Anti-counterfeit printed material

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: in a printed material exhibiting image changes under observation conditions of visible light and ultraviolet light, high alignment precision is required and the employment of a special filter is necessary.SOLUTION: There is provided an anti-counterfeit printed material in which a synthetic pattern is formed on a substrate having a fluorescent agent, the synthetic pattern comprising: a first image composed of first image elements formed with a first colorant that has a chromatic color different from that of the substrate and that has a UV-blocking property, and a second image composed of second image elements formed with a second colorant that appears chromatically identical to the substrate under visible light and that appears chromatically identical to the first image under ultraviolet light; wherein the first image elements and the second image elements are disposed so as not to overlap or to at least partially overlap.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a counterfeit prevention printed matter in the field of security printed matter that is required to have an anti-counterfeiting effect, and relates to a counterfeit prevention printed matter in which the same latent image pattern as the genuine article does not appear in a copy. [Background technology]

[0002] With the recent development of copying machines and printing machines, it has become easy to produce elaborate copies (hereinafter referred to as "counterfeits") of security printed materials such as securities, vehicle inspection certificates, and resident cards. As a technology to prevent the production of such counterfeits, there is a printed material in which a base material is provided with areas of visible and latent images, so that the latent image is not reproduced in the copy. A printed material with the above characteristics is realized by using a base material that contains or has a surface coated with a coloring material or fluorescent agent of a special hue.

[0003] As an example of an anti-counterfeiting printed matter using the above materials, there is a label that has a white color material that does not contain fluorescent brightening agents on a white base material that does contain fluorescent brightening agents, and there is a technology in which a latent image composed of the white color material becomes visible due to the difference in luminescence ability when exposed to ultraviolet light (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] The technology of Patent Document 1 is characterized by the fact that by coating the substrate and the upper layer of the colorant with a transparent film, it eliminates the difference in surface properties between the image and non-image areas of the printed matter, and the difference in gloss between the image area and the white substrate, and therefore the latent image composed of the white colorant is not visible when observed under visible light.

[0005] Additionally, there is a well-known technology known as "watermarking" that prevents the creation of counterfeit products. One such anti-counterfeiting technology is called a see-through register, which is used on Euro banknotes, for example.

[0006] A front-back composite pattern is a technology that combines two different patterns on the front and back of a substrate to form one pattern (hereafter referred to as a "composite pattern"), and because it requires highly accurate printing, it has long been used in security prints as an anti-counterfeiting technology. This composite pattern can be observed by holding the print up to sunlight or other light.

[0007] A similar technique is transparent pattern prints, which are made by applying a printed area (hereinafter referred to as the "colored area") made of a colored coloring material on one side of a substrate, applying an area of ​​the same shape and color as the colored area, at least partially overlapping the substrate on the other side, and having an overlapping area (hereinafter referred to as the "overlapping area") made of a coloring material containing a penetrating component on one side, and when observed with transmitted light, the overlapping area becomes a composite color, making the pattern visible (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0008] Another technology that utilizes watermarks is one in which a pattern is printed on one side of a substrate, eliminating the need for highly accurate alignment of the front and back sides. This technology prints two types of patterns on one side of the substrate, so that two patterns are visible under reflected light, and one of the patterns disappears under transmitted light (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

[0009] A feature of the above technologies is that in either case, the effect is not inherited in the copy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-157343 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-205417 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2019-209495 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The technology of Patent Document 1 requires a transparent film on the printed matter, and therefore when observed under ultraviolet light, the gloss of the film causes reflections that affect the observed image.

[0012] In addition, conventional front and back composite patterns, including the technology of Patent Document 2, and similar patents are technologies in which patterns applied to the front and back of a substrate are combined to create a meaningful pattern. This requires high-precision printing, and therefore a printing machine or printer that can adjust the positional accuracy of the front and back is necessary.

[0013] However, the cost of installing the above-mentioned printing press or printer that can adjust the positional accuracy of the front and back sides is high.

[0014] In addition, since the front / back composite pattern is a technology for forming patterns by aligning the positions of patterns printed on the front and back of a substrate, the front / back patterns themselves can be counterfeited by adjusting the position of the pattern several times even without a printing machine or printer that can adjust the positional accuracy of the front and back, and the counterfeit resistance is low and the clear difference between the product and a counterfeit product is unclear.

[0015] The technology of Patent Document 3 prints a pattern on one side and does not require high-precision alignment of the front and back sides. However, since it is a technology that uses transmitted light, there is an issue that the base material is limited to those that are light-transmitting.

[0016] While technologies such as those described above have been proposed in which the visible image changes depending on the observation light, and the counterfeit effect is not inherited in copies, the applicant proposes a technology that does not require high-precision printing on the front and back of the substrate or a light-transmitting substrate, but rather prints two or more types of visible images and latent images on one side of the substrate using general equipment, and then combines the visible and latent images with ultraviolet light to create a meaningful pattern. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] The anti-counterfeiting printed material of the present invention is a counterfeiting anti-printed material in which a composite pattern is formed on a substrate having a fluorescent agent, the composite pattern comprising a first image consisting of a first image element formed with a first coloring material that has a chromatic color different from the color of the substrate and has the property of blocking ultraviolet light, and a second image consisting of a second image element formed with a second coloring material that appears to be the same color as the substrate under visible light and the same color as the first image under ultraviolet light, the first image element and the second image element are arranged so that they do not overlap or at least partially overlap, and when the substrate is observed under reflected visible light, the second image and the substrate have the same color and only the first image can be confirmed, and when observed under ultraviolet light, the first image and the second image have the same color as the substrate emits light, and the composite pattern can be confirmed.

[0018] The area ratio of the first image element in the anti-counterfeit print of the present invention is also characterized in that it is greater than the area ratio of the second image element.

[0019] Furthermore, the first image in the anti-counterfeiting printed matter of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises first information, and the second image is characterized in that when the first information and the second information are the same information, the first image is characterized in that it comprises an area where there are no first image elements, and the second image is characterized in that the second image elements are arranged at least in an area where there are no first image elements.

[0020] Furthermore, the first image in the anti-counterfeiting printed matter of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises first information, the second image is composed of second information, and when the second information is different from the first information, the composite pattern is formed by combining the first information and the second information as third information different from the first information and the second information. Effect of the Invention

[0021] The anti-counterfeit printed matter of the present invention has two regions, of which the region made up of highly contrasting chromatic colors is visible under reflected visible light, while the region made up of white is invisible.However, under ultraviolet light, the latent image regions of the two regions become visible and uniform in color, and the pattern changes significantly and can be seen, thereby providing excellent authenticity discrimination capabilities.

[0022] Furthermore, the anti-counterfeiting print of the present invention has excellent authenticity discrimination ability since the second region is not inherited by copies.

[0023] In addition, when the anti-counterfeiting printed matter of the present invention is observed under visible light, the first and second images are combined to form a significant pattern when observed under ultraviolet light, which differs from similar technologies that use a substrate containing a conventional fluorescent brightening agent and a white colorant.

[0024] In addition, since most commonly available papers contain or have fluorescent brightening agents applied to their surfaces, the anti-counterfeiting printed matter of the present invention provides a technology for forming visible and latent images on common papers without applying any fluorescent material to the substrate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a printed matter according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] Schematic diagrams of images of a printed matter under reflected visible light and reflected ultraviolet light in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] Development of a composite pattern in the first embodiment [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of FIG. 1 when irradiated with ultraviolet light in the first embodiment, and a schematic diagram showing a composite pattern observed; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing image elements in a first embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a layer structure of a printed matter according to a first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a printed matter according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] Development of a composite pattern in the second embodiment [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-AB' in FIG. 7 during ultraviolet irradiation in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] Schematic diagrams of images of a printed matter under reflected visible light and reflected ultraviolet light in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a layer structure of a printed matter according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] Each image element in the second embodiment [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an observation state under reflected visible light in the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an observation state under ultraviolet light in the second embodiment. [Figure 15] An image diagram in which the area ratio of each image element is changed in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] Schematic diagrams showing examples of a first image, a second image, and a composite pattern used in Examples 1, 2, and 5. [Figure 17] Schematic diagrams showing examples of a first image, a second image, and a composite pattern used in Examples 3, 4, and 6. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first image used in Examples 1, 2, and 5. [Figure 19] Schematic diagram showing the second image used in Examples 1, 2, and 5. [Figure 20] Schematic diagram showing composite patterns used in Examples 1, 2, and 5. [Figure 21] Schematic diagram showing the first image used in Examples 3, 4, and 6. [Figure 22] Schematic diagram showing the second image used in Examples 3, 4, and 6. [Figure 23] Schematic diagram showing composite patterns used in Examples 3, 4, and 6. [Figure 24] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an anti-counterfeit printed matter used in Example 5 of the present invention. [Diagram 25] Schematic diagram showing an example of an anti-counterfeit printed matter used in Example 6 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and includes various other embodiments within the scope of the technical concept described in the claims.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows an anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention. The anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention is a printed matter in which the composite pattern (3) of the present invention is applied to a part of a substrate (2). This composite pattern (3) is formed on either the front or back of the substrate (2) which contains or has a fluorescent agent applied to its surface, with a first image (4) having a color different from that of the substrate (2). In this specification, the substrate (2) is described as a white substrate, which is a common color for general paper substrates, but the substrate (2) in the present invention is not limited to white. The first image (4) shown in FIG. 1 shows an example in which the alphabet "A" is arranged in a horizontal stripe pattern.

[0028] When the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention is observed under reflected visible light (6) as shown in Fig. 2(a), a first image (4) that is the alphabet "A" consisting of horizontal stripes is visible, but when observed under reflected light (7) from an ultraviolet light source (8) as shown in Fig. 2(b), the spaces between the horizontal stripes are colored in the same color as the first image (4), and a composite pattern (3) is visible as a solid "A." Below, a first embodiment of the present invention in which the composite pattern (3) is arranged in a different manner will be described.

[0029] (First embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a development of the composite pattern (3) in the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the composite pattern (3) is composed of a first image (4) which is the first information formed with a first coloring material having a property of blocking light emitted by ultraviolet irradiation, different from the color of the substrate (2), and a second image (5) which is the second information formed with a second coloring material which is the same color as the substrate (2) under visible light and the same color as the first image (4) under ultraviolet light. In this embodiment, the composite pattern (3) is the alphabet "A" as described above, and the first image (4) and the second image (5) are the letters "A" divided into horizontal stripes. At first glance, the first image (4) and the second image (5) appear to be the same alphabet "A" formed as horizontal stripes, but as shown by the dotted lines in the development of FIG. 3, the elements constituting each image are out of phase with each other.

[0030] Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in Fig. 1 in a state where the first image (4) and the second image (5) are combined. In this embodiment, the first image elements (4') constituting the first image (4) and the second image elements (5') constituting the second image (5) are adjacent to each other on one side of the white substrate (2). Note that Fig. 4 shows an example in which the first image elements (4') and the second image elements (5') are arranged at equal intervals, but in the present invention, the arrangement of the first image elements (4') and the second image elements (5') does not necessarily have to be at equal intervals or have the same area ratio.

[0031] A more detailed description will be given using a schematic diagram of the state in which the printed images (3) of the present invention are adjacent, as shown in FIG. 3. The anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention has a first image (4) printed on a part of a white substrate (2), a second image area (5), and an area where the substrate (2) is exposed on the surface without printing. The first image (4) is an area where a plurality of first image elements (4') formed with a first coloring material are arranged, and the second image (5) is an area where a plurality of second image elements (5') formed with a second coloring material are arranged. The first image elements (4') and the second image elements (5') are adjacent to each other, and the images visible depending on the observation light are different. When observed under visible light (6), the first image (4) consisting of chromatic colors can be seen, while the second image (5) consisting of white color is invisible because it is the same color as the substrate (2). On the other hand, when irradiated with ultraviolet light (8), the second image (5) becomes visible, and the two images are combined and viewed as a composite pattern (3). When irradiated with ultraviolet light (8), the first image (4) and the second image (5) can be viewed with the same brightness, while the region of the base material (2) where the two image elements (4', 5') are not formed emits more light than the region where the two image elements (4', 5') are formed, and is therefore viewed separately. In the present invention, "brightness" refers to the degree of brightness of a color, and a high brightness results in a color that is close to white, while a low brightness results in a color that is close to black.

[0032] The composite pattern (3) shown in FIG. 3 shows an example in which the first information "A" consisting of a horizontal stripe pattern is arranged in the first image (4), and the second image (5) has the second information "A" identical to the first information "A" arranged as the second image element (5') in the gap (area where the first color material is not present) adjacent to the horizontal stripe pattern of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4). When the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention is observed under reflected visible light (6) as shown in FIG. 3, the first information "A" consisting of a horizontal stripe pattern is visible, but when observed under ultraviolet light as shown in FIG. 3, the second image (5) arranged in the gap between the horizontal stripes of the first image (4) is colored in the same color as the first image (4), and the composite pattern (3) is visible as the solid third information "A".

[0033] (base material) The substrate (2) of the printed matter in the present invention is a substrate (2) that can be printed on by a printer or an output device, such as paper or plastic, and the substrate (2) contains a fluorescent agent or has a fluorescent agent applied to its surface.

[0034] The first image (4) and the second image (5) constituting the composite pattern (3) of the present invention will be described below.

[0035] (First image) The first image (4) in the present invention is formed with a predetermined area ratio by arranging a plurality of first image elements (4') that are made of a first color different from the color of the substrate (2), have a hue like a chromatic color, are observable under reflected visible light (6), and are made of a color material containing a material that has ultraviolet light blocking properties. Note that the "area ratio" in the present invention refers to the ratio of the area of ​​the image elements arranged in a certain area of ​​the substrate.

[0036] In the present invention, the "chromatic color-like hue" may be any hue other than black and white and transparent. Note that the "hue" in the present invention refers to different color aspects such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and gray.

[0037] (Second image) The second image (5) in the present invention is of the same color as the base material (2), and is therefore invisible under reflected visible light (6). When irradiated with ultraviolet light (8), the second image (5) is formed with a predetermined area ratio by arranging a plurality of second image elements (5') made of a second color material that has a color that is identical to that of the second image (5) made of the first color and that suppresses the luminescent color from the base material (2).

[0038] In the present invention, "matching colors" and "the same color" refer to a state in which two colors are close enough that an observer can perceive them as the same hue when glancing at the image without paying attention. Specifically, a color difference ΔE of 10 or less is defined as matching colors and the same color in the present invention. In this specification, the base material (2) is described as being white, so the second coloring material is white. However, since the color of the base material (2) in the present invention is not limited to white, even if a base material (2) of a color other than white is used, the second coloring material may be matched to the base material (2).

[0039] (ultraviolet light) The ultraviolet light irradiated onto the printed matter in the present invention has a wavelength of 300 to 400 nm.

[0040] In FIG. 5, the image elements (4', 5') constituting the first image (4) and the second image (5) are shown as being composed of halftone dots, but the image elements (4', 5') of the present invention may be composed of lines or may be composed of a combination of lines and pixels. Note that the term "pixel" in the present invention refers to a halftone dot itself, which is the smallest unit forming the first image (4) and the second image (5), or a group of image elements (4', 5') formed by assembling a plurality of printed halftone dots, and includes various figures such as circles, triangles, polygons including squares, and flower shapes, as well as letters, symbols, and numbers. On the other hand, the term "line" refers to each image element (4', 5') in which printed halftone dots, which are the smallest units forming the first image (4) and the second image (5), are arranged continuously in a specific direction, and includes dotted or broken divided lines, straight lines, curved lines, and wavy lines. The image elements (4', 5') of the present invention are all similar. In the following description, an example in which each image element (4', 5') is composed of circular pixels will be described.

[0041] FIG. 6 shows the layer structure of the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention. The first image (4) and the second image (5) are on one side of the white substrate (2), and the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) and the second image element (5') constituting the second image (5) are adjacent to each other. In FIG. 6, the second image (5) is illustrated as being laminated on the first image (4), but this is for the purpose of easy understanding. In reality, the first image element (4') and the second image element (5') are not superimposed, and the order in which the first image (4) and the second image (5) are printed does not need to be considered. Below, a second embodiment will be described, which is an embodiment in which the arrangement of the first image (4) and the second image (5) in the embodiment of the present invention is different, but the parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted and the parts that are different will be described.

[0042] (Second embodiment) A schematic diagram of an anti-counterfeit printed matter (1) in the second embodiment is shown in Fig. 7. The effects of the base material (2) and the coloring materials constituting the composite pattern (3), and the anti-counterfeit printed matter (1) under reflected light such as natural light (6) and reflected light of ultraviolet light (8) (7) are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0043] FIG. 8 shows a development of a composite pattern (3) in the second embodiment of the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the composite pattern (3) is composed of a first image (4) which is the first information formed with a first coloring material that is different from the color of the substrate (2) and has the property of blocking ultraviolet rays, and a second image (5) which is the second information formed with a second coloring material that is the same color as the substrate (2) under visible light and suppresses the emission color from the substrate (2) when irradiated with ultraviolet rays (8) to be the same color as the second image (5) made of the first color. In this embodiment, the composite pattern (3) is the alphabet "A" as described above, and the first image (4) is the character "A" divided into horizontal stripes, and the second image (5) is the character "A" formed in a solid color.

[0044] Fig. 9 shows a schematic side view of the first image (4) and second image (5) of the present invention superimposed on each other, taken along the cross section B-B' in Fig. 7. The anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention has a first image (4) and a second image (5) printed on a part of a white substrate (2), and an area where the substrate (2) is unprinted and exposed on the surface.

[0045] The composite pattern (3) shown in Fig. 8 shows an example in which the first information "A" consisting of horizontal stripes is arranged on the first image (4), and the second information "A" consisting of a solid second image element (5') is superimposed on the second image (5). When the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention is observed under reflected visible light (6) as shown in Fig. 10(a), an "A" (4) consisting of horizontal stripes is visible, but when observed under ultraviolet light (7) as shown in Fig. 10(b), the spaces between the first image elements (4') constituting "A", which were blank spaces when observed under reflected visible light (6), are suppressed in the luminescent color of the base material (2) and become the same color as the first image element (4'), and the composite pattern (3) is visible as a solid "A". The overlapping portion and layering relationship between the first image (4) and the second image (5) is such that the first image (4), which is made of a chromatic color material having ultraviolet ray blocking properties (8), is positioned above the second image (5), so that the expressibility of the composite pattern (3) in the present invention is not impaired.

[0046] The layer structure of the anti-counterfeit printed matter (1) of the second embodiment is shown in Figure 11. A first image (4) and a second image (5) are placed on one side of a white substrate (2), and the first image (4) is placed above and superimposed on the second image (5).

[0047] In order to form the printed image (3) of the second embodiment by superimposing it, the area ratio within a predetermined range in which the first image elements (4') of the first image (4) are arranged must be smaller than the area ratio within a predetermined range in which the image elements (5') of the second image (5) are arranged. The reason for this is that since the first coloring material forming the first image (4) is composed of a coloring material having the property of blocking ultraviolet rays (8), if the arrangement of the image elements (4', 5') of the first image (4) and the second image (5) is the same, the second image (5) arranged in the lower layer will be hidden by the first image (4), and the effect will not be manifested.

[0048] In the second embodiment, when a first image (4) and a second image (5) are formed by superimposing them, a specific example of the difference in area ratio between the first image element (4') of the first image (4) and the second image element (5') of the second image (5) is that the first image (4) has a smaller area than the second image (5), the first image (4) is constructed at a position where it overlaps with the second image (5), and the second image (5) and the first image (4) are superimposed, but the second image element (5') constituting the second image (5) is disposed between the adjacent first image elements (4') constituting the first image (4), so that the second image element (5') is colored so as to fill the gap between the first image elements (4'), and the third information can be confirmed as a composite pattern (3).

[0049] In FIG. 12, an example is shown in which each image element (4', 5') constituting the first image (4) and the second image (5) is composed of circular pixels, but the image elements (4', 5') of the present invention may be composed of lines or a combination of lines and pixels.

[0050] (Observation under reflected visible light) The effects of the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention will be described. As shown in Fig. 13, when natural light is irradiated onto the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) formed in the above-mentioned configuration and an observer observes it under reflected visible light (6), the "A" of the first information consisting of the horizontal stripe pattern of the first image (4) is visible.

[0051] (Observation under ultraviolet light) Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14, when the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) is irradiated with ultraviolet light (8) of 300 to 400 nm and an observer observes the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1), the area where the first image (4) and the second image (5) are not formed, that is, the so-called base material (2), emits blue-purple light, and in the second image (5), the second coloring material suppresses the blue-purple light emitted from the base material (2) and adjusts the area ratio of the first image element (4') of the first image (4), so that the first image (4) and the second image (5) become the same color and are visually synthesized, resulting in the effect of the appearance of a solid-colored "A" shape.

[0052] (Effects under reflected visible light and ultraviolet light) Next, the effects of the first image (4) and second image (5) of the present invention under reflected visible light (6) and ultraviolet light (7) will be described. If a gold colorant is used as a specific example of the first colorant, and the first image elements (4') of the first image (4) are arranged without gaps to form a solid print, and the second image (5) is also formed as a solid print in a similar manner, the first image (4) formed with the gold colorant will be visible under reflected visible light (6), while the second image (5) formed with the white colorant will not be visible. Next, when the anti-counterfeit printed matter (1) is irradiated with ultraviolet light (8), the base material (2) emits a blue-purple light, but the second image (5), which suppresses the emitted color of the base material (2), emits light with a lower brightness than the base material (2), allowing the second image (5) to be seen. In addition, the first image (4) and the second image (5), to which each coloring material has been attached, become the same color, resulting in the effect of being visualized as a composite pattern (3).

[0053] (Regarding the area ratio of image elements that form a printed image) In the present invention, the chromatic color of the first image (4) varies depending on the characteristics of the color material used to form it, such as the area ratio, hue, and content of material with ultraviolet blocking properties. Therefore, the conditions under which the colors will be the same can be confirmed in advance and then applied as the printing conditions for the first image (4).

[0054] Figure 15 shows an image diagram of adjusting the area ratio of each image element (4', 5') of the first image (4) and the second image (5) that compose the composite pattern (3). Figure 15(a) shows a diagram in which the area ratio of the first image (4) is reduced, and Figure 15(b) shows a diagram in which the area ratio of the first image (4) is enlarged.

[0055] For example, when the first image (4) has an area ratio of 80% and the second image element (5') of the second image (5) is solidly arranged with no gaps, in order for the first image (4) and the second image (5) to have the same color under ultraviolet light (7), it is necessary to increase the ratio of the second image (5). However, since it is impossible to increase the area ratio of the images, it is necessary to reduce the area ratio of the first image (4) to match the brightness of the emission of the second image (5) under ultraviolet light (7). In this case, as shown in Fig. 15(a), the relationship under ultraviolet light (7) can be configured by reducing the area ratio of the first image element (4') of the first image (4) and matching the brightness of the emission of the second image (5).

[0056] On the other hand, when the first image (4) has an area ratio of 40% and the second image element (5') of the second image (5) is solidly arranged with no gaps, under the condition that the first image (4) and the second image (5) are color-matched under ultraviolet light (7), if the area ratio of the first image (4) is reduced, it is necessary to reduce the proportion of the second image element (5') of the second image (5) in order to make the colors match under ultraviolet light (7). However, in order to maximize the effect of the present invention, it is desirable to form the area ratio of the second image element (5') of the second image (5) as a solid color, and as shown in Figure 15 (b), by increasing the area ratio of the first image element (4') of the first image (4), it is possible to design a color-matching relationship between the first image (4) and the second image (5) under ultraviolet light (7).

[0057] In the present invention, the image elements (4', 5') can be formed using a printing machine such as an offset printer, a flexographic printer, or a screen printer, as well as an inkjet printer or a laser printer.

[0058] The anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention has a luminescent substrate (2), a second image (5) that suppresses the luminescence of the substrate (2), and a first image (4) that blocks ultraviolet light, and by using the difference in luminescence between the first image (4) and the second image (5) under ultraviolet light, the effect can be obtained. The effect can be further improved if the luminescence intensity value of the fluorescent agent contained in the substrate (2) or applied to the surface is 20 or more.

[0059] In the present invention, the "luminescence intensity value" refers to the fluorescent whitening intensity value measured using a fluorescence spectrodensitometer (FD-7, KONICA MINOLTA) under conditions of a D65 light source and an observation field of view of 2°.

[0060] In the above description, an example was described in which the first information and the second information were the same alphabet "A", but in the present invention, the first information and the second information are not limited to this, and as shown in Fig. 16, the first information may be a "bird" and the first image (4) may be formed in a "bird shape", and the second information may be information that represents a part of the first image (4) as a positive and form a second image (5), thereby forming a shape that complements the bird shape with a flower shape so that the synthesized pattern (3) is visually recognized as a "flower shape" after synthesis. Also, the first image (4) is not limited to the above shape, and may be a geometric pattern, other figures, letters, or symbols, as shown in Fig. 17.

[0061] In the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention, only the first image (4) is visible under reflected visible light. Therefore, the meaning of the first information represented by the first image (4) must be understandable to an observer. Therefore, it is desirable to design the first information so that the pattern formed in the first image (4) can form a significant shape or a structure that can be recognized as a unique shape when an observer glances at the image without paying attention.

[0062] The anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of the present invention has been described as being configured with the first image (4) being an image visible under reflected visible light (6) and the second image (5) being a latent image that is not visible under reflected visible light (6) but is visible under ultraviolet light (7), but the image configured with a chromatic color visible under reflected visible light (6) is not limited to one color. In order to achieve uniform color under ultraviolet light (7), the area ratio of the first image element (4') is required as described above, but it is also possible to set multiple first images (4) and use multiple colors.

[0063] The results of a specific investigation into the relationship between the colors of the first image (4) and the second image (5) in the present invention are shown below.

[0064] The substrate (2) was a white color copy paper containing a fluorescent agent, and the first image (4) and the second image (5) were prepared by creating the image data described below using PC graphic software (illustrator, Adobe), and applying color material using a laser printer (DocuPrintCP310st, FUJIxerox).

[0065] The white color copy papers used were substrate (2-1) (FUJIxerox Ncolor wood-free paper), substrate (2-2) (neutral wood-free paper), substrate (2-3) (Snow wood-free paper), substrate (2-4) (recycled PPC), and substrate (2-5) (Shiraoi wood-free paper).

[0066] An i1io (x-rite) was used as a measuring device for measuring the color difference between the color of the substrate (2) and the white color of the first coloring material, and a fluorescence spectrodensitometer (FD-7, KONICA MINOLTA) was used as a measuring device for measuring the luminescence capacity value (luminescence intensity) of the substrate (2).

[0067] The composite pattern (3) was created using a gold colorant (CT203318, FUJIxerox) with ultraviolet blocking properties as the first colorant for the first image (4), and a white colorant (CT203320, FUJIxerox) containing titanium oxide with the property of suppressing light emission as the second colorant for the second image (5).

[0068] The table shows the configuration of the substrate (2) used, the results of measuring the luminescence capacity when the substrate (2) was irradiated with ultraviolet light (7), and the color difference between the substrate (2) and a solid second image (5) in which second image elements (5') formed with a white coloring material were arranged without gaps. Table 1 shows examples in which the present invention was reproduced, and Table 2 shows comparative examples in which the present invention was not reproduced, in which the substrate (2) had a luminescence intensity of 10 or less.

[0069] (Table 1) The present invention TIFF2025070475000002.tif67146

[0070] (Table 2) TIFF2025070475000003.tif52145

[0071] As shown in the table, the higher the measured value of the lightness of the base color, the lower the color difference with the white colorant tends to be, and a base material (2) with a high measured value of L*·a* tends to have a high luminous ability when irradiated with ultraviolet light (8), and in the present invention, the L* of the base material (2) is 90 or more, with a value close to 100 being preferable, a* of 1 or more being preferable, and a b* of a value close to 0 being suitable, and the result was that there was little color difference with the white colorant when observed under reflected visible light (6). Note that L*a*b* indicates values ​​in the color system (CIE1976) standardized by the International Commission on Illumination.

[0072] As shown in Table 1, the substrate (2-1) used in invention 1-1 is suitable for the present invention because the measured values ​​of substrate (2) conform to the above-mentioned criteria and the luminescence intensity of substrate (2) is high. Substrate (2-2) used in invention 1-2 has higher L* and a* values ​​than substrate (2-4) used in comparative example 1-1, but was observed to be bluish-white under reflected visible light (6), so that although the luminescence intensity is high, the color difference between substrate (2-2) and the white coloring material is large. When the substrate (2-3) used in Invention 1-3 was compared with the substrate (2-4) in Comparative Example 1-1, similarly to Invention 1-2, the measured values ​​of L*·a* of the substrate (2-3) were good compared with the reference values, but the b* value was negative, and therefore the substrate (2-3) was observed to be bluish-white under reflected visible light (6), and the color difference between the substrate (2-3) and the white coloring material became large. However, although the color difference between the substrate (2-3) and the composite pattern (3) was large, the substrate (2) and the composite pattern (3) were visually recognized as the same color when observed with the naked eye under reflected visible light (6).

[0073] On the other hand, in the case of the substrate (2-4) of Comparative Example 1-1 shown in Table 2, the measured values ​​of the substrate (2-4) were below the above-mentioned standard in terms of L*·a*, and the b* value was a higher positive value when compared with the substrates used in the present invention, and the substrate (2-4) had a low L* under reflected visible light (6) and a yellowish color, and the luminous intensity was low at 10 or less. In the case of the substrate (2-5) of Comparative Example 1-2, the measured value of the lightness of the substrate (2-5) was high and the color difference with the white coloring material was low, but the luminous intensity was low due to the low content of the fluorescent agent.

[0074] In addition, a first image (4) and a second image (5) are arranged in a composite pattern (3), and the first image (4) is formed from a first image element (4') using a gold colorant (CT203318, FUJIxerox) as a first colorant containing a material with ultraviolet ray blocking properties, and the second image (5) is formed from a second image element (5') using a white colorant as a second colorant containing titanium oxide with luminescence suppressing properties.

[0075] The first image element (4') is a circular pixel as shown in Figure 5, and a bird-like shape is formed as the first information as the first image (4) within a circular edge as shown in Figure 18 using a first color material.

[0076] The second image element (5') was formed using a second coloring material, by combining it with a second image (5), which is second information having a shape as shown in Figure 19, which is a negative-positive inversion of a bird within a circular edge in the first image (4), with a circular pixel as shown in Figure 5, to form a composite pattern (3) as the third information, Figure 20, which is a shape showing a flower within a circular edge.

[0077] When the first image (4) in Fig. 18 was formed using the first coloring material under the conditions shown in the table, and the second image (5) in Fig. 19 was formed using the second coloring material, the composite pattern (3) in Fig. 20 was visible under ultraviolet light (7) for Inventions 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3, but the composite pattern (3) in Fig. 20 was not visible for Comparative Examples 1-1 and 1-2 because the luminescence intensity of the base material (2) was low. From the above, it can be seen that the reproducibility is improved when the luminescence intensity of the base material (2) is high, since Invention 1-1 had a high expression of the composite pattern (3) and Comparative Example 1-2 did not reproduce the composite pattern (3). EXAMPLES

[0078] Hereinafter, a specific example of an anti-counterfeit printed matter (1) produced in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0079] Example 1 Example 1 is an anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) having the configuration of the first embodiment, specifically, an anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) having the configuration shown in Figures 1 to 6, a white color copy paper containing a fluorescent agent was used as the base material (2), and a first image (4) and a second image (5) were produced by creating image data described below using PC graphic software (illustrator, Adobe) and applying color material with a laser printer (DocuPrintCP310st, FUJIxerox).

[0080] The color materials used were the same as in the above-described embodiment, with the first color material constituting the first image (4) being a gold color material (CT203318, FUJIxerox) having the property of blocking ultraviolet rays, and the second color material constituting the second image (5) being a white color material (CT203320, FUJIxerox) containing titanium oxide having the property of suppressing luminescence. Note that the substrate (2), color materials, and printers used in the following Examples 1 to 6 are all the same.

[0081] In Example 1, the present invention was observed under ultraviolet light, and the color difference between the first image (4) and the second image (5) was compared depending on the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4). An example in which the present invention was realized was observed as an Example, and the area ratio of the first image element (4') was configured to be 100%, and an example in which the present invention was not reproduced was observed as a Comparative Example 1-1 in which the area ratio of the first image element (4') was configured to be 10%, Comparative Example 1-2 in which the area ratio was configured to be 20%, Comparative Example 1-3 in which the area ratio was configured to be 30%, Comparative Example 1-4 in which the area ratio was configured to be 40%, and Comparative Example 1-5 in which the area ratio was configured to be 50%.

[0082] In Example 1, the ultraviolet ray blocking property of the first coloring material constituting the first image (4) exceeded the luminescence intensity of the base material (2), so that the first image (4) and the second image (5) became the same color, and the pattern in Figure 20 was visible.

[0083] On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1-1, Comparative Example 1-2, Comparative Example 1-3, Comparative Example 1-4, and Comparative Example 1-5, the area ratio of the first image element (4') in the first image (4) had a low ability to block the emission of the substrate (2), and the emission intensity was lower than that of the substrate (2). As a result, the first image (4) and the second image (5) set in the comparative examples could not be observed in the same color.

[0084] In Comparative Example 1-1, the area ratio of the first image element (4') forming the first image (4) was set to 10%, and therefore the color difference with the second image (5) was the largest among the five Comparative Examples tested. In Comparative Example 1-5, the area ratio was set to 50%, and therefore the light emission from the base material (2) was blocked more than in Comparative Example 1-1. However, the light emission intensity of the base material (2) exceeded the blocking ability of the coloring material, and the color did not match the light emission color of the second image (5).

[0085] As shown in Example 1, the larger the area ratio of the first image element (4') in the first image (4), the smaller the color difference between the first image (4) and the second image (5). Therefore, setting the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) to 50% or more improves expressibility.

[0086] Example 2 Example 2 is an anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) having the configuration of the first embodiment, and from the results of Example 1, the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) was arranged to be 50% or more. Example 2-1 is an example in which the area ratio of the first image element (4') is 100%, Example 2-2 is an example in which the area ratio is 90%, Example 2-3 is an example in which the area ratio is 80%, Example 2-4 is an example in which the area ratio is 75%, Example 2-5 is an example in which the area ratio is 70%, and Example 2-6 is an example in which the area ratio is 65%. As comparative examples, Comparative Example 2-1 is an example in which the area ratio of the first image element (4') is 55%, and Comparative Example 2-2 is an example in which the area ratio is 60%, and the color matching relationship between the first image (4) and the second image (5) was observed under ultraviolet light. In Comparative Example 2-1, the luminescence intensity of the base material (2) exceeded the ability to block the luminescence of the first image (4), so the color was not observed to be the same as the second image (5). In Comparative Example 2-2, the color became similar to that of the second image (5) when the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) reached about 60%, but in Example 2-1, the first image (4) and the second image (5) became in a color-matching relationship, so that the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) of 60% or more gave good results.

[0087] As shown in Example 2, when the area ratio of the first image element (4') of the first image (4) is between 65% and 100%, the color difference between the first image (4) and the second image (5) is small, so configuring the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) to 65% to 100% improves expressibility. Furthermore, as a result of expanding the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) between 65% and 100% in 5% increments, the example in which the first image (4) and the second image (5) became more color-matched and Figure 20 was visible was the example in which the area ratio of Example 2 was configured to 90%.

[0088] Example 3 Example 3 is an anti-counterfeit printed matter (1) having the configuration of the second embodiment, specifically, an anti-counterfeit printed matter (1) having the configuration shown in Figures 7 to 15 and Figures 20 to 22 was produced. In Example 3, the present invention was observed under ultraviolet light (7), and the color difference between the first image (4) and the second image (5) was compared based on the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4). As examples in which the present invention was realized, the example 3 was obtained when the area ratio of the first image element (4') was set to 100%, and as comparative examples in which the present invention was not reproduced, the example 3 was obtained when the area ratio of the first image element (4') was set to 10%, the example 3-2 was obtained when the area ratio was set to 20%, the example 3-3 was obtained when the area ratio was set to 30%, the example 3-4 was obtained when the area ratio was set to 40%, and the example 3-5 was obtained when the area ratio was set to 50%. The area ratio of the second image element (5') forming the second image (5) was observed as 100% in both the examples and the comparative examples. In addition, when observed under reflected visible light (6), the anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) of Example 4 has a first image (4) formed with a first coloring material as shown in Figure 21, and a second image (5) formed with a second coloring material as shown in Figure 22. When observed under ultraviolet light (7), the present invention is manifested, resulting in a composite pattern (3) as shown in Figure 23.

[0089] In Example 4, the ultraviolet ray blocking property of the first color material constituting the first image (4) exceeded the luminescence intensity of the base material (2), so that the first image (4) and the second image (5) became the same color, and the composite pattern (3) in Figure 23 was visible.

[0090] On the other hand, in Comparative Examples 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, and 3-5, the area ratio of the first image element (4') in the first image (4) had low ultraviolet blocking properties and therefore low ability to block the luminescence of the base material (2), resulting in a luminescence intensity lower than that of the base material (2). As a result, the first image (4) and the second image (5) set in the comparative examples could not be observed to be the same color.

[0091] In Comparative Example 3-1, the area ratio of the first image element (4') forming the first image (4) was set to 10%, and therefore the color difference with the second image (5) was the largest among the five Comparative Examples tested. In Comparative Example 3-5, the area ratio was set to 50%, and therefore the light emission of the base material (2) was blocked more than in Comparative Example 3-1, but the light emission intensity of the base material (2) exceeded the blocking ability of the coloring material, and the color did not match the light emission color of the second image (5).

[0092] As shown in Example 3, the larger the area ratio of the first image element (4') in the first image (4), the smaller the color difference between the first image (4) and the second image (5). Therefore, setting the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) to 50% or more improves expressibility.

[0093] Example 4 Example 4 is an anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) having the configuration of the second embodiment, and from the results of Example 3, the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) was arranged to be 50% or more. Example 4-1 is an example in which the area ratio of the first image element (4') is 100%, Example 4-2 is an example in which the area ratio is 90%, Example 4-3 is an example in which the area ratio is 80%, Example 4-4 is an example in which the area ratio is 75%, Example 4-5 is an example in which the area ratio is 70%, and Example 4-6 is an example in which the area ratio is 65%. Comparative examples are Comparative Example 4-1 and Comparative Example 4-2 in which the area ratio of the first image element (4') is 55%, and Comparative Example 4-2 in which the area ratio is 60%, and the color matching relationship between the first image (4) and the second image (5) was observed under ultraviolet light (7). In Comparative Example 4-1, the luminescence intensity of the substrate (2) was greater than the ability of the first image (4) to block ultraviolet rays, so the first image (4) was not visually recognized as being of the same color as the second image (5). In Comparative Example 4-2, the color of the first image (4) became similar to that of the second image (5) when the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) reached about 60%, but in Example 4-1, the first image (4) and the second image (5) became of the same color, so that an area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) of 60% or more provided good results.

[0094] As shown in Example 4, when the area ratio of the first image element (4') of the first image (4) is between 65% and 100%, the color difference between the first image (4) and the second image (5) is reduced, improving the expressiveness of the first image (4). In addition, as a result of expanding the area ratio of the first image element (4') constituting the first image (4) between 65% and 100% in 5% increments, the example in which the first image (4) and the second image (5) became more color-matched and the example in which FIG. 23 could be viewed was the example in which the area ratio of Example 5-2 was configured to be 90%.

[0095] Example 5 Example 5 is an anti-counterfeiting printed matter (1) having the configuration of the first embodiment, and a sample imitating a resident's card shown in FIG. 24 was produced. The first image (4) shown in FIG. 18 and the second image (5) shown in FIG. 19 were arranged at the upper right and lower left of the substrate (2). The area ratio of the first image element (4') forming the first image (4) was set to 90% because of the good expressibility of the present invention as shown in Example 2, and the area ratio of the second image element (5') forming the second image (5) was set to 100%. Under reflected visible light (6), the first information, a bird, shown in FIG. 18, was visible, and under ultraviolet light (7), the first image (4) in FIG. 18 and the second image (5) in FIG. 19 were combined, and the composite pattern (3) in FIG. 20 was visible.

[0096] Example 6 Example 6 is an anti-counterfeit printed matter (1) having the configuration of the second embodiment, and FIG. A sample imitating a resident's card code notification card shown in FIG. 21 was prepared. The first image (4) shown in FIG. 21 and the second image (5) shown in FIG. 22 were arranged at the upper right and lower left of the substrate (2). The area ratio of the first image element (4') forming the first image (4) was set to 90% because the composite pattern (3) of the present invention is well expressed as shown in Example 4, and the area ratio of the second image element (5') forming the second image (5) was set to 100%. Under reflected visible light (6), the geometric pattern, which is the first information, shown in FIG. 21 was visible, and under ultraviolet light (7), the first image (4) shown in FIG. 21 and the second image (5) shown in FIG. 22 were combined to make the composite pattern (3) in FIG. 23 visible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1 Anti-counterfeiting printed matter 2 Base material 3 Composite Pattern 4. First image 4' First image element 5. Second image 5' Second image element 6 Observation under reflected visible light 7. Observation under ultraviolet light 8. Ultraviolet Rays

Claims

1. An anti-counterfeiting printed matter having a composite pattern formed on a substrate having a fluorescent agent, The composite pattern includes a first image composed of a first image element formed of a first coloring material having a chromatic color different from the color of the base material and a property of blocking ultraviolet light, and a second image composed of a second image element formed of a second coloring material that is visually recognized as having the same color as the base material under visible light and the same color as the first image under ultraviolet light, The first image element and the second image element are arranged so as not to overlap or to overlap at least partially; When the substrate is observed under reflected visible light, the second image and the substrate have the same color and only the first image can be confirmed, and when observed under ultraviolet light, the substrate emits light and the first image and the second image have the same color, allowing the composite pattern to be confirmed.

2. 2. The anti-counterfeiting printed matter according to claim 1, wherein an area ratio of the first image element is greater than an area ratio of the second image element.

3. the first image comprises first information; the second image comprises second information; 3. The anti-counterfeiting printed matter according to claim 2, characterized in that, when the first information and the second information are the same information, the first image has an area in which the first image elements are not present, and the second image has the second image elements arranged at least in an area in which the first image elements are not present.

4. the first image comprises first information; the second image comprises second information; The anti-counterfeiting printed matter described in claim 2, characterized in that when the second information is different from the first information, the composite pattern is formed by combining the first information and the second information as a third information different from the first information and the second information.

Images