JP5194356B2 - Gravure printing method and printed matter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gravure printing method and a gravure print.

  The gravure printing method is a printing method using an intaglio (also called a gravure plate) in which a plurality of cells are formed, and is widely used mainly for forming high-quality printed materials including photographic images. . This printing method is generally performed by applying printing ink to the entire intaglio and then scraping off the extra printing ink on the intaglio by rubbing with a thin steel blade called a doctor. This is done by transferring the remaining printing ink to the transfer object.

  The shape of the cells formed on the intaglio used in the gravure printing method is generally a square or a regular hexagon, and the cells of the same shape are regularly arranged on the surface of the intaglio. There is (for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, in this specification, the cell of the same shape means that the shape when observed from the intaglio surface is the same, and similar shapes are also included in the same shape. The same shape is also included when the cell depths are different.

By the way, when printing a color photograph or the like by a gravure printing method, usually three to four overprints (for example, four colors of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow) K (black)) are printed. It is common to do.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 52-041683

  However, when overprinting is performed using an intaglio in which cells having the same shape are regularly arranged as described above, the printed layers interfere with each other, and so-called cell eyes, moire, and rosetta patterns appear. There was a case.

  In order to prevent the appearance of cell eyes, moire, and rosetta patterns, the angle of the cells formed on the intaglio is shifted (for example, if the square cells formed on the intaglio used for the first plate are used as a reference, (The square cell formed on the intaglio used for the second plate is rotated 15 ° to the right), but it cannot be completely prevented.

  In particular, when a hydraulic transfer method is performed using a printed matter printed by a gravure printing method, the printed pattern tends to be slightly elongated following the surface shape of the transferred object. The rosette pattern was conspicuous and the problem was remarkable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and even in the case of overprinting, gravure printing that does not exhibit cell eyes, moire, rosetta patterns, etc., and enables higher quality printing. It is a main subject to provide a method and a printed matter printed by the method.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a gravure printing method using an intaglio plate in which a plurality of cells are formed, and at least one of the intaglio plates used has different shapes of adjacent cells. It is characterized by irregular cell intaglios arranged irregularly.

  Further, in the above invention, the step of printing using the regular cell intaglio in which all the cell shapes have the same shape and are regularly arranged, and the step of printing using the irregular cell intaglio May be included.

  Furthermore, in the above invention, after performing the step of printing using the regular cell intaglio, the step of printing using the irregular cell intaglio may be performed last.

  Another invention of the present application for solving the above-mentioned problem is a printed material comprising a substrate and a printed layer formed on the substrate, wherein the printed layer has different shapes of adjacent cells. It is printed by a gravure printing method using irregular cell intaglios arranged irregularly.

  In the said invention, the said printed layer may be further printed by the gravure printing method using the regular cell intaglio in which the shape of all the cells exhibits the same shape and is regularly arranged.

  Further, the substrate is made of a water-soluble or water-swellable sheet, an activator is applied to the printed layer, and then the hydraulic transfer sheet is placed on the water surface so that the surface on which the printed pattern layer is formed is up. It may be used in a hydraulic transfer method that floats and then presses the transferred material layer onto the printed pattern layer and transfers the printed pattern layer to the surface of the transferred material by water pressure.

  According to the above invention, even when overprinting is performed by the gravure printing method, at least one of the intaglio plates used has different shapes of adjacent cells and is irregularly arranged. Therefore, the cells having the same shape do not interfere with the regular cells in which the cells are regularly arranged. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cells, moire, and rosetta patterns from appearing.

  In this case, by using the irregular cell intaglio, which is a feature of the present invention, when forming the last printed layer of overprinting, cell eyes, moire, rosetta patterns, etc. appear in the previous printed layer. Even in such a case, these can be eliminated (made invisible) by the printed layer printed using the irregular cell intaglio, which is more effective.

  In addition, the printed matter printed by the printing method of the present application has no cell, moire, rosette pattern, and the like, and can be suitably used particularly for a hydraulic transfer sheet used in a hydraulic transfer method.

  Below, the gravure printing method of this invention is demonstrated in detail using drawing.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of a surface (cell shape) of a so-called irregular cell intaglio used in the gravure printing method of the present invention (and an example of a screen image for forming the surface).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the gravure printing method of the present invention is characterized by using irregular cell intaglios 10 in which adjacent cells U have different shapes and are irregularly arranged. By using such an indefinite cell intaglio 10, it is possible to prevent the appearance of cell eyes, moire, and rosetta patterns that occur when overprinting is performed using an intaglio that can be shaped.

  The shape of the cell U formed in the indeterminate cell intaglio 10 used in the method of the present invention is characterized by being indeterminate, and therefore the size and shape are not particularly limited. . Further, the depth can be arbitrarily set in order to obtain a desired printed pattern.

  The manufacturing method of such an indeterminate cell intaglio 10 is not particularly limited, and the manufacturing method of the present invention is such that the shapes of adjacent cells U can be different and can be irregularly arranged. Any manufacturing method can be employed.

  Below, one of the specific examples of the manufacturing method of the irregular cell U formed in the surface of the irregular cell intaglio 10 is demonstrated. In forming the irregular cell U, it is necessary to form a screen image as a basis for the cell. By forming this screen image, the cell U is engraved using a conventionally known method (for example, a physical engraving method or a chemical corrosion method) based on this screen image to form the irregular cell intaglio 10. Can do. Therefore, the following description will describe a method of forming a screen image necessary to form the irregular cell U.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a basic procedure for generating a screen image necessary for forming the irregular cell U formed on the surface of the irregular cell intaglio 10.

  Each procedure shown in this flowchart is actually executed using a computer. First, in step S1, parameters necessary for the subsequent processing are set. In the example shown in the drawing, parameters such as pixel array sizes Sx, Sy, base point standard pitches Px, Py, randomness Dr, and bank width Wb are set.

  The pixel array sizes Sx and Sy are parameters indicating the number of vertical and horizontal pixels of the pixel array constituting the screen image to be generated. For example, if the screen image 32 shown in FIG. The parameters Sx = 20 and Sy = 12 are set. On the other hand, the standard pitches Px and Py of generating points are parameters indicating the horizontal and vertical pitches of generating points M arranged in step S2. The “base point M” in the present specification means a point that is a nucleus of a halftone dot (cell) (not necessarily a geometrical center point of a halftone dot as will be described later). . For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in the case of a conventional AM screen image in which halftone dots are periodically arranged, the center point C coincides with the mother point M, and the pitches Px and Py shown in FIG. , The pitches of the generating points coincide with the pitches Px and Py. That is, in the example of FIG. 3, the size of the pixel array is Sx = 20, Sy = 12, and the pitch of the base point is Px = 4, Py = 4. The parameters Px and Py set in step S1 are called “standard” pitches of generating points. In step S3, processing for changing the generating point positions is performed, and the final generating point pitch is the standard pitch. This is because the value is changed randomly.

  In the example shown here, the sizes Sx and Sy of the pixel array and the standard pitches Px and Py of the generating points are set as values having the unit length as the pitch of one pixel constituting the screen image. You may set the value in actual size. For example, in the above example, the setting values Sx = 20, Sy = 12, Px = 4, and Py = 4 are a length corresponding to 20 pixels, a length corresponding to 12 pixels, and a length corresponding to 4 pixels, respectively. Although the length corresponding to four pixels is shown, if the length corresponding to one pixel is defined in actual size, the parameters Sx, Sy, Px, and Py are all set in actual size. be able to. The values of Sx and Sy set at the actual size are parameters indicating the actual size of the screen image to be generated, and the standard pitches Px and Py set at the actual size are the halftones obtained by the screening process using the screen image. This is a parameter indicating a standard interval of halftone dots on an image (reciprocal of a dimension value generally called the number of lines).

  On the other hand, the degree of randomness Dr set in step S1 is a parameter indicating the degree of fluctuation of the generating point position in step S3. In this example, an arbitrary value within the range of 0 <Dr ≦ 1 is set. The The periodicity of the cell causes the cell, moire, and rosetta patterns to appear. However, as the parameter Dr is set to a larger value, the periodicity of the cell is lost, and the cell, moire, and rosetta patterns are lost. It becomes difficult to express.

  Here, the bank width Wb is a parameter indicating the dimension (distance or gap) between adjacent cells U. In the case of gravure printing, the minimum physical bank dimension between gravure cells formed on the printing plate. It becomes a parameter that defines If the minimum size of this physical bank is too small, the bank will break during printing, and the ink filled in the gravure cell will flow into the adjacent gravure cell to perform gravure printing with the correct gradation. Can not be. Therefore, when setting the bank width Wb as a parameter, the dimension value is set so that the physical bank formed on the gravure printing plate can sufficiently maintain the durability even when the required number of sheets are printed. There is a need to. In addition, the process of forming a gravure cell on a gravure printing plate is usually performed by a corrosion process using an etchant. In this corrosion process, so-called side etching (corrosion in a direction parallel to the plate surface) is performed. When it occurs, it is preferable to determine the optimum bank width Wb in consideration of the amount of side etching.

  In the subsequent step S2, placement of generating points is performed. That is, a process of arranging a large number of mother points M at the standard pitches Px and Py is executed on the two-dimensional plane in which the pixel array having the sizes Sx and Sy set in step S1 is defined. For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 3, the mother point M is arranged at the position of the center point C on the 20 × 12 pixel array. However, when implementing the present invention, the generating points M are not necessarily arranged in a square lattice pattern. In practice, it is preferable to arrange each generating point at a position that is the center point of each regular hexagon when the regular hexagons of the same size are disposed on the two-dimensional plane without any gaps. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example in which each generating point M is arranged at the center point of each regular hexagon when regular hexagons of the same size are arranged without a gap on the XY plane. When each unit region U is defined so that each generating point M is at the center, each regular hexagon forms the unit region U.

  A feature of the generating point arrangement using such a regular hexagon is that all the distances between adjacent generating points are equal. That is, the grid composed of the mother points M indicated by black dots in FIG. 4 is a grid in which equilateral triangles are arranged, and each mother point M is arranged at the vertex position of the equilateral triangle. Accordingly, the distance between adjacent generating points is all equal to the length of one side of the equilateral triangle, and a halftone dot close to a circle can be formed on the final printed matter. On the other hand, in the mother points arranged in a square lattice shape as shown in FIG. 3, the distance between the mother points adjacent in the vertical or horizontal direction is different from the distance between the mother points adjacent in the diagonal direction. It is not preferable in forming a halftone dot close to a circle.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when each generating point M is arranged at the center point of each regular hexagon, the pitch Px in the X-axis direction and the pitch Py in the Y-axis direction are naturally different. Specifically, a relationship of Px: Py = 2: route 3 is established. In general, digital image data is composed of a pixel array in which rectangular pixels are arranged vertically and horizontally (in this example, the screen image to be generated is a pixel array having sizes Sx and Sy). As shown in FIG. 4, when the unit region U is formed of a regular hexagonal region, many pixels come to positions that cross the boundary line of the unit region U (for example, the pixel Q shown in FIG. 4). If the area including the center point position of each pixel is handled as a unit area to which the pixel belongs, no inconvenience occurs.

  Of course, the generating point arrangement process in this step S2 is actually executed as a calculation process in the computer, and the specific processing contents to be executed are predetermined for each generating point M. This is a calculation process for obtaining coordinate values. Here, it is assumed that the calculation for obtaining the coordinate value (x, y) on the XY coordinate system is performed for each mother point M, and the mother point arranged at the position of the coordinate (x, y) is the mother point. Let us call it point M (x, y).

  In subsequent step S3, a mother point position variation process is performed in which the position of each mother point arranged in step S2 is varied randomly. This mother point position variation process may be any process as long as each mother point causes a position variation at random. In the example shown in FIG. The individual generating points are changed by a typical method.

  First, basically, for each generating point, the fluctuation amount in the X-axis direction is within the range of ± (1/2) Px at the maximum, and the fluctuation amount in the Y-axis direction is at most ± (1/2) Py. The position of each generating point is changed so as to be within the range. Here, Px and Py are standard pitches of generating points set in step S1.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the position variation range of the mother point M under such conditions.

  That is, under such a condition, a position variation within the hatched range in the figure occurs with respect to the mother point M (x, y) shown in the figure. If position variation is performed within such a range, the positional relationship between adjacent mother points does not change, so even if the pitch between each mother point after the change is random, the entire As an average generating point pitch value, a value close to the standard pitches Px and Py set in step S1 is maintained.

  Actually, a random number is generated in the computer in order to randomly change the generating point M (x, y) within the hatched area in FIG. 5, and based on the value of the random number, The position is determined. Further, in order to set the fluctuation amount to a value corresponding to the parameter of the degree of disorder Dr set in step S1, an algorithm that determines the fluctuation amount in consideration of the parameter Dr is used. That is, in step S3 shown in FIG. 2, the x-coordinate value and y-coordinate value of one generating point M (x, y) are changed based on the following expression.

x → x + (R · Dr · Px)
y → y + (R ・ Dr ・ Py)
Here, Px, Py, and Dr are parameters set in step S1, and R is a uniformly distributed random number in the range of −0.5 to +0.5. Here, when the parameter Dr is set to the maximum value 1, the generating point M (x, y) shown in FIG. 5 changes to an arbitrary position in the hatched area in the figure, but the value of the parameter Dr is reduced. When set, this hatching area is gradually narrowed. Therefore, the parameter Dr functions as a parameter for controlling the variation amount of each generating point, and is a parameter for controlling the degree of randomness of the generating point position after each generating point is varied.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state after the mother point M, which is arranged in an orderly manner as shown in FIG. 4, is changed by the above-described algorithm. The broken line indicates the position of the regular hexagon shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, each generating point M is located at the center of each regular hexagon, whereas in FIG. 6, it can be seen that each of the positions fluctuates randomly. As described above, the “base point M” in the present specification is a point that becomes a nucleus of the cell and a point that becomes a nucleus of the unit region U. Here, the unit area U has a meaning as an area to be converted into one cell on the AM screen image, and the appearance frequency of each pixel value in the unit area is almost uniform, and the unit area U is a single area within the unit area. It is necessary to have a feature that the pixel value arrangement is such that a region (cell) composed of a group of black pixels is formed. As shown in FIG. 4, in the state where the individual generating points M are regularly arranged, regular hexagons arranged regularly can be used as unit regions U as they are, but as shown in FIG. In the state where the position of each mother point M fluctuates randomly, it is necessary to define a new irregular unit region U.

  Step S4 shown in FIG. 2 is a process of defining each unit region U based on each generating point M after the change.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example in which the unit area U is defined based on each generating point M shown in FIG. The method of defining the unit region U having the mother point M as a nucleus based on the randomly arranged mother points M is not necessarily limited to one method, but in practice, it is efficient by a computer. It is preferable to use a technique capable of performing an arithmetic operation. The inventor of the present application considers that a technique called Voronoi division processing described below is an optimal technique for achieving the object of the present invention.

  The basic concept of Voronoi division is to determine a dominating region for each of a large number of generating points M distributed in the space based on a predetermined condition and divide the space into a plurality of dominating regions. As a condition for determining the dominant region, a distance (Euclidean distance) between a predetermined point on the space and the mother point is used. For example, consider a case where three generating points M1, M2, and M3 are arranged on a two-dimensional plane as shown in FIG. In this case, by performing Voronoi division, the two-dimensional plane is divided into three dominant regions, a dominant region of the mother point M1, a dominant region of the mother point M2, and a dominant region of the mother point M3. .

  It is determined by comparing the distances d1, d2, and d3 between the base points M1, M2, and M3 to which control region an arbitrary point Q (x, y) on the two-dimensional plane belongs. Is done. That is, an arbitrary point Q (x, y) belongs to the dominant region of the nearest generating point (hereinafter referred to as the closest generating point). In the example shown in FIG. 8, since d1 <d2 <d3, the closest mother point of the point Q (x, y) is M1, and the point Q (x, y) belongs to the dominant region of the mother point M1. Will be allowed to. In this way, if all points on the two-dimensional plane belong to the dominant region of the nearest neighbor point, the two-dimensional plane is divided into three dominant regions.

  Of course, an infinite number of points exist on the geometric two-dimensional plane. However, in implementing the present invention, a pixel array having the sizes Sx and Sy defined in step S1 is formed. For each individual pixel to be processed, a process of making it belong to the dominant region of the nearest neighbor point may be performed. Specifically, in order to determine the dominant region to which a specific pixel belongs, for example, the distance between the center position of the pixel and all generating points is obtained by calculation, and the generating point with the smallest distance is determined as the nearest neighbor. A process of recognizing as a point and making the pixel belong to the dominant region of the nearest neighbor point may be performed. In practice, instead of obtaining and comparing the distances themselves, the calculation burden is reduced by obtaining and comparing the squares of the distances. By performing such processing, all (Sx · Sy) pixels constituting the pixel array can belong to the dominant region of any base point. Therefore, if a set of pixels belonging to the same dominant region is defined as one unit region, a unit region having each core point as a nucleus can be defined.

  As a result, the processing performed in step S4 in FIG. 2 is performed by using the closest base point for each pixel constituting the pixel array having the sizes Sx and Sy set in step S1 as the closest base point for the pixel. It can be said that this is a process of defining a plurality of unit areas on a two-dimensional plane so that one unit area is constituted by a set of pixels having the same generating point as the closest generating point. Each unit area defined in this way is an area having a random shape, and each has a random arrangement. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an example of the unit region U having a random shape, and M indicates the position of the generating point. As shown in the figure, the unit area U is constituted by a set of a large number of pixels Q (x, y).

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the unit region U is defined by performing Voronoi division processing based on regularly arranged generating points M, each generating point M becomes the center point of the unit region U. As shown in FIG. 6, when a unit region U is defined by performing Voronoi division processing based on irregularly arranged mother points M, each mother point M is not necessarily a geometric center point (centroid of the unit region U). ) Does not. This is because the boundary line of the unit region U defined by Voronoi division processing is a set of points equidistant from two adjacent generating points (each unit region U shown in FIG. It is not a unit area obtained as a result of accurate Voronoi division processing). As will be described later, since the generating point M is a point that becomes the core of the cell formed on the final printed matter, if the generating point M is not the geometric center point of the unit region U, the generating point The point M does not become the geometric center point of the halftone dot to be formed, but there is no problem in practical use.

  In this process, a process of defining a generating point having the second closest distance as a next adjacent generating point for the pixel is also performed. As described above, when the nearest neighbor point and the next nearest neighbor point are obtained for a specific pixel, the particular pixel is found in the bank area based on the positions of the nearest neighbor point and the next nearest neighbor point. It is possible to determine whether or not it is a pixel.

  FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the principle of determining whether or not the pixel Q (x, y) located at the coordinates (x, y) is a pixel in the bank area having the bank width Wb.

  Here, it is assumed that the generating point closest to the pixel Q (x, y) is M1, the generating point closest to the second is M2, and the generating point closest to the third is M3. In this case, the closest mother point of the pixel Q (x, y) is M1, and the next nearest mother point is M2, and the mother point M3 is not involved in this determination at all. In order to make a determination, first, a line segment L1 (broken line in the figure) connecting the closest mother point M1 and the next closest mother point M2 is obtained, and a perpendicular bisector L2 (a dashed line in the figure) of this line segment L1. Ask for. Then, a band-like region Ab (hatched region in the figure) having a width corresponding to the bank width Wb set as a parameter is defined with the vertical bisector L2 as a center line, and a pixel Q (x, x, If y) is a pixel in the band-shaped region Ab, the pixel Q (x, y) may be determined as a pixel in the bank region B.

  In the case of the illustrated example, the pixel Q (x, y) is outside the band-shaped region Ab, and thus is not determined as a pixel in the bank region B. In this way, pixels that are not determined to be pixels in the bank area B may be handled as pixels belonging to the unit area for the closest mother point M1. In the example shown in the figure, the pixel Q (x, y) is a pixel belonging to the unit area for the mother point M1. Of course, the band-shaped region Ab shown in FIG. 11 is a region that serves as a determination criterion for the mother points M1 and M2. Therefore, for example, when a determination is made for another pixel whose closest mother point is M1 and the next closest mother point is M3, a vertical bisector of a line segment connecting these two mother points M1 and M3. Another belt-like area having a center line as a center line is used as a criterion. In this way, it is determined whether or not all the pixels are in the bank area, and the pixels determined to be outside the bank area belong to the unit area of the closest mother point and are determined to be in the bank area. With respect to the pixels, the region definition as shown in FIG. 1 can be performed by performing the process of belonging to the bank region.

  When the definition of the unit area is completed in this way, finally, in step S5 of FIG. 2, a process of determining the pixel value for each pixel in each unit area is performed. As described above, the unit area U has a meaning as an area to be converted into one cell on the AM screen image, and the appearance frequency of each pixel value in the unit area becomes almost uniform, and the unit area U is in the unit area. It is necessary to have a feature that the pixel value arrangement is such that a region (halftone dot) composed of a group of black pixels is formed.

  The range of pixel values to be defined is determined according to the gradation information of the original image. For example, in order to generate an AM screen for performing screening processing on an original image having 4-bit gradation information (pixel values of 0 to 15), pixel values in the range of 0 to 14 (1 to 15) are generated. In order to generate an AM screen for performing screening processing on an original image having 8-bit gradation information (pixel value of 0 to 255), the pixel value within the range may be defined). A pixel value in the range of 0 to 254 (a pixel value in the range of 1 to 255 may be used) may be defined.

  The individual unit areas U defined in step S4 have different shapes and sizes, and the number of constituent pixels is also different. Therefore, the pixel value determination process in step S5 is executed independently for each unit region. Thus, when the process of determining the pixel values is completed for all the unit areas U, predetermined pixel values are obtained for all the pixels constituting the pixel array of the sizes Sx and Sy. Processing to output this pixel array as a screen image of size Sx, Sy may be performed. The screen image output in this way has a function of generating a halftone image in which density information is expressed as a halftone dot area in the same manner as a conventional AM screen image, and by eliminating the periodicity of halftone dots, Expression of cell eyes, moire, and rosetta patterns can be prevented.

  Finally, a specific example of an image is shown.

  FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a specific example of a screen image generated by a method considering the bank area described above.

  Although the degree of shading is slightly unclear due to the limitation of the drawing resolution in the electronic application, it can be seen that a large number of irregular unit areas are arranged at random positions across the bank area of a predetermined width. Each unit area has a higher density at the center (close to black) and a lower density at the periphery (close to white). This is because the pixel value gradually changes from the center to the periphery.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the surface (cell shape) of a so-called regular cell intaglio used in the method of the present invention (and an example of a screen image for forming the surface).

  In the method of the present invention, in addition to the irregular cells described above, it is possible to use a conventional shaped cell as shown in the figure. Even if such a regular cell is used, the cells, moire, rosette pattern, etc. do not appear due to the effect of the irregular cell described above.

  In the gravure printing method of the present invention, in the case where the irregular cell shown in FIG. 1 and the regular cell shown in FIG. 13 are used in combination, the use order (print order) is not particularly limited, It is possible to set arbitrarily. However, in order to effectively prevent the appearance of cells, moire, rosette patterns, etc. in the final printed matter, it is possible to use the printed layer using the irregular cells so that it is located on the outermost surface. preferable.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a hydraulic transfer sheet used in the hydraulic transfer method as a printed matter of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, when four printed layers are overprinted on a water-soluble or water-swellable sheet 41 as a substrate, at least the fourth printed layer 45 is printed using an irregular cell intaglio. Preferably, the first to third printing layers 42 to 44 may be optionally printed using an irregular cell intaglio.

  When overprinting is performed using only the irregular cell intaglio, it is preferable that the cell shapes of the irregular cell intaglios are all different patterns. This is because, when overprinting is performed using completely the same amorphous cells, cell eyes, moire, rosette patterns and the like may be developed due to interference or the like.

  The water-soluble or water-swellable sheet 41 can be appropriately selected from materials that have been conventionally used as a hydraulic transfer sheet. Specific materials include polyvinyl alcohol resin, dextrin, gelatin, glue, casein, shellac, gum arabic, starch, protein, polyacrylic amide, sodium polyacrylate, polyvinyl methyl ether, methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride. Examples thereof include copolymers, copolymers of vinyl acetate and itaconic acid, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, acetyl cellulose, acetyl butyl cellulose, carboxyl methyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, hydroxyl ethyl cellulose, and sodium alginate. The thickness of the support sheet 41 is preferably 10 to 100 μm.

  Although the printed matter of the present invention has been described with reference to FIG. 14, the present invention is not limited to this, and the gravure printing method of the present invention described above is used as long as it is a printed matter currently printed by the gravure printing method. Thus, the printed matter of the present invention can be obtained. For example, various printed materials such as books, magazines, packaging, construction materials requiring particularly high designability, and interior panels in vehicles such as automobiles can be exemplified.

  Further, in the gravure printing method of the present invention and the printed matter of the present invention, the hydraulic transfer sheet used in the hydraulic transfer method, the printing sheet used in the vacuum forming method, and further the pressure forming method. It can be effectively applied to printing sheets used for printing. In these methods, the printed sheet is often formed while being stretched, and as a result, there is a possibility that cell-like, moire, and rosette patterns are noticeable. According to the present invention, these are expressed. This is because it can be prevented.

  Next, this invention is demonstrated using an Example.

Example 1
A hydraulic transfer sheet as shown in FIG. 14 was formed by the method of the present invention.

  Specifically, as a water-soluble film, a PVA film (Hi-Selon C-300 manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry) is used, and a conventional intaglio plate on which a conventional shaped cell shown in FIG. 13 is formed is used. A third printing layer is provided by a gravure printing method, and finally, a fourth printing layer is provided by a gravure printing method using the intaglio plate on which so-called irregular cells shown in FIG. A hydraulic transfer sheet was formed.

  The ink used in this gravure printing method is trade name: KLCF (Kai-3) ink, weather red, weather yellow, blue, weather gold pearl, white pearl, silver manufactured by The Inktec Co., Ltd. What was toned by the combination of single colors was used.

(Example 2)
Using the same water-soluble film and ink as in Example 1, the first printed layer and the fourth printed layer were formed by the gravure printing method using the intaglio plate on which the so-called amorphous cells shown in FIG. 1 were formed. For the second and third printed layers, the hydraulic transfer sheet of Example 2 was formed by providing the second and third printed layers by the gravure printing method using the intaglio in which the conventional shaped cells shown in FIG. 13 were formed. .

(Example 3)
Using the same water-soluble film and ink as in Example 1, the first, second, and fourth printing layers were formed by a gravure printing method using the intaglio plate on which so-called irregular cells shown in FIG. 1 were formed. About the 3rd printing layer, the sheet | seat for hydraulic transfer of Example 3 was formed by providing by the gravure printing method using the intaglio in which the conventional shaped cell shown in FIG. 13 was formed.

Example 4
Using the same water-soluble film and ink as in Example 1, all the first to fourth printing layers are provided by the gravure printing method using the intaglio plate on which the so-called irregular cells shown in FIG. 1 are formed. Thus, the hydraulic transfer sheet of Example 4 was formed.

(Comparative Example 1)
By using the same water-soluble film and ink as in Example 1 above, all the first to fourth printing layers are provided by the gravure printing method using the intaglio plate on which the conventional shaped cells shown in FIG. 13 are formed. The hydraulic transfer sheet of Comparative Example 1 was formed.

(Comparison result of Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1)
About each of the sheet | seat for water pressure transfer of the said Examples 1-4, and the sheet | seat for water pressure transfer of the comparative example 1, each item of printability, the presence or absence of a cell, the presence or absence of moire, and the designability was compared.

  Furthermore, using these water pressure transfer sheets, a water pressure transfer method is carried out, respectively, and the transfer characteristics at that time, the presence or absence of cells in the printed pattern transferred to the transfer object, the presence or absence of moire, the design properties Each item was compared.

  The results are shown in Table 1 below.

FIG. 15 shows photographs of the front surface (printing surface side) and the back surface (water-soluble sheet side) of the water pressure transfer sheet of Example 1 and the water pressure transfer sheet of Comparative Example 1.

  Furthermore, the photograph of the printing surface of a to-be-transferred material at the time of implementing the hydraulic transfer method using the hydraulic transfer sheet of Example 1 and the hydraulic transfer sheet of Comparative Example 1 is shown in FIG.

  As is apparent from Table 1 and FIGS. 15 and 16, it can be seen that according to the method of the present invention and the printed matter of the present invention, the appearance of cell eyes, moire, and rosetta patterns can be prevented.

(Example 5)
FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a printed matter (print sheet used in a vacuum forming method) of Example 5 of the present invention.

  As shown in the drawing, an acrylic film (manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., trade name: S-001) is used as a substrate, and the first to third printing layers are gravure-printed using the conventional regular cell shown in FIG. Then, a fourth printing layer is provided by a gravure printing method using the intaglio plate on which the irregular cells shown in FIG. 1 are formed, and further, the fourth printing layer is formed using the conventional regular cells shown in FIG. The printing sheet used for the vacuum forming method of Example 5 of this invention was shape | molded by providing the printing layer of 5-6 by the gravure printing method.

  In addition, the ink used for this gravure printing method used each color of the commercially available ink for Showa Ink Industry building materials.

(Comparative Example 2)
In the printed matter of Example 5 of the present invention shown in FIG. 17, all of the first to sixth printed layers were used in the same conditions as in Example 5 except that conventional shaped cells were used. A printing sheet used in the vacuum forming method 2 was prepared.

(Comparison result of Example 5 and Comparative Example 2)
About each of the printing sheet used for the vacuum forming method of the said Example 5, and the printing sheet used for the vacuum forming method of the comparative example 2, each item of printability, the presence or absence of a cell eye, the presence or absence of moire, and designability is set. Compared.

  The results are shown in Table 2 below.

As is clear from Table 2 above, the printed sheet used in the vacuum forming method of the present invention formed by the method of the present invention has printability, the presence or absence of cells, the presence or absence of moire, and the designability compared to conventional ones. It was found that each item was excellent.

(Example 6)
FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a printed matter (printing paper for wallpaper) of Example 6 of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, a backing paper (made by Chuetsu Pulp) is used as a substrate, a layer mainly composed of vinyl chloride is coated thereon, and then an intaglio plate on which the irregular cells shown in FIG. 1 are formed is used. The first printed layer is provided by the gravure printing method, and further, the second printed layer is provided by the gravure printing method using the conventional regular cell shown in FIG. A printing paper was formed.

  Ink used in this gravure printing method was trade name “Hydric” manufactured by Dainichi Seika Kogyo.

(Comparative Example 3)
In the printed matter of Example 5 of the present invention shown in FIG. 18, the same conditions as in Example 6 were used except that the first and second printed layers used conventional shaped cells. Made paper for wallpaper.

(Comparison result of Example 6 and Comparative Example 3)
With respect to each of the wallpaper printing paper of Example 6 and the wallpaper printing paper of Comparative Example 3, the items of printability, presence or absence of cells, presence or absence of moire, and design properties were compared.

  The results are shown in Table 3 below.

As apparent from Table 3 above, the wallpaper printing paper of the present invention formed by the method of the present invention has printability, presence or absence of cells, presence or absence of moire, and design in comparison with the conventional one. I found it excellent.

It is a figure which shows an example (and an example of the screen image for forming this) of the surface (cell shape) of what is called an irregular cell intaglio used for the gravure printing method of this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing a basic procedure for generating a screen image necessary for forming an irregular cell U formed on the surface of the irregular cell intaglio 10. It is a top view which shows an example of the screen image 32 comprised by arrange | positioning the several unit area | region U repeatedly vertically and horizontally. It is a top view which shows the example which has arrange | positioned each mother point M in the center point of each regular hexagon when the regular hexagon of the same size is arrange | positioned without a space | gap on XY plane. Base point under the condition that the fluctuation amount in the X-axis direction is at most within ± (1/2) Px and the fluctuation amount in the Y-axis direction is at most in the range of ± (1/2) Py It is a top view which shows the position fluctuation range of M. It is a top view which shows the state after fluctuating the generating point M arrange | positioned orderly as shown in FIG. 4 with a predetermined algorithm. FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating an example in which a unit region U is defined based on each generating point M illustrated in FIG. 6. It is a top view explaining the basic concept of a Voronoi division process. It is a top view which shows an example of the unit area | region U made into the random shape. 3 is a plan view showing a pixel configuration of a specific screen image 31. FIG. It is a top view which shows the principle which determines whether the pixel Q (x, y) is a pixel in a bank area | region. It is a top view which shows a specific example of the screen image produced | generated by the production | generation method of the screen image based on this invention which considered the bank area | region. It is a figure which shows an example (and an example of the screen image for forming this) of the surface (cell shape) of what is called a regular cell intaglio. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the sheet | seat for hydraulic transfer used for the hydraulic transfer method as printed matter of this invention. 2 is a photograph of the front surface (printing surface side) and the back surface (water-soluble sheet side) of each of the water pressure transfer sheet of Example 1 and the water pressure transfer sheet of Comparative Example 1; 2 is a photograph of a printing surface of a transfer object when a water pressure transfer method is performed using the water pressure transfer sheet of Example 1 and the water pressure transfer sheet of Comparative Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of the printed matter of Example 5 (printing sheet used for the vacuum forming method). It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of the printed matter (printing paper for wallpaper) of Example 6. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10: Amorphous cell intaglio 31, 32 ... Screen image B ... Bank area C ... Center point of unit area Dr ... Parameter indicating degree of randomness (0 <Dr≤1)
d1 to d3 ... Distance to the mother point L1 ... Line segment connecting the mother points L2 ... Vertical bisector of the line segment L1 M, M1 to M3, M (x, y) ... Mother point Px ... X-axis direction Standard pitch Py ... Standard pitch in the Y-axis direction Q, Q (x, y) ... Pixel / pixel value of screen image R ... Uniform distribution random number (-0.5≤R≤ + 0.5)
Steps Sx, Sy ... Screen size U, U1-U3 ... Unit area Wb ... Bank width x, y ... Coordinate value of XY coordinate system

Claims (3)

A method for producing a printed matter for hydraulic transfer comprising a substrate and a printed layer formed on the substrate,
In addition to the step of gravure printing using an intaglio plate formed by engraving cells based on an AM screen image and having irregularly arranged adjacent cells that have different shapes between adjacent cells , The printing layer is formed by gravure printing using an intaglio plate formed by engraving cells on the basis of an AM screen image, and the cells have the same shape and are regularly arranged. Form the
As the substrate, a water-soluble or water-swellable sheet is used,
The manufactured printed matter is coated with an activator on the printing layer, then floated on the water surface so that the surface on which the printing layer is formed is up, and then presses the transferred material against the printing layer. A method for producing a printed matter for water pressure transfer, which is used in a water pressure transfer method in which a printing layer is transferred to the surface of a transfer medium by water pressure. It is a manufacturing method of the printed matter for hydraulic transfer according to claim 1,
In forming the printing layer, in addition to the step of gravure printing using the irregular cell intaglio, the step of gravure printing using the regular cell intaglio in which the cells all have the same shape and are regularly arranged A method for producing a printed matter for hydraulic transfer, which is performed. It is a manufacturing method of the printed matter for hydraulic transfer according to claim 2,
A method for producing a printed matter for hydraulic transfer, wherein printing is performed so that a printed layer printed using the irregular cell intaglio is positioned on an outermost surface.