 EE17 FC02                       FD01                 2H086 BA02 BA04 BA51

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A color ink comprising at least two steps of discharging a curable solid ink for forming a three-dimensional layer from a print head and discharging a color ink for coloring the three-dimensional layer from the print head. At least two three-dimensional layers of thermosetting solid ink colored by
A method for printing a stereoscopic image, comprising forming three or more layers to print a color stereoscopic image. 2. The coloring according to claim 1, wherein when a three-dimensional layer is colored with a color ink, a color in a range overlapping with a layer to be printed on the upper layer of the layer is replaced with another color or an overlapping range. A method for printing a three-dimensional image, which is characterized by not coloring.