JPS6134528Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea]

The present invention relates to a printing gauge for barcode symbols that allows printing accuracy to be determined at a glance by simultaneously printing barcode symbols. A barcode is a combination of two-color bars with different densities, generally white and black bars, and a number or character is expressed by several bars with different line widths. It is used to input data by reading the data. A set of barcodes with two or more characters is usually called a barcode symbol, but this barcode symbol printed material (hereinafter referred to simply as a symbol)
In recent years, inventory and distribution management (POS) by inputting information at the point of sale at supermarkets and department stores has become increasingly popular.
It is being used in However, symbols often require very tight printing precision for optical input purposes. The UPC symbol currently used for POS in the United States is 0.8 to 2.0 times the base symbol.
The bar width can be enlarged or reduced by up to twice the size, and the bar width tolerance is plus or minus 30μm depending on the magnification.
It is set in the range of 250 μm from In detail, for a 0.8x reduced symbol, the bar width (minimum is 260μ) is plus or minus 30μm,
1.0x standard symbol is plus or minus 100μ,
For example, 1.5x is 180μ, 2.0x is 250μ, and various magnifications are determined in detail. This UPC has been slightly modified and renamed WPC for the purpose of global product distribution, but the printing standards for symbols are the same as the UPC. This WPC symbol will be printed on each product's packaging, which will greatly improve the distribution system. However, in actual printing, printing information differs depending on the printing method such as gravure, offset, flexo, letterpress, screen, etc. In offset printing, the image line width is usually plus or minus 30 μm.
The printing accuracy falls within the range of 100 μm, which hardly causes any problems when printing symbols, but gravure flexography, which is often used for printing on packaging materials, has a precision range of plus or minus 100μ.
It often exceeds m. This means that the accuracy of the printed symbols is not good and there will be problems in reading them during the distribution stage of the product. In the United States, in order to check this printing accuracy, a plurality of straight lines 1 of the same width are arranged at a certain interval (this is called a space) in a square of about 3.5 mm in length and width, as shown in Figure 1. Also with this
A similar pattern with a 90-degree orientation is made into a set, and the space is successively reduced from 20/1000ths of an inch in 2/1000ths of an inch to 10 steps from A to J.
In addition, we use a printing gauge with a minimum space of 5/10,000 inch K for a total of 11 levels, and print this gauge along with symbols to check whether the spaces on the printed matter can be read or not, and check the printing accuracy. Determine quality status. However, since the space in this printing gauge is increased or decreased in a relatively coarse unit width of 2 mils, or about 51 μm, it cannot be said to fully adapt to actual printing variations and tolerances of symbols with different magnifications, and it is very rough. The disadvantage is that it can only judge printing accuracy. Additionally, this printing gauge has the disadvantage that the symbol tolerance and actual printing error cannot be directly compared, so be sure to refer to the manual of this printing gauge to determine the appropriate symbol line width adjustment and magnification for the printing machine you are using. However, it must be considered in comparison with that. The barcode symbol printing gauge of this invention is
After conducting printing experiments on various printing materials (paper, film, plastic bottles, etc.) for various actual printing methods, and statistically processing the results to determine printing accuracy, we developed a printing gauge that better suited the symbol tolerance. The purpose is to provide In other words, the present invention creates a pattern consisting of a plurality of straight lines by combining the width of the desired straight lines and the width of the space between the straight lines, and prints the width of the space as a barcode symbol on a printing gauge in which multiple sets of these are lined up. This printing gauge for barcode symbols is characterized in that a plurality of sets are set as widths that are increased or decreased by a certain amount in the range of -50 to 250 μm, taking into account the thickening and thinning during printing in addition to the tolerance in each magnification. In general, printing accuracy varies even with the same printing method due to variations depending on the plate making method and printing machine, the viscosity of the ink used, printing speed, printing pressure, and differences in the printing direction and the angle from the perpendicular direction. be influenced. Taking these into consideration, the inventor of the present invention first conducted a printing experiment using a film master (film manuscript used for plate making) with a straight line pattern of the same line width, and investigated the actual variation in printing accuracy. As a result, the experimental value is △W, which is the increase in the average value of the printed line width with respect to the line width W ₀ of the film master (that is, △W = -W ₀ ), and the variation in the printed line width W Assuming that follows the t-distribution with n-1 degrees of freedom, it is appropriate to consider R as one-half of the 99.9% variation range, and the inventor has determined that the calculated values of △W and R can also be used to determine the bar width of the symbol. The symbol film master dimensions were determined by adjusting (ΔW was subtracted in advance) and by determining the magnification. For reference, the formulas for calculating △W and R are listed below. =1/n(W ₁ +W ₂ +W ₃ +…+Wi+…+Wn) △W=W−W ₀ S ² =(1/n−1)〓(Wi−) ² R=t×S/√ However, n is the number of samples, and the value of t is the value of t at the 99.9th percentile of the t-distribution table and the degree of freedom n-1. △W can be considered to be almost constant for the same printing method and the same printing material, and roughly speaking, for each printing method, the printing materials are classified into 2 to 3 groups and the individual △W is determined. It is easy to store. The specific range of this △W is within the range of minus 5 to -5 offset in the range of experiments conducted by the inventor using various printing materials.
Plus 30μ, gravure 0-150μ, flexo
The range is 20 to 200μ, the screen is 40 to 250μ, the letterpress is about -50 to +100μ, and the overall range is -50 to +250μ.
In this way, △W is minus 50 to plus 250μ
It is preferable to manufacture it in advance within the range of m. In the offset, dry-off, and letterpress methods, △W is negative (the line width is the same as that of the Film Master), as shown above.
This _is thought to be because optical exposure during plate making and development or etching may cause the film to become thinner. The variation R in printing accuracy is within the range of plus or minus 20 μm to plus or minus 200 μm, which includes most of the printed matter produced by each printing method. The radius of gravure and flexography, which are mainly used for printing packaging materials, is concentrated in the range of plus or minus 30 to plus or minus 100 μm. In particular, we carefully examined the range, subdivided it into gauges that can be used differently depending on the printing method, and directly compared the tolerance that increases or decreases with the symbol magnification with the printed gauge image and barcode printed image. The present invention provides a printing gauge that is easy to inspect. The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory diagram of the printing gauge of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, a pattern is created by arranging lines 1 and spaces 2 alternately on a rectangle, and the pattern is turned 90 degrees and the number 3 indicating the class of this set is added to form a set. As shown in the figure, multiple gauges are lined up to form a printing gauge. In this case, from the viewpoint of printability and design, the width of straight line 1 is 100~
It is preferable to set it in a range of about 500 μm, and the size of the rectangle is preferably about 2 to 10 mm in both length and width. However, the shape is not limited to a rectangle, and may be a circle. Further, the width of the straight line 1 is not particularly limited to the above range. The number 3 preferably indicates either the two-width space of each set, the magnification of the symbol to which the two-width space corresponds, or both the width and the magnification. The printing gauge of the present invention is made of positive or negative film, used to make a plate by a well-known optical method, and used for printing. This printing can be roughly divided into two types: a case in which the product is printed at the same time as the so-called actual product is distributed, and a case in which it is used in a pre-experiment as a condition setting before the actual production.

[Example 1]

Pre-experiment barcode symbol printing gauge

[Example 2]

Symbol quality control in gravure printing A pre-experiment was conducted in advance in the same manner as in Example 1, and the variation R in printing accuracy when △W is 50 μ and the risk rate of 0.1% in the t distribution was calculated using the formula. Printing was controlled using the printing gauge shown in Table 3 on a gravure printing machine that was known to have a tolerance of plus or minus 45μ.

[Table] This printing gauge has the following line widths in Table 2.
It was created by adding 50μ. This printing gauge was placed in the margin at the end of the image of the actual printed material to perform printing. Since the above printing accuracy variation R is plus or minus 45μ, the space width is 90μ
More than that is fine, but for safety, the space width is 150
μ, a printed gauge with 100% magnification was adopted. The symbol to be printed was a module with a magnification of 100% and a width of 280μ, which was obtained by subtracting ΔW=50μ from the module width of 330μ at 100%. When printing, I checked the printed matter and paid attention to the condition of the ink fountain and doctor pressure so that I could reproduce a space of 120μ to 140μ. There were no problems with reading symbols.
In the case of printing, since a printing gauge of a class higher than the magnification M of the symbols used is unnecessary, a printing gauge of 120% or higher does not need to be printed in the case of this example. As described above, in the barcode symbol printing gauge according to the present invention, the barcode symbol is printed within the module width and tolerance specified by the printing magnification, and the barcode symbol is printed within the module width and tolerance range specified by the printing magnification. Therefore, whether it is printed in a readable manner or not,
Direct inspection is possible, and if a symbol indicating the class of the printing gauge or a number indicating the magnification or space width is attached, it is possible to judge whether barcode printing is possible or not at the desired magnification. It is possible to immediately check the quality of printed matter during printing, and to judge whether it is good or bad.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the barcode symbol printing gauge used in the United States, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the barcode symbol printing gauge of the present invention. 1...straight line, 2...space, 3...number.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a printing gauge in which a pattern consisting of a plurality of straight lines is lined up with multiple sets of combinations of desired straight line widths and space widths between the straight lines, the width of the spaces can be adjusted to allow for each magnification of the barcode symbol. Considering the difference in thickness and thinning due to printing, increase from minus 50 to plus.
A barcode symbol printing gauge characterized by having multiple sets of widths that are increased or decreased by a certain amount within a range of 250μm.