JPH117148A - Reproducing method for material to be recorded and material to be recorded reproduced by it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the fixing performance of an image forming substance for a material to be recorded after reproducing processing from being deteriorated caused by the remaining of a surfactant in image removing accelerating liquid. SOLUTION: By this method, adhesive power between the image forming substance and the material to be recorded is firstly weakened by imparting liquid 212 incorporating water and the surfactant to the material to be recorded 105 having a film-like fixed image constituted of a thermoplastic or hot-melt image forming substance on the swelling layer of the material to be recorded having a layer swelling by the water on a surface. Next, an image peeling member having specified adhesive power for the image forming substance of the material to be recorded where the image removing accelerating liquid is imparted is brought into contact with the image forming substance, and also the image forming substance is transferred to the image peeling member by performing heating and pressing in a state where the moisture evaporation from the swelling layer of the material to be recorded is suppressed. In this case, processing solution 414 to improve the toner fixing performance of the material to be recorded is imparted to the material to be recorded where the image forming substance is peeled as a post-processing stage.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for reproducing a recording material by removing an image forming substance from the recording material and reproducing the recording material in a reusable state, and a recording medium reproduced by the reproducing method. About materials.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent adoption of 0A, printer paper and copy paper have been used in large quantities. At the same time, a large amount of waste paper is generated from offices, and most of the waste paper is currently wasted. At the same time, the disposal of these wastes is very costly, and the disposal of these wastes has recently led to the degradation of the local environment and, more recently, the global environmental degradation caused by deforestation to produce paper. Heretofore, in order to solve this problem and to recycle paper, measures have been taken to remove the ink on the paper once used, soak and re-use it, and use it as recycled paper. This process requires a large-scale waste paper recycling facility, and requires several steps, such as sorting, collecting, and transporting used waste paper, to obtain recycled paper. Recently 1
Paper has been developed which can remove a character image on used paper by cleaning and reuse it for copying or printing. For example, JP-A-4-6704
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3 (1999) -1995 discloses a sheet-like support in which a release treatment is performed on the surface, particularly only on one side, and the release-treated support is marked so as to be distinguished from plain paper. However, since this is a special paper, its fixability is difficult, and there is a problem in using it as general copy paper.

Also, JP-A-1-101576 and JP-A-1-101577 disclose that an image forming material (toner) on an image forming support is subjected to ultrasonic treatment in an organic solvent in which the material is dissolved. Discloses a method for removing an image, however, there is a problem in pollution, inflammation and toxicity by an organic solvent, and there is still a problem in use in a general office or home. Further, JP-A-1-297294 discloses that
As the image forming support, a plastic, metal, a material formed of paper or ceramic or the like having low liquid permeability is used, and the image formed on the support is heated with a hot-melt release body interposed therebetween, and heated. A cleaning method for peeling an image from a support is disclosed. However, in the case of this method, a special sheet whose surface has been subjected to a release treatment must be used.

On the other hand, the present applicant uses a recording material provided with a layer which swells with a liquid at least in the vicinity of the surface on which an image is formed, and uses the recording material rather than the film-like image forming substance for forming the image. Liquid applying means for applying a liquid containing water (image removal accelerating liquid) to the recording material, which greatly swells the swelling layer of the material, and applying the liquid to the separating member after applying the liquid by the liquid applying means. There has been proposed an image forming substance removing method and a reproducing apparatus having a peeling means for transferring and peeling the image forming substance from a recording material to the peeling member by pressing or heating and pressing (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-13383; Kaihei 8-442
60).

Further, in order to prevent water evaporation at the time of peeling of the image forming substance in this method, a recording material having a structure in which a plurality of belts are meandered by a plurality of heating members and a plurality of heating suction portions are continuously arranged. A reproducing apparatus has been proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 8-44260 and 8-21794). It has been confirmed that this method removes only the image forming substance from the recording material without relatively damaging the paper quality, and reproduces the recording material in a usable state again. However, when the recording material is reproduced using each method of the present applicant, components that have been solubilized in the image removal accelerating liquid such as a surfactant remain on the surface of the recording material after the conventional processing. Therefore, there is a problem that the fixability of the image forming material to the recording material is reduced when the image is formed again, particularly when the image forming and the reproduction of the recording material are repeated, as compared with the recording material before the reproduction. Was.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and it is desirable that the fixability of the image forming substance to the recording material after the reproduction processing is not impaired due to the remaining surfactant in the image removal accelerating liquid. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of reproducing a recording material that can be performed and a recording material reproduced by the reproduction method.

[0007]

According to a conventional method of reproducing a recording material using a liquid containing water and a surfactant, a recording material of an image forming substance is used as the processed recording material is repeatedly used. However, there is a problem that the fixing property to the toner decreases. In particular, when the image peeling of the recording material is performed in a state where the water evaporation from the swelling layer of the recording material is suppressed, the above tendency is remarkable. This is because the solute component remains in the recording material from which the image forming substance has been removed by applying heat and pressure after application of the image removal accelerating liquid, even after the solvent of the image removal accelerating liquid evaporates. It is presumed that the remaining amount increases as the reproduction is repeated, so that the surface electric resistance and the surface energy of the recording material change to cause a problem in fixing.

As a result of studying means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have found that in the above-mentioned method for reproducing a recording material, a post-processing liquid containing a sizing agent is applied to the recording material after the reproduction processing, It has been confirmed that the recopyability of the recording material after reproduction can be improved, and the present invention has been completed.

That is, the present invention relates to a recording material having at least a swelling layer which swells with water on the surface of the recording material having, on the swelling layer, a film-like fixed image made of a thermoplastic or heat-fusible image forming substance. (A) for applying an image removal accelerating liquid to weaken the adhesive force between the image forming substance and the recording material, and an image removing accelerating liquid for the image removing accelerating liquid applying step (A). An image peeling member having a predetermined adhesive strength to the image forming substance of the recording material to which the recording material has been applied is brought into contact with the image forming substance, and heated under a condition in which water evaporation from a swelling layer of the recording material is suppressed. And (c) removing the fixed image of the recording material by transferring the image forming material to the image peeling member by applying pressure. Peeling A post-processing step (C) of applying a post-processing liquid to the obtained recording material so as to improve the toner fixing property of the recording material. The above problem could be solved by providing a reproduced recording material.

In the present invention, the film form does not necessarily mean that the entire image forms one film, but that the image forming substance permeates deeply into the recording material. This means that the image forming substance is not adsorbed on the recording material at a molecular level almost as in the case of printing with an aqueous ink containing a dye. Further, the recording material referred to in the present invention is not limited to a printer paper, a copy paper, etc., is not limited to a paper material layer mainly composed of cellulose fibers, at least in the vicinity of the surface on which an image is formed. Any object having a layer that swells with a liquid containing water is applicable.

The principle of the method for reproducing a recording material according to the present invention will be described below. The recording material used in the present invention swells when a liquid containing water is applied to the surface on which an image is formed, but the thermoplastic or thermoformed material formed near the surface of the recording material is used. If water permeates near the interface between the image forming substance having a melting property and the recording material, the adhesive force between the two becomes very weak. At this time, it is preferable to use a liquid (image removal accelerating liquid) obtained by adding a surfactant and / or a water-soluble polymer to water in order to promptly penetrate the water into the recording material. In order to remove (peel) the surface image forming substance from the recording material to which the image removal accelerating liquid has been applied, the image forming substance has an adhesive force between the recording material and the image forming substance that is greater than the adhesive force. The peeling member is heated and pressed against the recording material. This heating is performed in order to soften the image forming substance and thereby facilitate the peeling of the image forming substance from the fibers or the like of the recording material. Therefore, it is preferable that the temperature rise by heating is set to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point of the image forming substance and to such an extent that the image forming substance does not melt. This is because when the image forming material is melted, it becomes difficult to transfer the image forming material on the recording material to the peeling member side without separating the recording material side and the peeling member side. After the peeling process, when the recording material is separated from the peeling member, the image forming substance is transferred from the recording material to the peeling member, and the recording material is reproduced in a state before the image is formed.

Hereinafter, the post-treatment liquid used in the present invention and various additives added thereto will be described. The post-treatment liquid may contain at least a sizing agent used as a component for improving the sizing property in papermaking. As the sizing agent, those commonly used in papermaking such as internal addition and surface sizing can be used.Alketene dimer surface sizing agents, synthetic size surface sizing agents, styrene surface sizing agents, and olefin-based sizing agents It is preferred to use a surface sizing agent. Regarding the concentration of the sizing agent contained in the post-treatment liquid, the amount of the sizing agent adhered to the recording material is 0.06 g / A4 or less, preferably 0.01 to
It is preferable that the concentration be adjusted to an appropriate concentration so as to be 0.04 g / A4 or less in consideration of the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid. If the amount of the sizing agent adhering to the recording material exceeds 0.06 g / A4, the toner fixing power at the time of recopying becomes too large, which adversely affects the removal of the image forming material in the second and subsequent reproduction processes.

Hereinafter, an image removal accelerating liquid according to the present invention,
Various additives to be added thereto will be described. The image removal accelerating liquid is water and an aqueous solution containing a surfactant and / or
Alternatively, it is composed of an aqueous solution containing a water-soluble polymer. Further, as described later, it is also possible to use additives such as a pH adjuster, a chelating agent for sealing heavy metal ions, a preservative, a fungicide, an anti-casting agent and a bleaching agent.

Surfactants include anionic surfactants such as Ishizoku, N-acylamino acid salts, alkyl ether acetates, carboxylates such as acylated peptides, alkylsulfonates, alkylbenzenesulfonates, and alkylnaphthalenes. Sulfonates, sulfosulfates, α-olefin sulfonates, sulfonates such as N-acyl sulfonates, sulfated oils, alkyl sulfates, alkyl ether sulfates, sulfates such as alkylamide sulfates, Phosphate salts such as alkyl phosphates, alkyl ether phosphates and alkylaryl phosphates are exemplified.

Examples of the cationic surfactant include aliphatic amine salts, alkyl quaternary ammonium salts, aromatic quaternary ammonium salts, and heterocyclic quaternary ammonium salts. Examples of the amphoteric surfactant include betaines such as carboxybetaine and sulfobetaine, aminocarboxylates, and imidazoline derivatives.

Examples of the nonionic surfactant include polyoxyethylene alkyl and aryl ether, polyoxyethylene styrene ether, polyoxyethylene lanolin derivative, ethylene oxide derivative of alkyl allyl formaldehyde condensate, and polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene block copolymer. Coalescence, ether type such as polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene glycerin fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester, ether ester type such as polyoxyethylene sorbitol fatty acid ester,
Polyester glycol fatty acid esters, fatty acid monoglycerides, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, etc., aliphatic alkanolamides, polyoxyethylene fatty acid amides, polyoxyethylene alkylamines, alkylamine oxides And the like. Examples of the fluorine-based surfactant include an anionic type such as a fluoroalkyl carboxylate and a fluoroalkyl sulfonate, an amphoteric type such as a fluoroalkyl-introduced betaine, a nonionic type, and a cationic type. It is also possible to use a silicone surfactant. Further, each of the above surfactants may be used alone, or two or more of them may be used in combination.

A water-soluble polymer may be added to the image removal accelerating liquid together with a surfactant for the purpose of improving the ability to remove image forming substances or improving the state of reproduction. The addition amount of the water-soluble polymer is in the range of 0.1 to 20% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 10% by weight. As the water-soluble polymer to be added to the image removal accelerating solution, in the natural system, plant polymers such as gum arabic, gum tragan, guar gum, karaya gum, locust bean gum, arabinogalactone, pectin, quince seed starch, alginic acid, carrageenan , Agar, seaweed macromolecules such as seaweed, gelatin, casein, albumin, animal macromolecules such as collagen, xanthene gum, microbial macromolecules such as dextran, semi-synthetic methylcellulose,
Cellulosic polymers such as ethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose, and soluble starches such as methyl starch, carboxymethyl starch (CMS), dialdehyde starch, sodium starch glycolate and starch phosphate sodium -Based polymers, seaweed-based polymers such as sodium alginate and propylene glycol alginate, and purely synthesized systems include vinyl-based polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and polyvinyl methyl ether, non-crosslinked polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid, and alkalis thereof. Metal salts, acrylic resins such as water-soluble styrene acrylic resin, water-soluble styrene maleic acid, water-soluble vinyl naphthalene acrylic resin, water-soluble Le naphthalene maleic acid resins, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, alkali metal salts of β- naphthalenesulfonic acid formalin condensate,
Examples include a polymer compound having a salt of a cationic functional group such as a quaternary ammonium or an amino group in a side chain, and a natural polymer compound such as shellac.

In the present invention, a release member of the image forming substance can be formed by holding the water-soluble polymer in a state where the recording material contains water and a surfactant. That is, the water-soluble polymer is compared with the cellulose fiber / film-like image / water-soluble polymer /
As in the case of a peeling member, the film can be indirectly contacted, and the film-like image can be peeled off without damaging the paper quality by the adhesive force.

In the image removal accelerating liquid, an auxiliary agent for solubilizing a surfactant in water or a wetting agent such as ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, Polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, methylene glycol monoethyl ether, methylene glycol monobutyl ether, methylene glycol dimethyl ether, methylene glycol methyl ethyl ether, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, etc. Alkyl ether derivatives of polyhydric alcohols, carboxylic acids having a hydroxyl group such as lactic acid and malic acid, N-methyl- - pyrrolidone, it is also possible to incorporate a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds such as 2-pyrrolidone. Further, a mixture of the above-mentioned polyhydric alcohols, alkyl ether derivatives of polyhydric alcohols, aryl ether derivatives of polyhydric alcohols, carboxylic acids having a hydroxyl group, and nitrogen-containing heterocycles can also be used.

Additives such as a chelating agent for sealing heavy metal ions, a preservative, a fungicide, a complexing agent and a bleaching agent can be used in the image removal accelerating liquid and the post-processing liquid.
Examples of the chelating reagent added as a peeling aid in the sealing agent for heavy metal ions include sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate, sodium nitrilotriacetate, sodium hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetate, sodium diethylenetriaminepentaacetate, and sodium uramildiacetate. . Examples of the preservative include acid sulfite, sodium thiosulfate, ammonium thiodiglycolate, diisopropylammonium nitrite, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, dicyclohexylammonium nitrite, and the like. Further, as a preservative and fungicide, sodium dehydroacetate, sodium sorbate, sodium 2-pyridinethiol-1-oxide, sodium benzoate, sodium pentachlorophenol and the like can be used.

The image peeling member is preferably made of a material which is excellent in durability against heat, pressure and the like received when passing through the peeling means, excellent in stability against the image removal accelerating liquid, has little surface deterioration, and can perform good peeling. , Ni
Copper, stainless steel copper, Fe-Ni alloy, Co-A1 alloy,
Examples include metal alloys such as monel, inconel, and duralumin, metal oxides, and various polymers. Specific examples of the polymer include synthetic or natural rubber, diallylate resin, xylene resin, epoxy resin, silicon resin, urethane resin, fluororesin, polyimide, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyarylate, polyether sulfone, polyether ether ketone, and polyester. And heat-resistant synthetic resins such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and aramid. These polymers may be used alone or as a mixture, and may contain titanium oxide particles, silica particles, carbon particles and the like for improving durability and peeling properties.

[0022]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the present invention, and thus various technical limitations are given. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects. . FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 are views showing an embodiment of a recording material reproducing apparatus and a reproducing method to which the reproducing apparatus is applied according to the present invention. (Transfer paper)
The present invention is applied to a reproducing apparatus for regenerating an image forming substance by peeling and removing the same from the apparatus. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the reproducing apparatus 1. The reproducing apparatus 1 includes a paper feeding unit U1, a liquid applying unit U2, a peeling / moving unit U3, a post-processing unit U4, a drying unit U5, a paper receiving unit U6, and the like. Have. The regenerating apparatus 1 is configured to transfer the transfer paper 105 to be reproduced from the paper feeding unit U1 one by one to the liquid applying unit U2.
After the image removing accelerating liquid is applied to the transfer paper 105 by the liquid applying unit U2, the peeling / moving unit U3
The image forming substance on the transfer paper 105 is peeled and removed, and a post-processing liquid is applied to the transfer paper 105 from which the image forming substance has been peeled and removed in the post-processing unit U4, and then the transfer paper 105 is dried and baked in the drying unit U5. Then, it is placed on the paper receiving unit U6.

Hereinafter, the units U1 to U6 will be sequentially described. The paper supply unit U1 includes a paper supply case 101, a paper supply roller 102, a pair of registration rollers 103, a guide plate 104, and the like.
A plurality of transfer papers 105 as a recording material to be reproduced are stored. Although not shown in the paper feed case 101,
A bottom plate on which the transfer paper 105 is placed. The bottom plate is urged upward by a spring (not shown) or the like,
Paper feed roller 102 for transfer paper 105 in paper feed case 101
Lift the side edge upwards. The paper feed roller 102 is rotated at a predetermined timing by a drive motor (not shown) or the like, and sequentially feeds the transfer paper 105 in the paper feed case 101 from the uppermost transfer paper 105. The transfer paper 105 sent out by the paper feed roller 102 is separated from the double feed by a separation mechanism (not shown), and only one transfer paper 105 is used as a pair of registration rollers 1 for timing adjustment and skew correction.
At 03, the paper is lined into the liquid application unit U2 via the guide plate 104.

The liquid applying unit (image removing accelerating liquid applying means) U2 includes a replenishing liquid container 201, an automatic liquid auxiliary device 203, a liquid pumping roller 204, a liquid applying roller 205, a pressing roller 206, a transport belt 207, a driving roller 208, The replenishing liquid container 201 and the automatic liquid replenishing machine 202 and the automatic liquid replenishing machine 202 and the liquid container 20
3 are connected by pipes 210 and 211, respectively. An image removal accelerating liquid 212 is stored in the replenishing liquid container 201 and the liquid container 203. The liquid container 203 is provided with a liquid amount sensor (not shown). The automatic liquid replenishing machine 202 operates based on the detection result of the liquid amount sensor, and operates to remove the image removal promoting liquid 21 in the replenishing liquid container 201.
2 and pumped into the liquid container 203 to remove the image.
Replenish. Liquid pump roller 204 and liquid application port roller 2
05 is rotated while being in contact with a predetermined pressure, and the liquid pumping roller 204 is driven to rotate, thereby pumping up the image removal promoting liquid 212 in the liquid container 203 and being squeezed by the liquid application roller 205 that is in contact. As a result, a predetermined amount of the image removal accelerating liquid 212 is made to adhere to the liquid application roller 205. The liquid application roller 205 applies a small amount of the adhering predetermined amount of the image removal accelerating liquid 212 to the image forming surface of the transfer paper 105 fed from the paper supply unit U1 to the pressing roller 206 to remove the image. The transfer paper 105 coated with the accelerating liquid 212 is sent to the peeling / moving unit U3 by the transport belt 207 driven by the drive roller 208 while being guided by the guide plate 209.

In FIG. 1, the lower side of the transfer paper 105 is the image forming surface.
Is applied to apply the image removal promoting liquid 212 to the transfer paper 105. However, the configuration for applying the image removal promoting liquid 212 to the transfer paper 105 is not limited to this. For example, two liquid applying rollers 205 are provided. Then, the image removal accelerating liquid 212 may be applied to both sides of the transfer paper 105. In this case, the images on both sides of the transfer paper 105 having the images formed on both sides can be removed at a time. In addition, the liquid application roller 2
Instead of contacting the transfer paper 105 with the transfer paper 105 and applying it, the image removal accelerating liquid 212 is applied in a non-contact manner, or a two-stage application is performed by combining a liquid applying roller 205 and a non-contact applying means. It may be.

The transfer paper 105 to which the image removal accelerating liquid 212 has been applied is transported to the peeling / moving unit U3.
The adhesiveness of the image forming substance is reduced by the image removal promoting liquid 212, and the image removal promoting liquid 212 contains water. That is, the image removal accelerating liquid 212 is applied to the transfer paper 105 on the side where the image is formed, and the transfer paper 105
When the image removal accelerating liquid 212 is applied, the vicinity of the surface swells, and a difference in the amount of swelling between the image forming substance and the transfer paper 105 generates a shearing force between the two to transfer the image forming substance to the image forming substance. The adhesive strength with the paper 105 decreases. The transfer paper 105 to which the image removal accelerating liquid 212 has been applied is transferred to the transfer paper 10 while transported to the peeling / moving unit U3 as described above.
5, the adhesive force between the transfer paper 105 and the image forming substance is weakened.

The peeling / moving unit (peeling means) U3 is
As shown in FIG. 2, the transport rollers 301, 302, 30
3, 304 and transport rollers 305, 306, 307, 3
08, 309, a plurality of pressing rollers 310 to 319, and pressing rollers 320 to 32 disposed in a zigzag state between the conveying rollers 301 and 302 and the conveying rollers 305 and 306.
8, a sheet-like peeling belt 329, a sheet-like seal belt 330, a spiral roller 331, an image forming substance receiving container 332, and the like.
Although not shown, the heating roller 19 and the pressure rollers 320 to 328 include a heater therein.

The peeling belt 329 has a predetermined width, for example,
The transfer paper 105 of various sizes is sandwiched, formed into a ring shape having a width sufficient to peel and transfer the image forming material on the transfer paper 105, and is stretched over the conveying rollers 301 to 304, and zigzag. The pressure rollers 310 to 328 are arranged in a zigzag pattern. Further, the seal belt 330 is attached to the transfer paper 105.
Is formed in a ring shape having a width sufficient to peel and transfer the image forming material on the transfer paper 105 to the peeling belt 329, and stretched on the conveying rollers 305 to 309. The pressure rollers 310 to 328 are arranged so as to be sewn in a zigzag manner. Therefore, the peeling belt 329 and the seal belt 3
Reference numeral 30 denotes a pressure roller 310 to 328 which is closely contacted and integrated at a contact position between the conveyance roller 301 and the conveyance roller 305, and which is arranged in a zigzag shape in the state of being closely contacted and integrated.
Are zigzag and separated at the contact positions of the transport roller 302 and the transport roller 306, and then the transport rollers 303 and 304 and the transport rollers 307, 308 and 30 are respectively provided.
9 to the transport rollers 301 and 305. The seal belt (seal member) 330 is used to remove the image forming material one by one even when the image is formed on only one side of the transfer paper 105 as the recording material or when the image is formed on both sides. The seal belt 330 is used to tightly integrate with the peeling belt 329 to hold the transfer paper 105. Since it is not necessary to transfer the image forming substance, the seal belt 330 does not require adhesiveness. It is desirable to have the same characteristics as the peeling belt 329.

The transport rollers 301 to 304 and the transport rollers 305 to 309 are driven to rotate by a drive mechanism (not shown) so that the peeling belt 329 and the seal belt 330 that are tightly integrated with each other are pressed by the pressure rollers 310 to 319 and As shown by arrows in FIG. 2, the pressure rollers 320 to 328 are conveyed and moved from left to right in FIG. 2 so as to sew them in a zigzag manner. As described above, the pressure rollers 310 to 319 and the pressure rollers 320 to 328 have a built-in heating heater, and are heated to a predetermined temperature by the heating heater, and are disposed between the peeling belt 329 and the seal belt 330. The transfer paper 105 to be nipped and conveyed is heated. The heating temperature in this case depends on the physical properties of the image forming substance. For example, in the case of a monochrome toner, the heating temperature is in the range of 60 ° C to 140 ° C, preferably 80 ° C to 120 ° C.

That is, although the image forming substance has thermoplasticity or heat melting property, when the image forming substance is melted, the image forming substance on the transfer paper 105 is transferred to the transfer paper 1.
This is because it is difficult to transfer the toner image to the peeling belt 329 without dividing it into the 05 side and the peeling belt 329 side. On the other hand, if the paper is heated too much, the transfer paper 105 may dry too much while passing through the zigzag transport path, and the transfer paper 105 may adhere to the peeling belt 329 via the image forming substance, and may not be peeled. It is. Therefore,
It is desirable to heat the transfer paper 105 after passing through the heating unit to such an extent that some amount of moisture remains and prevent re-adhesion of the image forming substance. Specifically, the above-mentioned temperature is preferable. The transfer paper 105 conveyed by the separation belt 329 and the seal belt 330 to the conveyance roller 302 and the conveyance roller 306 at the right end is separated from the separation belt 329 and the seal belt 330 by a separation claw (not shown).
Is sent to the post-processing unit U4 shown in FIG.

The spiral roller 331 is used for the peeling belt 3
29, the image forming substance transferred to the peeling belt 329 is scraped off, and the peeling belt 329 is cleaned. An image forming substance receiving container 332 is provided below the spiral roller 331, and the image forming substance scraped off by the spiral roller 331 is stored in the image forming substance receiving container 332. The transfer paper 105 in which the image removing accelerating liquid 212 is applied by the liquid applying unit U2 and the adhesive force between the image forming substance and the transfer paper 105 is weakened.
Is inserted between the peeling belt 329 and the seal belt 330 from between the transport roller 301 and the transport roller 305, and is held between the peeling belt 329 and the seal belt 330. The transfer paper 105 on which the image forming substance is formed is adhered to the peeling belt 329 with a predetermined adhesive force by the adhesive force of the peeling belt 329 while being sandwiched between the peeling belt 329 and the seal belt 330. In this state, the transfer paper 105 and the peeling belt 329 are relatively displaced while being conveyed in a zigzag shape and being heated by a heating lamp built in the pressure rollers 310 to 328 while being conveyed in a zigzag shape. The image forming material of the transfer paper 105 is softened by being heated, and in this state, while being pressed by the peeling belt 329 and the seal belt 330, and being conveyed in a zigzag shape, the transfer paper 105 and the peeling belt 329 Between the transfer paper 105 and the peeling belt 329, and the transfer paper 105 from which the image forming substance has been removed is transferred to the transport roller 302 by the shearing force. As shown by an arrow in FIG. 2, the sheet is sent to the post-processing unit U4 from between the conveying rollers 306.

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the post-processing unit U4 includes a pair of registration rollers 401 and a guide plate 40.
2, replenishing liquid container 403, automatic liquid replenishing machine 404, liquid container 4
05, a liquid pumping roller 406, a liquid application roller 407,
Holding roller 408, transport belt 409, drive roller 4
10 and a guide plate 411 and the like.
03 and the automatic liquid replenisher 404 and the automatic liquid replenisher 404 and the liquid container 405 are connected by pipes 412 and 413, respectively. A post-treatment liquid 414 is stored in the replenishing liquid container 403 and the liquid container 405, and a liquid amount sensor (not shown) is provided in the liquid container 405. The automatic liquid replenishing machine 404 operates based on the detection result of the liquid amount sensor, pumps up the post-processing liquid 414 in the replenishing liquid container 403, and replenishes the liquid container 405 with the post-processing liquid 414.

Liquid pumping roller 406 and liquid application roller 4
07 is rotated while being brought into contact with a predetermined pressure, and the liquid pumping roller 406 is driven to rotate, thereby pumping up the post-treatment liquid 414 in the liquid container 405 and being squeezed by the liquid application roller 407 that comes into contact therewith. Then, a predetermined amount of the post-treatment liquid 414 is caused to adhere to the liquid application roller 407. The liquid application roller 407 applies a predetermined amount of the post-treatment liquid 414 to the transfer paper 105 sent from the peeling / moving unit U3 between the pressing roller 408 and the predetermined amount of the post-processing liquid 414, in a small amount. Transfer paper 1 coated and coated with post-treatment liquid 414
05 is the driving roller 4 while being guided by the guide plate 411.
The sheet is sent to the dry operation unit U5 by the conveyor belt 409 driven by the roller 10.

1 and 3, the lower side of the transfer paper 105 is the image forming surface, and the post-processing liquid 414 is shown to be applied to the image forming surface by the liquid applying roller 407. The configuration for applying the post-treatment liquid 414 to the transfer paper 105 is not limited to this. For example, two liquid application rollers 407 may be provided to apply the post-treatment liquid 414 to both sides of the transfer paper 105. Frequently, in this case, the images on both sides of the transfer paper 105 having the images formed on both sides can be removed at a time. In addition, the post-treatment liquid 414 is applied in a non-contact manner, or the liquid application roller 407 is applied in a non-contact manner.
07 and non-contact application means may be combined to perform two-stage application.

When a further liquid is applied to the transfer paper 105 after the post-processing step in order to neutralize the paper surface, a unit having the same structure as the post-processing unit U4 is dried with the post-processing unit U4, though not shown. What is necessary is just to arrange | position between the unit U5 and to apply a liquid. Drying unit U5
Is a drying drum 50 made of aluminum or the like having a built-in heating lamp 501.
2. Finished belt 503 with good air permeability and high surface smoothness
And rotating rollers 504a to 504d. The finishing belt 503 rotates clockwise in FIG. 1 along the outer periphery of the drying drum 502 and the rotating rollers 504a to 504d, and rotates the drying drum 502 and the rotating rollers 504a to 504d.
4d, one of them is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) or the like, and the other is hung by the finishing belt 503. The drying drum 502 and the rotating rollers 504a to 504a-5
04d may be rotationally driven by a drive motor or the like.

The transfer paper 105 transported from the post-processing unit U4 is supplied to the drying drum 502 and the rotating roller 404a.
And excess moisture is dried by the drying drum 502 heated by the heating lamp 501 and dried between the drying drum 502 and the rotating roller 504d. It is discharged to the unit U6. At this time, since the finishing belt 503 has good air permeability and its plane is formed of a member having high smoothness, the transfer paper 105 is appropriately dried, and the transfer paper 105 adheres to the finishing belt 503. The transfer paper 105 can be appropriately dried without being scratched or damaged. Note that the drying unit U5 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the drying unit U5 may be used instead of, or in addition to, the above-described configuration.
A roller pair member, hot air, a hot air fan, an infrared lamp, or the like may be used.

The paper receiving unit U6 includes a guide member 60.
1, a discharge tray 602, a discharge roller 603, and the like. Transfer paper 105 discharged from drying unit U5
Is guided by a guide member 601 to a discharge roller 603, which discharges the transfer paper 105 to the discharge tray 6.
02 is ejected and placed on it. Although not shown, the reproducing apparatus 1 includes a paper detection unit that detects whether or not the transfer paper 105 is present in the paper supply case 101 of the paper supply unit U1, a multi-feed detection unit that detects the transfer paper 105 by the paper supply unit U1, Transfer paper 1
05, a jam detecting means for detecting occurrence of a jam in the reproducing apparatus 1, lighting control means for each heating lamp of the peeling unit U3 and a heating lamp 501 of the drying unit U5, and an image forming material in the image forming material receiving container 332. Full detecting means for detecting whether or not is full.

[0038]

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to Examples, but it should not be construed that the invention is limited thereto. Also, the components of each embodiment may be combined into a device. In addition,%
Indicates% by weight. <Preparation of Toner> A toner was prepared according to the following prescription. Polyester resin (binder resin) 43% Styrene acrylic resin (binder resin) 43% Cr-containing monoazo dye (charge control agent) 3% Carnauba wax (release agent) 4% Carbon black (colorant) 7% or more After mixing the materials in a blender for 10 minutes,
The mixture was melt-kneaded by two rolls heated to 140 ° C. The kneaded product was allowed to cool naturally, coarsely pulverized by a cutter mill, pulverized by a fine pulverizer using a jet stream, and then subjected to air classification to obtain a toner having a volume average particle diameter of 10 μm.

<Formation of image removal accelerating liquid> An image removal accelerating liquid was prepared by stirring and dissolving according to the following formulation. However, the present invention
It is not limited to this. Dihexyl sulfosuccinate (surfactant) 10% Propylene glycol (solubiliser) 10% by weight N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (wetting agent) 0.2% by weight Sodium benzoate (antiseptic / antifungal agent) 0.1 Wt% pure water

Example 1 An electrophotographic P
After forming an image on a commercially available A4 high-quality paper using a PC copier, the above-described image removal accelerating liquid and the following post-treatment liquid were set in the recording material reproducing apparatus shown in FIG.
Reproduction processing was performed at m / sec. <Post-treatment liquid formulation> Styrene-based surface sizing agent (Polymalon 360, manufactured by Arakawa Chemical Co.) 10% by weight sodium benzoate (antiseptic / antifungal agent) 0.1% by weight Pure water Remaining At this time, an image removing unit of FIG. In the apparatus, the number of rollers (diameter: upper side 25 mm, lower side 45 mm) reduced to 13 was used. The heating temperature was 110 ° C. As a peeling member, a polyethylene terephthalate belt was used. The applied amount of the post-treatment liquid is 0.25
g / A4 (the amount of the sizing agent applied: 0.025 g / A4). There was no toner remaining on the recycled paper in such an amount as to cause a problem in practical use. Such image formation and reproduction processing were repeated 10 times, and a copy image equivalent to unused paper could be obtained.

Example 2 A regeneration treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the post-treatment liquid having the following formulation was used as the post-treatment liquid. <Formulation of post-treatment liquid> Olefin-based surface sizing agent (Polymalon 482 manufactured by Arakawa Chemical Co., Ltd.) 10% by weight Sodium benzoate (antiseptic / antifungal agent) 0.1% by weight Pure water Remaining amount Used for recycled paper There was no toner remaining in such an amount as to cause the above problem. Such image formation and reproduction processing were repeated 10 times, and a copy image equivalent to unused paper could be obtained.

Comparative Example 1 Image forming and reproducing processes were repeated in the same procedure as in Example 1 except that the apparatus for reproducing recording material in Example 1 except for the post-processing unit U4 in FIG. 1 was used. Although the removal of the toner was good, the fixing of the toner to the paper was incomplete from the seventh time, and the toner in the image area was partially peeled off by the finger rubbing with the finger at the tenth time.

Comparative Example 2 A regenerating process was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the post-treatment liquid having the following formulation was used. The toner was not sufficiently removed in the second regenerating process. Some were left on paper and could not be reused. At this time, the applied amount of the post-treatment liquid was 0.30 g / A4 (the applied amount of the sizing agent: 0.09 g / A4). <Formulation of post-treatment liquid> Styrene-based surface sizing agent (Polymalon 360, manufactured by Arakawa Chemical Co.) 30% by weight Sodium benzoate (preservative / preventive agent) 0.1% by weight Pure water

[0044]

【effect】

1. Claims 1 and 2 By applying a processing liquid for improving the toner fixing property to the recording material after the reproduction processing, the recopy quality of the recording material subjected to the reproduction processing is improved. 2. (3) Since the post-processing liquid contains the sizing agent, the toner fixing property of the recording material subjected to the reproduction processing is further improved, so that the recopy quality is improved. 3. Claim 4 When the amount of the sizing agent is 0.06 g / A4 or less, it is possible to prevent the toner from being excessively fixed to the recording material. Do not spoil. 4. Claim 5 The re-recording quality of the reproduced recording material is excellent.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a reproducing apparatus used for reproducing a recording material of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of a peeling / moving unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detailed configuration diagram of a post-processing unit of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Regeneration apparatus U1 Paper supply unit U2 Liquid application unit U3 Peeling / moving unit U4 Post-processing unit U5 Drying unit U6 Paper receiving unit 101 Paper feed case 102 Paper feed roller 103 Registration roller 104 Guide plate 105 Transfer paper 201 Replenishing liquid container 202 Liquid Automatic replenisher 203 Liquid container 204 Liquid pumping roller 205 Liquid application roller 206 Pressing roller 207 Conveying belt 208 Driving roller 209 Guide plate 210 Pipe 211 Pipe 212 Image removal accelerating liquid 301 Conveying roller 302 Conveying roller 303 Conveying roller 304 Conveying roller 305 Conveying roller 306 transport roller 307 transport roller 308 transport roller 309 transport roller 310 pressure roller 311 pressure roller 312 pressure roller 313 pressure roller 314 pressure roller 3 15 pressure roller 316 pressure roller 317 pressure roller 318 pressure roller 319 pressure roller 320 pressure roller 321 pressure roller 322 pressure roller 323 pressure roller 324 pressure roller 325 pressure roller 326 pressure roller 327 Pressure roller 328 Pressure roller 329 Peeling belt 330 Seat belt 331 Spiral roller 332 Image forming substance receiving container 401 Registration roller 402 Guide plate 403 Replenishing liquid container 404 Liquid automatic replenisher 405 Liquid container 406 Liquid pumping roller 407 Liquid applying roller 408 Pressing roller 409 Conveying belt 410 Drive roller 411 Guide plate 412 Pipe 414 Post-treatment liquid 418 Pipe 501 Heating lamp 502 Drying drum 503 Finishing belt 504a Rotating roller 504b Rotating roller 50 c rotating roller 504d rotates the roller 601 guide member 602 paper discharge tray 603 discharge roller

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A recording material having a water-swellable layer (hereinafter, also referred to as a swellable layer) on at least the surface thereof has a film-like fixed image made of a thermoplastic or heat-meltable image-forming substance on the swellable layer. An image removal accelerating liquid applying step (A) in which a liquid containing water and a surfactant (hereinafter also referred to as an image removal accelerating liquid) is applied to the recording material to weaken an adhesive force between the image forming substance and the recording material. Contacting the image forming material with an image peeling member having a predetermined adhesive force to the image forming material of the recording material to which the image removal promoting liquid has been applied in the image removal promoting liquid applying step (A); The heating and pressurizing is performed in a state where the water evaporation from the swelling layer of the recording material is suppressed to transfer the image forming substance to the image peeling member. In the method of reproducing the recording material, A post-processing step (hereinafter also referred to as a post-processing liquid) for applying a processing liquid (hereinafter also referred to as a post-processing liquid) to the recording material from which the image forming substance has been peeled off in the peeling step (B) so as to improve the toner fixing property of the recording material. C) performing a method for reproducing a recording material. 2. A recording medium comprising a pair of sealing members sandwiching both surfaces of the recording material, the means for suppressing water evaporation from a swelling layer of the recording material, and at least swelling of the recording material. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member on the layer side is an image peeling member. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the post-treatment liquid contains a sizing agent. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the amount of the sizing agent applied is 0.06 g / A4 or less. 5. A recording material reproduced by the recording material reproducing method according to claim 1.