JPH10212644A - Printed knitted fabric and its production - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a printed knitted fabric having a characteristic touch of knitted fabric fitting to a print pattern, hardly causing a while spot in a pattern, high in printing ratio, by printing a print design using a loop model not to produce gaps on the surface of a woven fabric by a printer. SOLUTION: A print design 32 using a loop model 34 which has approximately the same size as that of a (knitted) stitch constituting a knitted fabric 24 such as a knitted fabric by a flat knitting machine, imitates the loop of the stitch and will not substantially produce gaps when arranged vertically and right and left is printed on the surface of the knitted fabric 24 by a printer. Preferably, a part of the knitted fabric 24 appearing in a hiddenly tension applied state in tension-free state is printed by stretching the knitted fabric 24 in a course direction, the print pattern 32 to be made imitates the loop of the stitch and the knitted fabric is decomposed into a loop model 34 substantially free from gaps when arranged vertically and right and left, the loop models 34 are arranged to reconstitute the print design 32 and to print the design on the knitted fabric 24.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a knitted fabric printed by an ink jet printer or the like and a method for producing the knitted fabric.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It has been proposed that a dye is printed on a knit product using an ink jet printer of a pressurized type, a heated type, or the like, so that a printed pattern is developed. There are various types of dyes. Some dyes require post-processing after printing, and some dyes develop and fix without post-processing. The resolution of the printer is, for example, about 200 dots per inch of the knitted fabric.
It is much smaller than the knitted fabric loop. The printer is 3
Printing in color or four colors is possible, and printing in substantially full color is possible. This technique is used for printing on T-shirts and the like.

[0003] However, the inventor cannot print a knitted fabric using this technique, but cannot obtain a print pattern that fits the original texture of the knitted fabric, for example, the feel of a stitch or the feel of a knitted structure. I found For example, in the case of a T-shirt, the stitch is originally small and inconspicuous because it is knitted by a circular knitting machine, and the feel of the knitting structure itself is not important. So T
For a shirt, you can design and print the print pattern freely. However, in the case of a knitted product having a relatively large stitch knitted by a flat knitting machine or the like, a print pattern unrelated to the stitch is unnatural. The inventor has found this.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printed knitted fabric having a printed pattern that fits the original texture of the knitted fabric, and a method of manufacturing the same. Providing a printed knitted fabric in which the undyed portion cannot be seen through when the fabric is stretched when worn, for example, when the fabric is worn (claims 2 to 4, 6 to 8); 3) a loop constituting a printed pattern It is an object of the present invention to provide a printed knitted fabric whose model substantially matches the stitches constituting the knitted fabric both in direction and number.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a printing method using a loop model which is substantially the same size as a stitch constituting a knitted fabric, simulates a loop of a stitch, and has substantially no gap when arranged vertically and horizontally. The pattern is on a printed knitted fabric in which a pattern is printed on the surface of the knitted fabric by a printer.

Preferably, the knitted fabric is stretched in the course direction and printed, so that the knitted fabric, which is hidden under no tension and appears under tension, is also printed. Preferably, the number of printed loop models is
The number of stitches in each part of the printed pattern is substantially matched, and the direction of each loop model is substantially matched with the direction of the stitch in each part of the printed pattern. Preferably, the knitted fabric is a knitted fabric knitted by a flat knitting machine.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, when printing is performed on a knitted fabric by a printer, a print pattern to be formed is decomposed into a loop model imitating a loop of a stitch and having substantially no gap when arranged vertically and horizontally. Then, a loop pattern is arranged to reconstruct a printed pattern. Preferably, the knitted fabric is stretched and printed along the course direction. Here, the stretching ratio is preferably 1. in the course direction with respect to a state in which no tension is applied to the knitted fabric from the outside.
The ratio is 3 to 2.0 times, and most preferably 1.4 to 1.7 times. In the generation of print data for a printer, preferably, a print pattern is created, the number of stitches included in each part of the print pattern is determined based on the number of stitches of the knitted fabric, and a loop model corresponding to this number is used for each part of the print pattern. The print data is generated by determining the size of the loop model according to the size of the stitch when the knitted fabric is stretched along the course direction by arranging the print patterns.

[0008]

According to the present invention, a printed pattern using a loop model imitating a stitch is printed on a knitted fabric. The loop model is almost the same size as the actual stitch, and the size difference from the actual stitch is, for example, ± 10% or less, preferably ± 10%.
5% or less, more preferably ± 2% or less. When the loop model is arranged on the entire upper, lower, left, and right sides, the printing rate of the printer is, for example, 90% or more, and preferably 95% or more. Does not occur (claim 1).

[0009] The knitted fabric has elasticity along the course direction, and when printed without applying tension, when the knitted fabric is stretched for wearing as clothing or the like, undyed vertical stripes are generated. Therefore, when the print is stretched in the course direction, the print pattern can be applied to a portion hidden at the time of no tension, and even if the knitted fabric is stretched, no undyed vertical stripes are generated (claim 2). The stretching ratio in the course direction is preferably 1.3 to 2.0 times, more preferably 1.4 to 1.8 times, as a ratio of the length in the course direction to the case where no tension is applied. That is, when the stretching ratio is 1.3 times or more, the vertical stripes in the unstained portion become inconspicuous when worn, and when 1.4 times or more, the vertical stripes become almost invisible. Stretching rate is 2.0
If it exceeds twice, the knitted fabric may be damaged, and it is preferably 1.8 times or less.

[0010] Preferably, the stitch of each part of the printed pattern and the loop model are made to correspond one to one, and the stitch and the loop model are almost the same size, and the directions in the course direction and the wale direction are also aligned. The texture that is configured and the texture that is configured by the loop model are aligned (claim 3). For example, the vertical and horizontal size of the stitch and the size of the loop model are ±
When matching is made within the range of 10%, preferably ± 5%, more preferably ± 2%, the knitting structure represented by the printed pattern fits the actual knitting structure. The correspondence between the loop model and the stitch is necessary only in the portion where the pattern exists, and is not particularly necessary in the solid portion outside the pattern.

The type of the knitted fabric is not particularly limited.
However, in a knitted fabric knitted with a flat knitting machine, the stitches are relatively coarse,
The stitch itself plays an important role in the feel of the knitted fabric. For this reason, when the present invention is applied to a knitted fabric knitted by a flat knitting machine, the original feel of the knitted fabric and the printed pattern are fitted, and particularly excellent effects can be obtained.

In the present invention, the print pattern is decomposed into a loop model imitating a loop of a stitch. Then, the original print pattern is reconstructed using the arrangement of the loop models, and printing is performed by the printer. A loop model that has no gap when arranged on the entire surface is used. The printing rate is higher than that of a model imitating an actual stitch, and the printing rate is approximately 100% inside a pattern. Then, the printed pattern appears to be constituted by virtual stitches made of a loop model, and a printed pattern that fits the texture of the knitted structure is obtained (claim 5).

When the knitted fabric is stretched and printed in the course direction, the inside of the knitted fabric can be printed, and the undyed portion is not noticeable when worn. The stretching ratio in the course direction is a ratio of the length in the course direction to the case where no tension is applied, and is preferably 1.3 to 2.0 times (claim 7), more preferably 1.4 to 1.8 times. And That is, when the stretching ratio is 1.3 times or more, the vertical stripes in the unstained portion become inconspicuous when worn, and when 1.4 times or more, the vertical stripes become almost invisible. If the stretching ratio exceeds 2.0 times, the knitted fabric may be damaged, and is preferably 1.8 times or less.

In the generation of print data, when a print pattern is created, the number of stitches included in each part of the pattern is known because the number of stitches of the knitted fabric is known. Next, if the size of the stitch when stretched at the time of printing is known, the size of the loop model is determined, and print data is obtained by arranging a known number of loop models in a known number of sizes (claim 8).

[0015]

1 to 5 show an embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a design device 2 and a printer 9 used for printing a knitted fabric,
The design device 2 itself is conventional. The design device 2 has a knit design unit 4 for designing the shape of a knitted fabric or a printed pattern by drawing on a monitor with a stylus or the like. The print pattern, as often done in Jacquard design, reads an appropriate original image with a scanner etc. and limits the number of colors used by color separation,
May be generated. The print pattern designed by the knit design unit 4 is referred to as a print pattern original image or simply an original image.

The designed print pattern or knitted fabric shape data is sent to the loop simulation section 6, and the original image is transformed into an arrangement of individual loop models and stored in the frame memory 8. The loop simulation of the knitted fabric itself has been performed conventionally, and the difference is that the loop model is not a model that accurately simulates the actual stitches, and almost all gaps occur when the models are arranged vertically and horizontally. There is to use what is not. Reference numeral 10 denotes a memory that stores such a loop model. Conventionally, the design device 2 can be connected to a printer to obtain a hard copy of the loop simulation image. Therefore, using the loop model of the memory 10, the design device 2
Is output to the printer 9 such as an ink jet printer as print data.

In this manner, a print design can be designed using the conventional design device 2 only by changing the loop model. In addition, the obtained print pattern is converted into virtual knitting data assuming the case where the original picture is designed, knitting of the original picture is realized by knitting with multiple color threads instead of printing, and knitting data is loop simulated in the order of can get. For this reason, the obtained printed pattern can be converted into data for knitting the same original image using a plurality of color threads instead of printing. That is, the same original image can be used for both printing and knitting.

FIG. 2 shows an arrangement of loop models in a printed pattern. The upper part of the figure shows a loop model 10 corresponding to a flat knitted fabric with a fineness of, for example, 10 gauge or more. The loop model 10 has a portion 11b corresponding to the upper half of the stitch.
And a portion 11c corresponding to the lower half. One loop model corresponds to one stitch,
In the portion 11b, the color of the stitch whose center is located at that location is input, and in the portion 11c, the color of the stitch immediately above in the wale direction is input. The pattern for one row in the vertical direction is like the pattern 12 in the figure, and the portion 11b and the portion 11c are continuous and have no gap inside the pattern 12, and the upper part of the pattern is one layer above the pattern. Part 11 corresponding to lower half of stitch of position
c remains, and the portion 11c projects below the handle 12. In a pattern corresponding to a stitch having different colors arranged vertically, a portion 11b and a portion 11c are arranged vertically to obtain a pattern 13 in the figure.

In the loop model 14 corresponding to a coarse knitted fabric of 7 gauge or less, there are three portions 14b, 14c and 14d, 14b represents the upper half of the stitch, 14c represents the lower half of the stitch, and 14d on both sides. , 14d represent gaps between stitches. When the pattern 15 is constructed by arranging the loop models 14, a color representing a stitch whose center is located at that location is input to the portion 14b, and a color representing the next higher stitch in the wale direction is input to the portion 14c. Since the portion 14d appears around the handle 15, the portion 17 where the periphery is plain is made plain. If the pattern 15 represents a jacquard pattern and there is a back thread in the knitted fabric, the color of the back thread is assigned to the portion 14d. In a portion 16b of the same color inside the pattern 15, the portion 14d is also filled with a solid color in accordance with the surrounding color. In the portion 16c where the colors are different in the surroundings, it is assumed that, for example, the color with higher saturation is used as the color of the surrounding loop model. In addition to this, for example, the portion 14d may be black or the like.

When printing without stretching the knitted fabric, undyed vertical stripes appear when the knitted fabric is worn. This is shown at the bottom of FIG. Numeral 18 indicates the actual stitch shape, and the loop model imitates this. By the way, the knitted fabric has elasticity along the course direction, and when worn as clothing or the like, a portion which has been hidden in the course direction is exposed. Therefore, if the knitted fabric is printed without being stretched, undyed vertical stripes appear between the patterns 12 as shown on the lower right side of FIG.

In the embodiment, a loop model is made to correspond to a stitch on a one-to-one basis, and a portion where a printed pattern is present is colored. In this way, the knitted fabric becomes a virtual arrangement of loop models, and only the portion where the internal pattern exists is printed and appears. The loop model preferably has no gap when arranged vertically and horizontally. When the entire knitted fabric has a pattern and the entire surface is printed, the printing rate is preferably 90% or more, more preferably 95%.
%.

Next, in the embodiment, the pattern is constituted by the arrangement of the loop models. However, the solid portion inside the pattern may be simply treated as a solid image instead of the arrangement of the loop models. In such a case, a loop model may be arranged for the contour of the pattern. Alternatively, the stitch may be made to correspond to the loop model only at the location where the pattern exists, without making the stitch correspond to the loop model in the entire knitted fabric.

FIG. 3 shows the creation of a printed pattern. In the first stage 22, the knitted fabric 24 is designed using the design device 2. The knitted fabric may be so-called sink knitting, formed knitting, or tubular knitting for non-sewing. At this stage, the number of stitches in the wale direction and course direction of the knitted fabric 24 is known,
In addition, the vertical (wale direction) and horizontal (course direction) size of each stitch and the size of the knitted fabric 24 can be obtained. For example, a sample knitted fabric is knitted in the same structure as the knitted fabric 24, and post-processing is performed until immediately before printing by the printer 9, and the number of stitches per vertical and horizontal length is obtained at the center of the sample knitted fabric.
From now on, the size of the stitch just before it is applied to the printer 9 is known.

In the next step 26, an original picture 28 of the knitted fabric 24 is created. The original image 28 may be created in the same manner as in the design of a normal knitted product. It is sufficient to simply draw an appropriate original image or read it with a scanner. The created original image 28 is subjected to color separation as if it were knitted using a plurality of color threads, and the types of colors used are limited to eight colors. Original picture 28
From the position of the upper pattern and the number of stitches of the knitted fabric 24, the position of each part of the pattern can be determined in a coordinate system using the stitch as a unit. At the same time, the number of stitches included in each part of the pattern is determined.

In the next step 30, the original image 28 is decomposed into a loop model and reconstructed to obtain a printed pattern 32. When the upper right corner of the printed pattern 32 is shown in an enlarged manner, the pattern 32 is configured by arranging loop models 34 vertically and horizontally. At this point, the aspect ratio of the loop model 34 is the same as the aspect ratio of the stitch. A pattern 32 formed by arranging loop models 34
The number of loop models matches the number of stitches included in the pattern. Although the loop model 34 shown in the figure corresponds to the flat knitted face, the shape of the loop model 34 may be changed accordingly in the case of a back face or a swinging eye.

At this stage, the print pattern 32 is obtained, and the print pattern 32 is converted into print data using the stretching rate of the knitted fabric 24. For example, when the stretching rate is 1.5, the knitted fabric 24 is stretched 1.5 times in the course direction, and the size of the stitch is stretched 1.5 times in the horizontal direction. Along with this, the loop model 34 is stretched 1.5 times in the horizontal direction so that the length in the horizontal direction is 1.5 times the length of the stitch and the length in the vertical direction is the same length as the stitch. This image is used as print data.

FIG. 4 shows how the knitted fabric 24 is stretched. For example, sew two knitted fabrics on which the same print should be
0 is inserted, and the width of the knitted fabric 24 in the course direction is stretched from W0 to W by about 1.4 to 1.5 times. Since the stretchability of the knitted fabric in the wale direction is low and it is not necessary to stretch it at the time of printing, it is temporarily fixed with a magic tape or the like attached to the mold 40 so as to maintain the initial length L0. Although a rectangular mold 40 is shown for sink knitting in the figure, a mold corresponding to the shape of the knitted fabric is used in the case of forming knitting or the like. The stretching rate is 1.
When the ratio is three times or more, the unstained portion becomes inconspicuous even when stretched at the time of wearing. If the stretching ratio is 1.4 times or more, the unstained portion will not be visible unless the fabric is picked up and examined closely. On the other hand, when the stretching rate is extremely increased, the knitted fabric is damaged. The upper limit of the stretching rate is 1.7 times for flat knitting,
It is 2.0 times for a knitted fabric rich in elasticity such as rib knitting. For this reason, the stretching ratio is preferably 1.3 to 2.0 times, more preferably 1.4 to 1.7 times.

When the knitted fabric 24 is set on the mold 40, it is set on the ink jet printer 9. 42 is a control unit of the printer 9, 44 is a print head of, for example, four colors, and 46 is an arm for moving the head 44 in the XY directions.
At this time, the length W0 of the knitted fabric 24 in the course direction and the length L0 of the knitted fabric in the wale direction are determined by the mold 40.
4 is made to fit this size. The loop model can be printed so as to match the size of the stitch when stretched by the mold 40, and to match the number of stitches in the loop pattern unit in the print pattern 32 with the number of stitches in the stitch unit. It is not necessary to align the loop model with each stitch. When the printing of one surface is completed, the printed portion is lifted with a jig such as a pin and printed on the opposite surface.

In this manner, a knitted fabric having a printed pattern 32 imitating a stitch and having a loop model having substantially the same size as the stitch is obtained. In this knitted fabric, the undyed portion is not visible even when stretched at the time of wearing, and the number of stitches in each part of the handle and the number of loop models are almost the same. In addition, a conventional knitted fabric design device can be used to create print data. The type of the knitted fabric is particularly important for a flat knit product in which the texture of the stitch plays an important role. Although the specific printing method has been described in the embodiments, the knitted fabric of the present invention is not limited to such a manufacturing method.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an apparatus configuration used for a method for printing a knitted fabric according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a loop model used in an embodiment and an arrangement thereof.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a design process of a printed pattern of a knitted fabric in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing stretching of a knitted fabric in an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the knitted fabric is set in the printer in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Design Device 4 Knit Design Unit 6 Loop Simulation Unit 8 Frame Memory 9 Inkjet Printer 10 Memory of Loop Model 11, 14 Loop Model 11b, 11c, 14b, 14c, 14d Part 12, 13, 15 Pattern 16b, 16c, 17 Part 18 Actual stitches 22, 26, 30 stages 24 Knitted fabric 28 Original picture 32 Print pattern 34 Loop model 40 type 42 Control unit 44 Print head 46 Arm

Claims (8)

[Claims] A print pattern using a loop model having a size substantially the same as a stitch constituting a knitted fabric, imitating a loop of the stitch, and having substantially no gap when arranged vertically and horizontally. Printed knitted fabric printed on the surface of the knitted fabric. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the knitted fabric is stretched in the course direction and printed, so that the knitted fabric is hidden under no tension and appears in a state where tension is applied. Item 1. Printed knitted fabric. 3. The number of printed loop models is:
3. The printed knitted fabric according to claim 2, wherein the number of stitches in each part of the printed pattern is substantially the same, and the direction of each loop model is substantially equal to the direction of the stitch in each part of the printed pattern. 4. The printed knitted fabric according to claim 3, wherein the knitted fabric is a knitted fabric knitted by a flat knitting machine. 5. When printing is performed on a knitted fabric by a printer, a print pattern to be formed is decomposed into a loop model imitating a loop of a stitch and having substantially no gap when arranged vertically and horizontally. A method of printing a knitted fabric, comprising arranging print patterns to reconstruct a print pattern. 6. The method for printing a knitted fabric according to claim 5, wherein the knitted fabric is stretched along the course direction and printed. 7. The knitted fabric is 1.3 to 2.
7. The method for printing a knitted fabric according to claim 6, wherein the knitted fabric is stretched 0 times. 8. A print pattern is created, the number of stitches included in each part of the print pattern is determined based on the number of stitches of the knitted fabric, and the loop models corresponding to this number are arranged in each part of the print pattern to form the print pattern. And printing data for the printer is generated by determining the size of the loop model according to the size of the stitch when the knitted fabric is stretched along the course direction. 6. Printing method of knitted fabric.