JPH01109351A - Color image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To quickly form a color image directly from color picture information by using a recording material where a difference of hydrophilic or lipophilic property is caused in the postprocessing stage after exposure and converting the recording light to an optical signal in accordance with picture information to perform exposure. CONSTITUTION:In the method where a color image is obtained directly from image information separated into many colors, the recording material is used which has a sensitivity to visible rays or infrared rays and has a difference of hydrophilic or lipophilic property between an exposed part and unexposed part by the postprocessing. A silver salt diffusion transfer process type recording material is especially preferable as the recording material. After the recording light is converted to an optical signal in accordance with the image information to expose the recording material, a difference of hydrophilic or lipophilic property is generated in the recording material by the postprocessing. A resin disperse material including coloring matters is selectively attracted to the part having a high hydrophilic property, and this resin disperse material is directly or indirectly transferred onto an image reception supporting body to obtain the color image.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is directed to the formation of a colored image that allows a color proof to be obtained directly from color image information processed by a combinator or the like without using an intermediate photosensitive material. Regarding the method.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of obtaining a color proof that simulates a printed matter using an image output device such as a color scanner.

[Conventional technology]

BACKGROUND ART In color printing, color proofs have traditionally been widely used as an alternative to printing in order to omit the proof printing process in the process of producing color prints from color transparencies.

On the other hand, in recent years, in the printing and plate making industry, processing of plate images by electronics has become widespread, and automatic typesetting, computer typesetting, and layout scanners are typical examples. If this type of layout scanner etc. becomes widely used, much of the compiling and pasting work that has traditionally been done in film work will be replaced by computer processing.This situation will also affect the field of color proofing. There is also a growing desire to obtain color proofs directly from computer-processed image information.

Conventionally, the following methods (1) to (4) have been known to meet this demand.

(1) A method of capturing an image of the CR7 screen of a layout scanner using silver halide color paper and using it as a color proof.

(2) A method of obtaining a hard copy using a printer capable of color output, such as an inkjet printer or a thermal transfer printer, and using this as a color proof.

(3) A method of recording on 1m salt color paper using a three-color laser to obtain a hard copy and using this as a color proof.

(4) A method of obtaining a color proof by recording on a colored photosensitive material having a photopolymer photosensitive layer using a high-output laser and then transferring the colored image to an image-receiving layer.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the method of ψ(1) above, the obtained image quality is CR
The image quality was poor, limited by the quality of T, and the images obtained were continuous tone images, far from printed images consisting of halftone images.

In method (2), the output resolution is low, the gradation range is narrow,
It was not possible to obtain a color proof with image quality comparable to printed matter.

In method (3), since the image obtained is continuous tone, it is thicker (different) from the printed image and the support is limited.

Furthermore, although method (4) provides an image quality close to that of printed matter, it requires an exposure device equipped with a high-output laser, and is therefore impractical.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a colored image forming method that can form a colored image directly and quickly from color image information, and can also obtain an image close to a printed matter when used as a color proof. It is in.

[Means for solving problems]

The above purpose is to provide a method for directly obtaining a colored image from image information separated into multiple colors; a recording material that is sensitive to recording light and that produces a difference in hydrophilicity or lipophilicity in a post-exposure process; After converting the recording light into an optical signal according to the image information and performing exposure, a difference in hydrophilicity or lipophilicity is created in post-processing, and then a resin containing a coloring agent is added to the highly lipophilic portion. This is accomplished by selectively adsorbing the dispersion and then directly or indirectly transferring the resin dispersion onto an image-receiving support to obtain a colored image.

[Specific structure of the invention]

The present invention will be explained in detail below.

As the recording material used in the present invention, any material can be used as long as it is sensitive to visible light or infrared light and produces a difference in hydrophilicity or lipophilicity between exposed and non-exposed areas through post-processing. However, particularly preferred is a silver salt diffusion transfer type recording material.

Silver salt diffusion transfer type recording materials have an emulsion layer and a physical development nucleus layer, but there are mono-sheet types in which these two layers are provided on a single sheet, and two-sheet types in which these two layers are provided on separate supports. You can also use things. In addition, a type with a built-in developing agent in which the developing agent is added in the emulsion layer or an adjacent layer, and a type with a developing agent added in the developing solution can also be used, but a type with a built-in crude drug has better shelf life of the developer. preferable.

'Furthermore, recording materials capable of producing a difference in hydrophilicity or lipophilicity by forming a relief image in a post-processing step are also preferably used.

Examples of such recording materials include tanning development type silver halide photosensitive materials. This photosensitive material is formed by coating a photosensitive silver halide emulsion containing a tanning developer as a photosensitive layer, and polymer particles may be dispersed and mixed therein if necessary.

Examples of the tanning developing agent mixed into the photosensitive silver halide emulsion include hydroquinones, catechols, and pyrogallols. Further, a resin layer having a lipophilic surface can be provided on the photosensitive layer.

Radical photopolymerizable photosensitive materials using silver halide as an initiator, such as those described in JP-A-57-138632, are also suitably used. Furthermore, a photocrosslinkable photosensitive material using a silver halide sensor as described in JP-A-55-98743 is also suitably used.

Other suitable recording materials include electrophotographic recording materials. Photoconductive materials used in the photosensitive layer of suitable electrophotographic recording materials include inorganic photoconductors such as selenium and zinc oxide, and organic photoconductors such as polyvinyl carbazole and phthalocyanine, cyanine, and quinone pigments. . Such a photoconductive material is dissolved or dispersed in a binder and coated on a support.

As the support for the recording material used in the present invention, a dimensionally stable plate-like material can be suitably used. Examples of such supports include paper, paper laminated with plastics (for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, etc.), metal plates such as aluminum, zinc, copper, etc., cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, cellulose propionate, cellulose butyrate, Examples include films of plastics such as cellulose nitrate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyvinyl acetal, etc., or glass plates. Among these supports, polyurethane or polyethylene terephthalate laminated with plastic is preferred. When an electrophotographic recording material is used, it is preferable to subject the surface of the support to conductive treatment.

As the recording light source used in the present invention, any light source that can be modulated according to image information can be used.

Such light sources include laser light sources, LED light sources, CR
Examples include a T light source. Among these, a laser light source is the most preferable because it has high brightness and good focusing.

Suitable laser light sources include Ar laser, He-Ne laser, semiconductor laser, and the like.

When a laser is used as a light source, a cylindrical scanning optical system or a plane scanning optical system is used as a recording optical system. When using a ll salt recording material, a cylindrical scanning optical system with less laser power loss is preferred.

When using electrophotographic recording materials, a plane scanning optical system that is easy to handle is preferred.

When modulating the light source with image information, a signal equivalent to the signal output to the silver halide film may be used, but in consideration of the flow of the post-plate making process, it is recommended to use a signal that performs gradation correction. It is preferable because it can be closer to the actual printed matter.
In other words, when the post-process is from film to printing via a recording material where the halftone dot area decreases during plate making, such as a positive type 28 plate, tone correction that takes into account the decrease in halftone dot area is used as an output signal. It is preferable to perform modulation using the image signal that has been processed.On the other hand, if printing is expected to be performed using a recording material that causes an increase in halftone dot area during plate making, such as a negative 28 plate, the output It is preferable to perform modulation using an image signal in which the expected increase in halftone dot area is folded into the signal in advance.

The post-treatment applied to the recording material used in the present invention is appropriately selected depending on the type of recording material used.

In the case of a recording material using the silver salt diffusion transfer method, the following post-processing is performed.

The exposed recording material is immersed in an activating liquid such as an alkaline solution to develop the emulsion layer, and the emulsion in the unexposed areas is dissolved and diffused into the image-receiving layer to form a positive image silver on the surface of the film. Subsequently, by performing a post-process of neutralizing the alkaline bath, the silver mirror in the image area is further made lipophilic. Also, the image department! -SH or >C- to increase the lipophilicity of the I mirror
It can be treated with an emulsion of an organic compound having an S group and an oily substance such as an oil agent or a plasticizer. Furthermore, esters of aliphatic carboxylic acids or aromatic dicarboxylic acids with alcohols are also effective in improving lipophilicity. Furthermore, if necessary, a hydrophilic treatment may be performed to increase the hydrophilicity of the non-image area.

When using a tanning development type silver halide photosensitive material, the following post-processing is performed.

The exposed recording material is then immersed in hot water to form a silver image in the exposed areas using a tanning developer and at the same time harden the emulsion layer in the exposed areas.Then, the emulsion layer in the non-image areas is immersed in hot water to remove the silver present in the non-image areas. Upon removal, a lipophilic relief image is obtained. After the drying treatment, the image can be strengthened by heating the recording surface to a temperature of 70° C. to 150° C. or by treatment with infrared rays, electron beams, etc.

When using electrophotographic recording materials, the following processing is performed.

The recording material, which has been charged and exposed according to the electrophotographic process, undergoes toner development. Powder toner or liquid toner can be used for this development, but high image quality is achieved in terms of obtaining a reproduction closer to printed matter. A liquid toner is preferred. After this toner is developed, it is subjected to various treatments as necessary to impart a difference in hydrophilicity and lipophilicity. In the first method, the resulting toner image is transferred to a hydrophilic image-receiving layer to form an oleophilic image. In the second method, the photoconductive layer in the non-image area is subjected to a hydrophilic treatment. In the third method, the highly conductive layer in the non-image area is eluted and removed to expose the hydrophilic support surface.

The recording material used in the present invention has roughly the image area:
Lacquering can be done to enhance lipophilicity.

The coloring agent used in the resin dispersion containing the coloring agent consisting of a colored dye or pigment used in the present invention is preferably a pigment with a tone that faithfully reproduces the color of printed matter.
Pigments with tones similar to the ordinary yellow magenta and cyan black used in printing inks are required, but in addition to these, metal powders, white pigments, and fluorescent pigments are also used as zero-order pigments, which are used to adjust color tones. The examples are just a few of the many pigments known in the art (C, I mean color index).

Victoria Vinia Blue (C, 142595) Auramine 0 (C, I41000) Coloron Brilliant Flavin (C, I Basic 13)
) Rhodamine 6GCP (C, 1145160) Rhodamine B (C, I45160) Safranin 0K70:100 (C, l50240) Erioglaucine X (C, 142080) Fast Black HB (C, 126150)! 1h1201 Lionor Yellow (C, I21090) Lionor Yellow GR
O (C, 11090) Shimla Fast Yellow 8G
F(C,I21105) Benzidine Yellow 4T-56
40 (C, 121095) Shimu Rough Earth Tread 40
15 (C, 112355) Lionor Red 78440
1 (C, 115B30) First Gen Blue TGR
-L (C, 174160) Lionor Blue 5PI (C
, 126150) Mitsubishi Carbon Black? IA-100 Mitsubishi Carbon Black 130.140.850 Various methods can be considered for adsorbing the colored resin dispersion onto the lipophilic portion.

According to a first method, the post-treated recording material is immersed in a colored resin dispersion. By washing the pulled recording material with water, the colored resin dispersion in the non-image area is removed, and the colored resin dispersion can be adsorbed only in the lipophilic image area.

According to the second method, the colored resin dispersion and water are supplied onto the recording surface simultaneously or one after another by mechanical contact with something like a roller. In such a case, it is preferable to supply the recording medium while applying a slight pressure onto the recording surface.

According to the third method, a colored resin dispersion and water are supplied onto the recording surface in the form of fine droplets and mist.

The colored resin image thus formed is further transferred to an image receiving support. During this transfer, it may be directly transferred to the final image receiving support, or it may be transferred once to an intermediate image receiving support and then transferred to the final image receiving support. The intermediate support is preferably one that is as close as possible to the printing paper or the printing paper itself in order to improve the quality of the transferred image and is used to improve the quality of the transferred image and bring it closer to the printed matter. This intermediate support may be used by transferring a colored resin image one color at a time to an intermediate image-receiving support.
Alternatively, colored resin images of two or more colors may be once laminated on an intermediate image-receiving support and then transferred all at once to a final image-receiving support.

A flexible support is preferably used as the intermediate image receiving support. Furthermore, a processing treatment may be added to the surface to publicly perform a transfer treatment.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be described below with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

(Example 1) A coating solution having the following composition was applied as an antihalation layer onto polyethylene-coated paper (corona discharge treated) having a thickness of 160 g/rn'' by a dip method.

[Composition of coating solution for anti-halation layer] Finish with water 400mj Finish with water
300 mjl formalin (35% aqueous solution) Finish with 3 lL water
100s1 After dissolving and dispersing the above liquids a, b and c, they were mixed in order, and then liquid d was added to prepare a finishing coating liquid.

After coating the above coating solution as a layer, a photosensitive silver halide emulsion prepared as described below was coated on this layer.

The photosensitive silver halide emulsion was a pure silver chloride emulsion prepared by the usual double jet method, and after chemically sensitizing it with a sulfur sensitizer, the following compound was added at 0.3 mol per mol of AgC.
■It was added so that it became.

Subsequently, an appropriate amount of isoamyl-n-decylsulfosuccinic acid sodium salt was added as a coating aid to prepare an emulsion coating solution.

The amount of coated silver was 0.8 g/m'' in terms of silver.

After seasoning the two-layer coated sample obtained above (left at 40°C and 45% RH for 3 days),
A coating solution for a physical development nucleus layer having the following composition was coated on the upper layer of the coating layer by a bead coating method, and then dried to obtain a recording material used in the present invention.

[Preparation of coating solution for physical development nucleus layer]

After mixing the above liquids a and b at room temperature, C
The solution was added and reduced, and after 10 minutes, the total amount was reduced to 11, which was used as a stock solution of physical development nuclei.

An appropriate amount of saponin was added to this physical development nucleus stock solution to prepare a coating solution, which was coated at a concentration of 2.5 at/m'' in terms of gold.

Next, the obtained image was exposed using the following method. It was wound around the exposure drum of Dainippon Screen's Direct Scanner Graph 5G-608J, and laser scanning exposure was performed using image information read from a color reversal film and separated into YMCK.

Subsequently, the four exposed recording materials were developed with the following processing solution.

○Developer (alkaline activation bath) processing time: 30°C 30 seconds Anhydrous sodium sulfite 50g Potassium hydroxide 30g Hypo 2.0g Finish to 11 with water ○Stop solution (stabilizing solution) processing time: 30°C 30 seconds Sodium citrate 10g Citric acid 1.0 g Ethylene glycol 10 g Finished with water to 11. Next, the surface of the recording material was lightly wiped with a lipophilic liquid having the composition shown below to improve the lipophilicity of the image area.

Ethanol 10 * Isopropanol 20 ■ Finished up to 100ml with water.

The recording material obtained as described above was subjected to exposure, development, and lipophilic treatment in the same manner. The recording material on which black image information was recorded was immersed in the following colored resin dispersion.

Carbon black: 1 part Alkyd resin: 10 parts 40 parts When this recording material was washed with water using a sponge, a colored image was obtained in which the colored resin dispersion adhered only to the image area.

The same colored resin dispersion was used except that carbon black was replaced with the following colored pigment, and the same colored image was produced in Y, M,
Image information of C was obtained on the recorded recording material.

Yellow pigment Disazo yellow AAA magenta pigment Brilliant Carmino 6B cyan pigment Phthalocyanine blue The recording materials on which colored images of four colors were formed were successively brought into close contact with the same paper to transfer the colored images.

The result was a proof that was faithful to the original adhesive film.

(Example 2) An antihalation layer similar to that in Example 1 was provided on a polyester film having a thickness of 100 μm. A silver halide emulsion layer having the following composition was provided thereon.

The photosensitive silver halide emulsion is a silver chloride emulsion prepared by the usual double-jet method, chemically sensitized by sulfur sensitization, and then a tanning developer containing 4-phenylcatechol dispersed in dibutyl fluorate is added to 0 per 1 g of silver emulsion. It was added so that it became .3g.

The obtained recording material was exposed by the following method. Laser scanning exposure was performed using image information read from a color reversal film and separated into YJ, C, and K by winding it around the exposure drum of "Direct Scannergraph 5G-808J" manufactured by Dainippon Screen Co., Ltd.

Next, the four exposed recording materials were treated with the following processing solution for 20 minutes.
Developed at 10°C for 10 seconds.

Potassium carbonate 25 g Potassium hydroxide 7 g Potassium sulfite tg Potassium bromide 0.1 g Water was added. 11 Subsequently, the unhardened portion was washed off with a sponge in hot water at 40° C. to form a relief image. Four sheets of recording material on which relief images were formed were treated in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain colored images in four colors. The result was a proof that was faithful to the original adhesive film.

(Example 3) The following dispersion was applied onto a polyester film provided with an aluminum vapor deposited layer.

80 g of ethyl cellosolve This recording material was positively charged according to conventional electrophotographic processes. This was exposed using the following method.

Dainippon Screen's "Direct Scanner Graph 5G-"
The film was wound around a 608J exposure drum, and image information read from a color reversal film and separated into Y, M, C, and K was used for laser scanning exposure.

The exposed recording material was then developed with a negatively charged liquid developer. The developer particles were adsorbed to areas that were not exposed, and a recording material with four types of toner images was obtained. Next, this recording material was placed in a 7-fold dilution of Sakura PS version developer 5DP-1 for 30 minutes. The sample was immersed for a second and washed with water using a sponge to elute the photosensitive layer in the non-image area to obtain four types of relief images.

Similarly to Example 1, Y, ? 1. A colored image was formed using a resin dispersion containing colorants of four colors, C and K. The result was a proof that was faithful to the original adhesive film.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, a colored image can be quickly formed directly from image information, and an image that closely resembles a printed matter can be obtained.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a method of directly obtaining a colored image from image information separated into multiple colors; recording materials that are sensitive to recording light and that exhibit differences in hydrophilicity or lipophilicity in post-exposure steps; , After converting the recording light into an optical signal according to the image information and performing exposure, a difference in hydrophilicity or lipophilicity is created in post-processing, and then a resin dispersion containing a coloring agent in the highly lipophilic part is prepared. 1. A method for forming a colored image, which comprises selectively adsorbing a resin dispersion, and then directly or indirectly transferring the resin dispersion onto an image-receiving support to obtain a colored image.