Printed Materials

Abstract

To provide a parallel line latent image printed matter that does not allow a recognition of a presence / absence of a latent image or a content of a latent image by visual observation.SOLUTION: A printed matter includes a verification area printed on a base material. The verification area includes a background area and a latent image area. The background area and the latent image area are composed of parallel lines. A direction of the parallel lines forming the background area and a direction of the parallel lines forming the latent image area are the same, and a pitch of the parallel lines forming the background area and a pitch of the parallel lines forming the latent image area are shifted. The parallel lines forming the background area and the parallel lines forming the latent image area respectively include parallel lines having missing parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printed matter having a latent image that can be visualized using an image-visible member such as a line filter. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a printed matter in which a background formed of parallel lines and a latent image formed of parallel lines with a shifted pitch in part, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 (Patent Document 1, etc.). On such printed matter, it is impossible to visually confirm the latent image, but when a line filter is used, it is possible to make the latent image visible, and so this type of printed matter is used as paper for documents requiring security. Specifically, because the pitch of the background and the latent image are misaligned, when a line filter is overlaid, the lines of the background and the line filter overlap, making the misaligned latent image appear thicker and more emphasized; also, the lines of the latent image and the line filter overlap, so the misaligned parts are recognized as white out, and the latent image is recognized due to the moiré phenomenon between the latent image and the line filter, making it possible to confirm the latent image.

[0003] Also, a technique is known in which a plurality of lines in different directions are used to provide a plurality of types of latent images (Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc.). However, in a conventional line latent image, the background and latent image are continuous, as shown in Figure 9, so that an accustomed person or someone who looks carefully with a magnifying glass can recognize the shifted line pitch and can confirm the boundary between the latent image and the background. This allows the presence or absence of a latent image to be confirmed, and in some cases even the content of the latent image can be discerned. For this reason, a technique such as that disclosed in Patent Document 3 is known as a scheme for improving the concealment of the latent image when viewed with the naked eye. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 54-138700 [Patent Document 2] JP 2001-213042 A [Patent Document 3] JP2013-244640A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the case of the printed matter of Patent Document 3, although it is possible to improve the concealment of the latent image when viewed with the naked eye, since it uses a pixel structure, it may be unsuitable in terms of design depending on the purpose of use. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a printed matter having a line latent image that has high designability and high concealment properties when viewed with the naked eye. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to a printed matter having a verification area printed on a substrate, the verification area having a background area and a latent image area, the background area and the latent image area being composed of lines, the direction of the lines forming the background area and the direction of the lines forming the latent image area being the same, the pitch of the lines forming the background area and the pitch of the lines forming the latent image area being shifted, and the lines forming the background area and the lines forming the latent image area each being composed of a repetition of a character string of 10 or more characters, and the lines having missing parts being selected from the lines having missing parts. The latent image area is formed by printing lines on a substrate, and has a visualizing device for visualizing the latent image area. This printed matter is characterized by being configured so that the visualized latent image can be viewed by folding the printed matter so that the latent image area and the visualizing device overlap and holding the printed matter up to light.

[0007] The area of ​​the missing parts is also characterized by being 30% to 70% of the entire lines.

[0008] The defective portion is also characterized in that it is formed so as to include at least the contours of the lines (both ends in the line width direction). Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a printed matter having a line latent image that has high designability and high concealment properties when viewed with the naked eye. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a printed matter of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a printed matter of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of parallel lines used in the printed matter of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of parallel lines used in the printed matter of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image visualizing device used for verifying a printed matter of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of verification of a printed matter of the present invention using an image developing device. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional printed matter. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional printed matter. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional printed matter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The present invention will be described in detail below. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a printed matter according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a detailed explanation of the schematic diagram of Fig. 1. 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams showing an example of parallel lines used in the printed matter of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a visualizing device used to verify the printed matter of the present invention, and Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the visualizing device of Fig. 5 used to verify the printed matter of the present invention. Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional printed matter. Fig. 9 is a detailed explanation of the schematic diagram of Fig. 8.

[0014] The printed matter of the present invention is composed of a substrate and a verification area 1 provided on the substrate by printing. The verification area 1 has a background area (image) 4 and a latent image area (image) 6, and the background area (image) 4 and the latent image area (image) 6 are each composed of so-called parallel lines that form lines at a constant pitch.

[0015] The lines 2 constituting the background area (image) 4 and the lines 4 constituting the latent image area (image) 3 are formed in the same direction and at the same pitch, but with a shift in pitch. The angles of the lines 2 and 4 are approximately the same, and specifically, the angle difference is less than ±1°, preferably less than 0.1°, and more preferably less than 0.01°. The pitch of the lines 2 and 4 is not particularly limited as long as it is possible to visualize the latent image using a visualizing device, but it is typically shifted by 1 / 2 pitch. Note that a deviation of about +1 / 4 to -1 / 4 pitch is acceptable.

[0016] It is preferable that the line width of lines 2 and the line width of lines 4 are also approximately the same. Specifically, the line widths of lines 2 and lines 4 are approximately 0.01 to 1 mm, and it is preferable that the line width of line 4 relative to the line width of line 2 is within the range of 95 to 100%, preferably within the range of 99 to 101%, and even more preferably within the range of 99.9 to 100.1%. The pitch of lines 2 and 4 is approximately 0.01 to 2 mm.

[0017] The lines 2 constituting the background area (image) 4 and the lines 4 constituting the latent image area (image) 3 used in the present invention are characterized by having partially missing portions. The reason why the concealment of the latent image in conventional printed matter was not high is thought to be the periodic structure of the lines that make up the background area (image) and the lines that make up the latent image area (image). In conventional printed matter, the lines that make up the background area (image) and the latent image area (image) were formed by thick solid lines, so the periodic structure of the lines was easily recognized when viewed with the naked eye. Therefore, it is presumed that the misalignment between the periodic structure of the background area (image) and the periodic structure of the latent image area (image) was easily recognized, and the presence of the latent image was easily discovered. In particular, it is thought that, among the solid lines that make up the lines, the outline parts at both ends of the line in the width direction were more easily recognized in the periodic structure than the central area of ​​the line. The outline parts at both ends of the line in the width direction are the boundary between the lines and the non-printed area, and are high contrast parts, so it is presumed that the state of this part is greatly related to the recognition of the periodic structure.

[0018] Therefore, in the present invention, by providing missing parts in the lines that make up the background area (image) and the latent image area (image), the periodic structure of the lines is made less noticeable, improving the concealment of the latent image to the naked eye and making the latent image visible when a visualizing device is placed over it. By leaving missing parts, the line pattern looks like a pattern, enhancing the design.

[0019] There are no particular limitations on the missing parts as long as they make the periodic structure of the lines less noticeable, but for example, they can be used as positive or negative patterns that combine dots, character strings, colored patterns, and geometric figures. Figure 3 shows examples of specific patterns of missing parts. (a) is an example where the missing part is the negative pattern of a character string. (b) is an example where the missing part is the negative pattern of a linear pattern. (c) is an example where the missing part is the negative pattern of a pattern that combines geometric patterns. (d) is an example where the missing part is a character string portion, (e) is an example where the missing part is a random linear pattern portion, and (f) is an example where the missing part is a pattern that combines geometric patterns.

[0020] Moreover, taking into consideration the relationship between the concealment property of the latent image and the density of the latent image, the ratio of the defective portion is preferably within a range of 30% to 70%, more preferably 40% to 60%. Specifically, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), the percentage of missing parts is calculated by surrounding any line segment of a line having a missing part with a square as the line area 7, and showing the percentage of missing parts 9 relative to this line area 7.

[0021] The defective portion is preferably formed over the entire inspection region, and is preferably formed substantially uniformly without bias in the proportion of the defective portions. In addition, it is preferable that the missing portion is formed so as to include at least the outline (both ends in the width direction) of the lines. Since the periodicity of the lines is recognized due to the outline (both ends in the width direction of the lines) of the lines that are particularly arranged in an orderly manner, the periodicity is made less noticeable by missing the outline (both ends in the width direction of the lines), and as a result, the concealment of the latent image can be improved. It is preferable that the missing ratio of the outline (both ends in the width direction of the lines) is about 30 to 95%.

[0022] Furthermore, the missing portions and the solid line portions remaining after the formation of the missing portions may be in a regular pattern or a character string, but a random pattern is preferable. When using a character string, you can use a random arrangement of characters. When using dots, you can use an FM screen. It is not necessary to use completely random patterns, but rather a random pattern may be repeatedly used within a certain range. For example, when using a character string, a random character string of at least 10 characters, preferably 20 characters or more, may be repeatedly used. In the case of a regular character string, for example, a repeating pattern of "TOPPAN" can be used.

[0023] The substrate used for the printed matter of the present invention is mainly a paper substrate, for example, high-quality paper, plain paper, etc. Resin-based materials may also be used. The base material may have a background pattern or the like as long as it does not interfere with the inspection area of ​​the present invention.

[0024] The verification area, including the background area and the latent image area, is formed by a printing method using ink. The ink used for printing can be a normal colored ink, with the color of the ink being different from the background color of the substrate. The printing method that can be used includes offset, gravure, screen and intaglio printing.

[0025] The method of forming the pattern of the missing parts can be, for example, to use an FM screen, a character string, a colored pattern, etc., from the line pattern in the plate making data, and then use image processing software to process noise and change the density and perform dithering processing, etc. Then, the line including the pattern of the missing parts can be printed on the base material. By doing so, the periodicity of the regularly-arranged lines can be made difficult to perceive, and as a result, the deviation between the latent image portion and the background portion can be made difficult to perceive. Line printing can be done using a variety of printers, including general printing methods as well as laser and inkjet methods.

[0026] The data generation of the original line pattern is not particularly limited, and once the thickness and pitch are determined, the data may be arranged manually or automatically. When applying the generated line pattern to the background area and the latent image area, the pitch may be shifted.

[0027] In the verification area of ​​the printed matter of the present invention, a latent image that cannot be visually confirmed or is extremely difficult to confirm can be confirmed by visualizing the latent image using a visualizing device. As the image developing device, a so-called line filter can be used, which is made up of lines having the same pitch and direction as the lines constituting the background area and latent image area. For example, a resin base material or a paper base material on which parallel lines are formed can be used as such a substrate. Also, as shown in Fig. 7, a substrate (paper) having a verification area and a visualizing device formed of a line-shaped print on the same surface may be used. In this case, the substrate (paper) is folded to overlap the verification area and the visualizing device area, thereby making it possible to visualize the latent image. The visualizing device area may be provided on the opposite side of the substrate (paper) to the surface on which the verification area is provided. In this case, a substrate (paper) having a certain degree of transparency, for example, transparency that allows light to pass through when held up to a fluorescent lamp, etc., is used.

[0028] Incidentally, providing a defect in the verification area inevitably reduces the density of the verification area. Therefore, when a light-shielding base material such as paper is used, visibility is poor when checking by stacking the papers. Therefore, it is necessary to perform defect processing at an appropriate density so that the latent image is as difficult to see as possible before stacking and is as easy to see as possible after stacking. In order to maximize the visibility of the latent image, the thickness (line width) of the lines of the visualizing device (line filter) must be within the range of 110% to 200% of the lines of the latent image, and it is more preferable that the thickness be within the range of 130% to 160%.

[0029] Furthermore, in order to improve the visibility of the latent image when the verification area and the visualizing device are overlapped, the thickness of the lines in the verification area and the visualizing device is adjusted. To maximize the density of the latent image, it would be desirable to have the lines of the verification area and the imaging device of equal thickness, but this would mean that the latent image would only be visible when the lines of both were precisely aligned. On the other hand, by making the thickness of the lines of the imaging device thicker than that of the inspection area, the density of the latent image decreases, but the range in which the latent image is visible and overlapping occurs becomes wider, making it easier to confirm the latent image. Since the above two elements are contradictory, it is necessary to take into consideration both the density of the latent image and the overlapping range and set the most effective line thickness. EXAMPLES

[0030] <Example 1> The substrate was high-quality paper, and black offset ink was used to print a background area and a latent image area consisting of lines as the verification area by offset printing. The verification area had a design as shown in Figure 1. The lines that make up the background area (image) and the lines that make up the latent image area (image) have a line width of 0.1 mm and a pitch of 0.2 mm, and the pitch of the lines that make up the background area (image) and the pitch of the lines that make up the latent image area (image) are shifted by half a pitch. Note that a negative pattern of random characters as shown in Figure 3(a) was used as the missing parts of the lines that make up the background area (image) and the lines that make up the latent image area (image). When the obtained print was visually observed, the presence or absence of a latent image could not be confirmed, and it was confirmed that the print had sufficient latent image concealment properties. When a line filter, as shown in Figure 5, in which lines with a line width of 0.1 mm and a pitch of 0.2 mm were printed on a resin film, was placed over the film and observed, a latent image of the letter T was confirmed.

[0031] <Example 2> Using high-quality paper as the substrate, a background area consisting of lines and a latent image area were printed as the verification area by offset printing using black offset ink. The verification area had a pattern as shown in verification area 1 in the upper left of Figure 7. The lines that make up the background area (image) and the lines that make up the latent image area (image) have a line width of 0.1 mm and a pitch of 0.2 mm, and the pitch of the lines that make up the background area (image) and the pitch of the lines that make up the latent image area (image) are shifted by half a pitch. Note that a negative pattern of random characters as shown in Figure 3(a) was used as the missing parts of the lines that make up the background area (image) and the lines that make up the latent image area (image). In addition, on the same side of the paper on which the verification area was printed, lines with a line width of 0.1 mm and a pitch of 0.2 mm were printed as a visualization area to create a line filter, as shown in Figure 5. The visualization area was formed on the opposite side to be line-symmetrical to verification area 1, as shown in Figure 7. When the obtained print was visually observed, the presence or absence of a latent image could not be confirmed, and it was confirmed that the print had sufficient latent image concealment properties. The inspection area and the visualization area were then superimposed, and when observed under a fluorescent light, a latent image of the letter T was confirmed.

[0032] <Comparative Example 1> Using high-quality paper as the substrate, a background area consisting of lines and a latent image area were printed as the verification area by offset printing using black offset ink. The design was a latent image in the shape of a T, as shown in Figure 8. A background and latent image consisting of parallel lines were printed. The line width of the parallel lines was 0.1 mm for both background and latent image pixels, the pitch was 0.2 mm, and the background pixels and latent image pixels were shifted by half a pitch. When the resulting print was visually observed, the boundary between the background and the latent image was visible, and the presence of the latent image was recognized. When the verification area and the visualization area were observed overlapping, a latent image of the letter T was confirmed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1. Validation domain 2. Background region (image) 3 Latent image area (image) 4. Lines that make up the background area (image) 5. Lines that make up the latent image area (image) 6 Line width 7. Area of ​​lines 8. Missing part of the line 9. Solid line section 10... Visualizer (area) 11. Paper

Claims

1. A printed matter having a verification area printed on a substrate, the verification area has a background area and a latent image area; The background area and the latent image area are composed of lines, The direction of the lines forming the background area is the same as the direction of the lines forming the latent image area, The pitch of the lines forming the background region and the pitch of the lines forming the latent image region are shifted from each other, The lines forming the background region and the lines forming the latent image region are each composed of a repetition of a character string of 10 or more characters and are composed of lines having missing portions, a visualizing device for visualizing the latent image area, the visualizing device being formed by printing lines on the base material; The printed matter is configured so that the visualized latent image can be viewed by folding the printed matter to overlap the latent image area and the visualizing device and holding the printed matter up to light.

2. 2. The printed matter according to claim 1, wherein the area of ​​the missing portion is 30% to 70% of the entire line.

3. 3. The printed matter according to claim 1, wherein the missing portion is formed so as to include at least the outline of the parallel lines (both ends in the line width direction).

Images