Forgery-preventive printed material

Abstract

To provide a forgery-preventive printed material that allows ensuring concealability of a latent image.SOLUTION: A printed material includes a printing region comprising a first region in which a latent image is formed on a substrate and a second region that is formed adjacent to the first region on the substrate. The first region includes: a plurality of relief image lines that are formed in parallel along one direction on the substrate and have a concavo-convex cross-sectional shape; and a plurality of first printed lines that are formed in parallel along one direction so as to include at least portions where the relief image lines are not formed on the substrate. When the printed material is observed at an angle different from perpendicular to the substrate, the latent image is visually recognized. The second region includes second printed lines that are formed so that a pattern is visually recognized when observed at an angle including at least a perpendicular direction with respect to the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to anti-counterfeiting printed matter, and more particularly to anti-counterfeiting printed matter that can be used for preventing counterfeiting and forgery of valuable printed matter such as banknotes, stock certificates, securities, tickets, passports, cards, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Valuable printed matter such as banknotes, stock certificates, securities, tickets, passports, cards, etc. inherently requires anti-counterfeiting and anti-forgery measures. As one of the techniques for implementing such anti-counterfeiting and anti-forgery measures, indentation by partially changing the thickness of the paper layer, for example, indentation by inserting a special substance into the base material, or embossing and printing to form uneven pattern lines on the base material are used.

[0003] Then, printing lines parallel or inclined to the uneven pattern lines are printed on the surface of the base material having uneven pattern lines such as a myriad line pattern formed by indentation, embossing, or printing. When observing the anti-counterfeiting printed matter manufactured in this way from a direction at a predetermined angle with respect to the base material, predetermined characters, patterns, etc. that form a latent image can be visually recognized. The applicant has obtained the patents shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below for such anti-counterfeiting printed matter.

[0004] In such anti-counterfeiting printed matter, for example, uneven pattern lines are formed on the base material, and further printing lines are formed. When observing from a direction perpendicular to the base material, i.e., directly from above, the printing lines are not hidden by the uneven pattern lines and are visually recognized as straight myriad lines with a certain density, so the latent image is not visually recognized.

[0005] On the other hand, when the base material is tilted at a predetermined angle and observed, the printing lines are partially hidden by the uneven pattern lines and the latent image is visually recognized.

[0006] However, depending on the relative positional relationship between the printed line and the uneven line, when observing the substrate from a perpendicular direction, for example, due to printing unevenness, or a shift in the positional relationship between the printed line and the uneven line, a density difference may occur in the printed line, resulting in a shadow, and a latent image that should not originally be visible may be visually recognized. In such cases, there was a problem that the intended anti-counterfeiting effect could not be obtained.

[0007] Also, in order to prevent such a phenomenon, it was necessary to suppress printing unevenness and arrange and form both with high precision so that there was no shift in the relative positions of the printed line and the uneven line.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an anti-counterfeiting printed matter that can obtain the intended anti-counterfeiting effect by preventing the visualization of a latent image that should not originally be visible due to printing unevenness or a shift in the positional relationship between the printed line and the uneven line, without requiring high precision in the relative positions of the printed line and the uneven line.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The anti-counterfeiting printed matter of the present invention includes a printing area on a substrate, which includes a first area where a latent image is formed and a second area formed adjacent to the first area. The first area includes a plurality of uneven lines formed parallel along one direction and having an uneven cross-sectional shape, and a plurality of first printing lines formed parallel along one direction so that at least a portion of the substrate where the uneven lines are not formed is included. When observed at an angle different from perpendicular to the substrate, a latent image is visible. The second area includes, as second printing lines, a plurality of second a printing lines and a plurality of second b printing lines formed alternately and parallel along one direction on the substrate. At least one of the pitch and the line width of the second a printing lines changes stepwise along the other direction orthogonal to the one direction. When observed at an angle including at least perpendicular to the substrate, a pattern is visible and includes the second printing lines formed as such.

[0011] The second printing lines may form a pattern by the line width or the pitch, or both the line width and the pitch changing stepwise in the other direction orthogonal to the one direction.

[0012] The second printing lines may be printed such that at least one of the color and the density changes stepwise in the other direction orthogonal to the one direction.

[0013] The second area includes, as second printing lines, a plurality of second c printing lines formed parallel along one direction on the substrate. At least a part of the second c printing lines has a different line width from other parts, and at least the position and the length of at least a part of the second c printing lines in one direction change stepwise along the other direction orthogonal to the one direction, or at least a part of the second c printing lines has a different line width from other parts, and the line width of at least a part or other parts of the second c printing lines changes stepwise along the other direction orthogonal to the one direction, or the pitch of the second c printing lines changes stepwise along the other direction, or the line width of at least a part or other parts of the second c printing lines changes stepwise along the other direction and the pitch of the second c printing lines changes stepwise along the other direction.

[0014] The second region includes, as second printed lines, a plurality of second a printed lines and a plurality of second b printed lines that are alternately formed in parallel along one direction on the base material, and at least one of the pitch and the line width of the second a printed lines changes stepwise along the other direction orthogonal to the one direction. The printing region further includes a third region formed adjacent to the first region. The third region includes a plurality of third printed lines formed in parallel along one direction on the base material. At least a part of the third printed lines has a different line width from other parts, and at least one of the line width and the pitch of at least a part or other parts of the third printed lines may change stepwise along the other direction.

[0015] The concavo-convex lines may be formed by indentation, embossing, or ink.

[0016] A visible image may be formed in the second region.

[0017] The first printed lines may be printed with a colored ink other than the color of the base material, a colored light-emitting ink other than the color of the base material, a colorless transparent light-emitting ink, or a light-emitting ink of the color of the base material.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] According to the anti-counterfeiting printed matter of the present invention, it is possible to conceal the latent image and improve the anti-counterfeiting effect without suppressing printing unevenness or arranging the printed lines and the concavo-convex lines with high precision, and it is possible to reduce costs.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 8

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Figure 14

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] A forgery-proof printed matter according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and includes various forms included in the claims.

[0021] (1) First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a forgery-proof printed matter according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The forgery-proof printed matter 31 according to the present embodiment includes a printed area 32 formed on a base material made of paper, resin, metal, or the like.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, this printed area 32 includes an area 32a including a latent image, an area 32b formed adjacent to this area 32a and having a gradation pattern described later, and an area 32c formed adjacent to the area 32a and having a gradation pattern described later.

[0023] The line drawing configuration in the area 32a will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3(a), on a base material (not shown), uneven line drawings 11 having an uneven cross-sectional shape are formed by punching, embossing, and printing. These uneven line drawings 11 have the same color as the base material.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3(b) showing the state of magnifying a portion 11X and viewed from above, and FIG. 3(c) showing the longitudinal section along the Y - Y line in FIG. 3(b), here, as an example, it has a convex cross-sectional structure, and a center line 11CL corresponding to a ridge line is located at the center position along the longitudinal direction.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, printed line drawings 12 are formed on the base material. These printed line drawings 12 are composed of, for example, myriad lines or halftone dots, and are printed with, for example, a colored ink other than the color of the base material, a colored luminous ink other than the color of the base material, a colorless transparent luminous ink, or a luminous ink of the color of the base material.

[0026] The concavo-convex line 11 and the printed line 12 are formed such that the concavo-convex line 11 is formed as the first layer as shown in FIG. 5, and the printed line 12 is formed so as to be laminated thereon.

[0027] FIG. 6 shows the number "1" as an example of a latent image formed by an anti-counterfeiting printed matter. Note that the latent image is not limited to numbers, and includes, for example, any image such as characters, symbols, figures, marks, patterns, designs, face images, landscape paintings, etc.

[0028] FIG. 7 shows a state in which the concavo-convex line 11 and the printed line 12 are arranged at a desirable relative position at the position along the X-X line in the latent image "1" in the anti-counterfeiting printed matter. Here, let the distance from the concavo-convex line 11 to the printed line 12 be Z1, and the pitch between adjacent concavo-convex lines 11 be P1. Also, let the central region in the figure where the latent image is formed be the A region, the left and right end regions in the figure where the background image is formed be the B regions, and the contour region where an image corresponding to the contour of the latent image is formed be the C region.

[0029] When observing such an anti-counterfeiting printed matter in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, that is, from directly above, only the printed line 12 is visually recognized as a straight line of a certain density, and the latent image is not visually recognized. This is because the printed line 12 is all visible without being hidden by the concavo-convex line 11.

[0030] On the other hand, when observing the substrate tilted at a predetermined angle from the viewing point E1, in the A region, the printed line 12 can be seen to some extent on the surface of the concavo-convex line 11, but in the B regions and C regions at both ends thereof, the printed line 12 is hidden by the concavo-convex line 11 and not visually recognized. As a result, the "1" of the latent image is visually recognized as the positive image 21.

[0031] When observing the substrate tilted at a predetermined angle from the viewing point E2 on the opposite side of the viewing point E1, in the A region, the printed line 12 can hardly be seen due to the concavo-convex line 11, and in the B regions and C regions at both ends thereof, the printed line 12 is clearly visually recognized without being hidden by the concavo-convex line 11. As a result, the "1" of the latent image is visually recognized as the negative image 22.

[0032] When observing from a direction perpendicular to the substrate without tilting the substrate, originally, the printed line 12 should be entirely visible without being partially hidden (in the A region, or the B and C regions) by the uneven line 11, so the printed line 12 is only visually recognized as a straight line and the latent image is not visually recognized.

[0033] However, as described above, depending on printing unevenness and the relative positional relationship between the printed line 12 and the uneven line 11, when observing the substrate from a perpendicular direction, a density difference may occur in the printed line 12, causing a shadow and potentially making a latent image that should not be visible visually recognizable. Also, to prevent such a phenomenon, it is necessary to suppress printing unevenness and arrange and form the printed line 12 and the uneven line 11 with high precision so that there is no deviation in their relative positions, which will result in an increase in cost.

[0034] To solve such problems, in the region 32b, when observing the substrate at an angle of at least perpendicular to the substrate, that is, at an angle including the front, a gradation pattern is formed so as to be visually recognizable. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of lines 41 and 42 are formed in the region 32b. These lines 41 and 42 are alternately formed in parallel along one direction, and the line 41 is formed across the entire region 32b. The line 42 has areas where it exists and areas where it does not exist, forming a pattern. And at least one of the pitch and the line width of at least one of the lines 41 and 42 changes stepwise along the other direction (Y1 direction in the figure) perpendicular to one direction, thereby forming a gradation pattern. The gradation pattern formed by these lines 41 and 42 is visually recognizable not only at an angle perpendicular to the substrate but also at an angle different from perpendicular, that is, when observed from an oblique direction.

[0035] FIG. 9 shows, for each of the first example, the second example, and the third example, the line widths of the lines 41 and 42, the presence or absence of changes in the pitch in the Y1 direction, and the content of the changes when they occur.

[0036] In the first example, in the Y1 direction, the line width of the ruled line 41 changes to be thick, the pitch changes to be narrow, the line width of the ruled line 42 changes to be thin, and the pitch changes to be narrow.

[0037] In the second example, in the Y1 direction, the line width of the ruled line 41 changes to be thick, the pitch is constant, the line width of the ruled line 42 changes to be thin, and the pitch is constant.

[0038] In the third example, in the Y1 direction, the line width of the ruled line 41 is constant, the pitch changes to be narrow, the line width of the ruled line 42 is constant, and the pitch changes to be narrow.

[0039] However, the changes in the line widths and pitches of the ruled lines 41 and 42 are not limited to the examples shown in FIG. 9, and at least one of the pitch and the line width in at least one of the ruled lines 41 and 42 may change stepwise along the Y1 direction.

[0040] In the region 32c, similar to the region 32b, when observed at an angle (front view) perpendicular to the base material, it is formed so that a gradation pattern can be visually recognized, but the ruled line configuration is different. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of ruled lines 51 are formed in the region 32c. These ruled lines 51 are formed parallel along one direction, and at least a part of the ruled line 51 has a different line width from other parts, and here it is narrower.

[0041] FIG. 11 shows the presence or absence of changes in the line widths and pitches of the ruled lines 51 in the Y2 direction in the fourth example and the fifth example, and the content of the changes when they change.

[0042] In the fourth example, in the Y2 direction, neither the line width nor the pitch of the ruled line 51 changes and is constant. However, a part of the ruled line 51 is thinner, and the position and length of this part in the horizontal direction in the figure change to form a gradation pattern.

[0043] In the fifth example, in the Y2 direction, the pitch of the ruled line 51 widely varies. The line width of the ruled line 51 is such that the line width of the narrow part is equal to or less than the line width of the ruled line 42 in the region 32b shown in FIG. 8. This is due to the consideration of achieving harmony in design between the region 32b and the region 32c. And the line width of the ruled line 51 is constant both in the thick part and the narrow part of the line width.

[0044] However, the change in the line width and pitch of the ruled line 51 is not limited to the fourth and fifth examples.

[0045] Note that it is not necessary for the ruled line configurations to be different between the region 32b and the region 32c. For example, both the region 32b and the region 32c may be the same as the ruled line configuration shown in FIG. 8, or may be the same as the ruled line configuration shown in FIG. 10.

[0046] (2) Second Embodiment With reference to FIG. 12, a forgery - proof printed matter according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this second embodiment, in the printing region 32, a visible image 61 is further added to the region 32b or the region 32c where a gradation pattern is formed, or the regions 32b and 32c, excluding the region 32a where a latent image is formed. Thereby, the concealability of the latent image formed in the region 32a can be further improved.

[0047] As described above, in the region 32a where the latent image is formed, when there are printing unevenness or a deviation in the relative position between the printing line 12 and the concavo-convex line 11, etc., when the substrate is observed from a perpendicular direction, a density difference occurs in the printing line 12 and a shadow is generated, and there may occur a phenomenon in which a latent image that should not be visible is visually recognized. On the other hand, in the first and second embodiments of the present invention, by forming a gradation pattern in the regions 32b and 32c adjacent to the region 32a where the latent image is formed, even if the latent image can be visually recognized in the adjacent region 32a, the presence of the gradation pattern attracts the eye to the gradation pattern and improves the concealability of the latent image, and the intended anti-counterfeiting effect can be obtained. Further, in order to obtain such an anti-counterfeiting effect, it is not necessary to suppress printing unevenness or arrange the printing line 12 and the concavo-convex line 11 with high precision, so the cost can be reduced.

[0048] Although the first and second embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as an example and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the technical scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

[0049] For example, in the above first and second embodiments, the printing area 32 is divided into areas 32a, 32b, and 32c along the horizontal direction in the drawing, and a latent image is formed in area 32a, and a gradation pattern is formed in areas 32b and 32c.

[0050] However, the arrangement relationship between the region where the latent image is formed and the region where the gradation pattern is formed is not limited to this arrangement.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 13, a printing area 32 with printing lines formed in the horizontal direction in the figure is divided into areas 32d, 32e, and 32f along the vertical direction in the figure, and a latent image or a gradation pattern may be formed in any area. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 14, a printing area 32 with printing lines formed in the same manner is divided into areas 32g, 32h, and 32j in a concentric circle shape, and a latent image or a gradation pattern may be formed in any area.

[0052] Alternatively, only one or three or more areas with a gradation pattern formed may be arranged adjacent to the area where the latent image is formed.

[0053] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, a gradation pattern composed of lines of the same color and the same density is formed in areas 32b and 32c adjacent to the area 32a where the latent image is formed, but the printing lines included in these areas 32b and 32c may be printed so that the density or color, or both the density and color, change step by step in the directions of arrows Y1 and Y2.

[0054] Also, in the first and second embodiments, the concavo-convex line 11 has a convex cross-sectional structure, but it may be a line with a concave cross-sectional structure.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0055] 11 Concavo-convex line 12 Printing line 21 Positive image 22 Negative image 31 Anti-counterfeiting printed matter 32 Printing area 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, 32e, 32f, 32g, 32h, 32j Areas 41, 42, 51 Lines 61 Visible image E1, E2 Viewpoints Y1, Y2 Directions

Claims

1. A printed area including a first area on a substrate where a latent image is formed and at least one second area formed adjacent to the first area, wherein the first area includes a plurality of uneven lines formed parallel along one direction and having an uneven cross-sectional shape, and a plurality of first printed lines formed parallel along the one direction so as to at least include a portion on the substrate where the uneven lines are not formed, and when observed at an angle different from perpendicular to the substrate, the latent image is visible, the second area includes second printed lines whose line width or pitch, or both line width and pitch, change stepwise along another direction orthogonal to the one direction, and when observed at an angle including at least perpendicular to the substrate, a pattern is visible. A forgery-proof printed matter characterized by this.

2. The second area includes, as the second printed lines, a plurality of second a printed lines and a plurality of second b printed lines formed alternately and parallel along the one direction, wherein at least one of the pitch and line width of the second a printed lines changes stepwise along another direction orthogonal to the one direction, and at least one of the pitch and line width of the second b printed lines changes stepwise along another direction orthogonal to the one direction corresponding to the stepwise change of the second a printed lines. The forgery-proof printed matter according to Claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The second area includes, as the second printed lines, a plurality of second c printed lines formed parallel along the one direction, wherein at least a part of the second c printed lines has a different line width from other parts, and at least one of the line width and pitch of the at least a part or the other parts of the second c printed lines changes stepwise along the other direction. The forgery-proof printed matter according to Claim 1, characterized by this.

4. The second area includes, as the second printed lines, a plurality of second a printed lines and a plurality of second b printed lines formed alternately and parallel along the one direction, wherein at least one of the pitch and line width of the second a printed lines changes stepwise along another direction orthogonal to the one direction, and at least one of the pitch and line width of the second b printed lines changes stepwise along another direction orthogonal to the one direction corresponding to the stepwise change of the second a printed lines, The printed area further includes a third area formed adjacent to the first area. The third area includes a plurality of third printed lines formed in parallel along the one direction on the base material. At least a part of the third printed lines has a different line width from other parts, and at least one of the line width and pitch of at least a part of the third printed lines or the other parts changes stepwise along the other direction. The anti-counterfeiting printed matter according to claim 1, characterized in that.

5. The anti-counterfeiting printed matter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a visible image is formed in the second area.

Images