JP6056191B2 - Printed matter, printing method, image forming apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printed material that suppresses warpage of a recording medium that tends to occur on a recording medium on which an image having a height difference such as a three-dimensional image or an image having an unevenness such as an oil-tone image is printed on a formed image surface. The present invention relates to a method and an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printer is known as an apparatus that prints characters, pictures, photographs, and the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as images) on paper. In general, resin-based inks such as acrylic resins are used as ink materials for inkjet printers.

  Since the material of resin-based ink such as acrylic and the material of pulp-based paper on which images are printed with this ink are different materials, depending on the humidity of the paper during printing, the humidity environment during storage, etc. The paper shrinks, creating a shrinkage difference between the ink surface that forms the image and the paper body, causing the paper to be arc-shaped and, in extreme cases, to be rounded into a cylindrical shape. is there.

  As a method for suppressing (or preventing) such warpage of the paper, for example, pearl printing of a base material to be pearl-printed to reduce the warpage of the base material that occurs when pearl printing is performed by lithographic printing or letterpress printing. A method has been proposed in which at least a part of the pattern overlaps the pearl print pattern on the surface, or the same pattern or another pattern is printed at the same position on the opposite side. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1.)

  In this patent document 1, when the pattern is printed by increasing the amount of pearl ink in order to increase the brightness in lithographic printing or letterpress printing, the ink resin content shrinks as the ink transferred to the substrate is dried or cured. This is to solve the problem that the warpage of the base material is increased.

  In addition, the pattern printed on the back side is different from the pattern on the front side, and it is also described that a pattern smaller in size than the front side or a pattern larger in size than the front side is printed. It is not necessary to be an arbitrary pattern.

  In addition, in order to reduce the occurrence of warping even when using infrared absorbing ink by offset printing and / or letterpress printing on a paper base material, a pattern of an infrared absorbing ink printing layer is formed on one side of the paper base material. The pattern opposite to the infrared absorbing ink printing layer on the other side of the paper substrate is printed with the oxidation polymerization ink and / or the UV curable ink on the surface of the paper substrate as the warp reduction printing layer. A method has been proposed. (For example, see Patent Document 2.)

JP 2003-231339 A JP 2007-245439 A

  However, in Patent Document 1 or 2, there is a difference between the case where printing is performed using pearl ink on the surface or the case where printing is performed using infrared absorbing ink, but both are papers which are printed on the surface. There is no great difference in that a pattern having the same or almost the same size as the front surface is printed on the back surface of the paper to prevent the paper from warping.

  In the handling of the paper on which the image has been printed, the difficult thing to handle is the case where the paper is warped, and if the paper is for general office use, for example, A3 or smaller, the advertisement image When it comes to large printed paper, paper warpage is a problem.

  In this way, on a large sheet of paper, a pattern that is almost the same as the printed image on the front surface or a pattern that is approximately the same size is printed in accordance with the position of the printed image on the front surface. Is required. In particular, since mass production printing is often used for advertisements, the addition of a front / back reversing step and a positioning step to the conventional printing step causes a problem of significantly reducing printing efficiency.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and without printing on the back surface of the recording medium, an image having a height difference such as a three-dimensional image or an uneven image such as an oil painting tone image is obtained. printed occurred in the recording medium printed material suppresses win warping, printing method, images forming apparatus, and aims to provide a program.

In order to solve the above problems, a printed material of the present invention is a recording medium and a printed image layer of a drawing object, and is formed on the surface of the recording medium so as to have an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object. The printed image layer having an uneven portion formed of ink , wherein the uneven portion is a plurality of grooves extending along a predetermined direction and does not correspond to the shape of the drawing object. It is configured to have a plurality of grooves .

In order to solve the above problem, the printing method of the present invention forms an uneven portion with ink on the surface of a recording medium so as to form an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object, A plurality of grooves extending along a predetermined direction and configured to have the plurality of grooves not corresponding to the shape of the drawing object .

In order to solve the above problem, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a stereoscopic image printing unit that forms an uneven portion with ink on the surface of a recording medium so as to form an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of a drawing object. The data corresponding to the concavo-convex portion is set so that the concavo-convex portion has a plurality of grooves extending along a predetermined direction and does not correspond to the shape of the drawing object. A printing unit setting unit.
In order to solve the above problems, the program of the present invention uses ink on the surface of the recording medium so that the computer has an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object when executed by the computer. The uneven portion is formed by the three-dimensional image printing unit of the image forming apparatus, and the data corresponding to the uneven portion is stored such that the uneven portion has a plurality of linear grooves extending along the surface of the recording medium. Let it be set.

  Since the present invention forms a groove in the formed image by setting a linear non-printing portion in each overprinting in the overprinting of special images with height differences and unevenness, it prevents warpage on the back surface of the recording medium. There is an effect of suppressing warping of the recording medium only by a step of printing an image having a height difference or unevenness, such as a three-dimensional image or an oil painting-like image, without performing printing or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image forming apparatus that creates a printed material by a warpage prevention printing method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an art paper base used for printing by an image forming apparatus that creates a printed matter by the warpage prevention printing method according to the first embodiment. (a) is a diagram showing a normal color image printed on paper, and (b) is an image obtained by analyzing the color image, or a color image obtained by manual designation input, with height difference or unevenness added. FIG. 6 is a diagram in which unevenness data for expressing the data is developed in a memory. FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a planar pattern of a non-printing portion of a printed material according to Example 1. (a) is a developed perspective view showing the layer structure of unevenness data, white ink data, and color image data to be overprinted in order on the art paper, and (b) is an uneven image finally formed. FIG. FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit provided in the main body that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus that creates a printed matter by the warpage prevention printing method according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of printing a normal color image as a special image having irregularities on the surface by the CPU of the control unit shown in FIG. 5. (a), (b) is a perspective view which shows the example of the shape of the groove | channel formed in the printing part of a special image, respectively. For reference, (a) is a diagram showing slightly exaggerated intervals and lines indicating straight grooves formed in the special image itself by scraping one corner of the special image on the paper surface of this example to the position of the base printing. (B) is an enlarged view showing the shape of the bending that occurs when the paper is forcibly bent along the straight groove. (a) is a plan view of the painting 25 in the first modification, (b) is a sectional view taken along the line BB of (a), and (c) is a section taken along the line CC of (a). FIG. (a) is sectional drawing in alignment with the BB cutting line of FIG. 10 (a) in the modification 2, (b) is sectional drawing along CC cutting line in FIG. FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 10A in the third modification, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. is there. FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 10A in the modified example 4, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. is there. It is a top view which shows the plane pattern of the non-printing part of the printed matter in the modification 5. It is a top view which shows the plane pattern of the non-printing part of the printed matter in the modification 6. It is a top view which shows the plane pattern of the non-printing part of the printed matter in the modification 7. It is a top view which shows the plane pattern of the non-printing part of the printed matter in the modification 8. It is a top view which shows the plane pattern of the non-printing part of the printed matter in the modification 9. It is a top view which shows the plane pattern of the non-printing part of the printed matter in the modification 10.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image forming apparatus that creates a printed matter by a warpage prevention printing method according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a main body 2 and a head moving unit 3. The main body 2 includes a control unit which will be described later in detail.

  From the control unit, a control signal for controlling the rotation, rotation speed (rotation period) and rotation direction of a motor for moving and driving the head moving unit 3 and ink discharge of an inkjet head (described later) suspended on the head moving unit 3 are discharged. A flexible wiring (not shown) for transmitting a control signal or the like for controlling the head is disposed between the main body 2 and the head moving unit 3.

  In addition, the upper surface of the main body 2 is provided with a wide printed material placing surface 5 on which, for example, art paper 4 having a maximum of approximately 1850 mm × 3200 mm can be placed. On the printed material mounting surface 5, a large number of suction nozzles connected to an internal negative pressure generator are arranged, which are not visible behind the art paper 4 in the drawing. These many suction nozzles adsorb the art paper 4 from the back surface and fix the art paper 4 to the printed material placement surface 5.

  An ink cartridge insertion portion 6 is formed on a side surface of the main body 2 in the longitudinal direction (the moving direction of the head moving portion 3). The ink cartridge insertion portion 6 contains cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), black (K), and white (W) ultraviolet curable acrylic ink (hereinafter referred to as UV ink) 5. Each of the ink cartridges is detachably mounted.

  A data input terminal portion 7 is formed on the side surface of the main body 2 in the short direction. The data input terminal unit 7 includes a signal line connection terminal to which a signal line from an image data output terminal unit of a host device (not shown) such as a personal computer is connected, and various types of flashes in which image information is recorded. A memory mounting terminal to which the memory is detachably mounted is provided.

  The head moving unit 3 includes a sub operation direction moving unit 8. The sub-operation direction moving unit 8 includes two legs 9 (9a, 9b) that reciprocate in the sub-operation direction indicated by a double-headed arrow a on a guide rail (not shown) along the longitudinal side surface of the main body 2. I have.

  Further, the head moving unit 3 includes a head support unit 11 that is passed over the two leg portions 9 so as to straddle the printed material placement surface 5 of the main body 2 and moves together with the leg portions 9. A head portion 12 is suspended from the head support portion 11. The head portion 12 is supported by the head support portion 11 so as to be capable of reciprocating in the main scanning direction indicated by a double-headed arrow b.

  The head unit 12 includes a head body 13 at the center. The head main body 13 includes four line heads 14 (14c, 14m, 14y, 14y, 14y, 14y, 14y, 14m, 14y, 14y) that discharge ink of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) toward the surface of the art paper 4. 14k). In FIG. 1, a line head that discharges white (W) ink is not shown.

  Although not particularly shown, each of the five ink cartridges attached to the ink cartridge insertion portion 6 communicates with the line head 14 corresponding to the color of the UV ink accommodated in the ink cartridge. An ink supply pipe is provided via the head support portion 11 and the head main body 13.

  Each line head 14 is provided with a nozzle row composed of a large number of nozzles arranged in the sub-scanning direction on the lower surface thereof, although it is not visible in the figure. The head unit 12 includes ultraviolet irradiation units 15 (15a and 15b) connected to both side surfaces of the head main body 13 in the main scanning direction.

  During the image forming process, first, the head moving unit 3 moves to, for example, the first image forming position at the top of the main body 2 and stops. For example, after moving to the left end portion of the head support portion 11, the head portion 12 ejects UV ink from the nozzle row of each line head 14 of the head main body 13 according to image information while moving to the right end portion.

  With the discharge of the UV ink, the image formed on the surface of the art paper 4 with a width corresponding to the length of the nozzle row of the line head 14 is arranged on the left side of the head main body 13, and the head main body together with the head main body 13 The ultraviolet irradiation unit 15 a that moves after 13 irradiates the ultraviolet rays to cure the UV ink forming the image on the surface of the art paper 4.

  When performing overprinting to be described later, the head moving unit 3 is stopped and the head unit 12 is turned back from the right end to the left end of the head support unit 11, and the overprinted image is printed from the nozzle row of each line head 14 of the head body 13. The UV ink corresponding to the information is ejected.

  An ultraviolet irradiation unit 15b that is arranged on the right side of the head main body 13 and moves together with the head main body 13 from the rear of the head main body 13 irradiates the ultraviolet rays to cure the UV ink that forms the superimposed image on the surface of the art paper 4. .

  When overprinting is not performed, the head moving unit 3 moves to the next image forming position and stops with the head unit 12 stopped at the right end of the head support unit 11. Next, while the head unit 12 moves from the right end to the left end of the head support unit 11, UV ink corresponding to image information at the next position is ejected from the nozzle row of each line head 14 of the head body 13.

  The ultraviolet irradiating section 15b moving from the back of the head main body 13 together with the head main body 13 irradiates the ultraviolet rays to cure the UV ink forming an image on the surface of the art paper 4. In this way, the head moving unit 3 moves to the final image forming position of the art paper 4 while repeating overprinting or normal flat surface printing for each image forming position.

  Then, UV ink corresponding to the image information at the final image forming position is ejected from the nozzle row of each line head 14 of the head main body 13, and the ultraviolet irradiation unit 15 a or 15 b that moves after the head main body 13 irradiates the ultraviolet rays. Then, the UV ink forming the image on the surface of the art paper 4 is cured.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a base paper of the art paper 4 used for the above printing. As shown in the figure, the base paper of the art paper 4 is obtained by winding a long art paper 17 around a cylindrical core 16 to form a base paper roll 18 for easy handling and transportation.

  That is, the base paper roll 18 is a large base paper roll capable of forming a plurality of art papers 4, and is a roll-shaped base paper wound around the axis of the core 16. The base paper roll 18 is cut to form art paper 4 having a desired size shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3A shows a normal color image 21 printed on the paper 19. FIG. 3B represents the color image 21 that is automatically obtained by analyzing the color image 21 or that is obtained by manual designation input, with a height difference and unevenness (hereinafter collectively referred to as unevenness). FIG. 6 is a diagram in which the uneven data 22 is developed in the memory 23.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a planar pattern of the non-printing part. As shown in FIG. 4, the non-printing portions are arranged in stripes parallel to each other along the direction intersecting each side of the art paper 4, that is, the direction intersecting the winding axis of the base paper roll. A plurality of straight lines are formed at a uniform density over the entire printing area where an image is formed on the art paper 4, that is, over the entire area of the art paper 4.

  FIG. 3A shows a color image 21, which is expressed in gray scale for convenience of illustration. FIG. 3B shows that the darker the color, the thicker the printing is. However, for the sake of illustration, the planar pattern of the non-printing portion is omitted.

  A technique for printing an image with unevenness is realized by printing for Braille, a physical extrusion method, a three-dimensional printer, or the like. Here, as an example, an overcoat method using UV ink will be taken up and briefly described.

  FIG. 5 (a) shows the print data (unevenness data) of the art paper 4 and the uneven UV ink layer 50 that is overprinted to form unevenness, printing data of the white UV ink layer 24, and FIG. 5B is a schematic plan view of each of the print data of the color UV ink layer 25 corresponding to the image data of the color image 21 printed on the white ground. FIG. FIG. In FIG. 5A, for convenience of illustration, the planar pattern of the non-printing portion is not shown.

  Actually, the uneven UV ink layer 50 is provided to correspond to the unevenness to be reproduced only on a part of the upper surface of the art paper 4, but in FIG. 5A, the layer structure is clearly shown. The case where the uneven UV ink layer 50 is solid-printed and provided on the entire upper surface of the art paper 4 is shown. Further, in FIG. 5B, in order to clearly show the layer structure, a gap is provided between each of the uneven UV ink layer 50, the white UV ink layer 24, and the color UV ink layer 25, and the layers are shown separately. ing.

  As shown in the plan development view of FIG. 5A, on the lowermost art paper 4, there are four colors of UV inks of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). As a result, the concavo-convex UV ink layer 50 is formed.

  In the example of FIG. 5 (a), it is indicated that a maximum of two layers of overprinting is performed. At this time, in order to avoid uneven consumption of the UV inks of the respective colors, the four colors of CMYK UV inks are simultaneously used for each of the uneven layers.

  The white UV ink layer 24 is applied (solid printing) on the uneven surface after the overprinting. This forms a rough surface of the white base. A color UV ink layer 25 corresponding to the image data of the color image 21 is printed on this uneven white ground. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), a three-dimensional image or oil painting-like image (hereinafter collectively referred to as a special image) 26 having an uneven surface is formed on the art paper 4.

  FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit provided in the main body 2 that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 configured as described above and operating as described above. As shown in the figure, the control unit 27 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 28 at the center.

  A printer head driver 31, a motor driver 32, a heat control unit 33, a drive system control unit 34, a media control unit 35, and a network connection unit A 36 are connected to the CPU 28 via a plurality of buses 29.

  Furthermore, an LCD (liquid crystal display) 38, a switch operation unit 39, and a second network connection unit 41 are connected to the media control unit 35 via a plurality of other buses 37. The LCD 38 and the switch operation unit 39 are external devices.

  The CPU 28 incorporates a memory (not shown) such as a ROM (read only memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable ROM). A control program for controlling the image forming apparatus 1 is stored in the ROM. The CPU 28 controls each unit based on a control program read from the ROM.

  The EEPROM stores parameters necessary for the control program in a rewritable manner. The RAM temporarily stores data as intermediate data and results of various calculations performed when the CPU 28 executes the control program.

  The printer head driver 31 discharges UV ink discharged from each nozzle of the nozzle row of the four line heads 14 (14c, 14m, 14y, 14k), the discharge amount, and the ultraviolet irradiation unit 15 (15a, 15b). Control the irradiation timing and dose.

  The motor driver 32 controls the motor (not shown) that moves the two legs 9 (9a, 9b) of the sub operation direction moving unit 8 along the guide rail, and the timing at which the sub operation direction moving unit 8 moves. Control direction and distance. Further, the rotation of a motor (not shown) that reciprocates the head unit 12 along the longitudinal direction (printing main operation direction) of the sub operation direction moving unit 8 is controlled.

  The heat control unit 33 includes a heat exchanger (not shown) so that the viscosity of the UV ink inside the ink cartridge, the ink supply pipe, and the inkjet head is in an optimum state for movement and ejection of the flow path. The environmental temperature is controlled using a heat exchanger.

  The drive system control unit 34 includes a plurality of sensors suitable for monitoring at important points, monitors the drive state of each unit, and notifies the CPU 28 whether or not the monitoring result is appropriate.

  The first network connection unit 36 is an input port for capturing image data including command data, and is configured by a USB terminal. The media control unit 35 is a buffer, and transmits the image data developed in a predetermined area of the buffer to the external LCD 38 for display.

  Further, the media control unit 35 temporarily holds operation events input from the external switch operation unit 39 and data input from other second network connection units 41 in time series, and temporarily stores them. The CPU 28 notifies the CPU 28 of the held data and events in the interval between other arithmetic processes of the CPU 28.

  FIG. 7 shows a process for printing the normal color image described in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 5A), 5B as a special image having irregularities on the surface by the CPU 28 of the control unit 27 having the above configuration. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of.

  First, power is turned on to the image forming apparatus 1 and external peripheral devices, and art paper 4 of a desired size is placed on the printed material placing surface 5 of the image forming apparatus 1 to print normal image data and special images. When a style or other designation is input from the switch operation unit 39 as a key input or as a signal from a host device connected to the first network connection unit 36, the process is started.

  When the processing is started, first, as described above, the head moving unit 3 is set to the first image forming position corresponding to the size of the art paper 4 placed on the printed material placing surface 5 on the upper part of the main body 2 as described above. Move and stop. Next, the head portion 12 moves to the left end portion of the head support portion 11 and stops.

  Prior to printing, first, stereoscopic image data including height difference data (concave / convex layer data) is generated based on input photograph data (including normal image data). Further, a non-printing portion is set at a predetermined position in the uneven layer data (step S1).

  In the present embodiment, the uneven layer data is data representing the printing height in five stages. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the non-printing portion is set at a linear and uniform parallel interval. The linear setting direction is formed in a direction crossing the axis of the roll around which the base paper is wound in the base paper roll 18 shown in FIG. 2 as the base paper on which the art paper 4 is formed by cutting.

  Next, the stereoscopic image data is divided from the first layer data to the fifth layer data, and the printing process is started (step S2). In this process, the first layer data to the fifth layer data are not necessarily created in the print area.

  That is, only the first layer, the first layer and the second layer, the first layer to the third layer, the first layer to the fourth layer, according to the printing height expressed in five levels included in the uneven layer data. Alternatively, printing from the first layer to the fifth layer is performed. That is, printing is performed up to the fifth layer at the maximum.

  Subsequently, only the first layer, the first layer and the second layer, the first layer to the third layer, the first layer to the fourth layer, or the region where the printing from the first layer to the fifth layer is performed Then, UV inks of CMYK for each layer are applied (discharge printing) (step S3).

  In this process, as described above, the head unit 12 moves from the left end of the head support unit 11 to the right end direction, and each color UV ink from the nozzle row of each line head 14 of the head main body 13 according to one height data. To discharge.

  At this time, as described above, in order to avoid uneven consumption of the UV inks of the respective colors, the four colors of CMYK UV inks are simultaneously used.

  Subsequently, each color UV ink is cured by irradiating with ultraviolet rays (step S4). In this process, as described above, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 15a or 15b on the upstream side in the movement direction of the head body 13 is driven to emit light. Therefore, when the head unit 12 ejects ink while moving from the left end to the right end as described above, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 15a is driven to emit light.

  Next, the CPU 28 determines whether or not ink has been applied up to the designated layer (step S5). In this process, the number of divisions of the UVVP conversion data divided from the first layer data to the number of layers data in the process of step S2 is compared with the number of applications of the number of layers currently applied.

  If the specified layer has not yet been applied (No in S5), the process returns to step S3 and the processes in steps S3 to S5 are repeated. In this process, as described above, the sub-operation direction moving unit 8 of the head moving unit 3 remains stationary and only the head unit 12 is driven.

  That is, in the second CMYK color ink coating process (step S3), the first and second layers, the first to third layers, the first to fourth layers, or the first to fifth layers. Up to a region where printing is performed, each color UV ink for one layer height is applied (discharge printing), and then each color UV ink is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure each color UV ink (second time). Step S4).

  Similarly, in the third time, CMYK for one layer height is applied to the area where printing from the first layer to the third layer, the first layer to the fourth layer, or the first layer to the fifth layer is performed. Each color UV ink is applied and irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The same applies to the fourth and fifth times.

  Eventually, if it is determined in step S5 that the ink has been applied to the designated layer (Yes in S5), white UV ink as a base is applied (step S6). In this process, white UV ink is solid-printed on the entire surface of the art paper 4 regardless of unevenness. The CPU 28 functions as a stereoscopic image printing unit that executes the above-described steps S2 to S5.

  Subsequent to the solid printing of the white UV ink, the white UV ink is cured by ultraviolet irradiation (step S7). Also in this process, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 15a or 15b on the upstream side in the movement direction of the head body 13 is driven to emit light.

  Following the above, full color printing is performed based on the original image data which is the above-described picture expression layer data (step S8). In this process, full-color printing based on the photo data that is the original data of UVVP conversion in step S1 is performed using color UV ink.

  Then, the color UV ink is cured by ultraviolet irradiation (step S9). Thereby, the special image with unevenness shown in FIG. 5B is realized on the art paper 4. Note that the irregular layer of the special image shown in FIG. 5B is composed of two layers.

  As described above, according to the special image printing method of this example, the CMYK data is used at the time of printing for each layer of the uneven printing, but the degree of unevenness is expressed by the total ink application amount regardless of the color. For example, when CMYK is all 100% used, the maximum convex amount is obtained. This is finely ejected by printing dots.

  By the way, art paper is mainly caused by differences in swelling and shrinkage depending on humidity and temperature between the ink and the art paper 4 and warping or bending wrinkles resulting from the shape of the base paper roll 18 shown in FIG. No. 4 tends to warp the paper after printing even in the case of a normal image.

  Furthermore, in the case of a special image having an uneven surface using UV ink, the art paper 4 is more likely to warp because the ink layer is thicker than a normal image.

  Therefore, in this example, when printing a special image, non-printing information with a predetermined interval and the same center position [m1] is inserted into the unevenness data. Here, the center position is the center of a straight groove formed by non-printing information.

  The generation of the non-printing information is performed in a processing step of developing the unevenness data 22 of FIG. 3B in the memory 23 (step S1 in FIG. 7). The non-printing information generated in this processing step is carried over to the plane development view of the printing data (uneven printing data) of each ink layer to be overprinted as shown in FIG. 5A (step S2 in FIG. 7). At this time, the CPU 28 functions as a non-printing part setting part.

  8A and 8B are perspective cross-sectional views showing examples of the cross-sectional shape of grooves formed on the printing surface of the special image 26, respectively. The cross-sectional shape of the groove of the special image 26 formed on the art paper 4 is that the cross section shown in FIG. 8 (a) is a rectangular groove (hereinafter referred to as a square groove) 42 or the cross section shown in FIG. 8 (b) is V-shaped. It is formed like a groove (hereinafter referred to as a V groove) 43.

  The process of forming the concavo-convex layer with inks of CMYK colors while forming the square grooves 42 or the V grooves 43 in this way is executed in the process of step S3 shown in FIG. That is, the unevenness is formed with the inks of CMYK colors, and at the same time, the non-printing portion corresponding to the groove is formed. Square grooves 42 or V grooves 43 are formed by stacking the non-printing portions.

  Thereafter, as described in step S <b> 6 of FIG. 7, the underlying white ink layer 24 is printed over the entire surface, and then the image 25 is printed to obtain the special image 26.

  In addition, a groove is formed along the side surface of each stacked printing layer. In this embodiment, all the layers from the lowest layer to the uppermost layer among the plurality of print layers that are overprinted are printed so that the region corresponding to the groove becomes a non-printing region where printing is not performed.

  At this time, the non-printing areas of each layer are connected to each other in the thickness direction in which the layers are stacked, whereby a groove is formed in the area. In the present embodiment, the shape of the groove to be the square groove 42 or the V groove 43 is selected according to the thickness of the printing layer.

  If the square groove 42 is formed in a region where the thickness of the print layer is thick, there is a possibility that a sense of incongruity will appear when the printed matter is viewed as the painting 26. Therefore (see FIGS. 10A and 10B described later), in the image data 25, the shape of the square groove 42 (FIG. 8A) is formed in the first region 51 where the thickness of the overprinted layer is relatively thin. In the second region 52 where the thickness of the layer of overprinting is thicker than that of the first region 51, the shape of the V groove 43 (FIG. 8B) is preferable.

  Here, as an example, when there are four layers 53 of overprinting in the first region 51 and the maximum thickness is 0.4 mm, the groove width of the square groove 42 is 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm. . Further, when the number of the overprinted layers 53 in the second region 52 is eight and the maximum point thickness is 0.8 mm, the groove width of the V groove 43 is the opening (the highest point in the thickness direction of the V groove 43). 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm, and the bottom surface portion (the lowest point in the thickness direction of the V-groove 43) is about 0.2 mm.

  Here, a laminated structure in which CMYK is printed once in order is considered as one layer. That is, four layers of overprinting means a state where a layer structure including each layer of CMYK is overlaid four times.

  FIG. 9A shows, as a reference, a straight groove 42 (or 43) formed in the special image 26 itself by scraping one corner of the special image 26 on the surface of the art paper 4 of this example to the position of the base printing. It is a figure which exaggerates a little with a line.

  Further, FIG. 9B shows that the art paper 4 is forcibly bent along the straight groove 42 (or 43) in order to easily show the form in which the straight groove 42 (or 43) is formed in the special image 26. It is a figure which expands and shows the shape of the bending which arises in the case.

  In general, in UV printing, an acrylic resin or the like is blended in an ink and cured by ultraviolet rays or anaerobic. In this example, as described above, in UV printing on a different material, a thin groove is formed in a three-dimensional print image, thereby suppressing the occurrence of deformation of the recording medium, ink cracks, and the like due to changes in temperature and humidity.

  That is, when multi-layer UV printing is performed on a recording medium such as paper or cloth, the recording medium and the resin-based ink material are different, so that the recording medium contracts due to temperature and humidity. Although the recording medium is likely to warp or roll, this problem is suppressed by forming a thin groove in the printed image.

  In addition, when multi-layer UV printing is printed on a recording medium with a high expansion / contraction ratio with respect to temperature such as a metal plate, cracks are likely to occur in the image (ink layer) due to temperature change and humidity change. It can be suppressed by forming a thin groove in the printed image.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the groove is different between the first region 51 in which the thickness of the overprint is relatively thin and the second region 52 in which the thickness of the overprint layer is thicker than the first region 51. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as a modification, both the first region 51 and the second region 52 form a V-shaped groove 43 having a V-shaped cross section, and the depth of the groove varies depending on the region. You may do it.

  10A is a plan view of the painting 26 in the first modification, FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 10A, and FIG. 10C is FIG. It is sectional drawing along CC cut line of (a). In FIG. 10A, the groove provided in the first region 51 is indicated by a relatively thin straight line, and the groove provided in the second region 52 is indicated by a thicker straight line than the first region 51.

  FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the groove in the first region 51 where the thickness of the overprint is relatively thin, and FIG. 10C is the second region where the thickness of the overprint is thicker than the first region 51. A cross-sectional view of the groove at 52 is shown. The cross-sectional shapes of the grooves formed in the first region 51 and the second region 52 are both V-shaped, but have different depths.

  Here, as an example, when there are four layers 53 of overprinting in the first region 51 and the maximum thickness is 0.4 mm, the groove width of the V groove 43 is 0.3 mm to 0 at the opening. 0.5 mm, about 0.2 mm at the bottom, and the depth is 0.4 mm. In addition, when the number of the overprinting layers 53 in the second region 52 is eight and the maximum point thickness is 0.8 mm, the groove width of the V groove 43 is 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm at the opening and at the bottom. The depth is about 0.2 mm and the depth is 0.8 mm.

  That is, in the first modification, the groove shape is all V-shaped and the groove width of the opening is the same regardless of the thickness of the overprint in each region of the painting 26. In the second region 52 that is thicker than the first region 51, the groove is formed deeper than the first region 51.

  In the second region 52 in which the thickness 53 of the overprint is thicker than the first region 51, the amount of warp of the art paper due to printing may be larger than that in the first region 51. As described above, the second region By forming the groove of the opening of the V-groove 43 of 52 deeply, it is possible to further effectively reduce the warp generated in the second region 52 than in the first region 51.

  10A, 11A, and 11B, both the first region 51 and the second region 52 are formed with a rectangular groove 42 having a rectangular cross section, The groove widths of the openings of these square grooves 42 may be the same and the depths may be different.

  In this case, the depth of the square groove 42 is formed deeper in the second region 52 than in the first region 51. Here, FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are cross-sectional views taken along the line BB and the line CC of FIG. 10A, respectively. The plan view of the image according to the modified example 2 is the same as that shown in FIG.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the non-printing area is provided in all the layers from the lowest layer to the uppermost layer among the plurality of print layers to be overprinted is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and FIG. ) And the modified example 3 shown in FIG. 12B, the non-printing region is provided in one or more layers including at least the uppermost layer and is not provided in at least the lowermost layer. You may make it form.

  12 (a) and 12 (b) are cross-sectional views taken along the line BB and the line CC of FIG. 10 (a), respectively. A plan view according to the third modification is the same as that shown in FIG.

  12A is a cross-sectional view of the groove in the first region 51 where the thickness of the overprint is relatively thin, and FIG. 12B is a second region where the thickness of the overprint is thicker than the first region 51. A cross-sectional view of the groove at 52 is shown. The cross-sectional shapes of the grooves formed in the first region 51 and the second region 52 are both V-shaped, but the groove widths of the openings are different.

  Here, as an example, when there are four layers of the overprint 53 in the first region 51 and the maximum thickness is 0.4 mm, the groove width of the V groove 43 is 0.3 mm to 0 at the opening. 0.5 mm, about 0.2 mm at the bottom, and the depth is 0.4 mm.

  When the number of overprinting layers in the second region 52 is eight and the maximum point thickness is 0.8 mm, the groove width of the V groove 43 is about 1 mm at the opening, about 0.2 mm at the bottom, The thickness is 0.4 mm. That is, in the modified example 3, regardless of the thickness of the overprinting of each region of the painting 26, the groove shape is all V-shaped and the groove depth is the same, but the thickness of the overprinting is the first. In the second region 52 that is thicker than the region 51, the groove width of the opening is made larger than that in the first region 51.

  In the second region 52 where the thickness of the overprint is thicker than that of the first region 51, the amount of warp of the art paper due to printing may be larger than that of the first region 51. However, as described above, the second region 52 By increasing the groove width of the opening of the V-groove 43, it is possible to more effectively reduce the warp that occurs in the second region 52 than in the first region 51.

  In addition, if the ratio of the depth to the width of the cross-sectional shape of the groove becomes large, depending on the performance of the printing device, a color image may not be printed cleanly on the inner surface of the groove, but the groove width of the opening should be increased. Thus, the ratio of the depth to the width can be kept small while reducing the warpage in the second region 52 where the thickness of the overprint is thicker than that of the first region 51, so that the selection width of the printing apparatus is narrowed. There is no.

  In addition, as in Modification 4 shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), both the first region 51 and the second region 52 form square grooves 42 having a rectangular cross section, and these square grooves are formed. The depth of 42 may be the same, and the groove width of the opening may be different.

  In this case, the groove width of the opening of the square groove 42 is made larger in the second region 52 than in the first region 51. Here, FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are cross-sectional views taken along the line BB and the line CC of FIG. 10A, respectively. A plan view according to this modification is the same as that shown in FIG.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the non-printing portions (grooves) are provided in a plurality of straight lines arranged in parallel to each other over the entire printing area of the art paper 4 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. A non-printing portion may be provided in a mesh shape as in Modification 5 shown in FIG. Also in this case, it is preferable that the non-printing portion is provided so that each straight line of the mesh is along the direction intersecting the winding axis of the base paper roll.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the non-printing portion (groove) is provided with a uniform density over the entire printing region of the art paper 4 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the non-printing portion is partially included in the printing region. The density of the non-printing part may be changed depending on the part in the printing area.

  FIG. 15 is a plan view of an image 26 showing the sixth modification. FIG. 15 shows a case where grooves are formed in the second region 52 where the thickness of the overprint is thicker than that of the first region 51 and no groove is formed in the first region 51 where the thickness of the overprint is relatively thin. It is a plane pattern of a non-printing part.

  FIG. 16 is a plan view of an image 26 showing the seventh modification. FIG. 16 shows that grooves are formed in the second region 52 where the thickness of the overprint is thicker than that of the first region 51 at a density higher than that of the first region 51, and the thickness of the overprint is relatively thin. One area 51 is a planar pattern of a non-printing portion when grooves are formed at a relatively low density.

  In the sixth modification and the seventh modification, a plurality of grooves are formed in a stripe shape in the first region 51 or the second region 52, but a plurality of meshes are formed in each region as in the eighth modification shown in FIG. The groove may be formed.

  Further, as in Modification 9 or Modification 10 shown in FIG. 18 or FIG. 19, in the above-described embodiment and each modification, one region of the first region 51 or the second region 52 is striped or meshed. One of the grooves may be formed, and a mesh-like or stripe-like groove may be formed in the other region.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof. Hereinafter, the invention described in the scope of claims of the present application will be appended.
[Appendix 1]

A recording medium;
A printed image layer of a drawing object, the printed image layer having an uneven portion formed by ink on a surface of the recording medium so as to form an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object. Prepared,
The printed matter, wherein the uneven portion has a plurality of linear grooves extending along the surface of the recording medium.
[Appendix 2]

The printed matter according to appendix 1, wherein the plurality of grooves are arranged at uniform parallel intervals.
[Appendix 3]

The recording medium is a large-sized base paper capable of forming a plurality of recording media, and is formed by cutting a roll-shaped base paper wound around an axis,
The printed matter according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the groove is formed in a direction crossing an axis of a roll around which the base paper is wound.
[Appendix 4]

The drawing area of the drawing object has a first area and a second area,
The printed matter according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein in the second region, the height of the concavo-convex shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object is higher than that in the first region.
[Appendix 5]

The first groove is formed in the uneven portion in the first region,
The second groove is formed in the uneven portion in the second region,
The first groove has a rectangular shape along a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove,
The printed matter according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the second groove has a V-shaped shape along a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove.
[Appendix 6]

The first groove is formed in the uneven portion in the first region,
The second groove is formed in the uneven portion in the second region,
The first groove and the second groove have the same shape along the cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove, and the width of the opening of the groove is the same.
The printed matter according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the second groove is formed deeper than the first groove.
[Appendix 7]

The first groove is formed in the uneven portion in the first region,
The second groove is formed in the uneven portion in the second region,
The first groove and the second groove have the same shape along the cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove, and the depth of the groove is the same.
The printed matter according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the second groove has a width of an opening wider than that of the first groove.
[Appendix 8]

The printed matter according to any one of appendices 1 to 7, wherein the grooves are formed at a uniform density over the entire drawing region of the drawing object.
[Appendix 9]

The printed matter according to any one of appendices 1 to 7, wherein the grooves are formed in the second region at a higher density than the first region.
[Appendix 10]

The printed matter according to any one of appendices 1 to 9, wherein the groove is formed in a mesh shape.
[Appendix 11]

In any one of the first region and the second region, the groove is formed in one of a stripe shape and a mesh shape,
Any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 10, wherein the groove is formed in one of a stripe shape and a mesh shape in the other region of the first region and the second region. Printed matter according to item.
[Appendix 12]

The printed matter according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the groove is formed in the second region, and the groove is not formed in the first region.
[Appendix 13]

The printed matter according to any one of appendices 1 to 12, wherein the ink is not formed in a part of the concave and convex portion in the groove.
[Appendix 14]

Form an uneven portion with ink on the surface of the recording medium so as to form an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object,
The printing method, wherein the concavo-convex portion is formed so as to have a plurality of linear grooves extending along the surface of the recording medium.
[Appendix 15]

A three-dimensional image printing unit that forms an uneven portion with ink on the surface of the recording medium so as to form an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object;
A non-printing part setting unit for setting data corresponding to the concavo-convex part so that the concavo-convex part has a plurality of linear grooves extending along the surface of the recording medium;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

  The present invention prevents warpage of a recording medium on which an image having a height difference or unevenness on a formed image surface such as a three-dimensional image or oil painting-like image is printed on the front surface without performing warpage prevention processing on the back surface. The present invention can be used for a printing method, an image forming apparatus using the printing method, and a printed material thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Main body 3 Head moving part 4 Art paper 5 Printed material mounting surface 6 Ink cartridge insertion part 7 Data input terminal part 8 Sub operation direction moving part 9 (9a, 9b) Leg part 11 Head support part 12 Head part 13 Head body 14 (14c, 14m, 14y, 14k) Line head 15 (15a, 15b) Ultraviolet irradiation part 16 Cylindrical core 17 Long art paper 18 Base paper roll 19 Paper 21 Color image 22 Concavity and convexity data 23 Memory 24 White UV ink 25 Image data 26 Special images (stereoscopic images, oil-tone images)
27 Control unit 28 CPU (central processing unit)
29 Bus 31 Printer head driver 32 Motor driver 33 Thermal control unit 34 Drive system control unit 35 Media control unit 36 First network connection unit 37 Bus 38 LCD (liquid crystal display)
39 Switch operation part 41 2nd network connection part 42 Corner groove 43 V groove 50 Concavity and convexity UV ink layer 51 First area 52 Second area 53 Layer of overprinting

Claims (16)

A recording medium;
A printed image layer of a drawing object, the printed image layer having an uneven portion formed by ink on a surface of the recording medium so as to form an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object. Prepared,
The printed matter, wherein the uneven portion has a plurality of linear grooves extending along the surface of the recording medium.   The printed matter according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of grooves are arranged at uniform parallel intervals. The recording medium is a large-sized base paper capable of forming a plurality of recording media, and is formed by cutting a roll-shaped base paper wound around an axis,
The printed matter according to claim 1, wherein the groove is formed in a direction crossing an axis of a roll around which the base paper is wound. The drawing area of the drawing object has a first area and a second area,
4. The printed matter according to claim 1, wherein the height of the uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object is higher in the second region than in the first region. 5. The first groove is formed in the uneven portion in the first region,
The second groove is formed in the uneven portion in the second region,
The first groove has a rectangular shape along a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove,
5. The printed material according to claim 4 , wherein the second groove has a V-shaped shape along a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove. The first groove is formed in the uneven portion in the first region,
The second groove is formed in the uneven portion in the second region,
The first groove and the second groove have the same shape along the cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove, and the width of the opening of the groove is the same.
The printed matter according to claim 4 , wherein the second groove is formed deeper than the first groove. The first groove is formed in the uneven portion in the first region,
The second groove is formed in the uneven portion in the second region,
The first groove and the second groove have the same shape along the cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove, and the depth of the groove is the same.
The printed matter according to claim 4 , wherein the second groove is formed with a wider opening than the first groove. In any one of the first region and the second region, the groove is formed in one of a stripe shape and a mesh shape,
5. The printed material according to claim 4 , wherein the groove is formed in one of a stripe shape and a mesh shape in the other region of the first region and the second region. The printed matter according to claim 4 , wherein the groove is formed in the second region, and the groove is not formed in the first region. The printed matter according to claim 4 , wherein the grooves are formed in the second region at a higher density than the first region. The printed matter according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the grooves are formed at a uniform density over the entire drawing region of the drawing object. The groove printed matter according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it is formed in a mesh shape.   The printed matter according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the ink is not formed in a part of the concave and convex portion in the groove. Form an uneven portion with ink on the surface of the recording medium so as to form an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object,
The printing method, wherein the concavo-convex portion is formed so as to have a plurality of linear grooves extending along the surface of the recording medium. A three-dimensional image printing unit that forms an uneven portion with ink on the surface of the recording medium so as to form an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object;
A non-printing part setting unit for setting data corresponding to the concavo-convex part so that the concavo-convex part has a plurality of linear grooves extending along the surface of the recording medium;
An image forming apparatus comprising: When executed by a computer,
  Using the ink on the surface of the recording medium to form a concavo-convex shape corresponding to the shape of the drawing object, the concavo-convex portion is formed by the stereoscopic image printing unit of the image forming apparatus,
  Setting the data corresponding to the concavo-convex portion so that the concavo-convex portion has a plurality of linear grooves extending along the surface of the recording medium;
A program characterized by that.