JPH01182081A - Transparentizing device for transparent printed matter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to obtain a transparent printed matter excellent in gloss, transparency, water resistance and other properties, by transparentizing a surface layer of a recording material after recording on the material, bringing a treating sheet having a smooth surface into close contact with the surface of the surface layer by pressing, then cooling them, and releasing the sheet from the recording material. CONSTITUTION:A recording material 1 with an ink jet image formed thereon is subjected to a transparentizing treatment between a melting and transparentizing roller 11 and a pressing roller 12 in a transparentizing device 100. At least the surface of a surface layer 6 is melted or softened between a heating roller 21 and a pressing roller 22, then the surface layer 6 is covered by a smoothening treatment sheet 29, and is heated and pressed. Since the sheet 29 is thin and flexible, it makes uniform and close contact with the surface layer 6, and resin particles 5a are melted and joined in a body. The material 1 is fed further, the surface layer 6 is cooled to or below the softening point of the resin by a cooling fan 33, and one end part of the material 1 is separated from the sheet 29 by a separating belt 30. The surface layer 6 thus obtained has a clear-cut smooth surface 5b, which reflects most of incident light I, and clear and glossy images with high density and image quality can be obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to the production of translucent printed matter using a recording liquid (hereinafter referred to as ink), and particularly relates to the production of translucent prints using a recording liquid (hereinafter referred to as ink), and in particular to improving the gloss, transparency, density, and sharpness of recorded images. , relates to a device for making transparent printed matter transparent with excellent ink absorption properties.

(Prior Art) Methods of recording using ink have been common for a long time, such as writing with a fountain pen, but recently,
A so-called inkjet recording method has also appeared, and ink is used here as well.

The inkjet recording method generates ink droplets using various operating principles, and performs recording by flying these droplets and adhering them to the recording material.It produces less noise, prints at high speed, and performs recording. It is attracting attention as a recording method that allows multicolor printing.

Water-based inks are mainly used for inkjet recording from the viewpoint of safety and recording suitability.

Conventionally, ordinary paper has been generally used as the recording material used in this inkjet recording method. However, as the performance of inkjet recording devices improves, such as faster recording speeds and multicolor recording, inkjet recording paper, which has a porous ink absorption layer on the base material to increase ink absorption, has become available. Recording materials have been developed and are in use.

These recording materials are used in the inkjet recording method.
In order to obtain high resolution and high quality recorded images, (1) ink absorption should be as quick as possible; (2)
Even if ink dots overlap, the ink deposited later will not flow into the dots deposited earlier; (3) the diameter of the ink dots will not become larger than necessary; (4) the shape of the ink dots will be close to a perfect circle. , and its circumference should be smooth; (5) the density of the ink dots should be high and the periphery of the dots should not be blurred; and (6) the ink should have excellent color development properties, among other requirements as a recording material. is required to meet the requirements.

Also, in inkjet recording, recording materials have been used to obtain recorded images for surface image observation, but with the improvement of inkjet recording technology and the spread of devices, it has become possible to take advantage of the characteristics of inkjet recording. It has now become possible to consider its use in other applications.

Applications other than surface image observation include, for example, those that project recorded images onto a screen using optical equipment such as a slide or OHP (overhead projector) for observation, contact printers, and printed circuit board plates (photomasks). ), color separation plate when creating a positive plate for color printing,
Examples include CMF (color mosaic filter) for color displays such as liquid crystals.

Transparent negatives and positives used with optical instruments or devices using optical technology are produced by taking a photograph of the recorded object or the object to be recorded, or directly recorded on a transparent recording material such as plastic film. However, by performing inkjet recording using a transparent inkjet recording material, recording speeds up, and high-quality, full-color printing with high resolution that can be used in the optical equipment mentioned above is possible. A recorded image can be obtained.

Therefore, in order to use it for such purposes, it is necessary that it has transparency suitable for the intended use, in addition to the performance required for the recording material for general inkjet recording described above.

As the above-mentioned transparent recording material, a porous ink-receiving layer is provided on a transparent substrate, and an image is recorded by an inkjet recording method, and then the porosity of the ink-receiving layer is reduced using a heating roll or a pressure roll. A method is known in which a print for viewing through transmitted light is obtained by removing the opacity and performing a transparent treatment.

Although the recording material used in this method has excellent ink absorbency, it has poor color development because the dye in the ink partially aggregates after it becomes transparent. Furthermore, since the material constituting the porous ink-receiving layer itself does not have sufficient ink-retaining properties, after it becomes transparent, the ink remains in liquid form at the interface between the transparent substrate and the ink-receiving layer, causing image bleeding. It has drawbacks such as easy peeling of the ink-receiving layer.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose of the present invention is particularly to impart glossiness to recorded images, further improve transparency and It has excellent clarity, resolution, and optical density, and is suitable for high-speed recording. It has excellent ink receptivity, water resistance, light resistance, blocking resistance, and storage stability of recorded images. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transparentizing device for creating a translucent printed matter that does not cause peeling.

(Means for solving problems) The above object is achieved by the present invention as follows.

That is, the present invention consists of two inventions, and the first invention is a method for recording with ink from the surface layer side of a recording material having a liquid-permeable surface layer and an ink retaining layer, and making the surface layer transparent. A transparentizing device includes a means for transparentizing an untransparent surface layer, and a processing sheet that contacts the surface layer of a recording material that has passed through the transparentizing means, and presses and seals the processing sheet against the surface layer. heating means for softening or melting the surface layer surface when the treatment sheet and the surface layer are in close contact with each other under pressure; and after the surface layer heated by the heating means is solidified again, A device for transparentizing a translucent printed matter, characterized in that it has a means for peeling the sheet from the surface layer,
The second invention is a transparentizing device that performs recording with ink from the surface layer side of a recording material having a liquid-permeable surface layer and an ink holding layer and makes the surface layer transparent. A means for pressurizing and/or heat-melting the treatment sheet and the surface layer with the treatment sheet coated on the surface layer, and a means for peeling the treatment sheet from the surface layer after the surface layer has solidified. 1. A device for transparentizing a translucent printed matter, comprising:

(Function) The main feature of the present invention is that when recording is performed with ink on a recording material having a surface layer and an ink retention layer, the ink passes through the surface layer and is retained by the ink retention layer to form an image. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transparentizing device which can then perform a transparentizing treatment on only the surface layer as described below to provide a printed matter having excellent gloss and transparency.

In the transparentizing device of the present invention, after recording, the surface layer of the recording material is made transparent by a transparentizing means, and then a processing sheet with a smooth surface is pressed and adhered to the surface, and after cooling, the sheet is peeled off. By doing so, a translucent printed matter with excellent gloss, transparency, water resistance, and other physical properties can be provided. In another embodiment, similarly excellent results can be obtained even if the transparentizing means and the treatment using the treatment sheet are integrated.

(Preferred Practical 'ti Aspect) The present invention will be described in more detail below based on a preferred Practical Mi aspect.

The recording material used in the present invention includes a base material as a support,
an ink-retaining layer formed on the base material that substantially absorbs and captures ink or a recording agent; and an ink-retaining layer formed on the ink-retaining layer that directly receives ink, has liquid permeability, and substantially records. Consists of a surface layer that does not leave any residue.

However, if the surface layer or ink retaining layer also functions as a base material, the base material is not necessarily required.

As the base material used for the recording material, any conventionally known base material can be used, and specifically, polyester resin, diacetate resin, triacetate resin, polystyrene resin, polyimide resin, polycarbonate resin, polymethacrylate resin. Examples include plastic films, plates, and glass plates such as cellophane, celluloid, polyvinyl chloride resin, and polyimide resin. The thickness of these base materials may be as thin as 1 μm to 5.000 μm.
It is about μm.

Incidentally, since the present invention is to obtain a translucent printed matter, it is necessary that the base material be transparent.

Furthermore, by selecting a base material that has water resistance, abrasion resistance, blocking resistance, etc., it is possible to impart water resistance, abrasion resistance, blocking resistance, etc. to the resulting print.

The liquid permeability of the surface layer constituting the recording material used in the present invention refers to a property that allows ink to pass through it quickly and does not substantially allow the recording agent in the ink to remain in the surface layer.

A preferred embodiment of the surface layer having liquid permeability is one having a porous structure having cracks and communicating pores inside the surface layer, and can be made transparent by heating and/or pressure.

The surface layer that satisfies the above characteristics is mainly composed of resin particles and a binder.

Such resin particles include organic particles such as thermoplastic resins that are non-adsorbent to the recording agent in the ink and can be fused and homogenized by heating and/or pressure, such as,
At least one of resin powders and emulsions such as polyethylene, polymethacrylate, elastomer, ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer, styrene-acrylic copolymer, polynistyl, polyacrylic, and polyhinyl ether may be used as desired.

Note that the resin particles used in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned resin particles, and other resin particles may be used as long as they are non-adsorbent to the recording material and can be made transparent. It may be a well-known material.

In addition, the binder used has the function of binding the resin particles and/or the ink retaining layer, and like the resin particles, it must be non-adsorbent to the recording material. be.

Further, as a preferable material for the binder, any conventionally known material can be used as long as it has the above-mentioned function, such as polyvinyl alcohol, acrylic resin, styrene-acrylic copolymer, polyvinyl acetate, and ethylene. -Vinyl acetate copolymer, starch, polyvinyl butyral, gelatin, casein, ionomer, gum arabic, carboxymethylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyacrylamide, polyurethane, melamine resin, epoxy resin, styrene-butadiene rubber, urea resin, phenolic resin, α- One or more resins such as olefin resins, chlorobrene, and nitrile rubber may be used as desired.

Furthermore, in order to improve the above-mentioned functions of the surface layer, various additives such as surfactants, optical brighteners, preservatives/anti-pep agents, penetrants, cross-linking agents, etc. may be added to the surface layer as necessary. You may.

The mixing ratio (weight ratio) of the particles to the binder is preferably in the range of particle/binder -1/2 to 50/1, more preferably in the range of 3/1 to 20/1.

If there is too much binder in this mixing ratio, the number of cracks and communicating pores in the surface layer will decrease, and the ink absorption effect will decrease. Also, if there are too many particles in the mixing ratio, the adhesion between the particles or between the ink retaining layer and the particles will not be sufficient.
It becomes impossible to form a surface layer.

The thickness of the surface layer depends on the appropriate amount of ink, but is preferably 1 to 200 μm, more preferably 3 to 50 μm.
It is.

Next, the non-porous ink retaining layer that substantially captures the ink or recording agent absorbs and retains the ink that has passed through the surface layer, and retains the ink substantially permanently.

The ink retaining layer needs to have a stronger ink absorption ability than the surface layer. This is because when the absorption power of the ink retention layer is weaker than the absorption strength of the surface layer, the ink applied to the surface layer passes through the surface layer, and when the tip of the ink reaches the ink retention layer, the surface layer When the ink stays inside, the ink permeates and diffuses in the surface layer in the lateral direction more than necessary at the interface between the surface layer and the ink retaining layer. As a result, the resolution of the recorded image decreases, making it impossible to form a high quality recorded image. Further, the ink retaining layer needs to be optically transparent.

The ink retaining layer that satisfies the above requirements is preferably made of a light-transparent resin that adsorbs the recording agent and/or a light-transparent resin that is soluble and swellable with respect to the ink.

For example, when a water-based ink containing an acid dye or a direct dye is used as the recording material, the ink-retaining layer is made of a cationic resin that has adsorption properties for the dye, such as quaternized polyamines and/or Alternatively, it is preferably composed of a water-soluble or hydrophilic polymer that has swelling properties with respect to water-based ink.

The material constituting the ink retaining layer has the function of absorbing and trapping ink, forms a non-porous layer, and is sufficiently stable for transparency treatment after inkjet recording, making it suitable for use as an ink retaining layer. There is no particular limitation as long as the function does not disappear.

The thickness of the ink retaining layer only needs to be sufficient to absorb and trap ink, and although it varies depending on the amount of ink droplets, it is preferably 1 to 50 μm, more preferably 3 to 2 μm.
It is 0 μm.

The material constituting the ink retaining layer may be any material as long as it can absorb the water-based ink and retain the recording agent in the ink. Preferably, it is formed from a polymer with a polyamide.

Examples of such water-soluble or hydrophilic polymers include albumin, gelatin, casein, starch, cationic starch, gum arabic, natural resins such as sodium alginate, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, polyamide, polyacrylamide, and polyethyleneimine. , polyvinylpyrrolidone, quaternized polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylpyricillium halide, melamine resin, phenol resin, alkyd resin, polyurethane, polyvinyl alcohol, ion-modified polyvinyl alcohol, polyester, polyacrylic acid soda, and other synthetic resins, preferably these A wood-philic polymer made water-insoluble by cross-linking a polymer, a wood-philic H-water-insoluble polymer complex consisting of two or more types of polymers,
Examples include hydrophilic and water-insoluble polymers having hydrophilic segments.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, various additives such as water-proofing agents,
Surfactants, preservatives, anti-spill agents, etc. can be added.

The method for forming the ink retaining layer and surface layer on the base material is as follows:
A coating solution is prepared by dissolving or dispersing the above-mentioned materials in an appropriate solvent, and the coating solution is applied to the coating solution by, for example, a roll coating method, a rod bar coating method, a spray coating method, an air knife coating method, etc. It is preferable to apply the material onto the base material by a known method and then dry it promptly. A method such as lamination may also be used.

However, when providing an ink retaining layer on the base material, for example,
It is preferable to strengthen the adhesion between the base material and the ink retaining layer by forming an anchor coat layer or the like to eliminate the space.

If a space exists between the base material and the ink retaining layer, it is not preferable because it causes diffuse reflection on the observation surface of the recorded image and substantially lowers the optical density of the image.

Means for recording images using the above-mentioned recording materials include recording devices using ink containing a recording agent, such as fountain pens, ballpoint pens, felt pens, pen plotters, ink misters, ink jets, and various types of printing. Examples include recording devices.

From the viewpoint of high-speed image recording, inkjet recording devices and pen plotters are suitable.

The ink used in the above recording method can be a water-based and/or oil-based ink that is conventionally known. It is necessary that the viscosity is 500 cps or less.

Preferably the viscosity is 100 cps or less, preferably 50 cps
ps or less.

Furthermore, water-based inks are preferable in consideration of safety against fire, resistance to environmental contamination, and the like. As the recording agent contained in the ink, conventionally known coloring agents such as dyes and pigments and other coloring materials can be used. For example, as the recording agent used in inkjet recording, water-soluble dyes such as direct dyes, basic dyes, reactive dyes, and food colorings are preferred.

In the present invention, methods for making the recording material transparent after recording with ink include a method using heating, a method using pressure, and a method using both heating and pressure.

For example, to explain specifically how to make the material transparent by heating, the resin particles that form the surface layer are melted by heating,
There is a way to make a uniform coating.

When transparentizing is performed by heating, if the ink retaining layer also melts, the image will be disturbed, and the support will also become softened, causing deformation, which is undesirable.

Therefore, it is essential that the melting temperature of the resin forming the surface layer is lower than the melting temperature of the ink retaining layer and the softening temperature of the support. Normally, when using a preferably used polyethylene terephthalate film as a base material, the temperature is 150°C.
It is necessary to heat the surface layer below.

In addition, in the process of forming an ink retaining layer and a surface layer on the base material,
Usually, a drying step is included, but in order to obtain sufficient efficiency in the drying step for practical purposes, the drying temperature is 60°C or higher, preferably 80°C.
It is 0° C. or higher, and therefore the melting temperature of the resin constituting the surface layer needs to be higher than this temperature.

Examples of the method for making the resin transparent include heating and applying pressure to fuse the resin particles in the surface layer, and all of these methods are suitable for the present invention.

However, in the conventional technology, when the ink absorbing layer is simply heated and/or pressurized, sufficient melting or dissolving bonding between the resin particles of the ink absorbing layer may not be achieved when the ink absorbing layer is melted or dissolved. Furthermore, when heating or pressure melting is carried out using a roller, etc., if the ink absorbing layer is further peeled off from the roller and left in the air as it is, unevenness will occur on the surface of the ink absorbing layer, and gloss and smoothness will be obtained due to diffuse reflection of light. This results in insufficient translucency.

The main feature of the present invention is to particularly improve this diffuse reflection and insufficient light transmittance.

Hereinafter, the transparentizing device of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings and conventional methods.

First, a conventional transparentization method and an image obtained by this method are shown in FIG. 1, and will be explained.

In the conventional transparentization method, an ink absorbing layer 5 is provided on the base material 2 between the rolls 11 and 12, and the recorded image 3 formed on the ink absorbing layer is moved between the rolls 11 and 12. The ink absorbing layer 5 of the recording material 1 is made transparent by heat and pressure, but when this transparentization is performed at high speed, the spaces between the resin particles 5a forming the ink absorbing layer 5 are sufficiently Particle spaces 5c remain without being combined. This remaining space 5c is particularly noticeable when heating and pressurization are insufficient, and even if heating and pressurization are sufficient, a similar problem occurs if the roll speed is slow. If this space 5c exists, the image density will not be sufficient because the reflection density of the recording agent corresponding to the space 50 will also be added.

In addition, the image surface 5b is also sparse and has poor image quality. What is more dominant is that even though the entire ink absorbing layer 5 is softened at the separation point A between the ink absorbing layer 5 and the contact roll 11, the surface portion that is melted by receiving heat at the highest temperature is particularly soft after the separation. This results in the formation of fine irregularities as shown in 5b.

The surface of the transparent image 3 thus obtained diffusely reflects light, resulting in less gloss. It is presumed that this surface unevenness is due to the cohesive force when the molten resin cools instantly. In particular, a drawback of the conventional method is that even if the resin particles are sufficiently melted and integrated with sufficient heat and pressure, surface irregularities 5b occur.

The present invention converts the image obtained by the conventional method shown in FIG. 1 into an image with surface gloss and smooth surface as shown in FIG. 7, and the details thereof will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8.

The recording material 1 used in the present invention has an ink retaining layer 4 on the surface of a base material 2 and a surface layer 6 thereon.
The ink passes through the surface layer 6 and is retained in the ink retaining layer 4 to form an image 3. The recording material 1 having this image 3 is
It is sent to the transparentizing device 100 in FIG.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a melting and transparentizing roller, which is provided with a heat source 13 for heating and melting the surface layer in contact with the untransparent surface layer 6, and is controlled to a predetermined temperature by a temperature control means (not shown). This predetermined temperature may be a temperature at which the surface layer 6 can be completely melted, a temperature at which it can be temporarily melted, or a temperature at which it can be partially immersed in melting, but preferably the former is more suitable when comparing the degree of improvement in image quality. Reference numeral 12 denotes a pressure roller that is pressed against the melting roller 11 by a pressure means (not shown), and forms a pressure contact portion that performs melting with the melting roller 11. For the detailed construction of the melting roller 11 and the pressure roller 12, all known constructions or various combinations can be applied. Further, although a heat melting method is employed in this example, a roller configuration for pressure melting or a hot plate melting method may be used. 21 is a heating roller (having a surface made of metal or rubber) having a heating source 23 set at a temperature higher than the softening point of the resin particles forming the surface layer 6;
is a pressure roller whose surface is made of rubber or metal and is pressed toward the heating roller by any pressure means.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the main parts of FIGS. 2 and 8, and as is clear from FIGS. 2, 8, and 5, 24a is a separating roller, and the heating roller The heating roller 21 is spaced from the heating roller 21 by a distance sufficient for the surface layer 6 that has undergone heat treatment to return from a softened or melted state to a solidified state at a predetermined position. In this example, in order to shorten this distance, a cooling fan 33 that can supply cold air or air cooling to the conveyance path of the recording material 1 between the separation roller 24a and the heating roller 21 is provided.

Reference numeral 29 denotes a smoothed sheet that is in close contact with the surface layer 6 of the recording material 1, and is passed over the surface of the heating roller 21, the surface of the separation roller 24a, the tension roller 25, and the support roller 26 to perform endless rotation. This sheet 29
is thin and deforms slightly due to heat. Reference numeral 34 denotes a temperature sensor for heating and controlling the surface temperature of the heating roller 21 to a temperature at which the surface of the surface layer 6 is softened or melted by the pressing force of the pressure roller 22, and the heating source is controlled by a control means (not shown). Controls energization to 23.

Reference numeral 24b denotes a separation roller that comes into contact with the edge of the recording material 1 to enhance the separation effect of the separation roller. Reference numeral 28b denotes a paper discharge roller, on which the separation belt 30 is passed together with the separation roller 24b, and guides the recording material 1 to the paper discharge side. Reference numeral 28a denotes a paper discharge roller which is driven to rotate coaxially with the paper discharge roller 28b. In addition, 31 is a conveyance roller that cooperates with the separation roller 24a, 32 is a paper discharge roller, 28b is a discharge auxiliary roller that cooperates with the paper discharge roll 28a, 35 is a population guide, and 37 is a sheet 29 that comes into contact with the sheet and is attached to the support roller 26. This is a member that smoothes and cleans the sheet while pressing it.

Now, when the recording material 1 on which an inkjet image has been formed enters the transparentizing device 100, the surface layer 6 is heated by the melting and transparentizing roller 11 in order to change from the non-transparent state to the melting and transparent state (or temporary melting). A transparent treatment is performed between the pressure roller 12 and the pressure roller 12 . Therefore, the surface layer 6 that has passed between the rollers 11 and 12 is in a non-porous state on the recording material 1, and in this state, the heating roller 21 and the pressure roller 2
It reaches between 2 and 2. Since the heating and pressing conditions that can melt or soften at least the surface of the surface layer 6 are satisfied between the rollers 21 and 22, the surface layer 6 of the recording material 1 is smoothed when conveyed in the direction of the arrow. It is covered with a sheet 29 and heated and pressurized. At this time sheet 29
Since it is thin and flexible, it adheres uniformly to the surface layer 6, and as shown in FIG. 4, the surface layer 6 becomes as if backed by the sheet 29, and the resin particles 5a are fused and integrated.

In this state, the recording material 1 is further conveyed, and the surface layer 6 is cooled to below the softening point of the resin by air blowing from the cooling fan 33, and then one end portion of the recording material 1 is separated from the sheet 29 by the separation belt 30.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, one end 1a of the recording material 1 is inserted with a slight deviation from the sheet 29 by an arbitrary width, and is separated by the separation belt 30. Peeling of the sheet 29 after the resin particles have cooled can be more reliably performed by increasing the curvature of the sheet 29 between the surface layer 6 on the recording material 1 and the peeling point P of the sheet 29, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the surface layer 6 obtained by the above-described image quality improvement treatment has a surface layer surface 5b that is as smooth as the surface of the smoothing sheet 29. It becomes uniform, and the surface layer surface 5b becomes a clean and smooth surface, and most of the incident light is reflected as shown by the arrow. Therefore, by using the transparentizing device of the present invention, it was possible to reliably obtain a high-quality image that was clear, high-density, glossy, and highly transparent.

FIG. 8 shows a modification of the inventive transparency device 100 of FIG. The melting and transparentizing roller 11 and heating roller 21 of the transparentizing device 100 in FIG. 2 are combined to form a heating and fusing roller 111, and the pressure rollers 12 and 22 in the same figure are combined to form a pressure roller 112. FIG. 8 shows a transparentizing device 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the case of this embodiment, the conditions set for the heating and melting roller 111 and the pressure roller 112 are such that the sheet 29 in direct contact with the non-transparent surface layer 6 is made of a material having release properties, and the non-transparent surface layer 6 is The temperature and pressure conditions are sufficient to melt 6 with sufficient meltability. In other words, as numerically set in this way, it is possible to apply heat above the melting point of the resin particles forming the surface layer 6.

It goes without saying that even if image transparency and image quality improvement processing are performed simultaneously in this manner, the image quality will be much improved compared to the conventional method.

As is clear from the above description, the transparentizing device of the present invention is capable of outputting transparent images of high quality and luxury that have not been available in the past.

Note that for the configuration for pressing the sheet 29 against the surface layer 6 and performing the heat treatment, other flat plates or the like may be used, but a roller configuration is preferable, and the rollers 21 and 22 are not two rolls but three wood rollers. But that's fine.

The separation rolls 24 may be constructed of rubber or metal, and each roller may have a resin surface. The smoothing sheet 29 is heat resistant, does not cause compatible adhesion with the surface layer due to heating or pressure, and is in close contact with the recorded month 1 and the surface layer 6, and is smoothed to make the uneven surface of the surface layer smoother. A thin and highly smooth material is desirable for adhesion.

Specifically, the material is preferably polyimide film, polyester film, etc., and the thickness is 50 μm or less, preferably 25 μm or less.
The average surface roughness is 10 μm or less, preferably 0.1 μm or less. As shown in FIG. 2, when the smoothed sheet 29 is in the form of an endless belt stretched by a tensile roll 25, the member 3 of the cleaning vat
7.Clean the surface. Since such a sheet has poor durability, the sheet 29 may be wound up from a smoothing sheet roll 26a to a take-up roll 26b as shown in FIG. 3, so that it can be used only for -degree image processing. good.

The sheet 29 completely covers the surface layer 6 of the recording material 1, is heat resistant to the heat applied to the surface layer 6, and has a melting point higher than the melting point of the surface layer resin particles. .

When a resin film is used for the sheet 29, it is preferable to use a resin film different from the resin component forming the formed surface layer 6, since this has the effect of improving the releasability of the sheet 29 from the surface layer 6.

Further, the heat source may be provided on the roller on the surface side or on a plurality of rollers, and the heat source is not limited to the heater 23 inside the roller, but may also be other means such as external heating, a beat pipe, a PTC ceramic heater, etc. do not have. or,
A belt or press plate may be used instead of a roller, but
It is more preferable to use a clamping means having elasticity that allows the surface layer 6 and the sheet 29 to be brought into close contact with each other.

In order to use the translucent print obtained as described above for transmitted light observation such as OHP, the recording material must have sufficient translucency after the transparent treatment.

In order to use it for the above purpose, it is necessary that the linear transmittance of the print is 10% or more.

The linear transmittance T (%) here refers to the amount of light that is perpendicular to the sample, transmitted through the sample, and at least 8
The spectral transmittance of the straight light that passes through the light-receiving side slit on the extension line of the incident optical path separated by more than cm and is received by the detector is measured using, for example, a UV-200 spectrophotometer (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation).
etc., and from the measured spectral transmittance,
The Y value of the tristimulus value of the color is determined by the following formula.

T=Y/Y, X100 (1) T: Linear transmittance Y: Y value of sample Yo Y value of blank An integrating sphere is installed at the rear to calculate transmittance including diffused light.) and opacity (
This is different from methods that evaluate translucency using diffused light, such as applying a white and black backing to the back of a sample and determining the ratio between them. The problem with devices that use optical technology is the behavior of straight-line light, so when evaluating the translucency and gloss of the recording material to be used in those devices, it is important to check the straight-line transmission of the recording material. Determining the ratio is particularly important. When observing the translucent print obtained in the present invention using equipment such as an OHP, recording is performed from the surface layer side as in the past, and the recorded surface is observed using transmitted light. Alternatively, a mirror image of the original can be recorded from the surface side and observed from the base material side.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples. Note that % or parts in the text are based on weight unless otherwise specified.

Example A polyethylene terephthalate film (thickness 50 μm, manufactured by Toshi) was used as a translucent base material, and the following composition A was coated on this base material using a bar coater so that the dry film thickness was 10 μm. It was dried in a drying oven at 120°C for 5 minutes.

Composition A Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP-90, manufactured by GAF, 1
0% DMF solution) 70 parts novolac type phenolic resin (Resitop PSK-2320:
30 parts of 10% DMF solution (manufactured by Gunei Chemical Co., Ltd.) Further, the following composition B was coated thereon using a bar coater so that the dry film thickness was 40 μm, and the mixture was dried in a drying oven at 80° C. for 10 minutes.

Thermoplastic elastomer resin on paper dust (Chemivar A-100, manufactured by Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, solid content 40%, particle size 5 μm)
100 parts Ionomer resin (Chemivar S-111, manufactured by Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, Ltd., solid content 40%, particle size 5 μm) 20 parts Surfactant (Emulgen 810, manufactured by Kao) 0.5 parts Recorded material thus obtained The material was white and opaque.

Using the following four types of ink on the above recording material,
Inkjet recording was carried out using a recording apparatus having an on-demand inkjet recording head that generates bubbles using a heating resistor and uses the pressure generated by the bubbles to eject ink. Next, the obtained prints are processed using the transparentizing apparatus 100 (Example 1) and 200 (Example 2) of the present invention as described above.
Transparency processing was performed.

C, 1, Direct Yellow 86 3 parts diethyl glycol 20 parts polyethylene glycol #200 15 parts water
65 parts magenta ink
゛) C,1, Acid Red 35 3 parts diethyl glycol 20 parts polyethylene glycol #200 15 parts water
65 parts cyan ink and
) C, 1, Direct Blue 86 3 parts diethyl glycol 20 parts polyethylene glycol #200 15 parts water
65 parts Bootsink ゛) C, 1, Footblack 2 3 parts Diethyl glycol 20 parts Polyethylene glycol 3200 15 parts Water
65 copies In the above-mentioned transparentizing device, the conveyance speed of the recording material was set at 10 mm/sec.
c. Melting roller, heating roller, and heating melting roller all set at 155°C, each roller pair (11, 12)
, (21, 22) and (Ill, 112) was applied at a pressure of 30 g/mm, the surfaces of rollers 11, 21 and 111 were coated with tetrafluoroethylene, the surfaces of the pressure rollers were coated with silicone rubber, and 12μ smoothed sheet
A polyimide film with a thickness of m was used.

Comparative Example Instead of the transparentizing device of the above example, rollers 11 and 1 were used.
2 (Comparative Example 1) and roller 11.1
In the case where only 2.21 and 22 were used (Comparative Example 2), the other conditions were the same as in the example, and the transparency treatment was performed.

Tests were conducted according to the following method to evaluate whether the translucent printed matter thus obtained was sufficiently suitable for the purpose of the present invention.

(1) Ink absorption was measured by leaving the print at room temperature after inkjet recording, and measuring the time it took for the ink to dry and stop adhering to the finger when touching the recorded area with the finger.

(2) The image transmission density (0, 0,) after the transparentization process was measured for the black ink recorded portion using a Macbeth transmission densitometer TD-504.

(3) The linear transmittance of the non-recorded area after the transparentization process is UV-
Using a 200 spectrophotometer (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation), the distance from the sample to the light-receiving window was maintained at about 9 cm, and the spectral transmittance was measured using the equation (1).

(4) Adhesion between the base material and the ink-retaining layer (ink-absorbing layer) in the image area after the transparentization treatment was checked for the black ink-recorded area, and the recorded area was rubbed 10 times using a plastic eraser. A case where no peeling between the (ink absorbing layer) and the base material occurred was rated as ○, and a case where peeling occurred was rated as ×.

(5) The resolution of the recorded image is determined by projecting the print onto a screen using an 0HP (overhead projector).
Evaluation was made visually according to the following criteria.

○, lines with a pitch width of 0.2 mm and a thickness of 0.1 mm can be clearly distinguished.

△ Lines with a pitch width of 0.2 mm and a thickness of 0.1 mm cannot be clearly distinguished.

X, a line with a pitch width of 0.5 mm and a thickness of 0.3 mm cannot be clearly distinguished.

Furthermore, a comprehensive evaluation was performed based on the above results, and the results are shown in Table 1.In the comprehensive evaluation, the above five s゛+'
If even one of the values sII+=+ is insufficient, let it be ×.
1 = -2 I II III IV
V VI Example 1 1 1.08 80
0 0 0 Example 2 1 1.05 78 0 0
0 Comparative Example 1 1 0.95 68 △ △
△Comparative example 2 1 0.97 70 △ △
△■: Ink absorption (seconds) II: Image transmission density ■゛Linear transmittance (%) ■: Adhesion■, resolution
■: Comprehensive evaluation (effect) According to the treatment with the transparentizing device of the present invention, the gloss and density can be improved without causing peelability between the base material and the ink holding layer in the image portion recorded with the ink. A good and excellent translucent print can be obtained.

Further, in the present invention, since only the surface layer that does not substantially retain an image is subjected to the transparentization process, a high-resolution image can be obtained without blurring or disturbance of the image.

Furthermore, in the present invention, since the surface layer becomes smooth and non-porous without cracks due to the transparent treatment, durability such as water resistance and weather resistance, and storage stability of recorded images are significantly improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional transparentizing device and an image, FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory diagram of a transparentizing device 100 of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the sheet 29, and FIGS. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the effect, FIG. 5 is a top view of the main part of the device in FIG. 8, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of peeling between the sheet 29 and the surface layer 6, and FIG. It is an explanatory view of a modification example. 1: Recording material 2, base material 3: image 4: ink retaining layer 5, ink absorbing layer 6: surface layer 11.21: heating roller 12.22/pressure roller 29: smoothing sheet 30: separation belt Patent applicant Canon Co., Ltd. I! , 1 Agent Patent Attorney Yoshi 1) Katsuhiro', 1□. Figure 5 Figure G

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) In a transparentizing device that performs recording with a recording liquid from the surface layer side of a recording material that has a liquid-permeable surface layer and an ink holding layer, and makes the surface layer transparent, the non-transparent surface layer is A means for transparentizing, a processing sheet that comes into contact with a surface layer of a recording material that has passed through the transparentization means, a means for pressurizing and closely contacting the processing sheet to the surface layer, and the processing sheet and the surface layer. and heating means for softening or melting the surface layer surface when the surfaces are in close contact with each other under pressure, and means for peeling off the treatment sheet from the surface layer surface after the surface layer heated by the heating means has solidified again. A device for making transparent printed matter transparent. (2) In a transparentizing device that performs recording with a recording liquid from the surface layer side of a recording material having a liquid-permeable surface layer and an ink-retaining layer and makes the surface layer transparent, the opaque surface layer is Means for pressurizing and/or heat-melting the processing sheet and the surface layer while covered with the processing sheet, and means for peeling the processing sheet from the surface layer after the surface layer has solidified. 1. A device for transparentizing a translucent printed matter, comprising: (3) Claims (1) or (2) in which the recording material is formed by laminating an ink retaining layer and a surface layer on a transparent base material.
The device for transparentizing a translucent printed matter as described in 2. (4) Claim No.
The device for transparentizing a translucent printed matter according to item 1) or item (2). (5) Claim No. 1 (
The device for transparentizing a translucent printed matter according to item 1) or item (2). (6) A device for transparentizing a translucent printed matter according to claim (1) or (2), which performs transparency using a combination of heat treatment and pressure treatment.