JP2010152216A - Gloss processing method of printed matter by toner system, and gloss processing film - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gloss processing method of a printed matter by a toner system, and a gloss processing film. <P>SOLUTION: The gloss processing method is provided with base films 12 each applied with a non-adhesive coating 14, and the printed matter 16 fixed with toner 20. Toner surfaces 16a each fixed with the toner 20 of the printed matter 16 are superposed on non-adhesive coating surfaces 14a of the base films 12. The base films 12 and the printed matter 16 are inserted from the paper feeding side between a pair of heating rollers 18, which are heated and brought into pressure contact to each other, thereby the toner 20 is heated and fixed again. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming method and an apparatus for forming an image on a paper surface using a toner whose main component is a resin.

  In image forming apparatuses such as electrophotographic copying machines, laser beam printers, facsimiles, and multifunction machines having at least two of these functions, full-color image output has become common in recent years. For output such as graph image output, it is preferred to output a matte image because it is easier to see the line image. Also, when outputting photographic images such as advertisements and designs, the higher the glossiness of the images, the higher the image quality is preferred.

  Incidentally, the glossiness of an image obtained by an electrophotographic image forming apparatus depends on the surface irregularity state of the toner at the time of fixing. That is, as the surface irregularity of the fixing toner becomes more intense, the matte image becomes dull, and as the irregularity becomes smaller, the image becomes higher glossy. The surface irregularity state of the fixing toner depends on the state when the recording medium is separated from the fixing member. In an apparatus using a fixing roller as a fixing member, when the recording medium is separated from the fixing member, the surface of the toner image is separated from the fixing roller in a soft state. .

In order to solve such a problem, in Patent Document 1, an image forming step of transferring an unfixed toner image formed using a toner whose main component of a binder is a resin onto a recording medium, and an unfixed toner image A primary fixing step for fixing the toner image on the recording medium by heating and pressing, a secondary fixing step for reheating the toner image after the primary fixing step, An image forming method comprising: a cooling step for cooling the toner image heated in the secondary fixing step is disclosed. In Patent Document 2, an image forming unit that forms a toner image by selectively adhering powdery toner to a latent image due to a difference in electrostatic potential, and the toner image directly on a recording sheet or an intermediate transfer Transfer means for transferring to a recording sheet through a body, a fixing device for fixing the toner image transferred onto the recording sheet by heating and pressing, and the recording sheet on which the toner image is fixed An image forming apparatus having a sheet conveying device that conveys the toner image to a paper discharge tray, and an endless peripheral surface of the recording sheet on which the toner image is fixed immediately before the recording sheet is sent from the sheet conveying device to the paper discharge tray. There is disclosed an image forming apparatus comprising a reheating device that presses a heating member provided with a heating member and heats at least the vicinity of the surface of the toner image. The invention according to any patent document is characterized in that the toner image is given a gloss by reheating the toner once fixed.
JP 2005-84109 A JP 2006-267910 A

  However, in any of the patent document inventions, the recording medium and the recording sheet on which the toner is fixed when the toner is reheated are inserted into the press contact portions of the pair of rotating rollers that are pressed against each other and heated. -Since the recording sheet is pressed against the roller, toner melted by heat may adhere to the roller. As a result, the image quality of the toner image may be deteriorated, or the toner image of the previous stage may be reflected in the toner image of the subsequent stage, which necessitates cleaning to remove the toner adhering to the roller or replacement of the roller. There is also.

  Accordingly, the present invention pays attention to the above-mentioned problems, and provides a gloss processing method and gloss processing film of a printed matter by a toner method that efficiently reheats the toner without adhering the toner to the roller and improves the glossiness of the toner image. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the gloss processing method of a printed matter by a toner method according to the present invention firstly fixes a base film having a non-adhesive film and a printed matter to which the toner is fixed, to which the toner of the printed matter is fixed. The toner is re-heated and re-fixed by heating the printed material by pressing the surface to the non-adhesive coating surface of the base film.

  Second, the base film is formed in two layers, the printed material is sandwiched between the base films, and the printed material is pressed from both sides and heated.

Thirdly, a non-adhesive film is applied to each of the mutually opposing inner surfaces of the base film.
Fourthly, the press contact and heating to the printed matter are performed by inserting the printed matter together with the base film between a pair of heating rollers.

  On the other hand, the gloss processing film for printed matter by the toner method according to the present invention firstly reheats the toner fixed on the printed matter by re-heating the printed matter by pressing against the printed matter on which the toner is fixed. A gloss processing film for a printed matter by a toner system to be fixed, wherein the gloss processing film has a base film and a non-adhesive coating applied to the base film, and the non-adhesive coating surface of the base film The printed matter is heated by being pressed against the toner surface of the printed matter.

Second, the base film is formed in two layers, the printed material is sandwiched between the base films, and the printed material is pressed from both sides and heated.
Thirdly, a non-adhesive film is formed on each of the mutually opposing inner surfaces of the base film.
Fourthly, the press contact and heating to the printed matter are performed by inserting the printed matter together with the base film between a pair of heating rollers.

  According to the gloss processing method for printed matter by the toner method and the gloss processing film for printed matter by the toner method according to the present invention, the toner dissolves when heated, but the non-adhesive coating surface is pressed against the toner surface and heated. The toner is flattened while being melted by receiving heat and pressure through the non-adhesive coating. Since the toner does not adhere to the non-adhesive film, the toner is re-fixed while maintaining the flatness of the surface in contact with the non-adhesive film of the toner even if the printed material is peeled off from the gloss processing film after heating. A toner image having no gloss unevenness can be obtained. Note that when a toner image is printed on paper having a rough surface, the degree of adhesion with the toner is low and the toner is easily peeled off. However, by performing the above-described processing, the adhesion with the toner can be improved and the toner can be hardly peeled off. .

  In addition, the printed material is not damaged because it is pressed and heated in a state where the printed material is sandwiched between the two base films, and the non-adhesive coating is applied to the two inner surfaces of the two-layered base film. By forming the toner image, the present invention can be applied to a printed material having toner images on both sides, and gloss can be given to the toner image printed on both surfaces of the printed material in one step.

  The printed product can be pressed and heated by inserting it between a pair of heating rollers, but since the printed product is inserted between the heating roller together with the gloss processing film, the toner is transferred to the heating roller side. Nothing will happen. And the possibility that a printed matter is caught is reduced, and the effect becomes more remarkable especially when two printed base films are stacked and the printed matter is sandwiched therebetween.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the components, types, combinations, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like described in this embodiment are merely illustrative examples and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only unless otherwise specified. .

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the usage state of the gloss processing film according to this embodiment. The gloss processing film 10 according to the present embodiment includes a heat-resistant base film 12 such as a PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) film having a thickness of 50 μm or more, an OPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) film, a silicon resin, or a fluororesin. A non-adhesive film 14 having no irregularities on the surface is formed by applying (coating) a non-adhesive material such as a coater machine (not shown). The size of the gloss processing film 10 may be approximately the same as the size of the printed matter 16 to be glossed and may have a size that can be inserted between the heating rollers 18 described later. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the gloss processing film 10 has a structure in which one of the long side or the short side of the gloss processing film 10 is folded in two or joined to each other, On the one or both sides, a non-adhesive film 14 is preferably formed, but it may be in a single sheet.

  The printed matter 16 is obtained by printing a toner image in a state where the toner 20 is fixed on one or both sides by a toner printer (not shown), and the color may be monochrome or color. The toner 20 is formed of a resin or the like, and has a convex portion 20 a on the paper surface of the printed material 16. Since the upper surface of the convex portion 20a immediately after printing is in a state of low flatness and unevenness, the entire printed toner image is not glossy. The printed matter 16 is reheated in a state where the toner surface 16a and the non-adhesive coating surface 14a of the gloss processing film 10 are overlapped. Therefore, when there are toner surfaces 16 a on both sides of the printed matter 16, it is necessary to form the non-adhesive coating 14 on both inner surfaces of the two-layer glossy processing film 10.

  As a device for reheating the toner 20, it is preferable to use a commercially available laminator 22 (see FIG. 3). The laminator 22 uses a pair of heating rollers 18 that incorporate a heat source such as a halogen lamp (not shown) and are in pressure contact with each other. However, when the amount of heat of the halogen lamp (not shown) and the heat capacity of the heating roller 18 are small, the gloss processing film 10 and the printed matter 16 passing through the pressure contact surface 18a of the heating roller 18 are deprived of heat, and the temperature of the heating roller 18 Decreases. Therefore, the amount of heat given to the toner 20 decreases as it goes from the leading end 16b of the insertion destination of the printed matter 16 to the trailing end 16c, and the toner 20 is not sufficiently melted, and the glossiness may be lowered. Therefore, when such a heating roller 18 is used, it is preferable to have a structure in which a plurality of stages are arranged in series. As a result, the front end 16b side of the printed material 16 receives sufficient heat from the front rotating roller (not shown), and the rear end 16c side of the printed material 16 receives sufficient heat from the rear rotating roller (not shown). Can be made uniform throughout the toner image.

  The laminator 22 is preferably one that can freely change the rotation speed and temperature of the heating roller 18. This is because there is a difference in the way heat is transmitted depending on the thickness of the paper used for the printed matter 16, and the thicker the paper, the higher the temperature of the heating roller 18 and the lower the rotation speed. In addition, it is necessary to adjust the temperature and rotation speed of the heating roller 18 according to the characteristics such as the melting point of the resin used as the toner 20.

  Furthermore, in the laminator 22, it is preferable that the heating roller 18 has a configuration capable of rotating in the reverse direction. In the present embodiment, the gloss processing film 10 with the printed material 16 sandwiched between them is inserted manually into the paper feed side of the heating roller 18, so the paper or gloss processing film for some reason, such as an operational error. This is because 10 is caught in the heating roller 18 and there is a risk of failure or combustion. Even when the gloss processing method film 10 is wound during conveyance, it can be taken out by reverse rotation and can be easily removed.

  In the procedure of gloss processing of the printed material 16 using the gloss processing film 10 according to the present embodiment, first, the non-adhesive coating surface 14a of the gloss processing film 10 and the toner surface 16a of the printed material 16 are overlapped and sandwiched (see FIG. 2). As described above, when the glossy processing is performed on both sides of the printed matter 16, the film 10 for gloss processing having a double-folded structure and having the non-adhesive coating 14 formed on the two inner surfaces is used. When the heating roller 18 constituting the laminator 22 reaches a predetermined temperature, the gloss processing film 10 sandwiching the printed material 16 is inserted from the feeding side of the heating roller 18, that is, the insertion port of the laminator 22, and the heating roller 18 It is conveyed while being pressed (FIG. 3). The gloss processing film 10 is taken out from the paper discharge side of the heating roller 18, that is, the discharge side of the laminator 22 (FIG. 4), and the non-adhesive coating surface 14a of the gloss processing film 10 and the toner surface 16a of the printed matter 16 are peeled off. (FIG. 5).

  FIG. 6 shows a conceptual diagram of the flattening of the toner 20 by the heating roller 18. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper surface of the convex portion 20a of the toner 20 before being pressed against the heating roller 18 is in a state where the flatness is low and the concave and convex portions are formed, so that it does not have gloss. However, when the toner 20 is pressed by the heated heating roller 18, the toner 20 is melted, and the upper surface of the convex portion 20a of the toner is leveled by the flat non-adhesive coating surface 14a so that the unevenness is almost eliminated. Flatness is improved. As the toner 21 is discharged from the heating roller 18, the toner 21 is cooled while stuck to the non-adhesive coating surface 14a, and is re-fixed while maintaining flatness. Although FIG. 6 shows the case where the toner surface 16a is a single side, the same applies to the case where there are toner surfaces on both sides. Even when the toner surface 16a and the non-adhesive coating surface 14a are peeled off, the toner 21 does not adhere to the non-adhesive coating 14, so that the toner image becomes smooth and glossy.

  The inventor of the present application investigated the influence on the reheating of the toner 20 when the thickness of the base film 12 was changed. A PET film is used as a base film, and a glossy processing film is prepared in which a silicon-based resin material is applied smoothly and uniformly as a non-adhesive film on the base film to form a silicon layer. With the toner surface of the printed material superimposed, insert the gloss processing film together with the printed material between the heated rotating rollers that are in pressure contact with each other at the top and bottom, and draw the gloss processing film and the printed material after passing through the rotating roller. The toner surface was peeled and the surface condition of the toner surface was observed. Furthermore, the same process was performed using the film without a non-adhesive film for reference. In any case, the temperature of the pressure contact surface of the rotating roller was 100 ° C., and the transport time from one end of the short side of the A4 paper to the other end was 25 seconds.

  When a PET film having a thickness of 75 μm was used, the toner surface was smoothed by the heat and pressure from the rotating roller, and in particular, a photographic image formed with toner obtained a finish close to a silver salt photograph. When a PET film having a thickness of 50 μm is used, wrinkles are generated on the base film due to heat from the rotating roller. The gloss was not generated in the generated part. This tendency became more prominent as the base film became thinner. When a PET film having a thickness of 100 μm was used, it was considered that heat was less likely to be transferred to the toner, and a reduction in glossiness was observed compared to a case where the thickness was 75 μm.

  The schematic diagram at the time of reheating using the base film which does not apply | coat a non-adhesive film in FIG. 7 is shown. As shown in FIG. 7, when an unprocessed base film 24 not provided with a non-adhesive film was used, a part of the toner 26 adhered to the base film 24 side, resulting in damage to the toner image. . From this, it can be seen that the silicon layer used as the non-adhesive coating prevents the toner image from being peeled off from the printing paper, and this is considered to have the same effect when a fluororesin is used.

  In addition, the thinner the base film, the lower the strength, so the frequency of wrinkles due to heat increases, and the base film side that is in contact with the rotating roller is unprocessed, so it tends to adhere to the rotating roller and easily get caught in the rotating roller. there were. Further, when the toner image and the rotating roller are in direct contact with each other without the film, the toner image is transferred to the rotating roller side, the toner image is damaged, and the next toner image is retained while the toner image transferred by the rotating roller is held. When the above process was performed, the previous toner image was transferred. In the experiment, when a silicon layer was applied to a PET film having a thickness of 65 μm or more, neither wrinkles nor entanglement occurred and a good result was obtained.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, two surfaces on which the silicon layer (non-adhesive coating 14) is formed are overlapped, and the tips of one side are bonded to each other, and the printed material is sandwiched between them to be processed by the heating roller 18, In addition to prevention of entrainment, transfer to the heating roller 18 can be prevented particularly for double-sided printing frequently used for books and the like, which is particularly effective. In addition, when printing on a thick printing paper of about 200 kilograms (sixth edition) or a paper with a rough surface, the adhesion between the toner and the paper is low, and the toner tends to be peeled off as it is. As a result, it was found that the degree of fixing between the toner and the paper was increased and it was difficult to peel off, and that there was a re-fixing effect. This is presumably because the toner dissolved during the above-described processing was pressed against the paper side, and the gap between the paper and the paper was filled with the dissolved toner.

  As described above, according to the gloss processing method for printed matter by the toner method and the gloss processing film 10 for printed matter by the toner method according to the present embodiment, the toner 20 dissolves when heated, but the non-adhesive coating surface 14a is formed. Since the toner surface 16 a is pressed and heated, the toner 20 is flattened while being melted by receiving heat and pressure through the non-adhesive coating 14. Since the toner 20 does not adhere to the non-adhesive coating 14, the flatness of the surface of the toner 20 that contacts the non-adhesive coating 14 is maintained even if the printed material 16 is peeled off from the gloss processing film 10 after heating. Since the toner image is re-fixed, it is possible to obtain a toner image having gloss and no gloss unevenness. Note that when a toner image is printed on a paper having a rough surface, the degree of adhesion with the toner is low and the toner is easily peeled off. However, by performing the above-described processing, the adhesion with the toner can be improved and the toner can be hardly peeled off. .

  Also, since the two printed base films 12 are stacked and the printed product 16 is sandwiched between them and pressed and heated, the printed product 16 is not damaged, and the two stacked inner films 12 are not damaged. By forming the non-adhesive coating 14, it can be applied to a printed material having a toner image on both sides, and gloss can be given to the toner image printed on both sides of the printed material in one step.

  The press contact and heating to the printed material 16 can be performed by inserting between the pair of heating rollers 18, but the printed material 16 is inserted between the heating roller 18 together with the gloss processing film 10. Thus, the toner 20 is not transferred. And the possibility that the printed matter 16 is caught is reduced, and the effect becomes more conspicuous particularly when two base films 12 are stacked and the printed matter is sandwiched between them.

  It can be used as a glossy processing method for printed matter by a toner system that gives glossiness to a toner image with a simple configuration, and as a film for glossy processing.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the usage pattern of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the use procedure of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the use procedure of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the use procedure of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the use procedure of this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram of flattening with a rotating roller of toner. It is a schematic diagram at the time of reheating using the base film which does not apply | coat a non-adhesive film.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ......... Glossy processing film, 12 ......... Base film, 14 ......... Non-adhesive coating, 16 ......... Printed matter, 18 ......... Heating roller, 20 ......... Toner, 21 ......... Toner, 22 ... Laminator, 24 ... Base film, 26 ... Toner.

Claims (8)

  The base film having a non-adhesive coating and the printed matter on which the toner is fixed are heated by bringing the non-adhesive coating surface of the base film into pressure contact with the toner-fixed surface of the printed matter. A glossy processing method for printed matter by a toner method, wherein the toner is reheated and re-fixed.   The gloss of printed matter by toner method according to claim 1, wherein the base film is formed in two layers, the printed matter is sandwiched between the base films, and the printed matter is pressed and heated from both sides. Processing method.   3. The gloss processing method for a printed matter by a toner method according to claim 2, wherein a non-adhesive coating is applied to each of inner surfaces of the base film facing each other.   4. The toner-based printed material according to claim 1, wherein the printed material is pressed and heated by inserting the printed material together with the base film between a pair of heating rollers. 5. Gloss processing method. A gloss processing film for a printed matter by a toner method in which the toner fixed on the printed matter is reheated and re-fixed by pressing the printed matter on which the toner is fixed and heating the printed matter,
The gloss processing film has a base film and a non-adhesive coating applied to the base film, and presses the non-adhesive coating surface of the base film against the toner surface of the printed product to heat the printed product. A gloss processing film for printed matter using a toner system.   6. The gloss of a printed matter by a toner method according to claim 5, wherein the base film is formed in two layers, the printed matter is sandwiched between the base films, and the printed matter is pressed and heated from both sides. Film for processing.   The glossy film for printed matter by a toner method according to claim 6, wherein a non-adhesive film is formed on each of the inner surfaces facing each other of the base film.   8. The printed matter by a toner method according to claim 5, wherein the press contact and heating to the printed matter are performed by inserting the printed matter together with the base film between a pair of heating rollers. Gloss processing film.

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