Printable coplanar laminates and method of making same

A sheetstock for preparing business forms including die-cut identification cards, labels, wrist bands, return envelope mailers, and loose leaf index tabs, which may be imprinted with various types of computerized imaging equipment including, but not limited to, impact printing, hot and cold cut-sheet and continuous form laser (electrophotography) printing, thermal transfer printing, ion deposition printing, magnetic printing (magnetographic), ink jet printing, and LED (light emitting diode) printing. The sheetstock includes various types and configuration of laminates including imprintable plastic or paper adhered to a portion of the sheetstock. The laminate portion is adhered to the core sheet or die cut in such a way as to define one or more die-cut identification cards, labels, wrist bands, return envelope mailers, and loose leaf index tabs. The remainder of the sheetstock includes a second layer of paper adhered thereto which allows the sheetstock to feed through a laser printer feed tray. Alternatively, the core sheet is indented to allow for the added thickness of the adhesive and plastic layers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to paper and plastic composite constructions useful 
in forming die-cut identification cards, labels, wrist bands, return 
envelope mailers, and loose leaf index tabs with various types of 
computerized imaging equipment. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Many companies desire to have various composite constructions combining 
paper, adhesives, release liners, coatings and plastics to form 
identification cards, labels, index tabs, return envelope mailers and 
wrist bands to be marked with high quality images such as those available 
by utilizing various types of impact and non-impact imaging technologies. 
Many imaging, inserting, and printing machines require sheetstock of a 
designated size and specification such as flat, 8.5" by 11" paper. 
However, many applications require only a small amount of materials to be 
imaged and distributed, such as an identification card, label, wrist band, 
index tab or return envelope mailer. In addition, many applications desire 
a letter made from paper to be attached to the composite and a means to 
separate the composite from the core sheet paper letter portion easily and 
a construction so the composite is made for the application's 
requirements. Many companies desire a cost effective means to use various 
forms in inserting equipment and mail various composite materials built 
into the forms which requires a sheetstock of a size and construction 
compatible with various automated machinery. 
The problems with previous constructions for sheetstocks being constructed 
with more than one material of unequal size for imaging, printing and 
inserting had many of the following problems associate with their 
manufacture and use A thickness buildup in the sheetstock caused uneven 
stacking when placed in a pad one on top of another or when wound in a 
roll or placed in a carton causing many problems for infeed and outfeed 
devices in many types of laser printers, the sheetstock could not be 
placed in one tray of a multiple tray imaging or inserting machine 
allowing the sheetstock to be printed in the same print stream with other 
document so that imaging, matching and collating could be done with other 
documents using an automated means, the cards fell off of the paper form 
carriers due to non-coplanar thickness differences that could get snagged 
in the printers and due to their means of attachment to the carrier sheet, 
the grain direction of the finished sheetstock may have been long grain 
which creates more difficult folding in inserting equipment, unnecessary 
laminate material on the sheetstock that has two layers of equal size 
adhered together may unnecessarily increase the mailing weight and also 
cost of the sheetstock, more sheetstock bulk created shorter computer runs 
and more labor intensive processing in a imaging machine before having to 
reload the machine and also creates wasted storage and shipping costs, 
envelopes and mechanized inserting equipment may have been difficult if 
not impossible to be used due to the sheetstock being non-coplanar, it was 
difficult to create a self mailer by folding the form and sealing it, high 
quality bar codes, graphics, text and pictures were difficult to be imaged 
on the entire sheetstock due to uneven thickness causing feeding problems 
and the synchronization of the printer being thrown off, low cost 
personalized paper letters may not have been easily made with two sheets 
of equal sized adhered materials, imaging on two sides of a sheetstock was 
difficult if not impossible to accomplish, the card or other end products 
is often more thick and made from only one material that provides for a 
flimsy card, cards made from 10 mils of an inch of solid plastic are 
environmentally wasteful and more expensive, the printing on top of the 
card is not protected by a plastic layer, the cards had difficulty being 
marked with high quality images, the cards were often adhered to a carrier 
sheet slowly and inaccurately, the card and carrier form had to be printed 
and adhered together forming the sheetstock in two passes of a press, and 
the laminate may not have been as readily separable from the sheetstock 
for the application in mind. 
Various types of die-cut identification cards, labels, wrist bands, return 
envelope mailers, and loose leaf index, tabs have been in existence which 
were limited to imprinting techniques such as hand writing or impact 
printing (where a hammer in the shape of a character strikes an inked 
ribbon which then places a mark on the desired material being fed through 
the printer) that can mark characters on the materials desired. These 
imprinting methods are limited as to the quality of characters they can 
mark on various documents and in the case with fixed character impact 
printers, the direction in which they could image in relation to the paper 
web path which is at a 90 degree angle to the web. 
Due to their construction, some printers including, but not limited to, 
impact and dot matrix impact printers, hot and cold cut sheet form and 
continuous form laser (electrophotography), thermal, thermal transfer, ion 
deposition, magnetic printing (magnetographic), ink jet, and LED (light 
emitting diode) and photo-copiers are finicky and are often unable to 
handle varying thicknesses of paper or other materials on the same sheet. 
In addition, many commercial color printing presses have the same problems 
in dealing with non-coplanar sheetstock. 
Many companies wish to send plastic identification cards to their customers 
along with a cover letter of paper or other information on paper. Previous 
attempts to use the printers already described to image identification 
cards have failed to produce acceptable paper pages bearing plastic 
die-cut identification cards. 
Many new impact and non-impact printers have less paper thickness handling 
capability. Several types of "non-impact" printers are extremely finicky 
in the types of materials they can handle and have unique requirements for 
the materials being fed through them for imaging in order for the material 
to feed and travel through the printer successfully and create a quality 
image on the desired material. Thus, in the past, various types of forms 
that have additional materials adhered on top of the core sheet, such as 
die-cut identification cards, labels, wrist bands, return envelope 
mailers, and loose leaf index tabs may not feed and image well, if at all, 
in many types of printers. New advances in computer printers and software 
also allow for imaging information in a variety of directions in relation 
to the sheetstock traveling through them. 
Xerox and other laser printer manufacturers' specifications use primarily, 
if not only, long grain cut sheet paper which makes manufacturing some 
types of business forms constructions difficult, if not impossible to 
produce. In particular, if the application requires cards to be placed at 
the bottom portion of an 8.5 by 11" portrait style sheetstock in order to 
allow for as much of the sheetstock's paper to be imaged as a traditional 
letter to go with the identification cards at the bottom of the 
sheetstock. This is because most, if not all paper only comes on a web 
from the paper mill in a grain long direction. Thus, when the web is 
unwound as when run through a rotary printing press, if additional webs 
are to be unwound, indented with a roller and adhered to the core web and 
cut in a "portrait" dimension, which may be 8.5" wide and 11" or 14" long 
as is common with many cut sheet laser printers, and the laminates are 
desired to be adhered to the sheet in the short direction of the 
sheetstock to allow for as little plastic to be used as possible and 
easier folding in inserting equipment as the form is folded with the grain 
direction, and desires as much space as possible for a paper letter at the 
top, the grain direction can only be cut grain short contrary to Xerox and 
other laser printer specifications. 
As an example, to make the constructions described above with the 
sheetstock cut long grain, additional laminates would need to be 
synchronized with the moving web of paper and placed on top of and adhered 
to the web of paper during manufacture and then compressed into the sheet 
of paper by using a roller with a non-continuous knob on it instead of a 
continuous raised surface that would do the crushing. To dent only a 
portion of the sheet with a knob on it is possible but expensive to test, 
develop and consistently produce. This process may also have a tendency to 
wear out a press faster due to the great amount of pressure needed to 
compress paper sufficiently, and the bounce in the crushing roller the 
knob will create in the press. 
Previous methods for making identification cards, produced embossed plastic 
cards, tipped on plastic cards and plain paper cards. Embossed cards are 
relatively expensive to make. Plain paper cards are inexpensive; however, 
they are not long lasting and do not convey a polished image. The data 
image can be chipped off paper fibers. Also, the cards were not water and 
wear resistant. 
Plastic cards have been produced in which an impact printer, or cold fusion 
continuous form laser printer was used to mark a sheet of die-cut plastic, 
tipped-on plastic, plastic-coated paper and some full sheet plastic cards. 
Such impact printers and some cold fusion printers have relatively poor 
imaging ability and quality in particular when they are imaging on tipped 
on plastic identification cards. They have difficulty or are unable to 
form high quality bar codes, text and graphics on such cards and on the 
same card and paper sheet carrier to which it is adhered. This is because 
there are two different thicknesses to print on--the thickness of the 
paper carrier and where the combined thickness of the carrier and card is 
located. If the printer is adjusted for one thickness the printer does not 
image as well on the other thickness. Also, some forms and tipped on cards 
are thicker than the printers were designed to print, which can create 
problems such as cards snagging on equipment, jamming and cards falling 
off the carriers. Much computer operator inconvenience is created when 
cards fall off as the fallen off cards need to be accounted for, the 
software driving the printer reprogrammed with the fallen off card's data, 
and the cards reprinted Due to a thickness buildup because of the unequal 
sheetstock thickness, when fan folded or stacked on top of one another, as 
is commonly done, the pad of paper will develop an uneven thickness on one 
side. This lean of the pad can cause the paper forms to get a curl or 
memory in them when in storage for a long time and create wasted space 
when packaged, shipped and stored creating extra costs. Tipped on plastic 
cards adhered to paper sheets will have relatively few forms per unit of 
space due to their unnecessary bulk which will reduce the potential length 
of the computer printer run before the operator needs to load the next box 
of forms. As an example the combined thickness of many tipped on plastic 
cards is 10 mils and carriers are commonly 24 pound ledger which is 4.5 
mils and the adhesive may be 1 mil for a total thickness of 15.5 mils. 
This reduced length of computer runs can add unnecessary labor costs and 
inconvenience as computer operators prefer to set up the printer, let it 
run unattended and have to reload and reset the printer seldom. In 
addition, some 7 mil or 10 mil cards are rather flimsy because they may 
not use a layered composite combination of substrate and adhesives that 
can add stiffness to the card but are made from one material. Many persons 
do not carry identification cards in their wallets because such cards are 
thick. People often desire a thin card that takes less space in a wallet 
but is also durable. In addition, the adhesive holding, it in place must 
allow for the recipient to remove the card from the form but at the same 
time keep the form on the sheetstock which may create difficulties and 
aesthetic problems. Tipped on cards were also impossible to image on two 
sides with a computerized printer as the back side was adhered to a 
sheetstock of paper serving as a carrier to allow the form to be imaged in 
the printer. Tipped on plastic cards are usually approximately 0.010 of an 
inch of solid plastic that is expensive and uses petroleum based plastic. 
Tipped on plastic cards also contribute more plastic to the solid waste 
stream which is difficult to decompose. Some tipped on plastic cards have 
inks printed on top of the plastic material for graphics that can often be 
scratched off with use due to no plastic protective coatings of the inks. 
Tipped on cards were difficult if not impossible to run through cut sheet 
laser printers because of unequal thickness and non-coplanar surfaces. 
Previous tipped-on cards are adhered to a moving web of paper with a 
mechanical "tipping on" process during manufacture that can cause the 
cards to not be adhered exactly in the position desired. This can cause 
the data that is imaged on the form to be skewed in a position that is 
undesirable. Also, it is possible the tipping-on process can be much 
slower to manufacture than the inventor's process as tipping is slow and 
printing cards and carrier sheets must be printed independently and 
adhered together in a separate operation. 
It has been found that a sheet of flat paper bearing a plastic coated 
section with the plastic being of sufficient thickness to create a 
relatively stiff, durable card and shrink-resistant from the high heat of 
the laser printer with the die-cut cards will not properly feed in many 
printers. The paper feeding, paper transport, fusing systems, imaging 
systems, paper output and input and timing registration devices in many 
laser printers are extremely sensitive to variations in thickness and 
weight distribution of paper or plastic sheets. When a sheet of paper 
having a plastic-coated section with the plastic being of sufficient 
thickness to create a durable card and resist shrinking from the high heat 
of the laser printer is to be fed into a laser printer, the paper feeding 
and imaging process falls out of alignment, causing many of the images on 
the sheets to be misaligned and poorly imaged by the laser printer. In 
addition, the paper may jam in the machine and in the output hopper. 
Full coated or laminated sheetstock made entirely or substantially with 
plastic on areas other than the card are environmentally wasteful, cost 
more and cause greater recycling problems, and are difficult to fold and 
insert. 
Previous labels include those commonly known in the industry where a paper 
or plastic material is adhered on top of a similar sized material with a 
combination of layers of barrier coating such as a silicone release liner, 
and adhesives between the two materials After "kiss" die cutting, the 
label may be shaped and it can be peeled away from the release liner. Most 
labels of this type require that two equal sized full sheets of material 
be used which may be environmentally wasteful and expensive, in particular 
if the application does not require a full sheet of label material. There 
are also labels that are adhered on top of one portion to another sheet. 
There is also a "patching process" where the release liner or label is 
applied to a moving web with affixing equipment and then die-cut to the 
shape desired. The advantage of this patching product is the label and its 
release liner can be limited only to the area of the form desired for the 
label. However, as discussed earlier in this patent application, attaching 
materials to the top portion of a flat sheet of paper of greater surface 
area causes a thickness build up of the sheetstock and a stack of 
sheetstock creating the problems previously discussed when going through 
various printers. 
Previous methods for producing printed laminated tab cut index tabs 
included a method where a sheet of paper is printed and then a piece of 
plastic is then wrapped around the printed area and tab cut to the desired 
size as often used for a catalog or price book pages. Such product often 
required a two-step process where the sheet of paper was printed with 
traditional litho or flexo process and then run in tabbing equipment 
commonly available for tab cutting and adding plastic over the paper. This 
two step process could be an expensive process--especially in low 
quantities as set up charges for printing and laminating are expensive. 
Other problems with this process include potential slow turn around time, 
companies having to hire an outside vendor to perform the custom printing 
and laminating, and many additional costs such as potential obsolete 
inventory expense for out dated index tabs. The process to make print, 
laminate and cut the tabs to the desired shape could also be slow. In 
addition, it would be difficult to image with a computerized printer the 
balance of the sheet that is not the tab in laser printers or photocopiers 
because of the thickness buildup already discussed. 
Another process for making printed index tabs was to print separate labels 
and affix them by hand to a tab cut sheet of paper. Such labels are slow 
to apply and may not wrap all the way around the sheet of paper allowing 
for potential frayed edges and the label to come off. 
Previous methods for two way envelope mailer forms include sheetstocks of 
paper with one sheet of paper have an additional sheet of paper or plastic 
of lesser size adhered on top of a portion of it to form a pocket which 
creates a return envelope such as those made by the Transkrit Corporation 
and others. There is also a product featuring two sheets of substantially 
equal size paper being adhered together on top of a portion of the three 
sides of the sheetstocks to form a pocket creating an extra extended sheet 
above the envelope flap such as those made by the GlueFold Corporation. 
Sheetstock with one sheet of paper having an additional paper of lesser 
size adhered on top of a portion of it do not feed well through a 
non-impact printer and do not stack evenly when stacked in a pad placed 
one on top of the next as in a infeed hopper in many Xerox brand laser 
printers and most other printers or when placed in a shipping carton due 
to the uneven thickness of the form as previously described in this 
patent. Return envelope mailers with two equal sized sheets adhered on a 
portion of three sides may be awkward to open by the recipient, more 
expensive to produce because of slow press speeds and the difficulty of 
printing and gluing together in line in one pass, more paper may be used 
than is necessary to communicate the sender's information which is also 
environmentally wasteful, having a second sheet of paper can create 
confusion for the recipient trying to determine how to use the form, and 
the form can also create folding problems in machinery due to having to 
fold two sheets of paper in a "c fold" which causes the outside sheet to 
stretch a longer distance than the inside sheet and the inside sheet may 
also become wrinkled. This stretching and wrinkling can look aesthetically 
unattractive and damage the form and the data imaged on the sheet as the 
toner can chip off the paper when the paper is stretched or wrinkled. 
Many companies wish to send outgoing mailers capable of including a 
built-in return envelope and an outgoing form with or without data imaged 
on it and optionally a return remittance form with or without data on it 
using various computerized imaging technologies already mentioned. They 
also wish to avoid the waste and expense of buying and storing outgoing 
and return envelopes, having to match and insert personalized and 
non-personalized documents with traditional inserting equipment and wish 
to use as little paper as possible in their mailings due to expense and 
environmental waste. Because many dot matrix impact and non-impact 
printers can image high quality graphics, variable data text, and bar 
codes the user can order non-printed forms from the manufacturer and add 
the graphics desired with their own computerized imaging equipment and 
also add a Post Net bar code to both the outgoing and return address areas 
that reduces their mailing costs from the U.S. Postal Service and speeds 
mail delivery. 
Some companies may wish to have the envelope be translucent on one or 
optionally two sides, as an example a photo laboratory that wishes to put 
negatives inside an envelope but must be able to see the contents inside 
the envelope, or a jeweler wishing to do the same, or for a ring binder 
insert sheet for use in a presentation. 
Many hospitals and nursing homes wish to have wrist bands that can be 
imaged with high quality graphics, text and bar codes for easier 
identification. In addition, many airports wish to have a closed loop 
identification band that can be personalized by a laser printer and then 
adhered to itself or have a hole punched in it so that it can have a 
string placed through the hole to create a tag. Presently, no sheetstock 
is available that allows for an inexpensive means to produce such a wrist 
band or closed loop band in a table top laser printer. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The inventor's solution to the vexing problems of providing sheetstock that 
can be readily manufactured efficiently and processed in various types of 
high quality marking equipment, such as those previously described, and 
inserting machinery and can also be readily separable from a core sheet so 
that the composite is constructed for the application in mind is to 
provide various attachment means for two or more materials of non-equal 
size so that the two or more materials of unequal size forming the 
sheetstock have coplanar surfaces or functionally equivalent thicknesses 
and a also a means of constructing the composites and separating the 
desired portion of the composite laminate from the sheetstock and for the 
application desired. 
The inventor's constructions thus provides a solution to a variety problems 
that is preferable to those products previously available for the 
following reasons. The inventors card or other composites is often more 
thin, only 9.3 mils of and inch, but made from a composite construction of 
adhesives and laminates adhered in varying ways that provides more 
strength than many cards made from 7 to 10 mils of an inch of solid 
plastic, the cards are environmentally preferable and lower cost as only 2 
mils of plastic may be used compared to 7 or 10 mils, the printing is 
protected by a plastic layer, the card can have a high quality machine 
readable image made on it, the cards can be adhered to a carrier sheet 
accurately and fast, the card and carrier form can be printed and adhered 
together forming the sheetstock in one pass of a press, the forms stack 
evenly when placed in a pad one on top of another or when wound in a roll 
or placed in a carton, the personalized sheetstock can be placed in one 
tray of a multiple tray imaging or inserting machine allowing the sheet 
stock to be imaged, matched and collated with other documents in the same 
print stream using an automated means, the cards do not fall off of the 
carriers due to the unique coplanar or functionally equivalent thickness 
that do not snag in the printers, the grain direction of the finished 
sheetstock may be short grain which allows for easier folding and handling 
in inserting equipment, having as little laminated material on the 
sheetstock as possibly may reduce the mailing weight and cost of the 
sheetstock, less sheetstock bulk allows for more forms to be processed in 
a computer printer or inserter longer before having to reload the machine 
and also provides savings in storage and shipping, envelopes and 
traditional inserting may be eliminated by folding the form and sealing it 
to create as self-mailer, high quality bar codes, graphics, text and 
pictures can now be imaged on the entire sheetstock possibly reducing or 
eliminating the need for custom printing by an outside printer, low cost 
personalized paper letters can be easily attached to the laminated 
material desiring to be distributed, and the laminate is readily separable 
from the sheetstock and designed for the application in mind. 
The invention is directed to sheetstock that employ laminates added to a 
core sheet material with either one or more scab sheets superimposed on 
the top of the core sheet to offset the difference in thickness of a 
laminate providing functionally equivalent thicknesses or indented regions 
with laminates, adhesives, release coatings and separation aids in the 
recessed area which makes the sheetstock coplanar and provides an 
excellent flat surface to image by various imaging systems. The invention 
allows for the use of plastic and paper composites that can be imaged with 
a wide variety of imaging equipment. 
If the sheet is not entirely of one thickness it has been found that laser 
printers allow various non-coplanar materials to feed successfully if they 
are substantially of uniform thickness and there is an area that acts as a 
hinge to allow the paper to adjust in the printer. 
In addition to keeping the sheet stock flat for printer performance there 
are other benefits to keeping the sheet flat. If a thickness build up is 
allowed due to uneven thicknesses on a sheet when stacked in a pad as is 
common with fan folded continuous forms or cut sheet forms, the individual 
sheets may develop a curved memory as the adhesive sets up and moisture 
and weight effects the paper stock while it is stacked on top of itself. 
This curled "memory" in the sheet can cause problems in feeding, imaging, 
output, and inserting in addition to being unattractive to the end 
recipient. In addition, many companies desire to wind paper webs into 
large rolls to get longer run time than fan folded forms in cartons in 
their computer printer that increases throughput per unit of time and 
reduces labor costs. Forms of uneven thickness would "telescope" if wound 
on a roll and thus cause handling problems whereas a sheet stock of 
coplanar surfaces would lay even when wound on a roll. 
It has also been found many of these printers can successfully utilize 
papers cut short grain even with various adhesives, papers, and plastic 
laminates adhered to one or both sides even in Xerox brand and other cut 
sheet laser printer that specify long grain paper when a device called the 
X4 Transport inside the Xerox 8700 and 9700 family of laser printers is 
lifted approximately 1/16". This can be done by lifting the X4 Transport 
and inserting paper or magnets underneath the support posts- holding up 
the X4 Transport approximately 1/16" from its normal position. In 
particular, if the laminates are placed in an indented area on one or both 
sides of the core sheet or an additional material is added to the core 
sheet to add thickness to the core sheet to make the sheet of uniform 
thickness. Indenting the paper sheetstock underneath where the various 
laminates are adhered also makes the sheet slightly more flexible because 
the laminates have to bend a shorter distance around the core sheet in 
that area than if the core sheet were not compressed so that the 
compressed paper with laminates in the recessions is capable of bending 
and adapting to the pressure rollers found in many printers. The pressure 
placed on the paper fibers breaks the paper fibers making that area become 
less stiff than it were had not been compressed. 
It has been found that the addition of plastic in an indented region on 
only one side of sheetstock may increase the tendency of the sheet to curl 
in a heat intensive printing process. This can cause problems such as jams 
in equipment, aesthetic problems, and low bar code read-rates in slot 
scanners. However, if a similar matching layer is added to the bottom side 
of the sheet, the sheet processes through the heat intensive device with 
less curl as the additional laminate may reinforce the sheet stock and 
counteract any shrinking or curling. Additionally, if the sheet with 
plastic on both sides is run through the printer in duplex mode to print 
on both sides of the sheetstock, shrinkage is equalized on both sides 
negating any curling tendency. 
The inventor's solution may use plastic only 0.00092 of an inch thick of 
plastic adhered on one or both sides of a compressed paper core forming a 
composite whereas many tipped-on plastic cards utilize a card 0.01 inches 
thick. 
It must be remembered that "readily separable" means any means used to 
weaken a material so that it can be detached from itself more easily. This 
may include a series of cuts and ties through a stock often called 
perforations, a continuous cut through a material from one or optional two 
sides that goes partially through the material or up to an adjacent 
material as is commonly called kiss-cutting, weakening the material from 
one or both sides by applying pressure to the sheet which is often called 
scoring, use of what is called a micro perforation, or it may mean release 
coating are added between adhesives and the core sheetstock to facilitate 
easy peeling from the sheetstock, or any other means of weakening a 
sheetstock so it is more separable. 
It must also be remembered that the terms layers or laminates can also mean 
liquid coatings that may be applied to a material that will form a layer. 
For purposes of description herein, if the scab sheet is superimposed on 
the first sheet functionally equivalent thickness is obtained when the 
upper surface of the second sheet is substantially coplanar with the 
exposed upper surface of the scab or second sheet. Thus, for purposes of 
this description, the upper surface of a scab sheet which superimposed on 
and therefore integral with, a first or core sheet, will be considered the 
upper surface of that first or core sheet. 
The invention provides a blank or custom printed paper tab cut form where 
the paper in the tab cut area is compressed so that when a toner receptive 
plastic is adhered over the top of it the form maintains a flat coplanar 
profile with the balance of the form. This combination laminated and tab 
cut form will then be able to be imprinted with traditional photocopiers 
or laser printers on the entire sheetstock. Thus, companies can order an 
inexpensive precut and laminated form and print the data on top of the 
toner receptive coating on the plastic to provide fast and inexpensive 
means to print information in the tab or remaining area in-house. Small 
quantities will be less expensive to produce, waiting for vendors to print 
custom jobs will be eliminated, and obsolete inventory will be reduced. 
One way to make coplanar sheetstock for identification cards and the like 
is as follows. The sheetstock bearing identification cards are formed by 
adhering a first "core sheet" of paper to a plastic of lesser surface area 
than the core sheet which forms a composite. Conventional die-cuts are cut 
through the layers of the sheetstock to form one or more identification 
cards or tipped-on plastic layers that allow a user to remove the cards 
from the sheet when desired are added. The remainder of the sheet is 
substantially covered with a second layer or scab sheet layer of paper or 
other sheetstock in that area to increase the thickness of the sheet to 
that approximating the thickness of the plastic-coated portion to create a 
functionally equivalent thickness sheetstock. If plastic is applied to 
both sides, a space of at least about 1/16" between the plastic coated 
portion and the second paper layer coated portion may act as a hinge to 
allow the sheet to feed and travel through the printer evenly. This second 
layer makes a stack of such sheets feed smoothly into and through laser 
printers without jams, misalignments or poor imaging. The second layer 
also makes the paper more level and even when stacked in the laser 
printer's in-feed and out-feed hoppers and in shipping and storage. The 
space left between the plastic and second layer ensures this uniform 
feeding by hinging the sheet even when a plastic coating is placed on the 
bottom as well as the top of a portion of the sheets. The paper sheet 
effectively flexes to maintain a flat profile with functionally equivalent 
thicknesses through a printer even though the sheet may not be coplanar. 
The recessed form of the invention provides the same benefits by equalizing 
the thickness of the sheetstock by indenting (compressing) the paper and 
plastic layers so that the sheet is coplanar or functionally coplanar. 
The inventor has also developed various types of labels and a method in 
which the imaging equipment previously described, can rapidly produce 
paper or plastic labels that can be popped out of, peeled from, or torn 
away from a paper letter format. A plain sheetstock of paper is used as 
the "core" to which laser printable plastic, plastic or paper may be 
applied to the front and optionally the back over a portion of a paper 
sheetstock that is recessed in the area(s) to which laminates, coatings 
and adhesives are attached to it sufficient to form the number of labels 
desired. 
The paper or plastic desired to be used as a label(s) is peeled away from 
the release liner with the adhesive attached to the label in the area the 
material has been compressed into the paper sheetstock or, optionally, 
shaped by conventional die-cuts which allows a user to peel the labels 
from the sheetstock in the area outlined by the die-cut when desired 
similar to ordinary labels. The die-cuts are generally not a series of 
cuts and ties as the identification cards but one continuous cut in the 
shape of the label desired. The layer of material that is desired to be 
removed and used as a label is die-cut through the material and the 
adhesive up to the release liner as is commonly known in the trade as 
"kiss cutting" allowing the adhesive on the material to stay with the 
material forming a label. 
Applications where the labels may be used include mailings where a 
personalized but clear plastic label combined to a paper sheetstock mailer 
desires to be mailed such as a renewal license to be placed inside or 
outside of a car window, or a "yes no label" often used for direct mail 
solicitations, or plastic or combination paper and plastic name tag 
stickers that are to be mailed to convention show attenders that can be 
adhered to a persons clothing. 
The inventor has also developed a label which can serve as a closed loop 
wrist band or label or can have a hole cut into it to allow for a string 
to be placed through the hole to make a tag. A layer or release material 
can be placed between the laminates and a die-cut can be kiss cut through 
one or optionally two laminates to allow the protective layer to be 
removed to allow the adhesive to be exposed The inventor has also 
developed return envelope mailed and a method in which computerized 
printers such as those previously described can rapidly personalize with 
text, graphics and bar codes two-way envelope forms that can then be 
processed for mailing in existing folding and gluing equipment such as 
those machines sold by GlueFold Corporation, Standard Register and the GBR 
Corporation. These machines will add adhesive to the edges of the form, 
perforate the edge(s) and fold the form in half or thirds or other 
configurations. This folding and sealing create additional confidentiality 
to the information imaged on the form and allow it to be mailed 
efficiently. Optionally, the forms may be folded and sealed on one side by 
tabbing machines as sold by Rena Systems Inc., where the document is 
folded and then a tab or label is affixed around the edges sealing the 
document on one side. 
This return envelope form also reduces the need for buying and storing 
outgoing and return envelopes and separate forms, the costs and hassles of 
using traditional inserting machines and potential problems of matching 
personalized forms and envelopes to each other, and reduces the need for 
excess paper usage, thus, saving trees and the chemicals required to make 
paper including petroleum. This return envelope form also reduces 
unnecessary solid waste pollution. 
It has been found that a sheet of paper having an additional sheet of paper 
with lesser sure are adhered on top of it such as to form a return 
envelope will not feed properly in many printers due to the reasons 
already mentioned in this application about problems feeding sheetstock of 
unequal thicknesses or non-coplanar surfaces. 
When a core sheet of paper is indented having an additional sheet adhered 
to its indented portion or both sheets are crushed to form a sheetstock of 
uniform thickness the form may image and feed well. A plain sheet of paper 
is utilized as the "core sheet." This core sheet stock is indented in an 
area to which a "scab sheet" of paper or plastic or printable plastic 
sheetstock is adhered to it on three continuous sides thus forming an 
envelope pouch or pocket. Rewettable or other adhesives may be added to a 
portion of the core sheet to form the envelope pouch on the side where 
there is no other permanent adhesive forming the envelope pouch to allow 
for applying moisture or other activation means to it which can activate 
the glue so that this flap portion can be folded and sealed over the scab 
sheet to seal the fourth edge of the scab sheet forming a sealed envelope. 
It would also be possible that the adhesive could be on the inside of the 
envelope so that there is no portion to be folded over and sealed. It 
would also be possible that the envelope flap sealing adhesive could be 
added to the inside of a scab sheet flap so that the printer is never 
exposed to the adhesive. Another alternative to rewettable adhesive is a 
strip of transfer tape that can be applied as is common in the forms 
industry that can be peeled away which exposes the adhesive and allows for 
sealing of the envelope. This transfer tape can create an additional 
thickness to the form so it is important that this tape be adhered to the 
core sheet or laminate in an area where it has been indented. A 
perforation or score is placed in the core sheet above the adhesive to 
allow for the recipient to easily detach the envelope from the core sheet 
so that the recipient of the mailed sheetstock form can mail the envelope 
back to the original sender. Additional perforations, or other means of 
separation, may be placed in the core sheet such as to allow for the 
envelope flap to be more easily folded back onto the envelope for sealing 
and also so that the recipient can easily tear off and separate the 
envelope or other portions from the remainder of the core sheet in order 
to allow the recipient of the mailing to return the envelope and keep a 
portion of the form for a record and to remit with the balance of the core 
sheet so that the recipient can communicate to the sender as in the case 
of receiving proper credit for a payment for a bill. 
This form can be imaged on both sides if the non-impact printer can image 
in a "duplex" fashion. However, some companies pay a "click charge" to the 
laser printer manufacturer; as an example Xerox Corporation, for each 
sheet imaged that passes through its printer. To eliminate this cost, or 
improve speed, a hole can be die cut through the core sheet to allow for 
information, such as the outgoing address, to be read from the outside of 
the folded and sealed document so that the mailer does not need to image 
on both sides of the two-way envelope mailer form. This die-cut hole can 
be left open, or, an additional sheet of translucent plastic or paper such 
as glassine or polyester can be adhered to an indented edge of the die cut 
hole to protect the contents, reduce snags in imaging and mailing 
equipment and add confidentiality to the mail piece. To eliminate the 
possibility of a thickness build up where the translucent window has been 
adhered to the core sheet it may be important to indent the core paper 
surrounding the window hole so that when the translucent paper or plastic 
film is adhered to the core sheet around the edge of the die-cut hole the 
additional thickness of these materials and the adhesive is negated thus 
keeping the core sheet stock flat and coplanar and allowing it to stack 
evenly and feed through the printer and mailing equipment easily.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Id Cards 
Example 1 
With reference to the Figures it will be seen that sheetstock 10 is formed 
from a page of paper 12 to which a top layer of plastic 16 is laminated or 
otherwise adhered by adhesive 18. Plastic layer 16 is fabricated from the 
plastic and optionally coatings that are currently in use in laser, impact 
ink jet or thermal printing. Such plastics or other coatings must 
facilitate and accept the transfer and adhesion of laser imaging toners or 
other types of inks, toners or materials used to mark the sheets by the 
various types of image transferring systems found in the printer being 
used. Since such applications may involve substantial heat of 400 degrees 
Fahrenheit or more, these plastics are quite heat resistant. A suitable 
plastic and coating is available from Dunmore Corporation of Newtown, Pa. 
marketed under the designations Dun-Kote DK Clear CITC ng02-17-04. Low 
static plastics and coatings are desirable. If cold fusion laser printers, 
ionographic printers, inkjet printers or impact printers are to be used, 
the constraints on the plastic types and coatings will vary. 
Identification cards 20 are formed in the plastic/paper composite by die 
cutting the sheetstock. Such die cuts 22 are well known and include a 
combination of ties and slits that allow the card 20 to remain together 
and affixed to the sheetstock through identification card production and 
laser printing equipment until the recipient pops it out of the sheet. The 
position of the cards, die cuts and ties may vary depending upon the 
desires of the end user and application and the ability of the each 
configuration to run through the printer. For die cut cards that are 
placed on a portrait oriented form with the cards die cut in a landscape 
direction that will be imaged in a Xerox 9790 laser printer the ties of 
the die cut should be approximately 1/32 of an inch long. There should be 
nine (9) ties on the vertical perforations and twelve (12) ties on the 
horizontal perforations. The slits completely penetrate all layers of the 
composite. To keep the card in place and from popping out in the laser 
printer, ties should be left at all corners. Continuous forms that need to 
be burst with traditional bursting equipment may need special attention to 
the fanfold perforations. These perforations may need to be cut with a 
bi-level die so that the plastic is cut entirely across the form but the 
paper ties remain in place to hold the form together. Alternatively, the 
plastic may be tipped on in exactly the required size, eliminating the 
need to die cut the plastic when on the substrate paper. The excess 
plastic around the die cuts may be peeled away if desired, such as with 
mailing label sheetstock. Also, it may be of value to use a bi-level die 
to insure the plastic is cut around the cards for easy removal but the 
paper ties remain in place. The plastic laminate would be kiss cut around 
the paper to the edge of the plastic. 
The cards to be formed are preferably plastic on both sides to provide a 
better looking and longer lasting ID card. The back 24 of sheetstock 10 
may include a bottom layer of plastic 26 laminated or adhered by adhesive 
28 to paper 12 as with the front layer 16. The top or bottom layer need 
not be laser printable plastic if the information is already printed on 
that sheet (as in the case of unchanging information about the supplier). 
It has been found that a sheet constructed as described above will not 
work satisfactorily in many laser, ionographic or ink jet printers. The 
papers may not be fed into or be transported through the printers 
properly. The paper may also be slightly out of alignment when travelling 
through the printer which causes jams and imaging of the cards created to 
be imperfect at the least and possibly unusable. The sheetstock must 
include a second layer of paper 30 (or other sheetstock such as a pressure 
sensitive label stock material) adhered with adhesive 32 (or other 
attachment means) to page 12 as shown in the Figures. This second sheet of 
paper or plastic is applied over substantially the entire surface of page 
12 with the exception of gap 34 that is not covered with plastic 16. This 
top paper layer 30 could readily accept any laser printing and causes the 
sheetstock to feed evenly into, through and out of the laser printer. 
Example 6 describes a form of the invention using similar principles in 
which recessed paper is employed instead of two layers of paper. 
If a second layer of plastic 26 is present on back 24, a gap or space 34 is 
preferably maintained between top paper 30 and plastic 16. This gap makes 
the sheetstock slightly more flexible at that point and functions as a 
hinge to keep the paper flatter as it travels through the laser printer's 
infeed device, paper transport, output systems, imaging and fusing 
systems. Also, a means of weakening and flexing the sheetstock such as 
perforations or scoring could also be added in this area This allows the 
paper to flex slightly and to compensate for the fact that the plastic 26 
on the back 24 makes the sheet uneven. This allows the plastics and paper 
to have space to move freely, independently so that they don't snag each 
other as the paper shifts when it is struck by fusing and imaging rollers 
of the printer. However, the thickness of the top paper 30 is selected 
such that the thickness though the entire sheetstock through paper 30, 
adhesive 32 and page 12 is functionally equivalent to the combined 
thickness of the page 12 and plastics 16 and 26 together with the 
adhesives. When so constructed, the sheetstock will feed smoothly, stack 
evenly and print properly in a laser printer. 
When the paper and plastic layers are thinner, there is less need for a 
gap. As the plastic layer becomes thinner, only the separation line may be 
required. Instead, the mere break line between the second sheet 30 and the 
plastic 16 may be sufficient. The gap or space 34 must be at least about 
one-sixteenth of an inch (1/16) and preferably at least about 1/8" to 1/4" 
to allow this flexibility with thicker paper and plastics. The second 
sheet of paper 30 compensates for the presence of the plastic layer on an 
end of the sheet by equalizing the thickness and re-balancing the 
sheetstock. The internal synchronization systems of the laser printers 
work well when the paper sheet is added to balance the weight distribution 
and to equalize the thickness of the sheetstock. Generally, the more of 
the surface of the page 12 is covered by second paper 30 the better, with 
the exception of the need for space 34. 
Example 2 
The advantages and benefits of the invention may also be realized with the 
alternate constructions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. With reference to the 
figures it will be seen that sheetstock 40 includes a paper or plastic 
layer 42 which unlike sheetstock 12 does not extend the full length of the 
completed article. Instead, the sheetstock 40 is formed by attaching a 
second layer 44 to layer 42 by adhesive 46. The top plastic 16 and bottom 
plastic 26 are attached to layer 44 with adhesive 18, 28 respectively. 
The use of a second layer 44 to complete the length may reduce or eliminate 
the need for any gap 34 between the scab sheet 50. Layer 44 may be thinner 
than layer 42 such that the overall thickness of the sheetstock 40 is 
nearly identical or functionally equivalent across the entire sheet. Layer 
44 may be plastic or paper. Also, the profile in cross-section may be such 
that the exposed surface of layer 42 and layer 26 are nearly co-planar. 
This prevents the problems described previously with feeders in laser, 
ionographic and ink jet printers. No gap would be needed if the outside 
surfaces of the sheetstock are nearly coplanar. 
The construction shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 would probably require running two 
webs of paper/plastic through a rotary press. The layer 42 would be 
adhered to layer 44 during such a run. The plastic layers 16 and 26 could 
then be added as desired by unwinding and adhering one or more paper or 
plastic layers onto layer 44. Die cuts 22 to form cards 20 would also need 
to be added. Scab sheet 50 could be attached with releasable or 
non-releasable adhesives in the same or in a separate run. It may include 
a release liner and die cuts as is known in the art to allow release of 
all or a portion of layer 50 later to be used as a label. 
Example 3 
Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The 
construction of the sheetstock of FIGS. 7 and 8 employs a twin web gluing 
process such as in FIGS. 5 and 6. However, rather than overlapping the 
sheets, it is possible to adhere them together by the adhesive and plastic 
layers. As shown, layer 12 is broken into two parts, 12 and 12A. They may 
be of the same material and thickness or may vary. Layer 12A may be paper 
or plastic. 
Layers 12, 12A are held together by the adhesive connection formed by 
adhering plastic layers 16, 26 with adhesives 18, 28 to the layers 12, 
12A. The overlap of the plastic layers 16 and 26 secures layers 12, 12A 
together. Like reference numerals are used to identify features described 
previously. 
Example 4 
The embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10 is very similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 
2 and 4. The embodiment adds a bottom scab sheet 52 in addition to top 
sheet 30. This bottom scab sheet 52 may be identical to sheet 30 or may be 
formed from a different material or thickness. It may be adhered with a 
releasable adhesive or permanent adhesive 32. The addition of the bottom 
scab sheet makes it possible to make the thickness of the sheetstock 10 
through the sheet 30, 52 sections the same as or functionally equivalent 
through to that through layers 16, 26. More importantly, it makes it 
possible to present outside surfaces to the sheetstock 10 that are 
coplanar across the entire surface. This not only eliminates the need for 
gap 34 but allows the sheetstock to feed well through laser printers. 
This form of the invention may require an additional process step to apply 
sheet 52. However, it may be applied simultaneously with plastic layer 26. 
Example 5 
FIGS. 11 and 12 show that the plastic layers can be applied in the form of 
cards 54 which are applied to the paper 12 without the need for die cuts 
in the plastic. Cards 54 to be affixed to the sheetstock may be plastic, 
paper or a combination of paper and plastic. Preferably, the top layer of 
the cards 54 would accept laser printing. The cards may be held to paper 
12 directly with adhesive 14 or may be adhered to a release liner 56. 
Release liners may not need adhesive to adhere to paper. Alternatively, 
the card may include layer 14, 56 and 12 by die cutting layers 14, 56. 
Example 6 
FIGS. 13 and 14 show another embodiment of the invention in which the main 
sheet of paper forming the sheetstock is recessed on one or both sides to 
form spaces into which the laser-printable plastic may be applied. In this 
manner, the recesses function in the way that the main sheet and scab 
sheets function. The recesses allow the finished sheetstock with a core 
sheetstock of Springhill 110 pound Index and laminates and adhesives added 
in the thicknesses added in the indented areas to have coplanar surfaces 
that will feed well through printers. The plastic needs to be fairly thin, 
approximately 92 gauge, to ensure that the weight distribution is not 
unduly unbalanced. The recess may be anywhere on the sheetstock. There may 
be more than one recess on the sheet. Die cuts through the layers will 
form the completed cards. 
In FIG. 14 it will be seen that the sheetstock 10 is largely formed by 
single sheet 58 which is formed with two recessed areas 60, 62. If 
desired, only a single recess may be used. A plastic layer may be added to 
the opposite side of the paper of the recess if two layers of plastic are 
desired without employing two recesses, as shown in FIG. 15. However, it 
is important that the overall thickness of the area where the plastics are 
adhered to the core sheet is approximately the same thickness as the 
balance of the sheetstock forming functionally equivalent thickness as the 
balance of the paper sheetstock and is coplanar. The recessed areas 60, 62 
receive adhesive 64 which secures plastic layers 66, 68 to sheet 58. 
The sheetstock will be even on a sheet-feeder and will feed smoothly 
therethrough. 
Reference numeral 72 refers to a strip of magnetic material on a plastic 
substrate which will function as a magnetic encoded information carrying 
device on the cards. The strip may be printed or adhered on top of the 
paper but underneath the outside layer of plastic to provide protection to 
the media. The magnetic strip may be added to any of the cards of the 
invention, and may also be coated or added as a separate layer as in FIG. 
15 or next to the top plastic 66 as in FIGS. 13, 14. The magnetic strip 
may be the same as any conventional strips which are currently found on 
many bank cards and is available through 3M Co., of St. Paul, Minn. In 
FIG. 13 the die cuts may pass through the strip 72 and the plastic 66 to 
define the outline of the card 70 that may be separated later. The 
magnetic ink may also be added directly on top of the plastic or on the 
underside of the plastic. In a similar manner, holographic images may be 
formed into, on top of, to the side of, or underneath the cards of the 
invention. Invisible fluorescent ink that will glow when placed under a 
black light may also be printed on the paper under the plastic where it 
can't be easily tampered with, directly on top of the plastic laminate, or 
on the adhesive or inside the plastic laminate. Additional colored 
fluorescent inks may also be added. It is also possible a security feature 
called "Confirm Security Laminate Systems" from 3M Co. in St. Paul, Minn. 
may be used. Other security features commonly found in the business forms 
industry may also be used. 
Labels 
Example 7 
With reference to FIGS. 16 to 19 it will be seen that sheetstock 110 is 
formed from a page of paper 112 to which a bottom layer of plastic or 
paper 114 is adhered by adhesive 116. Compressible plastic, imprintable 
plastic, or paper layer 112 is fabricated from papers and plastics or 
plastics with coatings currently in use in laser printing or other 
imprinting as already mentioned in this patent with the application in 
mind. A coating 118 is added to paper stock 112 which forms a barrier so 
that adhesive 116 will not stick permanently to paper 112. There are a 
variety of such coatings available and are often known as release coatings 
and often have silicone in them. The laminate, adhesive and barrier 
coating are compressed into paper 112 by using a roller method described 
in Holmberg U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,481. Optionally, die-cuts 120 can be added 
to the sheetstock to form the shape of the label(s) desired. These die 
cuts are generally a continuous cut to the depth of the release liner. Die 
cuts (not shown) could also extend all the way through the paper 
sheetstock 112 if the application requires the portion of the sheetstock 
and label to be removed from the core sheetstock. 
Example 8 
FIG. 20 shows sheetstock 110 formed by paper stock 112 which has paper, 
plastic or imprintable plastic layer 144 added in the recessed area. A 
coating 146 is added to paper stock 112 which forms a barrier so that 
adhesive 148 will not stick permanently to paper 112. Die cuts 150 can be 
cut through paper stock 112 to a depth up to release liner coating 146. 
This will allow for removal of paper label 152 from the form with adhesive 
148 sticking to it. 
Example 9 
Another construction is shown in FIG. 21. Sheetstock 170 is formed of paper 
172 that has paper, plastic or imprintable plastic laminates 174 on one 
side and paper, plastic or imprintable plastic laminates 176 adhered to 
paper 172 on the side opposite 174. Release liner 178 is adjacent to layer 
174. Adhesive 180 is between release liner 178 paper 172. Adhesive 182 is 
between layer 176 and paper 172. Die cuts 184 are kiss cut through layer 
plastic 176 and adhesive 182 to a depth up to release liner 178. 
Optionally, an additional die cut (not shown) can be cut through all 
layers of material to facilitate easy removal of all layers from 
sheetstock 170 as with the plastic identification cards. This would be 
done if the application required removing the entire substrate from 
sheetstock 170 and then peels away the desired layers to expose the 
adhesive and form the label. An example of where this construction may be 
used is for laser imprintable name badges that need to be mailed. This 
construction also allows for printing on the paper. 
Wristbands 
Example 10 
To form a laser-imprintable wrist band for a hospital or a label that needs 
to be wrapped around something such as a strap on a bag at an airport for 
a luggage tag, the release liner may only be needed to be applied in a 
spot instead of a continuous strip. 
The plastic is die-cut in such an area so that the protective strip can be 
removed from a small area exposing the adhesive to stick to something else 
or to itself. FIG. 33 through 37 show the sheetstock 502 of paper 504 with 
indented areas filled with plastic layers 506, 514, release layer 510, and 
adhesive layers 512, 516. As an alternate construction, FIG. 34 shows that 
the release layer 510 may be below the adhesive 512 such that the adhesive 
is on the plastic. In such a form, the perforation 508 would go through 
all but plastic 506. 
To use, the sheet would be laser imprinted with information and the 
wristband portion is formed by detaching at perforation 520. In FIG. 503, 
the plastic 506 is separated at perforation 508 to expose the adhesive and 
the small section 522 is discarded or at least rolled back. The wristband 
is then looped around a wrist (or article) and the adhesive 512 is secured 
to the opposite end edge of the wristband plastic 514. 
Return Envelope Mailers 
Example 11 
With reference to FIGS. 24 it will be seen that sheetstock 210 is formed 
from a page of paper 212 to which a top pocket-forming layer of paper or 
plastic or imprintable plastic 214 is adhered with adhesive 274 on three 
sides. Paper stock 210 must be made of a paper or plastic that is 
compressible, strong enough to form a pocket, quite shrink-resistant under 
the high heat found in most hot fusion laser printers, not expand much 
with moisture, adheres well to adhesives, and facilitate the adherence of 
various computerized imaging printers such as various toners, inks from 
computer ribbons and ink jet systems. An 8 pt. Augusta Bristol paper from 
Federal Paper Board Company of Montvale, N.J. may work well as the core 
paper sheet. The paper stock for pocket layer 214 must have the same 
characteristics as 210 but be thin enough so that it can fit into the 
recessed area of 210 and keep the overall sheetstock, coplanar Element 216 
shows an area that is compressed or indented. Element 218 shows the 
detachment perforation that allows the return envelope to be removed more 
easily from the balance of the paper stock to allow for remittance or 
other use. Such perforation may have a series of cuts and ties or be 
scored or cut from one or both sides so that it is easy enough to allow 
for removal of the envelope but also strong enough to keep the form intact 
as it goes through all areas of manufacture, imaging, mailing equipment 
and the Postal Service. A hole can be cut in the core sheet stock as shown 
by 220 that allows for the address area to be seen from the outside of a 
folded and sealed form if such information was imaged on the inside of a 
folded mail piece. Translucent patching materials 222 such as Polyester or 
Glassine as used in traditional window envelopes can be adhered with 
adhesive 224 to the edge of this hole. The edge of the hole should be 
indented to allow for the additional adhesive and translucent patching 
material to not add additional thickness to the form. This adhesive 224 
may have the same characteristics of adhesive 274. 
FIG. 25 shows the opposite side of the sheetstock shown in FIG. 23. The 
hole 220 for the address window is die-cut through to the back side. 
Additional holes could be cut through the core sheet to allow for 
additional information to show through. 
FIG. 27 shows the cross-sectional view of the form. Sheetstock 210 is made 
from paper or plastic 212 that is indented to allow the aggregate 
thickness of adhesive 274 and envelope pocket 214 to be the same as and 
remain coplanar to the portion of paper or plastic sheetstock 214 that is 
not indented. The adhesive 274 is shown adhering sheetstck 212 to envelope 
pocket sheetstock 214. The adhesive 274 used must create a strong bond 
between the two paper stocks forming the pocket, tolerate the high heat 
found in many hot fusion laser printers, have lay-flat characteristics, 
and not shrink or expand much, and preferably allow for recycling of the 
paper stock. This adhesive must not activate or ooze under heat, may be 
water activated as in licking traditional envelopes and not stick to 
sheets that are placed on top of it, and should be recyclable. An 
alternative to this adhesive is to unwind and cut transfer tape 240 so 
that the recipient of the mail piece can simply remove the protective tape 
to expose the adhesive which can then be folded over to seal the envelope. 
Transfer tape could also be added inside the scab sheet flap in place of 
rewettable glue. Element 224 is the adhesive adhering the translucent 
plastic or Glassine 222 to the core sheet 212. Dotted line 246 shows where 
the hole 220 would be cut through the sheetstock for the address window. 
The detachment perforation is shown by 218. The optional flap fold 
perforation is shown by 250. 
FIG. 27 shows a blown up view of sheetstock 210 and the positioning of 
paper or plastic sheetstock 212 in relation to sheet stock 214. The 
rewettable adhesive 238 is also shown as well as detachable perforation 
218 and optional fold perforation 250. 
Index Tabs 
Example 12 
Index Tab sheets 402 may be readily formed by indenting an edge of paper 
and applying a layer of printable plastic or other material in the 
indented region. The excess edge may be trimmed away to make the tab sheet 
as shown in FIG. 30. FIG. 30 shows a bottom view of the tab sheet 402 and 
the paper 404 compressed in the tab area and then has adhesive and paper 
or plastic laminate 406 added to the compressed area to keep the sheet 
coplanar. 
FIG. 31 shows a cross sectional view of tab sheet 402 with paper 404 being 
compressed on two sides. Adhesive 414 secures imprintable plastic 416 
wrapped around the paper which is again coplanar FIG. 32 shows tab sheet 
402 made from paper 404 with two discrete layers of plastic 416 with 
adhesive 414. In this form, the edge of the tab is not coated with 
plastic. 
Binder Sheets 
Example 13 
Three ring binders typically are filled with paper that has holes punched 
along an edge. Glued on reinforcing rings are often added by the users to 
prevent tearing of the holes. In any punched hole type sheetstock, this 
invention can provide coplanar sheets with reinforcements. As shown in 
FIG. 38, plastic 604 may be crushed into sheetstock 602 which is then 
punched to form holes 606. The entire three-ring sheet is coplanar which 
allows imaging and stacking without the difficulties associated with 
simple add-on reinforcing rings. 
Preparation of Sheetstock--for Identification Cards 
Sheetstock 10 may be in any procedure currently utilized for attaching 
layers of plastic or paper to a page, such as in advertising flyers or 
labels. One method for forming the sheetstock would be to use a web 
finishing machine made by Hunkler of Switzerland to attach second paper 
layer 30 to paper pages 12 and roll that product onto a large roll to 
reduce curling the paper stock and subsequent memory curl in the plastic 
and paper. The paper can then be unwound to a station in which the plastic 
layer 16 is adhered. The paper may then be rewound onto a roll and unwound 
to apply the bottom plastic 26. The completed product may be die-cut to 
form the cards and then be fed to a sheeter where the roll of material is 
cut to conventional lengths and the cut singles are stacked. This 
equipment could have modules added to it to allow for the simultaneous 
laminating of the scab sheet and the two sheets of plastic during the same 
pass. The plastic could be purchased from an outside vendor such as 
Dunmore Corporation, as previously described, with the necessary ink, 
toner, or thermal transfer receptive coatings already on the plastic to 
provide good toner, ink or thermal transfer image retention and adhesive 
retention. 
In another way to make the scab sheet construction for identification 
cards, the scab sheet web of paper or plastic is unwound from a different 
station in the appropriate position with allowance for a gap between the 
scab sheet and the edge of the plastic laminate and adhered to the core 
web of paper. The core web has water based pressure sensitive adhesive 
added to it with a 360 ceramic Anilox roller. The moisture is blown off by 
dryers. The two webs of paper are nipped together with a roller as is 
common. The laminated web travels through the print stations where inks 
can be added to one or both sides of the web. Heat resistant inks are 
necessary for forms that will travel through a laser printer. The adhered 
web is then laminated to the plastic that has adhesive on it to one side. 
The laminate is webbed in the press so that it can have adhesive applied 
to it from a traditional ink station and 360 ceramic Anilox roller with a 
sleeve. Various adhesives may be used to meet the demands of the type of 
printer to be used. For hot fusion laser printers the adhesive must 
provide a good, preferably fiber tearing bond between the plastic and 
paper and provide for stay flat characteristics, resist shrinking, and be 
environmentally preferable and tolerate the heat generated in a hot fusion 
laser printer of over 400 degrees Fahrenheit. A water based pressure 
sensitive adhesive number 2319 from Northwest Coatings of Oak Creek, Wis., 
may work well. To prevent curling of the paper or trapping moisture under 
the plastic laminate the plastic laminate web with adhesive on it is run 
through dryers immediately after the adhesive is applied to the plastic 
with a 360 ceramic Anilox roller to the plastic but before the plastic 
with adhesive on it is merged and adhered by nipping it to the paper web. 
The web then runs through a turn bar and travels through additional print 
stations if printing is desired on the opposite side of the web using the 
same process. The web is then die-cut in the desired location to form the 
shape of the card(s) desired, and then run through another series of 
parallel rollers to crush the perforations, and sheeted or fan folded to 
the desired size and packaged. 
To make the indented construction, one web of paper 110 pound. Springhill 
Index is unwound and run through a press which prints the face and then is 
run through a turn bar to print the back in the position desired. The 
plastic laminate is then laminated to one side of the web. This is done by 
webbing the plastic laminate so that the adhesive can be applied with a 
360 ceramic Anilox roller and sleeve to the plastic, the plastic and 
adhesive are then dried with air dryers to remove the moisture and then 
the plastic laminate is nipped with a roller to the web of paper. The web 
then goes through a turn bar that positions the web so the other side of 
the web can have a plastic laminate added to it using the same method 
described for the first laminate. The web with the two laminates added to 
it then travels through two hardened steel parallel crushing rollers with 
a circumference approximately 9.6 inches in diameter. The rollers have a 
raised surface on each side approximately 4 mils of an inch higher than 
the surrounding surface on the roller and can be slightly wider than the 
laminates desiring to be crushed which may be 2.5 inches wide. The 
laminate and adhesive is then crushed into the paper with approximately 
43,100 pounds of pressure per square inch to make the web coplanar. The 
web is then die cut with a roller as is common in the trade with the dies 
being of shape and size of the card desired. Such dies should have ties in 
them approximately 1/32 of an inch wide to hold the card in place while 
being processed in machinery but will still be weak enough to allow for 
popping out by the end recipient. 
The web of die cut paper then travels through a series of parallel rollers 
hardened steel rollers approximately 9.6 inches in circumference that 
smooth out any rough edges from the perforations that have gone through 
the web. The web then goes through a die which sheets the web to the 
desired size of the form. Optionally, alignment tractor feed holes can be 
added in the margins to allow the form to feed through various kinds of 
continuous feed computerized imaging equipment. The form is then packaged 
in a moisture barrier wrap and then packaged in a carton and sealed. 
For the scab sheet construction, it has been found that the paper utilized 
is preferably a 24 pound wove paper Such paper typically has a thickness 
of about 0.0045 inches which when adhered to the second paper layer area 
provides a sheetstock thickness of about 0.010 inches. The plastic layers 
16 and 26 are then typically about 0.002 inches each, which combined with 
the paper page 12 and adhesive 18 and 28 gives a combined thickness of 
about 0.010 inches. A thicker paper may be required if recesses are to be 
formed. For the recessed paper sheet a 110 lb. Springhill Index 
approximately 9.3 mils thick may be used and is available from Hammermill 
Paper, a division of International Paper Co. Various types of paper and 
paper thicknesses may be preferable depending upon the application and the 
type of printer. The plastic may be of varying thicknesses but a 92 gauge 
plastic as previously noted seems to be preferable as it tends to be 
strong enough, thin enough to be compressed and heat-resistant enough to 
remain relatively flat. 
Preferably, the laser toner will use a magnetic ink character recognition 
MICR type toner which fuses better to the plastics and is less susceptible 
to flaking from the plastic or migration to other plastics. The adhesives 
should be selected with the application in mind; they must be able to 
withstand the high temperatures to be encountered in the laser printing 
process. Any of the commonly used adhesives for such applications 
involving plastic and paper adhesives may be used. Suitable glues are 
described in U.S. Pat, No. 4,951,864. They include vinyl acetate copolymer 
dispersion adhesives such as a vinyl acetate homopolymer emulsion base 
having a 58-61% solids content, a formulated resin adhesive with dextrine 
having a 66% solids content or a resin remoistening adhesive having a 66% 
solids content. If the adhesive employed allows the plastic to peel free 
from the paper without fiber tear a coating may be applied to the plastic 
that will improve the adhesion of the plastic to the adhesive and paper. A 
wide variety of such primers may be utilized. The plastic surface to be 
adhered may also be corona treated as is common in the trade to the 
surface energy level (Dyne level) appropriate to allow the adhesive to 
adhere to it and provide fiber tearing bond. A corona treatment with a 
dyne level of 44 should be sufficient. 
The sheetstocks 10 thus formed may include a perforation line(s) (not 
shown) in space 34 to allow the cards 20 to be separated from the upper 
portion of the sheetstock and to flex more easily. The upper portion of 
the sheetstock bearing the second paper layer 30 may contain markings, 
perforations and printed information such that it can function as a return 
mailer. It may also include die cuts for labels, may carry blown on labels 
or may be held to the main sheet by a releasable adhesive and release 
liner system. In such cases, the upper sheet could carry, for example, 
stickers with emergency phone numbers. 
Although the invention is needed most in sheet fed laser printers, it may 
also be utilized in continuous feed form and would include register holes 
to align with pins on the printer and perforations at right angles to the 
web direction to make the make the forms fan fold and burstable. In any 
case, the invention provides sheetstock which may carry a written message 
on the second paper or plastic layer 30, back 24 and quality laser 
printing on one or optionally both sides of the identification cards 20. 
This high quality of laser printing, ionographic, magnetographic, dot 
matrix, impact, LED or ink jet printing when combined with the flat 
coplanar or functionally equivalent surface area of the sheetstock allows 
for the placement of printed machine readable bar codes, optical character 
recognition (OCR) or magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) or pictures 
on the cards 20. MICR toner uses a ferromagnetic dry ink. Such information 
means that a holder of such a card may display it at a doctor's office 
where the bar code is scanned and read, greatly speeding up the process 
and requiring fewer personnel to make insurance claims. Adding a magnetic 
strip allows the encoding of much information that may be electronically 
read as is common with a credit card. Although the configurations of the 
invention described herein are ideally suited for cut sheet laser 
printers, they have benefits for the other imaging technologies previously 
mentioned and can handle digitized pictures and graphics. 
The use of the term "identification cards" herein encompasses bag tags, 
recipe cards, advertising stand up cards, wallet id cards, business cards, 
credit cards, airline tickets, index cards, tickets, key ring cards and 
other relatively small cards that bear imprinted identification 
information. 
Whenever "adhesive" is referred to herein it must be remembered that any 
means for adhering or otherwise attaching the paper and plastics may be 
utilized. Thus, pressure and heat may be used to attach the plastic layers 
to the paper. Other adhesion systems may also be used. 
While most of the examples specifically refer to the invention and its 
usefulness with the printers mentioned in this application, other types of 
printing machines may benefit from using the forms constructions described 
where a flat configuration must preferably be maintained for good 
performance. Reference to the term "laser printer". herein is for ease of 
reading and does not limit the scope of the invention to laser printers. 
Preparation of the Sheetstock for Labels 
The sheetstock is prepared very similar to the identification cards; except 
the depth and types of die-cuts, barrier coatings and adhesives may be 
different. 
The die-cuts are "kiss cut" which means they go through the laminates 
desired to be removed as a label and to a depth up to or slightly into the 
release liner with the barrier coating on it that traps the adhesive 
between the desired label material and the release liner barrier coating. 
This "kiss cutting" is well known in the trade and may be done by 
adjusting the depth of the die knife on the die rollers. The barrier 
coatings and adhesives come in a variety of types and should be used with 
the application, printer type, and end usage requirement in mind. 
The paper can be a variety of papers but must comply to the performance 
requirements of the printer used and have enough thickness and softness to 
allow for compressing materials and adhesives into it. The plastic can be 
either coated to facilitate ink, toner or thermal printing or other 
computer printer imprinting or untreated so that the balance of the 
sheetstock can be personalized by computer imprinting or also so that the 
label's information can be static as in a "yes-no sticker" for a direct 
mail solicitation. 
Preparation of the Sheetstock for Index Tabs 
A web of paper is unwound and run through a printing press or any other 
such machine. A web of plastic is adhered to one edge of the paper. The 
plastic laminate has a water based pressure sensitive adhesive applied and 
moisture dried off as described already. The plastic laminate is then plow 
folded around the edge of the paper and adhered on the other side of the 
paper. The laminated area is then crushed with two raised and adjacent 
crushing rollers as already described in the plastic laminated area to 
make the form portion with adhesive on two sides of the paper and plastic 
on each side to be coplanar with the balance of the paper form. The edge 
of the web may then die cut to the desired shape of the tab and the waste 
is disposed of or the waste may remain on the form via a perforation so 
that the form can run through certain types of printers and then the waste 
is removed later by breaking the perforations. An alternate to this 
construction would be to have two plastic laminates adhered to the form's 
paper core from two sides and then crushed into the edge of the paper web 
with two adjacent rollers with raised surfaces to make the laminated area 
coplanar with the balance of the paper core form. Again, the edge of the 
web would be die cut to the tab shape desired and the waste would be 
removed from the balance of the form. The paper edge may be crushed, die 
cut to the tab size and plastic may be affixed. Alternatively, the paper 
may be compressed, cut to form a tab, and laminates may be affixed over a 
tab. 
Preparation of the Sheetstock--Two Way Envelope 
One method for forming the sheetstock 210 would be to take a roll of paper 
and unwind it in a printing press. From one station of the press add 
permanent adhesive 274 to the sheet stock 212 using a pattern gluing 
method as is common in the trade in the pattern of a "U" shape so that the 
adhesive forms the shape desired for the return envelope. From another 
station add the strip of rewettable adhesive 238 or unwind the transfer 
tape 240 for adhering the seal flap to the envelope. From another station 
unwind a roll of the laminate 214 that forms the return envelope in the 
position desired. If a die cut hole 246 is desired for the address to show 
through, a bi-level die could be used that would cut the hole 220 and 
indent the paper surrounding the hole that has been cut in the form. The 
paper stock that has been die-cut out could be vacuumed away and disposed. 
A plastic or glassine window patch 222 could be attached to sheet 212 with 
adhesive 224 to cover the hole in the area surrounding the hole that has 
now been indented using tipping on or patching equipment found in the 
trade and commonly used for making envelopes. A flat roller would be run 
adjacent to a roller having a raised area on it similar to Holmberg U.S. 
Pat. No. #4,447,481 that would compress the form in the area where the 
second sheet of paper or plastic stock has been added to form the envelope 
pouch. If the paper sticks together where the scab sheet is crushed into 
the core sheet a layer of coating 282 could be added to one or both sheets 
such as silicone that would lessen or eliminate the possibility of the 
sheets sticking together before or after crushing. Small nonpermanent or 
permanent adhesive glue dots 284 may also be added inside the throat of 
the envelope that will keep the envelope in position during the imaging 
process. The web would then be sheeted using traditional sheeting 
equipment or perforated, have continuous form tractor feed holes added, if 
desired, and fan folded to form a continuous form as is common in the 
trade into the desired size and packaged as required. 
An alternative method, of manufacture would be to take the core sheet web 
of paper and compress it immediately with the rollers and then add the 
adhesives and scab sheet as above and sheet or fan fold to make the 
finished product. The advantage of this method is that this method does 
not put pressure onto the scab sheet by a roller that could cause a 
weakening of the already thin sheetstock and envelope and also smooth the 
sheet so much that toner will not stick well to it because the paper is 
not toothy enough due to its crushing. This may also reduce the 
possibility of the return envelope portion from sticking together. A 
coating may be applied to make the toner adhere better. 
Another alternative construction has the adhesive used for sealing the 
envelope by the end recipient adjacent, to the core sheet on the scab 
sheet flap. Such a design is to prevent the adhesive from coming into 
contact with and possibly damaging or contaminating the printer. 
While this invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are 
shown in the drawings and described in detail herein specific preferred 
embodiments of the invention. The present disclosure is an exemplification 
of the principals of the invention and is not intended to limit the 
invention to the particular embodiments illustrated. 
This completes the description of the preferred and alternate embodiments 
of the invention. Those skilled in the art may recognize other equivalents 
to the specific embodiment described herein which equivalents are intended 
to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto.