Image forming system

Abstract

To provide an image forming device which can generate a pressure-printed matter in which adhesive force of a pressure-bonded face is secured, when generating the pressure-printed matter by folding back a recording material having toner images formed on both surfaces thereof.SOLUTION: An image forming system, when an image formation job is "two-sided printing" (S103: Yes), displays "an image selection screen" and receives selection of toner images to be formed on a pressure-bonded face of a recording material (S104), changes an order of formation of the toner images so that the selected toner images are formed on a second surface (S105), and forms the toner images on both surfaces of the recording material to perform pressure-bonding (S106). Thus, the toner images are formed on both surfaces of the recording material, however when the toner images to be formed on the pressure-bonded face of the recording material are selected, the selected toner images are formed on the second surface after the toner images are formed on a first surface so that the selected toner images are formed on a valley-folded surface of the recording material that is the pressure-bonded face thereof. As the toner images formed on the second surface do not pass twice on an anchorage device, which suppresses precipitation amounts of wax from toner on the pressure-bonded face so as to secure adhesive force.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming system for creating a pressure-bonded printed matter by forming an image on a recording material, folding the recording material on which the image is formed, and applying heat and pressure to the folded recording material to pressure-bond the recording material.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an image forming system for creating a pressure-bonded printed matter has been proposed. Examples of pressure-bonded printed matters include pressure-bonded postcards in which the opposing surfaces (referred to as pressure-bonding surfaces) of a recording material folded into valley folds are overlapped and pseudo-adhered, and the image formed on the pressure-bonding surface cannot be read until the pseudo-adhered surfaces are peeled off. Here, the pseudo-adhesion referred to is a mode of adhesion that can be peeled off after adhesion and is difficult to re-adhere after peeling.

[0003] Conventionally, a method has been proposed in which an image is formed on a recording material on which an adhesive has been previously applied, and then the recording material is folded and pressure is applied to the pressure-bonding surface to create a pressure-bonded printed matter (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] On the other hand, in recent years, methods for pseudo-adhesion of recording materials, such as the varnish method and the film method, are sometimes employed. The varnish method involves applying, for example, an ultraviolet-curable UV varnish to the recording material on which the image is recorded, curing the UV varnish by irradiating it with ultraviolet light, folding the recording material, and then bonding the layers formed by the varnish by applying heat and pressure to the recording material. The film method involves folding the recording material on which the image is recorded, inserting a heat-sensitive adhesive film into the pressure-bonding surface of the folded recording material, and then bonding the adhesive layers of the film by applying heat and pressure to the recording material.

[0006] In methods such as the varnish method and film method described above, where an adhesive layer is formed on the recording material after the image is formed and then compressed, adhesion between the image formed on the recording material and the adhesive layer may be a challenge compared to the method described in Patent Document 1, where the adhesive is applied beforehand before image formation and then compressed.

[0007] For example, when forming an image on a recording material using toner, the release agent contained in the toner may reduce the adhesion between the toner image and the adhesive layer, such as varnish or film. When the adhesion between the toner image and the adhesive layer is reduced, unintended delamination may occur between the adhesive layer and the layer on which the toner image was formed, rather than the adhesive layers separating from each other during peeling. When such unintended delamination occurs, the image formed on the recording material may peel off from the recording material along with the adhesive layer, potentially resulting in image defects after peeling.

[0008] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide an image forming system that can suppress image defects after peeling when a recording material on which toner images have been formed on both sides is folded to create a pressure-pressed printed material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An image forming system according to one embodiment of the present invention is Using a wax-containing toner, An image is formed on the first surface of the recording material. The image is fixed to the first surface of the recording material using a fuser, and the toner containing the wax is used, An image is formed on the second surface of the recording material opposite to the first surface. Then, the image is fixed to the second surface of the recording material by the fuser. The device comprises an image forming unit, an application unit for applying adhesive to the second surface of the recording material, a folding unit for folding the recording material in half so that the second surface to which the adhesive has been applied by the application unit becomes the inner surface, a crimping unit for crimping the folded recording material, a selection unit for selecting an image to be formed on the second surface of the recording material, and a control unit. The control unit controls the image forming unit so that, when the selection unit selects to form the first image on the second surface, the first image is formed on the inner surface of the folded recording material and the second image is formed on the outer surface of the folded recording material, and when the selection unit selects to form the second image on the second surface, the image forming unit is controlled so that the second image is formed on the inner surface of the folded recording material and the first image is formed on the outer surface of the folded recording material. The control unit transports the recording material to the image forming unit, causes the image forming unit to form an image on the first surface of the recording material, fixes the image on the recording material by passing the recording material with the image formed on the first surface through the fuser, transports the recording material with the image formed on the first surface back to the image forming unit without transporting it to the coating unit, causes the image forming unit to form an image on the second surface of the recording material, fixes the image on the recording material by passing the recording material with images formed on both the first and second surfaces through the fuser again, transports the recording material with the image formed on the second surface to the coating unit, causes the coating unit to apply adhesive to the second surface of the recording material without applying adhesive to the first surface, transports the recording material with adhesive applied to the second surface to the folding unit, causes the folding unit to fold the recording material in half so that the second surface becomes the inner surface, transports the folded recording material to the crimping unit, and crimps the recording material to the crimping unit. It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, when a recording material on which toner images are formed on both sides is folded to create a pressure-pressed printed material, image defects after peeling can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the image forming system. [Figure 2] Control block diagram of an image forming system. [Figure 3] A flowchart illustrating the process for creating a pressure-sensitive printed material according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] (a) A diagram showing the image selection screen, (b) A diagram showing the screen displaying the selected image. [Figure 5] A graph showing the results of scratch hardness tests on the first and second surfaces. [Figure 6] A schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the image forming system. [Figure 7]Flowchart showing the crimping printing creation process of the second embodiment. [Figure 8] (a) Diagram showing a first example of a toner image formed on the first side based on image data, (b) Diagram showing a first example of a toner image formed on the second side based on image data. [Figure 9] (a) Diagram showing a second example of a toner image formed on the first side based on image data, (b) Diagram showing a second example of a toner image formed on the second side based on image data. [Figure 10] (a) Diagram showing a third example of a toner image formed on the first side based on image data, (b) Diagram showing a third example of a toner image formed on the second side based on image data. [Figure 11] Graph showing the results of a scratch hardness test for explaining toner usage and adhesion.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] [First Embodiment] <Image Forming System> Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described. First, the image forming system of this embodiment will be described using FIG. 1. The image forming system 1X of this embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 100 capable of executing an image forming mode for forming a toner image on a recording material S, and a crimping apparatus 200 capable of executing a crimping mode for performing a crimping process on the recording material S on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 100. The crimping apparatus 200 is a post-process unit that can be attached to the image forming apparatus 100 for function expansion, and the image forming apparatus 100 and the crimping apparatus 200 are connected so as to be able to transfer the recording material S. This image forming system 1X can create a crimped printed matter such as a crimped postcard by transporting the recording material S on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 100 to the crimping apparatus 200 and bending and crimping the recording material S by the crimping apparatus 200.

[0014] In FIG. 1, as an example of the crimping device 200, one including a varnish coating device 300, a folding device 400, and a crimping device 600 is shown. The image forming device 100, the varnish coating device 300, the folding device 400, and the crimping device 600 are connected by a data input / output interface (not shown) capable of serial communication and parallel communication so that control signals, data, etc. can be transmitted and received between them.

[0015] <Image forming device> The above image forming device 100 will be described. The image forming device 100 is an electrophotographic tandem type full-color printer. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming device 100 has image forming units Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd that form yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images, respectively. The image forming device 100 forms a toner image on the recording material S based on image data sent from an original reading device (not shown) connected to the device main body or external devices such as a personal computer or an external controller that is connected to the device main body so as to be capable of data input / output. Examples of the recording material S include sheet materials such as plain paper, cardboard, rough paper, embossed paper, and coated paper that can be folded.

[0016] In the case of this embodiment, the image data includes information regarding the first toner image formed on one surface of the recording material S, information regarding the second toner image formed on the other surface of the recording material S, information regarding the folding method (e.g., the folding position according to the size of the recording material S), and information regarding the crimping surface (the surface on the valley fold side), etc.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the image forming units Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd are arranged in the main body of the device along the direction of movement of the intermediate transfer belt 130. The intermediate transfer belt 130 is stretched and rotated by multiple rollers (13, 14, 15). The intermediate transfer belt 130 carries and transports the toner image that is primary transferred as described later. A secondary transfer outer roller 11 is positioned opposite the secondary transfer inner roller 14, which stretches the intermediate transfer belt 130, and forms a secondary transfer unit T2 that transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 130 to the recording material S. A fixing device 8 is positioned downstream of the secondary transfer unit T2 in the direction of recording material transport.

[0018] A cassette 10 containing recording material S is located at the bottom of the image forming apparatus 100. The recording material S is transported from the cassette 10 to the registration roller 12 by a transport roller 16. Then, the registration roller 12 starts rotating in synchronization with the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 130, and the recording material S is transported to the secondary transfer section T2. ​​Multiple cassettes 10 are arranged to accommodate recording material S of different sizes and thicknesses, and the recording material S selected by the user is transported from any of the multiple cassettes 10. Note that the transport of recording material S is not limited to recording material S contained in the cassette 10, but may also be limited to recording material S placed on the manual feed tray 160. In addition, as an option, recording material S contained in a paper feed device (not shown) connected as a separate housing from the image forming apparatus 100 may be transported to the image forming apparatus 100.

[0019] The four image forming units Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd of the image forming apparatus 100 have substantially the same configuration except for the difference in development color. Therefore, the yellow image forming unit Pa will be described here as a representative example, and the other image forming units Pb, Pc, and Pd will not be shown or described.

[0020] The image forming unit Pa is equipped with a cylindrical photosensitive drum 3a as a photoreceptor. The photosensitive drum 3a is rotated in a predetermined direction. A charging device 2a, an exposure device La, a developing device 1a, a primary transfer roller 24a, and a drum cleaning device 4a are arranged around the photosensitive drum 3a.

[0021] The process of forming, for example, a full-color image using the image forming apparatus 100 will now be described. First, when the image forming operation is started, the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 3a is uniformly charged by the charging device 2a. The charging device 2a is, for example, a corona charger that charges the photosensitive drum 3a to a uniform negative polarity dark potential by irradiating it with charged particles associated with corona discharge. Next, the photosensitive drum 3a is scanned and exposed by laser light corresponding to the image signal emitted from the exposure device La. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image signal is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3a. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 3a is developed into a toner image, which is a visible image, by a developer containing toner and carriers contained in the developing device 1a.

[0022] In this embodiment, the developing apparatus 1a uses a two-component developer containing a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier as the developer. The toner contains a binder resin, a colorant, and a release agent (wax). The binder resin can be any known type. For example, vinyl copolymers such as styrene-(meth)acrylic copolymer, polyester resins, hybrid resins in which vinyl copolymer units and polyester units are chemically bonded, epoxy resins, styrene-butadiene copolymers, and other resins can be used. For the colorants, known types of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black can be used.

[0023] Examples of release agents include aliphatic hydrocarbon waxes such as low molecular weight polyethylene, low molecular weight olefin copolymer wax, microcrystalline wax, Fischer-Tropsch wax, and paraffin wax, as well as oxides of aliphatic hydrocarbon waxes such as oxidized polyethylene wax, or block copolymers thereof; waxes mainly composed of fatty acid esters such as carnauba wax and montanic acid ester wax; ester waxes which are synthetic reaction products of higher fatty acids and higher alcohols such as behenyl behenate and behenyl stearate; and deoxidized fatty acid esters such as deoxidized carnauba wax, which may be partially or completely deoxidized.

[0024] The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 3a is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 130 in a primary transfer section, which consists of the drum 3a and the primary transfer roller 24a positioned on either side of the intermediate transfer belt 130. At this time, a primary transfer bias is applied to the primary transfer roller 24a. After the primary transfer, any toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3a is removed by the drum cleaning device 4a.

[0025] This process is performed sequentially in the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black image forming units Pa to Pd, superimposing the four toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 130. Subsequently, the recording material S contained in the cassette 10 is transported to the secondary transfer unit T2 in accordance with the toner image formation timing. Then, by applying a secondary transfer bias to the secondary transfer outer roller 11, the full-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 130 is transferred to the recording material S all at once. Toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 130 after secondary transfer is removed by the belt cleaning device 22. In this embodiment, the image forming unit 150 that forms the toner image on the recording material S is composed of the image forming units Pa to Pd, the intermediate transfer belt 130, rollers (13, 14, 15), the secondary transfer outer roller 11, etc.

[0026] The recording material S on which the toner image has been formed is transported to a fixing device 8, which serves as the fixing unit. The fixing device 8 has fixing rollers and pressure rollers, and by gripping and transporting the recording material S on which the toner image has been formed in the fixing nip formed by these rollers, the recording material S is heated and pressurized to fix the toner image to the recording material S.

[0027] The image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment is capable of double-sided printing. In single-sided image forming mode, the recording material S, on which a toner image has been fixed to one side by the fixing device 8, is transported to the crimping device 200. In double-sided image forming mode, the recording material S, on which a toner image has been fixed to one side by the fixing device 8, is transported to the double-sided transport unit 190. In the double-sided transport unit 190, the recording material S is inverted as it is transported, and the front (first side) and back (second side) of the recording material S are swapped. The inverted recording material S is then transported again from the double-sided transport unit 190 toward the registration roller 12. The recording material S is then transported toward the secondary transfer unit T2 with the unprinted back side (second side) facing toward the intermediate transfer belt 130 by the registration roller 12. In the secondary transfer unit T2, the full-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 130 is transferred all at once to the back side of the recording material S. Subsequently, the recording material S undergoes toner image fixing by the fixing device 8, and the recording material S with the formed toner image is transported to the crimping device 200.

[0028] Thus, in the case of double-sided printing, the toner image is fixed to one side of the recording material S, and then the toner image is fixed to the other side. Therefore, the toner image formed on one side of the recording material S passes through the fuser 8 twice, and the toner image formed on the other side passes through the fuser 8 once. When the toner image passes through the fuser 8 twice, the wax contained in the toner is more likely to precipitate on the surface due to the heating effect of the fuser 8 compared to when it passes through the fuser 8 once. Also, if the amount of toner used (consumption) of the toner image formed on the recording material S increases, the amount of wax contained in the toner that precipitates due to the heating effect of the fuser 8 will also increase.

[0029] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 100 is equipped with a main control unit 101. In this embodiment, the main control unit 101 has the function of a control unit that can control the image forming apparatus 100 to perform an image forming process to form an image on the recording material S, and also control the crimping device 200 to perform a crimping process to fold and crimp the recording material S. In addition, the main control unit 101 has the function of an acquisition unit to acquire image data. The control configuration of the image forming system 1X will be described later (see Figure 2).

[0030] Next, the crimping device 200 as a crimping unit will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the crimping device 200 of this embodiment includes a varnish coating device 300 as a coating unit, a folding device 400 as a folding unit, and a crimping device 600 as a crimping unit. The varnish coating device 300 applies varnish as a liquid adhesive to the surface of the recording material S, which has been image-formed by the image forming device 100. The folding device 400 folds the recording material S with the varnished surface facing inward. The crimping device 600 applies heat and pressure to the folded recording material S. The varnish coating device 300, the folding device 400, and the crimping device 600 will be described below.

[0031] <Varnish application device> First, the varnish coating apparatus 300 will be described. In this embodiment, ultraviolet curing varnish (UV varnish) is used as the heat-sensitive liquid adhesive used to simulate adhesion of the recording material S in the varnish coating apparatus 300. The varnish coating apparatus 300 can be any suitable method for applying varnish to the recording material S, as long as the amount of varnish applied to the recording material S can be adjusted. This may include a roller coating method in which varnish is applied using a coating roller, or an inkjet method in which varnish is dispensed from a nozzle. In this embodiment, a roller coating method (also called a roll coater method) is used.

[0032] The varnish application apparatus 300 includes a varnish processing control unit 330 and a varnish application unit 301 that applies varnish to the recording material S and dries it. The varnish processing control unit 330 mainly controls the varnish application unit 301. The varnish application unit 301 includes a pair of application rollers 302 for applying varnish, a supply roller 303 for supplying varnish to the pair of application rollers 302, a varnish storage unit 304 for storing varnish, a drying unit 305 for drying the varnish, and a conveyor belt 306 for transporting the recording material S.

[0033] The coating roller pair 302 grips and transports the recording material S conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100, while applying varnish to one side of the recording material S (referred to as the varnish-coated surface). The varnish applied by the coating roller pair 302 is supplied to one of the rollers 302a of the coating roller pair 302 by the supply roller 303. The supply roller 303 is provided so as to be movable between a contact position in which it abuts the outer surface of the roller 302a and supplies varnish, and a separated position away from the outer surface of the roller 302a and does not supply varnish. The varnish storage section 304 is a storage case that stores varnish inside, with an opening formed at a position higher than the liquid level. Since a part of the supply roller 303 enters the interior of the varnish storage section 304 through the opening and is immersed in varnish, the supply roller 303 can supply varnish to the roller 302a while receiving replenishment of varnish from the varnish storage section 304 by rotating. The varnish applied to the recording material S is dried by the drying section 305. In this embodiment, the drying unit 305 is an irradiation unit that irradiates the varnished surface of the recording material S with ultraviolet light.

[0034] The varnish coating device 300 has two transport paths for the recording material S: a coating path 310 that coats the recording material S with varnish and passes it on to the subsequent folding device 400, and a coating avoidance path 311 that passes the recording material S to the subsequent folding device 400 without applying varnish. Switching between the coating path 310 and the coating avoidance path 311 is performed by a flapper (not shown).

[0035] <Folding machine> Next, the folding apparatus 400 will be described. The folding apparatus 400 is a device that performs folding on recording material S that has undergone an image forming process by the image forming apparatus 100, or recording material S that has undergone an image forming process and an adhesive application process by the varnish application apparatus 300. In this embodiment, as an example, a roller-pressure type folding apparatus 400 capable of tri-folding and bi-folding is shown. The folding apparatus 400 has a folding processing control unit 430 and a folding unit 440 that folds the recording material S. The folding processing control unit 430 mainly controls the folding unit 440.

[0036] The operation of the folding section 440 will be described using a tri-fold (for example, an outer tri-fold) process that folds the recording material S into a Z-shape as an example. The recording material S, transported from the varnish coating device 300, is drawn into the folding device by the inlet roller pair 401 and distributed to separate transport paths by the branching flapper 402 depending on whether folding is required. That is, if folding is to be performed, it is distributed to the folding process path toward the transport roller pair 403, and if folding is not to be performed, it is distributed to the folding avoidance path toward the discharge roller pair 404.

[0037] When the recording material S is directed to the folding path, it is temporarily stopped at the position of the resist roller pair 405, forming a loop for resist correction. The resist-corrected recording material S is then transported again and, at a predetermined timing after passing the folding position detection sensor 406, is pulled in by the first folding roller 407 and the second folding roller 408, simultaneously undergoing the first folding process. When the pulled-in recording material S hits the folding stopper 409, it is pulled in by the second folding roller 408 and the third folding roller 410, simultaneously undergoing the second folding process. In this way, the recording material S is folded at the first crease so that the first surfaces face each other, and the second surface opposite the first surface is folded at the second crease so that the second surfaces face each other. The recording material S that has undergone the second folding process is then transported toward the discharge roller pair 404, which hands it over to the subsequent film supply device 800. If the recording material S is diverted to the folding avoidance path, it is not subjected to the three-folding process described above and is instead passed to the subsequent film supply device 800 by the discharge roller pair 404.

[0038] The operation of the folding section 440 will be described using a bi-fold process as an example. When the recording material S is allocated to the folding process path, it is resist-corrected in the same way as in the case of the tri-fold process described above, and then transported again. In the case of a bi-fold process, the recording material S is pulled in by the first folding roller 407 and the second folding roller 408, and after passing the folding position detection sensor 406, the folding process is performed when the rear end of the recording material S abuts against the rear end stopper 411. The recording material S is folded in half along the fold line so that one side faces the other. At this time, the pulled-in recording material S is guided by the front end guide 412, which has been moved to a predetermined position in advance, and is pulled in by the second folding roller 408 and the third folding roller 410. The recording material S pulled in by the second folding roller 408 and the third folding roller 410 is transported toward the discharge roller pair 404, and is handed over to the subsequent film supply device 800 by the discharge roller pair 404. If the recording material S is diverted to the folding avoidance path, it is not subjected to the bi-folding process described above and is instead passed to the subsequent film supply device 800 by the discharge roller pair 404. In this embodiment, if a recording material S with toner images formed on both sides is transported, it is folded in half by valley folding so that the second side, i.e., the side with the toner image formed later, faces the other side.

[0039] <Crimping device> Next, the crimping device 600 will be described. The crimping device 600 is a device that performs a crimping process to press the recording material S, which has undergone the adhesive application process by the varnish application device 300 and the folding process by the folding device 400 described above. In this embodiment, as an example, a roller-pressure type crimping device 600 is shown, which can crimp the recording material S by applying heat and pressure to the recording material S via a pair of crimping rollers that grip and transport the recording material S. The crimping device 600 has a crimping process control unit 630 and a crimping unit 640 that crimps the recording material S. The crimping process control unit 630 mainly controls the crimping unit 640.

[0040] The crimping section 640 will now be described. The crimping section 640 includes a pair of crimping rollers 601 that rotate to grip and transport the recording material S, a heater 602 that heats the pair of crimping rollers 601, and a thermistor 603 that detects the temperature of the pair of crimping rollers 601. The pair of crimping rollers 601 has an upper roller 601a and a lower roller 601b, and the upper roller 601a and the lower roller 601b are each maintained at a desired temperature by the heater 602 according to the temperature detected by the thermistor 603. The pair of crimping rollers 601 can then grip and transport the folded recording material S while applying heat and pressure to the recording material S. As a result, the recording material S, which is folded with the varnished coated surface facing inward, is pseudo-bonded by the varnish, so that the coated surfaces are bonded together.

[0041] <Control configuration of the image forming system> Next, the control of the image forming system 1X will be explained using Figure 2 with reference to Figure 1. In this embodiment, we will explain as an example where the image forming apparatus 100 (specifically the main control unit 101) centrally manages and controls the operation commands to the crimping apparatus 200 (varnish application apparatus 300, folding apparatus 400, and crimping apparatus 600). Although various devices such as motors and power supplies are connected in addition to those shown in Figure 2, their illustration and explanation are omitted here as they are not essential to the invention.

[0042] In the image forming system 1X of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the main control unit 101 is connected to the varnish processing control unit 330, the folding processing control unit 430, and the crimping processing control unit 630 via a communication cable 500, enabling communication of operation commands and various data. In accordance with operation commands from the main control unit 101, the varnish processing control unit 330 operates the varnish coating device 300, the processing control unit 430 operates the folding processing device 400, and the crimping processing control unit 630 operates the crimping device 600. In other words, the main control unit 101 can control the entire image forming system 1X by controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 and transmitting operation commands to the crimping processing apparatus 200 (varnish coating device 300, folding processing device 400, and crimping device 600).

[0043] The main control unit 101, varnish processing control unit 330, folding processing control unit 430, and crimping processing control unit 630 described above may have the same configuration. For example, each may have a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0044] The main control unit 101 includes a CPU 102, a ROM 103, and a RAM 104. The ROM 103 and RAM 104 store various programs and data, such as the pressure-sensitive printed material creation process (see Figures 3 and 7), which will be described later. The RAM 104 can also temporarily store calculation results associated with the execution of various programs.

[0045] The image forming apparatus 100 includes, for example, an operation unit 700 having a liquid crystal display unit 710 (see Figure 1), and the operation unit 700 is connected to the main control unit 101. The operation unit 700, which acts as an input unit, is, for example, a touch panel, and is capable of displaying various screens on the liquid crystal display unit 710 that present various programs and various data, and also accepts input to start various programs and various data in response to user operations such as touch operations by the user.

[0046] The user can input the start of an "image forming job" from the control unit 700 and also configure settings for creating a pressure-sensitive printed material. When an "image forming job" is input, the CPU 102 executes the pressure-sensitive printed material creation process (program) stored in the ROM 103. In conjunction with this, the pressure-sensitive processing equipment 200 (varnish application device 300, folding device 400, and pressure-sensitive processing device 600) may be operated together with the image forming apparatus 100.

[0047] The varnish application control unit 330 includes a CPU 331, a ROM 332, and a RAM 333. The CPU 331 operates the varnish application device 300 based on a control program stored in the ROM 332. The folding application control unit 430 includes a CPU 431, a ROM 432, and a RAM 433. The CPU 431 operates the folding application device 400 based on a control program stored in the ROM 432.

[0048] The crimping control unit 630 includes a CPU 631, a ROM 632, and a RAM 633. The CPU 631 operates the crimping device 600 based on a control program stored in the ROM 632. The crimping control unit 630 is connected to a motor 634 that rotates the crimping roller pair 601, a heater 602 that heats the crimping roller pair 601, and a thermistor 603 that detects the temperature of the crimping roller pair 601. The crimping control unit 630 transmits the detection result (temperature data) from the thermistor 603 to the main control unit 101. The crimping control unit 630 can change the temperature of the heater 602 by receiving a target temperature from the main control unit 101. The crimping control unit 630 can also change the rotation speed of the motor 634 by receiving a target speed of the recording material S to be transported from the main control unit 101.

[0049] <Pressure-sensitive printed material creation process> Next, the pressure-sensitive printed material creation process of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, and with reference to Figures 3 to 4(b). The pressure-sensitive printed material creation process of this embodiment relates to the creation of a pressure-sensitive printed material by folding it in half, and is started by the main control unit 101 when, for example, the operation unit 700 inputs the start of an "image forming job".

[0050] As shown in Figure 3, the main control unit 101 determines whether or not to perform a folded and crimped process on the recording material S to create a crimped print (S101). Whether or not to perform the crimping process on the recording material S is determined as "perform" if the setting to create a crimped print is configured as described above, and as "do not perform" if the setting to create a crimped print is not configured. If the crimping process is not performed on the recording material S (No. in S101), the main control unit 101 uses the image forming apparatus 100 to form a toner image on the recording material S based on the image data (S102). In this case, if the image forming job is "double-sided printing", a toner image is formed on both sides of the recording material S, and if the image forming job is "single-sided printing", a toner image is formed on one side of the recording material S. However, after image formation, the crimping process is not performed on the recording material S by the crimping apparatus 200 (no crimping). Therefore, the recording material S with toner images formed on both sides or one side is simply output, and a crimped print is not created.

[0051] If a folding and crimping process is to be performed on the recording material S (Yes in S101), the main control unit 101 determines whether the image forming job is "double-sided printing" or not (S103). If the image forming job is not "double-sided printing" (No in S103), the main control unit 101 jumps to the process in step S106. In step S106, the main control unit 101 uses the image forming apparatus 100 to form a toner image on one side of the recording material S based on the image data, and also uses the crimping apparatus 200 to perform the crimping process (S106). In other words, a crimped print is created.

[0052] On the other hand, if the image forming job is "double-sided printing" (Yes in S103), the main control unit 101 displays an "image selection screen" on the operation unit 700 and accepts the selection of the bonding surface (information regarding the adhesive layer) according to the user's operation of the operation unit 700 (S104). If a bonding surface has been selected, in this embodiment, the main control unit 101 changes the toner image formation order based on the image data so that the second toner image is formed on either the surface on which the first toner image is formed or the surface on which the second toner image is formed, which was selected as the bonding surface (S105). Then, the main control unit 101 forms toner images on both sides of the recording material S using the image forming apparatus 100 based on the toner image formation order set in step S105, and performs the bonding process using the bonding apparatus 200 (S106). In other words, a bonded print is created. Here, if step S103 is Yes, the image forming job is "double-sided printing", so toner images are formed on both sides of the recording material S. However, depending on the user's selection of the crimping surface in step S104 above, the order in which toner images are formed on the recording material S is reversed relative to the image data, so that the toner image formed on the folded surface (crimping surface) of the recording material S is formed on the second surface relative to the recording material S. In other words, depending on the user's selection of the crimping surface, the formation order of the toner image formed on the first surface (the surface on which the toner image is formed the first time, and on which the toner image passes through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 twice) and the toner image formed on the second surface (the surface on which the toner image is formed the second time, and on which the toner image passes through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 once) is changed as defined in the image data. In this way, the amount of wax contained in the toner precipitated on the toner image formed on the crimping surface is suppressed in this embodiment. The details are described below.

[0053] Figure 4(a) shows an "image selection screen" that allows the user to select the crimping surface of the recording material S in step S104 described above, and Figure 4(b) shows a display screen for the toner image to be formed on the crimping surface selected by the "image selection screen". As shown in Figure 4(a), the "image selection screen" displays side by side the first toner image "A" which is specified in the image data to be formed on the first surface, and the second toner image "B" which is specified in the image data to be formed on the second surface. The user can select either the surface on the "image selection screen" where the first toner image "A" is formed or the surface where the second toner image "B" is formed as the crimping surface (the side with the valley fold).

[0054] The toner image formed on the surface selected as the crimping surface via the "Image Selection Screen" is displayed on the "Toner Image Display Screen," as shown in Figure 4(b). The "Toner Image Display Screen" shown in Figure 4(b) displays a "Apply Settings" button. When the user presses the "Apply Settings" button, the toner image displayed on the "Toner Image Display Screen" is set as the toner image to be formed on the crimping surface. In the example shown in Figure 4(b), the first toner image "A" is set.

[0055] In this embodiment, the formation order of the first toner image "A" and the second toner image "B" based on the image data is changed so that the first toner image "A," which is set as the toner image to be formed on the crimping surface, is formed after the second toner image "B" is formed on the recording material S. In the example shown here, the image data specifies that the first toner image "A" is formed on the first surface and the second toner image "B" is formed on the second surface. This formation order is changed to form the first toner image "A" on the second surface and the second toner image "B" on the first surface, according to the user instruction in step S104 above.

[0056] <Adhesion Evaluation> The inventors conducted experiments to evaluate the adhesion between the UV varnish and the toner image by changing the formation order of the toner image as described above. In the experiments, the recording material S was "Hokuetsu Package Co., Ltd. Coated Cardboard 270g / m²". 2Using this method, the toner usage was 1.2 mg / cm² at a process speed of 464 mm / s. 2 The toner image was formed on the recording material S in such a manner and then fixed using a fixing device. The melting point of the wax contained in the toner used was 77°C, and the toner softening point was 104°C.

[0057] Then, when the fixing roller that heats the recording material S is at "185°C", the recording material S was passed through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8. The recording material S was passed through the fixing device 8 in two ways: "two passes" assuming the first side of double-sided printing, and "one pass" assuming the second side of double-sided printing. "Two passes" is when the recording material S is passed through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 a total of two times, with the toner image forming surface facing the fixing roller side on the first pass and the inverted toner image forming surface facing the pressure roller side on the second pass. "One pass" is when the recording material S is passed through the fixing device only once, with the toner image in contact with the fixing roller.

[0058] After fixing the toner image under the above conditions, a varnish coating was applied using a bar coater with "UV VECTA Coat Varnish PC-3kW2 (manufactured by T&K)" to a thickness of "5 μm". Subsequently, the integrated light intensity on the toner image formation surface was measured using a high-pressure mercury lamp to "120-130 mJ / cm²". 2 The varnish was hardened by irradiating it with ultraviolet light to achieve the desired result.

[0059] The adhesion between the UV varnish and the toner image was evaluated using the scratch hardness test (pencil method), which is standardized in "JIS K5600-5-4". Figure 5 shows the results of the scratch hardness test used to evaluate the adhesion of the coating to the toner image in the above experiment. The vertical axis represents the 10 levels of pencil hardness from B10 to B1, with B10 being "1" and B1 being "10". "3B" and "6B", which are indicated in the graphs for "single pass" and "double pass" described above, represent the pencil hardness that withstood the scratch test.

[0060] As can be seen from the results shown in Figure 5, the level of adhesion is better with "one pass of paper" than with "two passes of paper". Therefore, when creating a folded pressure-sealed printed material, if the pressure-sealed surface is on the second side, the adhesion between the UV varnish and the toner image can be improved compared to if the pressure-sealed surface is on the first side.

[0061] As described above, in this embodiment, in the double-sided image forming mode, the user can select from the operation unit 700 the image to be formed on the surface of the recording material S which will be the bonding surface. As a result, when forming images on both sides of the recording material S and performing a bonding process, the toner image selected as the bonding surface is formed on the second surface.

[0062] As described above, the toner image formed on one side of the recording material S passes through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 twice, while the toner image formed on the second side passes through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 once. When the toner image passes through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 twice, the heating time by the fixing device 8 is longer compared to when it passes through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 once, making it easier for the wax contained in the toner to precipitate on the surface. Therefore, when applying varnish to the toner image formed on the first side of the recording material S, the adhesion of the varnish to the toner image is not as good as when applying varnish to the toner image formed on the second side of the recording material S.

[0063] Normally, when two recording materials S, folded in a valley fold, are overlapped at their opposing surfaces (called the bonding surfaces) and pseudo-bonded with varnish, the varnished layers are pseudo-bonded to each other. When these varnished layers peel off, the toner image formed in the layer below the varnished layer becomes visible. However, if the adhesion between the varnish and the toner image is poor, the varnished bonding layers do not peel off from each other, and unintended delamination may occur between the varnished layer and the layer where the toner image is formed.

[0064] Therefore, in this embodiment, when a recording material S on which toner images are formed on both sides is folded in half (valley fold, V-fold) so that the varnished surfaces face each other, the amount of wax precipitated from the toner image formed on the pressure surface can be suppressed by forming the toner image on the second surface of the recording material S. This improves the adhesion between the varnish and the toner image, and prevents unintended delamination from occurring between the varnished layer and the layer on which the toner image is formed.

[0065] In the embodiment described above, the system is configured to accept the selection of a crimping surface in response to the user's operation of the operation unit 700. However, the main control unit 101 may select the crimping surface and control the system so that the crimping surface is formed on the second surface of the recording material S. For example, the system may detect the address side based on the input image data and perform the above-described control on the side where the address side was to be detected as the crimping surface.

[0066] In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which a varnish coating device 300 (varnish coater) using an ultraviolet-curing varnish (UV varnish) was used to pseudo-bond the recording material S. However, the invention is not limited to this, and a film supply device using an adhesive film may also be used. Figure 6 shows an image forming system 1XA employing a film supply device 800. In Figure 6, components similar to those in the image forming system 1X shown in Figure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are simplified or omitted.

[0067] <Film supply device> As shown in Figure 6, unlike the image forming system 1X (see Figure 1) described above, the image forming system 1XA is equipped with a crimping device 200A which includes a folding device 400, a film supply device 800, and a crimping device 600. Specifically, the crimping device 200A has a folding device 400 that folds the image-formed recording material S, a film supply device 800 that supplies a heat-sensitive adhesive film F to the inside of the folded recording material S, and a crimping device 600 that applies heat and pressure to the folded recording material S. The varnish coating device 300 (see Figure 1) receives the recording material S from the image forming device 100 and transports it toward the folding device 400, while the film supply device 800 receives the recording material S from the folding device 400 and transports it toward the crimping device 600.

[0068] The film supply device 800, as a supply unit, includes a film supply control unit 830, film rolls 801a and 801b around which the adhesive film F is wound, and a film supply unit 850 that supplies the adhesive film F to the recording material S. The film supply control unit 830 mainly controls the film supply unit 850. The adhesive film F is, for example, formed by applying heat and pressure to the front and back surfaces of two bonded transparent films to create an adhesive layer.

[0069] The long adhesive film F wound around film rolls 801a and 801b is supplied sequentially along predetermined film supply paths 802a and 802b. When the tri-folded recording material S reaches the intersection 804a and 804b between the transport path 803 and the film supply paths 802a and 802b, the adhesive film F is supplied so as to be sandwiched between the recording material S. Subsequently, the adhesive film F is cut to the desired dimensions by the cutting member 805. On the other hand, when the bi-folded recording material S reaches the intersection 804a between the transport path 803 and the film supply path 802a, the adhesive film F is supplied so as to be sandwiched between the recording material S. Subsequently, the adhesive film F is cut to the desired dimensions by the cutting member 805.

[0070] The first embodiment described above can also be applied to an image forming system 1XA having a crimping device 200A that crimps a recording material S using an adhesive film F.

[0071] [Second Embodiment] Next, the pressure-sensitive printed material creation process of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, and with reference to Figures 7 to 11. The pressure-sensitive printed material creation process of this embodiment relates to the creation of a pressure-sensitive printed material by folding it into three, and is started by the main control unit 101 when, for example, the operation unit 700 inputs the start of an "image forming job". In the following description, the explanation of processes similar to the pressure-sensitive printed material creation process of the first embodiment (see Figure 3) described above will be simplified or omitted.

[0072] As shown in Figure 7, the main control unit 101 determines whether or not to perform a tri-fold crimping process on the recording material S to create a crimped print (S301). If the tri-fold crimping process is not performed on the recording material S (No. in S301), the main control unit 101 uses the image forming apparatus 100 to form a toner image on the recording material S based on the image data (S302). In this case, a toner image is formed on both sides of the recording material S, but after image formation, the crimping process is not performed on the recording material S by the crimping apparatus 200 (no crimping). Therefore, the recording material S with toner images formed on both sides is simply output, and no crimped print is created.

[0073] When a three-fold crimping process is performed on the recording material S (Yes in S301), the main control unit 101 acquires the amount of toner used for the first toner image formed on the first crimping surface and the amount of toner used for the second toner image formed on the second crimping surface, based on the image data (S303). Here, the first crimping surface is the first opposing surface where the first surfaces (surfaces on which the toner image is formed the first time) that are valley-folded when the recording material is folded into a Z shape face each other. The second crimping surface is the second opposing surface where the second surfaces (surfaces on which the toner image is formed the second time) that are valley-folded when the recording material is folded into a Z shape face each other. These first and second crimping surfaces are included as crimping surface data in the image data input to the main control unit 101. Based on the image data, the main control unit 101 can acquire the amount of toner used in the area of ​​the first crimping surface and the amount of toner used in the area of ​​the second crimping surface by counting the video count obtained by integrating the output levels of the pixel signals on the first and second crimping surfaces for each pixel. Note that the area of ​​the first crimping surface and the area of ​​the second crimping surface are the same.

[0074] The main control unit 101 changes the formation order of the first and second toner images based on the image data so that the toner used by the second toner image is formed on the second surface (S304). Then, based on the toner image formation order set in step S304, the main control unit 101 forms toner images on both sides of the recording material S using the image forming apparatus 100 and performs crimping using the crimping apparatus 200 (S305). In other words, a crimped print is created. In this case, since the image forming job is "double-sided printing", toner images are formed on both sides of the recording material S. However, if a toner image to be formed on the crimping surface of the recording material S is specified, the specified toner image is formed on the folded surface of the recording material S (i.e., the crimping surface). In this case, in order to suppress the amount of wax contained in the toner precipitated from the toner image formed on the crimping surface, the formation order of the toner images to be formed on the first and second surfaces as defined in the image data is changed. The details will be explained below.

[0075] Furthermore, the pressure-pressed printing process of the second embodiment described above is applicable whether the pressure-pressing device uses varnish to press the recording material or uses adhesive film F to press the recording material S. The following description will focus on the case where the adhesive film F is used to perform a three-fold pressure-pressing process on the recording material S.

[0076] The changes in the formation order of the toner images described above will be explained in detail with examples. Figures 8(a) and 8(b) show the first example, Figures 9(a) and 9(b) show the second example, and Figures 10(a) and 10(b) show the third example. In these figures, Figures 8(a), 9(a), and 10(a) show toner images defined to be formed on the first surface of the recording material S based on image data, while Figures 8(b), 9(b), and 10(b) show toner images defined to be formed on the second surface of the recording material S based on image data.

[0077] In the case of a three-fold form of a pressure-sensitive postcard, as shown in Figure 8(a), when viewed from the first side, a mountain fold is made at the position of fold a between the first region 501 and the second region 502, and a valley fold is made at the position of fold b (the first fold) between the second region 502 and the third region 503. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 8(b), when viewed from the second side, fold a' (the second fold) on the back of fold a becomes a valley fold, and fold b' on the back of fold b becomes a mountain fold. Fold a' is located between the fourth region 504 and the fifth region 505 as shown in the figure, and fold b' is located between the fifth region 505 and the sixth region 506 as shown in the figure. In this embodiment, a heat-sensitive first adhesive film is supplied to the first inner surface that is folded and overlapped at the first fold, and a heat-sensitive second adhesive film is supplied to the second inner surface that is folded and overlapped at the second fold.

[0078] Furthermore, in the case of a tri-fold postcard, one of the three areas (501, 502, 503) on the first side is not crimped, and the other two areas are crimped. The same applies to the three areas (504, 505, 506) on the second side. In the case of a crimped postcard, the first side, as shown in Figure 8(a), often contains the address and other information. If the crimped areas on the first side, as shown in Figure 8(a), are the second area 502 and the third area 503, then the crimped areas on the second side, as shown in Figure 8(b), are the fourth area 504 and the fifth area 505. In addition to information about the toner image formed on these crimped areas, the image data may also include information about the toner image formed on the non-crimped areas.

[0079] In this embodiment, as described above, the amount of toner used in the first inner surface (502, 503) on one side and the amount of toner used in the second inner surface (504, 505) on the second side are used to determine which side is the first, and the side with the larger toner usage is used to determine which side is the second, and double-sided printing is performed. In the first example, the amount of toner used in the second area 502 is equal to the amount of toner used in the third area 503, and the amount of toner used in the fourth area 504 is equal to the amount of toner used in the fifth area 505. Furthermore, regarding the amount of toner used determined based on image data, the order is "second area 502 + third area 503 (first inner surface) > fourth area 504 + fifth area 505 (second inner surface) > sixth area 506 > first area 501".

[0080] As described above, the amount of toner used in "second area 502 + third area 503 (first inner surface)" is greater than the amount of toner used in "fourth area 504 + fifth area 505 (second inner surface)". Therefore, the toner image shown in Figure 8(a), which was specified to be formed on the first surface based on the image data, is formed on the second surface of the recording material S, and the toner image shown in Figure 8(b), which was specified to be formed on the second surface based on the image data, is used as the first surface of the recording material S for double-sided printing. In other words, the toner image shown in Figure 8(b) is formed on the first surface of the recording material S, and then the toner image shown in Figure 8(a) is formed on the second surface of the recording material S, in the reverse order of the formation order specified in the image data. In other words, in the first example, the formation order specified in the image data is changed, the toner image formed on the second surface in Figure 8(a) passes through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 once, and the toner image formed on the first surface in Figure 8(b) passes through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 once.

[0081] In the second example shown in Figures 9(a) and 9(b), the toner usage in the second region 702, the third region 703, and the fourth region 704 are equal. Also, the toner usage in the fifth region 705 and the sixth region 706 are equal. Furthermore, regarding the toner usage determined based on the image data, the order is "fourth region 704 + fifth region 705 (second inner surface) > sixth region 706 > second region 702 + third region 703 (first inner surface) > first region 701".

[0082] As described above, the amount of toner used in "area 4 704 + area 5 705 (second inner surface)" is greater than the amount of toner used in "area 2 702 + area 3 703 (first inner surface)". Therefore, in the second example, based on the image data, the toner image shown in Figure 9(a), which was specified to be formed on the first surface, is formed on the first surface of the recording material S, and the toner image shown in Figure 9(b), which was specified to be formed on the second surface based on the image data, is printed on both sides of the recording material S. In other words, following the formation order specified in the image data, the toner image shown in Figure 9(a) is formed on the first surface, and then the toner image shown in Figure 9(b) is formed on the second surface. In the second example, the toner image formed on the first surface in Figure 9(a) passes through the fixing nip section of the fixing device 8 twice, and the toner image formed on the second surface in Figure 9(b) passes through the fixing nip section of the fixing device 8 once.

[0083] In the third example shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b), the toner usage in the second region 902, the third region 903, the fourth region 904, and the sixth region 906 are equal. Also, the toner usage in the first region 901 and the sixth region 906 are equal. Furthermore, the total toner usage for the first surface shown in Figure 10(a) is equal to the total toner usage for the second surface shown in Figure 10(b). However, regarding the toner usage determined based on image data, the order is "fourth region 904 + fifth region 905 (second inner surface) > first region 901 > second region 902 + third region 903 (first inner surface) > sixth region 906".

[0084] As described above, in the third example, the amount of toner used for the toner image shown in Figure 10(a), which is the first side of the image data, is equal to the amount of toner used for the toner image shown in Figure 10(b), which is the second side of the image data. However, the amount of toner used in "region 4 904 + region 5 905 (second inner surface)" is greater than the amount of toner used in "region 2 902 + region 3 903 (first inner surface)". Therefore, in the third example, based on the image data, the toner image shown in Figure 10(a), which is the toner image specified to be formed on the first side, is printed on the first side of the recording material S, and the toner image shown in Figure 10(b), which is the toner image specified to be formed on the second side, is printed on the second side of the recording material S. In other words, following the formation order specified in the image data, the toner image shown in Figure 10(a) is formed on the first side of the recording material S, and then the toner image shown in Figure 10(b) is formed on the second side of the recording material S. In the third example, the toner image formed on the first surface in Figure 10(a) passes through the fuser nip section of the fuser unit 8 twice, and the toner image formed on the second surface in Figure 10(b) passes through the fuser nip section of the fuser unit 8 once.

[0085] As described above, in this embodiment, in order to suppress the decrease in adhesive strength on the pressure-sensitive surface of the pressure-sensitive postcard, the toner image of the side with the larger toner usage between the first and second pressure-sensitive surfaces is formed on the second surface. This is because the wax used as a release agent is more likely to precipitate on the surface due to heat in the toner image with a larger toner usage, and by forming the toner image with a larger toner usage on the second surface, the decrease in adhesion between the UV varnish and the toner image is suppressed.

[0086] <Adhesion Evaluation> The inventors conducted experiments to evaluate the adhesion between UV varnish and toner image according to the amount of toner used. In the experiments, the recording material S was "Hokuetsu Package Co., Ltd. Coated Cardboard 270g / m²". 2 Using this method, the toner usage was 1.2 mg / cm² at a process speed of 464 mm / s. 2 The toner image was formed on the recording material S in such a manner and then fixed using a fixing device. The melting point of the wax contained in the toner used was 77°C, and the toner softening point was 104°C.

[0087] Then, when the fixing roller that heats the recording material S was at "180°C", the recording material S was passed through the fixing device. After fixing the toner image, "UV VECTA Coat Varnish PC-3kW2 (manufactured by T&K)" was applied to a thickness of "5 μm" using a bar coater. After that, the integrated light intensity of the toner image forming surface was measured using a high-pressure mercury lamp at "120~130 mJ / cm²". 2 The varnish was hardened by irradiating it with ultraviolet light to achieve the desired result.

[0088] The adhesion between the UV varnish and the toner image was evaluated using the scratch hardness test (pencil method), which is standardized in "JIS K5600-5-4". Figure 11 shows the results of the scratch hardness test used to evaluate the adhesion of the coating to the toner image in the above experiment. The vertical axis represents the 22 pencil hardness levels from B10 to H10, with "1" representing pencil B10 and "22" representing pencil H10.

[0089] As can be seen from the results shown in Figure 11, the level of adhesion decreases as the amount of toner applied, or toner used, increases. Furthermore, as shown in the adhesion evaluation results above (see Figure 5), it has been found that even in the case of tri-folding, the level of adhesion is better with "one pass of paper" than with "two passes of paper," just as in the case of bi-folding.

[0090] Thus, in the second embodiment, by forming a toner image with a large amount of toner on the second surface and then applying pressure, the amount of wax precipitation from the toner on the pressure-bonded surface is suppressed compared to the case where a toner image with a large amount of toner is formed on the first surface. This is for the following reasons: The wax contained in the toner precipitates on the surface as heat is applied, making it difficult to ensure adhesion with varnish or adhesive film on the pressure-bonded surface. Furthermore, as described above, the toner image formed on the first surface passes through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 twice, so the amount of wax precipitation from the toner due to the heat of the fixing device 8 increases compared to the case where it passes through the fixing nip of the fixing device 8 once. Therefore, if a toner image with a large amount of toner is formed on the first surface of the recording material S, the amount of wax precipitation from the toner will increase even further, and adhesion between the adhesive layer such as varnish or film and the toner image will not be ensured on the first pressure-bonded surface of the first surface, making unintended delamination of the recording material S more likely.

[0091] Therefore, in view of the above points, in the second embodiment, a toner image with a large amount of toner usage, resulting in a larger amount of wax precipitation, is formed on the second surface. The toner image formed on the second surface passes through the fixing nip section of the fixing device 8 only once, which suppresses the amount of wax precipitation from the toner compared to when it passes through twice. In this way, by forming a toner image with a small amount of toner usage on the first surface and reducing the amount of toner used, the amount of wax precipitation from the toner can be suppressed on the first pressure surface on the first surface. Furthermore, by forming a toner image with a large amount of toner usage on the second surface and not passing through the fixing nip section of the fixing device 8 twice, the amount of wax precipitation from the toner can be suppressed on the second pressure surface on the second surface. This improves the adhesion between the adhesive film and the toner image.

[0092] As described above, in this embodiment, when a recording material S on which toner images are formed on both sides is folded into three (Z-fold) so that the varnished surfaces face each other, the toner image that uses a larger amount of toner is formed on the second surface of the recording material S, among the toner images formed on the front and back pressure surfaces, thereby suppressing the amount of wax precipitated from the toner image formed on the pressure surface. This improves the adhesion between the varnish and the toner image, and prevents unintended delamination from occurring between the varnished layer and the layer on which the toner image is formed.

[0093] In this embodiment, a configuration is shown that includes information on which surface to use as the crimping surface based on image data, but the system is not limited to this configuration. For example, as in the first embodiment, the crimping surface may be selected based on settings from the user via the operation unit 700, etc. Alternatively, the main control unit 101 may select the crimping surface and control the system so that the crimping surface is formed on the second surface of the recording material S. For example, the address side may be detected based on the input image data, and the side that was detected as the address side may be used as the crimping surface, and the above-described control may be executed.

[0094] [Other embodiments] Furthermore, as long as the configuration is such that the pressure-sensitive printed material creation process described above is performed, the control unit that controls the image forming system 1X (1XA) may be located in any housing. For example, the control unit that controls the entire image forming system 1X (1XA) may be the main control unit 101 or an external controller as described above, or it may be located inside any of the devices of the pressure-sensitive printing apparatus 200, and the configuration may be such that the pressure-sensitive printed material creation process described above (Figures 3 and 7) is performed.

[0095] In the embodiment described above, an image forming system 1X was shown as an example in which the crimping device 200 is connected to the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 as a separate housing. However, the crimping device 200 may be provided inside the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 (within the same housing). In that case, the main control unit 101 also operates as the varnish processing control unit 330 (or film supply control unit 830), folding processing control unit 430, and crimping processing control unit 630 described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1X (1XA)...Image forming system, 8...Fixing unit (fixing device), 100...Image forming apparatus, 101...Control unit (main control unit), 150...Image forming unit, 200...Crimping unit (crimping device), 300...Coating unit (varnish coating device), 305...Irradiation unit (drying unit), 400...Folding unit (folding device), 600...Crimping unit (crimping device), 700...Input unit (operation unit), 710...Display unit (liquid crystal display unit), 800...Supply unit (film supply device), F...Adhesive film, S...Recording material

Claims

1. An image forming unit that uses wax-containing toner to form an image on a first surface of a recording material, fixes the image on the first surface of the recording material with a fuser, uses wax-containing toner to form an image on a second surface of the recording material opposite to the first surface, and fixes the image on the second surface of the recording material with a fuser, A coating unit for applying adhesive to the second surface of the recording material, A folding unit that folds the recording material in half so that the second surface to which the adhesive has been applied by the coating unit becomes the inner surface, A crimping unit for crimping the aforementioned recording material which has been folded in half, A selection unit for selecting an image to be formed on the second surface of the recording material, It includes a control unit, The control unit, when causing the image forming unit to form the first image and the second image, If the selection unit selects to form the first image on the second surface, the image forming unit is controlled such that the first image is formed on the inner surface of the folded recording material and the second image is formed on the outer surface of the folded recording material. If the selection unit selects to form the second image on the second surface, the image forming unit is controlled such that the second image is formed on the inner surface of the folded recording material and the first image is formed on the outer surface of the folded recording material. The control unit is The recording material is transported to the image forming unit, the image forming unit forms an image on the first surface of the recording material, and the image is fixed to the recording material by passing the recording material with the image formed on the first surface through the fuser. The recording material on which the image has been formed on the first surface is transported back to the image forming unit without being transported to the coating unit, the image forming unit is used to form an image on the second surface of the recording material, and the recording material on which images have been formed on the first and second surfaces is passed through the fuser again to fix the image to the recording material. The recording material on which the image is formed on the second surface is transported to the coating unit, and the coating unit is instructed to apply adhesive to the second surface of the recording material without applying adhesive to the first surface. The recording material, on which adhesive has been applied to the second surface, is transported to the folding unit, and the folding unit folds the recording material in half so that the second surface becomes the inner surface. The folded recording material is transported to the crimping unit, and the recording material is crimped to the crimping unit. An image forming system characterized by the following features.

2. The coating unit applies varnish as the adhesive to the second surface of the recording material, The system further comprises an irradiation unit that irradiates ultraviolet light onto the varnish applied to the second surface of the recording material by the coating unit, The folding unit folds the recording material in half so that the second surface to which varnish has been applied by the coating unit becomes the inner surface of the folded recording material. The crimping unit applies heat and pressure to the folded recording material to crimp it. The image forming system according to claim 1.

3. The present invention further comprises a supply unit that supplies a heat-sensitive adhesive film as the adhesive to the inner surface of the recording material folded by the folding unit, The crimping unit applies heat and pressure to the folded recording material to crimp it. The image forming system according to claim 1.

4. The selection unit allows the user to input information specifying the surface of the recording material that will be the inner surface of the folded recording material, The control unit causes the image forming unit to form the first image and the second image based on the input information. The image forming system according to claim 1.

5. The selection unit includes a display unit capable of displaying a first button corresponding to the first surface and a second button corresponding to the second surface, An image corresponding to either the first button or the second button selected by the user is formed on the second surface. The image forming system according to claim 1.

Images