Patent Description:
The disclosure relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method.

<CIT> discloses an anti-counterfeit label which comprises a base layer with a texture pattern, a protective ink layer covering the base layer, and a transparent texture layer formed on the protective ink layer. The texture pattern comprises multiple groups of textures arranged according to a first preset rule; each group of textures comprises a plurality of lines which are sequentially arranged; the colors of the adjacent lines are different; each group of textures corresponds to one transparent texture of the transparent texture layer; an included angle between an extending direction of the transparent texture and an extending direction of the plurality of lines of the group of textures of the base layer is less than or equal to <NUM> degrees and greater than or equal to -<NUM> degrees; and a gap exists between every two adjacent transparent textures.

<CIT> discloses a decoration structure composed by arranging and printing a plurality of fine strip-like composite color layers in parallel so that the metal light-reflecting layer may be exposed with an interval equivalent to width of the fine strip-like composite color layer, while forming the fine strip-like composite color layer by arranging two or three thin lines with different color tones and the same length in parallel in contact mutually on a surface of a metal light-reflecting layer.

Conventionally, printed materials having visual effects that impart a stereoscopic feel to an image using lenticular lenses or different colors by viewing angles are known. <CIT> discloses a technology in which a lenticular lens formed by a spacer layer and a microlens layer is disposed on an image layer to obtain the visual effect described above.

However, in order to obtain a printed object having a visual effect using the technique described in <CIT>, it is necessary to place the printed image at the focal point of the lenticular lens. In other words, a thickness of the lenticular lens becomes a focal length, which leads to a problem in that the printed material becomes thicker. Furthermore, because the lens material is harder than paper, film, or the like that serves as the medium of the printed material, it is difficult to bend and deform the printed material.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printed material according to claim <NUM>.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing method according to claim <NUM>.

A schematic constitution of a printing apparatus <NUM> according to the exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to <FIG>. Note that, in the present embodiment, the printing apparatus <NUM> that is equipped with a rotary drum <NUM> that supports a long medium <NUM> in a cylindrical shape, and that conveys the medium <NUM> using a roll-to-roll method will be described as an example.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the printing apparatus <NUM> includes a feeding shaft <NUM> configured to feed the medium <NUM>, a transport unit <NUM> configured to transport the medium <NUM>, a printing unit <NUM> configured to print on the medium <NUM> conveyed by the transport unit <NUM>, a winding shaft <NUM> configured to wind the printed medium <NUM>, and a control unit <NUM> configured to control operations of portions of the printing apparatus <NUM>. In the printing apparatus <NUM>, the long medium <NUM> having both ends wound in a roll shape around the feeding shaft <NUM> and the winding shaft <NUM> is tensioned along a transport path Pc. The medium <NUM> receives image printing while being transported in the transport direction Ds at the rotary drum <NUM> disposed between the feeding shaft <NUM> and the winding shaft <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the medium <NUM> includes a substrate <NUM>, and a specular reflective layer <NUM> for visible light disposed on a front surface of the substrate <NUM>. Types of the substrate <NUM> are broadly divided into a paper-based type and a film-based type. To give specific examples, the paper-based type includes woodfree paper, cast paper, art paper, coated paper, and the like, and the film-based type includes synthetic paper, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and the like. The specular reflective layer <NUM> is a metal thin film such as aluminum, nickel, chromium, or stainless steel, and the like.

The printing apparatus <NUM> is constituted by three regions: a feeding region <NUM> configured to feed the medium <NUM> from the feeding shaft <NUM>; a process region <NUM> configured to record an image on the medium <NUM> fed from the feeding region <NUM>; and a winding region <NUM> that winds the recorded medium <NUM> recorded with the image in the process region <NUM> around the winding shaft <NUM>. Note that in the following description, of both surfaces of the medium <NUM>, the surface on which the image is recorded will be referred to as a front surface and the reverse side surface of the front surface will be referred to as a back surface.

The feeding region <NUM> includes the feeding shaft <NUM> around which an edge of the medium <NUM> is wound, and a driven roller <NUM> on which the medium <NUM> drawn out from the feeding shaft <NUM> is wound. The feeding shaft <NUM> supports the medium <NUM> with the edge thereof wound on the feeding shaft <NUM>, so that the front surface of the medium <NUM> faces outward. In addition, when the feeding shaft <NUM> is rotated clockwise in <FIG>, the medium <NUM> wound around the feeding shaft <NUM> is fed to the process region <NUM> via the driven roller <NUM>. The driven roller <NUM> is in contact with the medium <NUM> and is driven to rotate in the transport direction Ds of the medium <NUM> in response to a frictional force between the driven roller <NUM> and the transported medium <NUM>. The medium <NUM> is wound around the feeding shaft <NUM> via a core pipe that is detachable from the feeding shaft <NUM>. When the medium <NUM> of the feeding shaft <NUM> is used up, a new core pipe <NUM> around which the rolled medium <NUM> is wound is mounted on the feeding shaft <NUM>.

The process region <NUM> includes the transport unit <NUM> and a printing unit <NUM> configured to perform printing on the medium <NUM> transported by the transport unit <NUM>. The transport unit <NUM> is provided with a front driving roller <NUM>, a rotary drum <NUM> that supports the medium <NUM> in a cylindrical shape, and a rear driving roller <NUM>. Recording heads <NUM>,<NUM> and UV irradiators <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> are disposed in the printing unit <NUM>.

In the process region <NUM>, the medium <NUM> fed from the feeding region <NUM> is supported by the rotary drum <NUM>, and processing on the medium <NUM> is performed appropriately by the recording heads <NUM>,<NUM> and the UV irradiators <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> disposed along an outer circumferential surface of the rotary drum <NUM>, and an image is recorded on the medium <NUM>. Upstream of this process region <NUM> is disposed the front driving roller <NUM> for transporting the medium <NUM> toward the rotary drum <NUM>. Downstream of the process region <NUM> is disposed the rear driving roller <NUM> that transports the medium <NUM> toward the winding shaft <NUM>. In this way, the medium <NUM> transported from the front driving roller <NUM> to the rear driving roller <NUM> is supported by the rotary drum <NUM>.

The front driving roller <NUM> is a cylindrical shape or column-shaped and includes a plurality of minute protrusions formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof by thermal spraying. The medium <NUM> fed from the feeding region <NUM> is wound on from the rear surface side. In addition, by the front driving roller <NUM> being rotated clockwise in <FIG>, the medium <NUM> is fed from the feeding region <NUM> downstream in a transport path. A nip roller 31n is disposed to oppose the front driving roller <NUM>. The nip roller 31n touches the front surface of the medium <NUM> while being urged toward the front driving roller <NUM>, and the medium <NUM> becomes sandwiched between the nip roller 31n and the front driving roller <NUM>. This makes it possible to secure a frictional force between the front driving roller <NUM> and the medium <NUM> and reliably perform transport of the medium <NUM> using the front driving roller <NUM>.

The rotary drum <NUM> is a cylindrical drum that is rotatably supported, for example, having a diameter of <NUM>, and winds the medium <NUM>, which is transported from the front driving roller <NUM> to the rear driving roller <NUM>, from the rear surface side. The rotary drum <NUM> is driven to rotate in the transport direction Ds of the medium <NUM> by receiving friction force with the transported medium <NUM> while supporting the medium <NUM> from the rear surface side. The process region <NUM> is equipped with driven rollers <NUM>,<NUM> that change a direction of travel of the medium <NUM> on both sides in the transport direction Ds of the region on which the medium <NUM> is wound onto the rotary drum <NUM>. The driven roller <NUM> turns the surface of the medium <NUM> advancing direction toward the rotary drum <NUM>, with the front surface of medium <NUM> wound between the front driving roller <NUM> and the rotary drum <NUM> in the transport direction Ds. The driven roller <NUM> turns the front surface of the medium <NUM> wound between the rotary drum <NUM> and the rear driving roller <NUM> to the transport direction Ds to fold the advancing direction of the medium <NUM>. By folding back the medium <NUM> respectively upstream and downstream of the rotary drum <NUM> in the transport direction Ds, it is possible to secure a long length of the part at which the medium <NUM> is wound on the rotary drum <NUM>.

The rear driving roller <NUM> is a cylindral shape or is column shaped having a plurality of minute protrusions formed on the outer circumferential surface of the rear driving roller <NUM> by thermal spraying. The medium <NUM> conveyed from the rotary drum <NUM> via the driven roller <NUM> is wound from the rear surface side. The rear driving roller <NUM> is rotated clockwise in <FIG> to convey the medium <NUM> to the winding region <NUM>. The nip roller 32n is disposed with respect to the rear driving roller <NUM>. This nip roller 32n touches the front surface of the medium <NUM> while being urged toward the rear driving roller <NUM>, and the medium <NUM> is sandwiched between the nip roller 32n and the rear driving roller <NUM>. This makes it possible to ensure a frictional force between the rear driving roller <NUM> and the medium <NUM> and reliably transport the medium <NUM> using the rear driving roller <NUM>.

In this way, the medium <NUM> conveyed from the front driving roller <NUM> to the rear driving roller <NUM> is supported by the outer circumferential surface of the rotary drum <NUM>. Then, in the process region <NUM>, the plurality of recording heads <NUM> corresponding to different colors is disposed for printing a color image on the front surface of the medium <NUM> supported by the rotary drum <NUM>. In the present embodiment, cyan is a first color, magenta is a second color, yellow is a third color, and four recording heads <NUM> corresponding to black are aligned in this color order in the transport direction Ds.

Each recording head <NUM> faces the front surface of the medium <NUM> wound on the rotary drum <NUM> with slight clearance, and discharges a a corresponding color of ink onto the medium <NUM> from a nozzle included in the recording head <NUM> using an ink-jet method. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the printing apparatus <NUM> according to the exemplary embodiment uses ultraviolet light curable ink that cures by irradiating with ultraviolet rays, and forms a first line 82C composed of the first color, and a second line <NUM> composed of the second color, and a third line 82Y composed of the third color. Hereinafter, the ultraviolet light curable ink is also referred to as "UV ink.

The process region <NUM> is equipped with UV irradiators <NUM>,<NUM> for curing the ink and fixing it to the medium <NUM>. This ink curing is implemented by separately using two stages of temporary curing and final curing. A UV irradiator <NUM> for temporary curing is disposed between each of the plurality of recording heads <NUM>. The UV irradiator <NUM> irradiates with ultraviolet radiation with a weak irradiation intensity, thereby temporarily curing the ink to a degree that is adequately slow compared to a case where the wet spreading of the ink is not irradiated with the ultraviolet light. This suppresses color mixing such as mixture of inks having different colors.

A UV lamp <NUM> for final curing is disposed downstream of the plurality of printing heads <NUM> in the transport direction Ds. The UV irradiator <NUM> causes the UV irradiator <NUM> to irradiate with ultraviolet radiation with a stronger irradiation intensity, thereby curing the ink to the extent that the wet spreading of the ink stops. A color image formed by the plurality of recording heads <NUM> is cured by the UV irradiator <NUM> and fixed to the medium <NUM>.

Furthermore, the recording head <NUM> are disposed downstream of the UV irradiator <NUM> in the transport direction Ds. The recording head <NUM> faces the front surface of the medium <NUM> wound on the rotary drum <NUM> with slight a clearance. A colorless UV ink is discharged onto the medium <NUM> using the ink-jet method. Hereinafter, UV ink that does not include a color material is also referred to as transparent ink. In other words, the transparent ink is further discharged to the first to the third lines 82C, <NUM>, 82Y formed by the recording head <NUM>.

The UV irradiator <NUM> is disposed downstream of the recording head <NUM> in the transport direction Ds. The UV irradiator <NUM> cures the transparent ink discharged by the recording head <NUM> by irradiating with ultraviolet radiation with a stronger irradiation intensity than the UV irradiator <NUM>. This fixes the transparent ink to the front surface of the medium <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the printing apparatus <NUM> according to the present embodiment uses transparent ink to form a prism layer <NUM> having a sectional shape of a portion of a non-circular arc that approximates an ellipse. In this way, in the process region <NUM>, the discharge and curing of the ink is appropriately implemented on the medium <NUM> wound around the outer circumference of the rotary drum <NUM>. The medium <NUM> is conveyed to the winding region <NUM> by a rear driving roller <NUM>.

In addition to the winding shaft <NUM> around which the edge of the medium <NUM> has been wound, the winding region <NUM> includes a driven roller <NUM> for winding the medium <NUM> between the winding shaft <NUM> and the rear driving roller <NUM> from the rear surface side of the medium <NUM>. The winding shaft <NUM> supports the medium <NUM> by winding the edge of the medium <NUM> around the winding shaft <NUM> with the front surface of the medium <NUM> facing outward. In other words, when the winding shaft <NUM> is rotated clockwise in <FIG>, the medium <NUM> conveyed from the rear driving roller <NUM> is wound around the winding shaft <NUM> via the driven roller <NUM>. In this regard, the medium <NUM> is wound around the winding shaft <NUM> via a core pipe that is detachable from the winding shaft <NUM>. Therefore, when the medium <NUM> wound around the winding shaft <NUM> becomes full, it is possible to detach the medium <NUM> together with the core pipe <NUM>.

Next, a constitution of a printed material having a visual effect will be described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

The printed material <NUM> has a four-leaved creeping lady's sorrel (oxalis corniculata) printed on the medium <NUM>. Disposed on the four leaf portions are a first line 82C formed using cyan ink, a second line <NUM> formed using magenta ink parallel to the first line 82C, a third line 82Y formed using yellow ink parallel to the first and second lines 82C, <NUM>, and a prism layer <NUM> formed using transparent ink. The portions of the four leaves have a specular reflective layer <NUM> that includes the substrate <NUM>, first through third lines 82C, <NUM>, 82Y, and the prism layer <NUM> to demonstrate a visual effect. The first through third lines 82C, <NUM>, and 82Y form parallel lines extending in a longitudinal, lateral, diagonal, and arc-like fashion on each leaf. This allows the printed material <NUM> to exhibit a complex color change as a visual effect.

The medium <NUM> is a linear region, and the first region F1, the second region F2, and the third region F3 that are continuous in parallel are divided in a pseudo-manner so that a plurality of continuous regions are repeated as one group. <FIG> is a sectional view of the continuous first through third regions F1, F2, F3. As shown in <FIG>, the first line 82C is disposed in any one of the first F1, second F2, third F3 regions in one set. The second line <NUM> is disposed in one set in any one of the first F1, second F2, third F3 regions, other than the regions where the first line 82C is formed. The third line 82Y is disposed in one set of first regions F1, second regions F2, and third regions F3 in which the first line 82C is also not formed with the second line <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the first line 82C is disposed in the first region F1, the second line <NUM> is disposed in the second region F2, and the third line 82Y is disposed in the third region F3. Note that the combination of the first to third lines 82C, <NUM>, and 82Y and the first to third regions F1, F2, and F3 are not limited thereto, and other combinations may be used.

The prism layer <NUM> is disposed in one set in a region spanning two consecutive regions including the region where the first line 82C is formed in the first region F1, the second region F2, and the third region F3 in one set. Also, the prism layer <NUM> is disposed parallel to each of the regions F1 to F3 extending in a linear manner. The prism layer <NUM> of the present embodiment is disposed in a region spanning the first region F1 and the second region F2. In other words, the prism layer <NUM> is formed on the first line 82C and the second line <NUM>.

The width of the first to third regions F1, F2, F3, that is, the width of the first to third lines 82C, <NUM>, 82Y is desirably equal to or less than <NUM>, which corresponds to the resolution of near vision <NUM>. Near vision is a visual acuity that can distinguish two points at <NUM> apart as two points. Near visual acuity <NUM> is a visual acuity that is <NUM>/<NUM> degrees and is able to identify two points with a <NUM> minute viewing angle. <NUM> is near the distance when a human reads printed material such as this, and near visual acuity <NUM> is an unimpaired vision for leading a normal everyday life.

The section of the prism layer <NUM> forms a non-circular arc shape that approximates an ellipsoid having a large eccentricity. The width of the prism layer <NUM> is approximately <NUM>, and the film thickness thereof is <NUM>-<NUM>. In other words, the film thickness of the prism layer <NUM> is extremely thin compared to the width, and the light incident on the prism layer <NUM> is thinner than the thickness that focuses on the first line 82C. Incidentally, in order to focus light incident on the prism layer <NUM> on the first line 82C, the same film thickness as the radius of the arc is required.

Next, the visual effect of the printed material <NUM> will be described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the section of the prism layer <NUM> forms an elliptical arc shape with the boundary between the first line 82C and the second line <NUM> as the apex. Therefore, the inclination between a tangent line at a position where the first incident light 91a that enters the prism layer <NUM> and reaches the first line 82C is incident on the prism layer <NUM>, and a tangent line at a position where the second incident light 92a that enters the prism layer <NUM> and reaches the second line <NUM> is incident on the prism layer <NUM>. Because the prism layer <NUM> has an elliptical shape with a large eccentricity, the inclination θtd of the tangent line on the first line 82C can be approximated as being constant. Also, the slope of the tangent line on the second line <NUM> can be approximated to be a constant that is different from the slope on the first line 82C. Said another way, the prism layer <NUM> also can be said to have a structure having a prism in which the slope of the tangent line has a positive slope+ θtd and a prism with a negative slope of -θtd.

In the following description, the line width of the first line 82C and the line width of the second line <NUM> are <NUM>, and the height is <NUM>. The width of the prism layer <NUM> is <NUM> and the height is <NUM>. In such a case, the inclination θtd of the tangent line of the prism layer <NUM> above the first line 82C is + <NUM>° with respect to the flat surface of the medium <NUM>. The slope of the tangent line of the prism layer <NUM> above the second line <NUM> is -<NUM>° relative to the flat surface of the medium <NUM>. Additionally, the refractive index n1 of the air is <NUM>, and the refractive index n2 of the prism layer <NUM> and the refractive index n2 of the first line 82C and the second line <NUM> are the same <NUM>.

A first incident light 91a that is incident on the first line 82C and a first emitted light 91b that is the specular reflection thereof will be described. A relationship of an angle θin1 with respect to a vertical line VL of the first incident light 91a that enters the prism layer <NUM> from the air layer and reaches the specular reflective layer <NUM> directly through the first line 82C, and an angle θout1 with respect to the vertical line VL of the first emitted light 91b that reflects off the specular reflective layer <NUM> from the prism <NUM> directly through the first line 82C is determined by the following equation using Snell's law. [Mathematical Equation <NUM>] <MAT>.

For example, when the first incident light 91a is incident on the prism layer <NUM> from the air layer at an angle of θin1 = <NUM>° with respect to the vertical line VL of the medium <NUM>, the incident angle incident on the prism layer <NUM> is θin1-θtd. The first incident light 91a refracts at its boundary to an angle θ1 ≒ <NUM>° relative to the vertical line VL.

The first incident light 91a is reflected light that travels straight through the prism layer <NUM> and the first line 82C and specularly reflects off the specular reflective layer <NUM>, and again travels straight through the first line 82C and the prism layer <NUM> to reach the air layer. When the incident light is incident on the air layer from the prism layer <NUM> at an angle θ1= -<NUM>° with respect to the vertical line VL of the medium <NUM>, the incident angle incident on the air layer becomes θ1+ θtd, so the angle of refraction at the boundary increases. The incident light is refracted at an angle θout1 ≒ -<NUM>° relative to the vertical line VL and exits the prism layer <NUM> as the first emitted light 91b.

The first incident light 91a is white light. The first incident light 91a is diffused at the surface of the first line 82C with the cyan color being the ink color of the first line 82C as diffuse incident light 91c. In other words, the first line 82C acts as a color filter excluding white light to cyan color. When the first incident light 91a enters the first line 82C, the first incident light 91a changes from white light to red light from which cyan color has been removed, and the incident light is emitted from the prism layer <NUM> as the red first emitted light 91b. Note that in the cyan diffuse incident light 91c diffusely reflected by the surface of the first line 82C, the amount of light in the same direction as the first emitted light 91b is significantly less than the amount of light of the first emitted light 91b, so only red light, which is the first emitted light 91b, is visible.

A second incident light 92a that is incident on the second line <NUM> and a second emitted light 92b that is the specularly reflected light will be described. A relationship of an angle θin2 with respect to the vertical line VL of the second incident light 92a that enters the prism layer <NUM> from the air layer and passes directly through the second line <NUM> to the specular reflective layer <NUM> and an angle θout2 with respect to the vertical line VL of the second emitted light <NUM> b that reflects off the specular reflective layer <NUM> and passes directly through the second line <NUM> into the air layer from the prism layer <NUM> is determined by the following equation using Snell's law. [Mathematical Equation <NUM>] <MAT>.

The second incident light 92a is light parallel to the first incident light 91a. For example, when the second incident light 92a is incident on the prism layer <NUM> from the air layer at an angle of θin2 = <NUM>° with respect to the vertical line VL of the medium <NUM>, the incident angle that is incident on the prism layer <NUM> is θin2+θtd. In other words, the incident angle of the second incident light 92a is greater than the incident angle of the first incident light 91a, and for that reason, the second incident light 92a refracts more than the first incident light 91a, and becomes the angle θ2 ≒ <NUM>° with respect to the vertical line VL at the boundary.

The second incident light 92a is incident light that travels straight through the prism layer <NUM> and the second line <NUM> and specularly reflects off the specular reflective layer <NUM>, and again travels straight through the second line <NUM> and the prism layer <NUM> to reach the air layer. When the incident light is incident on the air layer from the prism layer <NUM> at an angle θ2 = -<NUM>° with respect to the vertical line VL of the medium <NUM>, the incident angle incident on the air layer becomes θ2-θtd, so the angle of refraction at the boundary is reduced. The reflected light is refracted at an angle θout2 ≒ -<NUM>° relative to the vertical line VL and exits the prism layer <NUM> as a second emitted light 92b.

The second incident light 92a is white light. The second incident light 92a is diffused on the surface of the second line <NUM> so that the magenta color, which is the ink color of the second line <NUM>, is the diffuse incident light 92c. In other words, the second line <NUM> acts as a color filter that excludes the magenta color from white light. The second incident light 92a changes from white light to green light from which the magenta color has been removed when entering the second line <NUM>, and the incident light is emitted from the prism layer <NUM> as the second emitted light 92b of the green color. Note that in the magenta-color diffused/reflected light 92c diffusely reflected off the front surface of the second line <NUM>, the quantity of light in the same direction as the second emitted light 92b is significantly less than the quantity of light of the second emitted light 92b, so only the green light, which is the second emitted light 92b, is visible.

A third incident light 93a that is incident on the third line 82Y and a third emitted light 93b, which is the specularly reflective light, will be described with reference to <FIG>. The line width and height of the third line 82Y are the same as the first and second lines 82C, <NUM>. The inclination of the tangent line directly above the third line 82Y is <NUM>° relative to the flat surface of the medium <NUM>. A relationship between the angle θin3 with respect to the vertical line VL of the third incident light 93a that enters the third line 82Y from the air layer and reaches the specular reflective layer <NUM>, and the angle θout3 with respect to the vertical line VL of the third emitted light 93b that is reflected by the specular reflective layer <NUM> and exits from the third line 82Y to the air layer is determined by the following equation. [Mathematical Equation <NUM>] <MAT>.

The third incident light 93a is light parallel to the first incident light 91a. For example, if the third incident light 93a is incident on the third line 82Y from the air layer at an angle of θin3 = <NUM>° with respect to the vertical line VL of the medium <NUM>, the incident angle incident on the third line 82Y is the same as the angle θin3. In other words, the third incident light 93a incident at the incident angle of <NUM>° refracts at the boundary to the angle θ3 ≒ <NUM>° with respect to the vertical line VL.

The third incident light 93a passes direction within the third line 82Y and becomes incident light that specularly reflects off the specular reflective layer <NUM>, and again travels straight within the third line 82Y to reach the air layer. When the incident light is incident on the air layer from the third line 82Y at an angle θ3 = -<NUM>° with respect to the vertical line VL of the medium <NUM>, the incident light is refracted at an angle θout3 ≒ -<NUM>° with respect to the vertical line VL and exits from the third line 82Y as the third emitted light 93b.

The third incident light 93a is white light. The third incident light 93a is diffused on the front surface of the third line 82Y so that the yellow color, which is the ink color of the third line 82Y, is the diffused/reflected light 93c. In other words, the third line 82Y acts as a color filter excluding white light to yellow color. The third incident light 93a changes from white light to blue light having a yellow color removed when entering the third line 82Y, and the incident light is emitted from the third line 82Y as the blue third emitted light 93b. Note that in the yellow colored diffused/reflected light 93c diffusely reflected off the surface of the third line 82Y, the quantity of light in the same direction as the third emitted light 93b is significantly less than the quantity of light of the third emitted light 93b, so only blue light, which is the third emitted light 93b, is visible.

Next, a method of printing printed material will be described with reference to <FIG>.

Step S101 is a specular reflective layer forming step of forming a medium <NUM> having a specular reflective layer <NUM> for visible light. At step S101, a specular reflective layer <NUM> is disposed by a film forming method such as plating, vapor deposition, or thermal spraying, or the like, on a paper-based or film-based substrate <NUM>, for the first to third incident light 91a, 92a, and 93a. It is possible to adopt metal materials including aluminum, nickel, chromium, stainless steel, and others. In addition to the film forming method described above, the method of forming the specular reflective layer <NUM> may be a method of adhering and transferring a metal material in a foil shape, a method of coating a powdered metal material onto the substrate <NUM>, and polishing a surface thereof. Note that a metal film such as aluminum, nickel, chromium, stainless steel, or the like can also be used as the medium <NUM>. In this case, the step of step S101 is not required. The medium <NUM> having the specular reflective layer <NUM> is tensioned along a transport path Pc of the printing apparatus <NUM>.

Step S102 is a medium transport step for transporting the medium <NUM>. The control unit <NUM> controls the transport unit <NUM> to transport the medium <NUM> suspended along the transport path Pc in the transport direction Ds.

Step S103 is a first line forming step of discharging ink onto the medium <NUM> to form a first line 82C of the first color. The controller <NUM> controls the recording head <NUM> that discharges cyan ink to form a first line 82C in the first region F1.

Step S104 is a second line forming step of discharging the second color of ink on the medium <NUM> different from the first color to form a second <NUM> line parallel to the first 82C. The controller <NUM> controls the recording head <NUM> that discharges the magenta ink to form the second line <NUM> in the second region F2.

Step S105 is a third line forming step of discharging ink on the medium <NUM> different than the first color and the second color to form the third 82Y parallel to the first 82C and second <NUM> lines. The control unit <NUM> controls the recording head <NUM> that discharges the yellow ink to form a third line 82Y in the third region F3.

Step S106 is a prism layer forming step of forming the prism layer <NUM> by discharging ink that does not include a color material on at least the first line 82C. The control unit <NUM> controls the recording head <NUM> that discharges the transparent ink, and forms the prism layer <NUM> in the linear region spanning the first region F1 and the second region F2 that is continuous with the first region F1. The transparent ink is a UV ink and cures to a sectional shape with a portion of a non-circular arc that approximates the ellipse by UV radiation irradiated from the UV irradiator <NUM>.

Note that in the printing method described above, for convenience of explanation, the first to third line forming steps and the prism layer forming step have been described in steps S103 to S106, but the steps S103 to S106 are performed substantially simultaneously by the control of the control unit <NUM> based on the printed data of the printed material <NUM>.

Note that in the present embodiment, the first color is cyan, the second color is magenta, and the third color is yellow, but the present disclosure is not limited to this combination. Furthermore, while the first to third colors are described as cyan, magenta, and yellow, which are color reducing mixtures, red, green, and blue, which are mixed colors, may be used, or other colors may be used.

In the present embodiment, the first line 82C is formed in the first region F1,the second line <NUM> is formed in the second region F2, and the third line 82Y is formed in the third region F3. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, as illustrated in <FIG> which is not within the scope of the present invention, the second line <NUM> may also be a printed material <NUM> in which neither the second line <NUM> nor the third line 82Y is formed in the second region F2, or the printed material <NUM> in which neither the second line <NUM> nor the third line 82Y is formed in the third region F3, as illustrated in <FIG>. Furthermore, the second regions F2 in <FIG> and the third regions F3 in <FIG> may be printed materials in which lines of black and white are formed. The same visual effect as the printed material <NUM> can be exhibited even with a printed material having such a constitution.

Still further, illustrated in the present embodiment, the printed material <NUM> is arranged with the prism layer <NUM> spanning the first region F1 and the second region F2, but it may also be a printed material disposed with the prism layer <NUM> in a region spanning the third region F3 and the first region F1.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the first line 82C, the second <NUM>, and the third 82Y are exemplified as color filters excluding from white light to ink color. However, the first line 82C, the second line <NUM>, and the third line 82Y may be color filters that transmit ink colors from white light and do not transmit other colors.

As described above, according to the printing apparatus <NUM> and the printing method of of the exemplary embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

The printed material <NUM> includes a specular reflective layer <NUM> formed on the medium <NUM>, a first line 82C formed on the specular reflective layer <NUM>, a second line <NUM>, and a prism layer <NUM>. Because the prism layer <NUM> is formed across two regions including regions where the first line 82C is formed, the prism layer <NUM> has a positive and negative slope with a tangent line above the first line 82C and a tangent line above the second line <NUM>. As a result, the refractive angle of the first incident light 91a that reaches the first line 82C via the prism layer <NUM> differs from the refractive angle of the second incident light 92a that reaches the second line <NUM> via the prism layer <NUM>. Similarly, the refractive angle of the first emitted light 91b that specularly reflects off the specular reflective layer <NUM> and exits the prism layer <NUM> via the first line 82C differs from the refractive angle of the second emitted light 92b that is specularly reflected by the specular reflective layer <NUM> and exits the prism layer <NUM> via the second line <NUM>. The printed material <NUM> obtains a visual effect because of this difference in refractive angles. Because the first line 82C, the second line <NUM>, and the prism layer <NUM> are formed of ink, the thickness of the printed material <NUM> can be reduced. This allows the printed material <NUM> easily to be bent or deformed.

The prism layer <NUM> of the printed material <NUM> is thinner than the thickness that focuses on the first line 82C. In other words, printed material <NUM> can be obtained that is thinner than a printed material that obtains visual effects using a lenticular lens with a thickness of focal length.

The printed material <NUM> comprises a first line 82C formed of ink of a first color, a second line <NUM> formed of a second color ink, and a third line 82Y formed of a third color ink. For this reason, a visual effect of the printed material <NUM> is improved.

The prism layer <NUM> is formed from an ultraviolet light curable ink. Because it is possible three-dimensionally to cure the ink, the ultraviolet light curable ink can suitably form the prism layer <NUM> having a shape of a portion of the non-circular arc that approximates the ellipse.

The width of the first to third regions F1, F2, F3, that is, the widths of the first to third lines 82C, <NUM>, 82Y disposed in the first through third regions F1, F2, F3 may have a resolution of near visual acuity <NUM> or higher. As a result, the visual effect of the printed material <NUM> is more favorably visible.

The printing method includes forming a medium <NUM> having a specular reflective layer <NUM>, forming a first line 82C composed of a first color, forming a second line <NUM> parallel to the first line 82C composed of the second color, and forming a prism layer <NUM> on at least the first line 82C. Because the prism layer <NUM> is formed across two regions including regions where the first line 82C is formed, the prism layer <NUM> has a positive and negative slope with a tangent line above the first line 82C and a tangent line above the second line <NUM>. As a result, the refractive angle of the first incident light 91a that reaches the first line 82C via the prism layer <NUM> differs from the refractive angle of the second incident light 92a that reaches the second line <NUM> via the prism layer <NUM>. Similarly, the refractive angle of the first emitted light 91b that specularly reflects off the specular reflective layer <NUM> and exits the prism layer <NUM> via the first line 82C differs from the refractive angle of the second emitted light 92b that is specularly reflected by the specular reflective layer <NUM> and exits the prism layer <NUM> via the second line <NUM>. According to the present printing method, a printed material <NUM> that obtains a visual effect because of this difference in refractive angles can be formed. Additionally, because the first line 82C, the second <NUM>, and the prism layer <NUM> are formed of ink, it is possible to obtain a printed material <NUM> having a thin thickness and that can be easily bent or deformed.

A constitution of printed material <NUM> according to exemplary embodiment <NUM> will now be described. Note that the same constituents as those in Exemplary Embodiment <NUM> are given the same reference numbers so any redundant description of these constituents will be omitted.

As illustrated in <FIG>, a medium <NUM> used in printed material <NUM> includes a substrate <NUM>, and a specular reflective layer <NUM> for visible light disposed on a front surface and back surface of the substrate <NUM>. On both sides of the medium <NUM> are disposed the specular reflective layer <NUM> of the substrate <NUM>, first to third lines 82C, <NUM>, and 82Y, and a hologram layer <NUM> that exhibits a visual effect using the prism layer <NUM>.

Both surfaces of the medium <NUM> are linear regions; the first region F1, the second region F2, and the third region F3 which are continuous in parallel are divided in a pseudo-manner so that a plurality of continuous regions that are one group are repeated. The first line 82C is formed in the first region F1 and a second line <NUM> is formed in the second region F2 on both sides of the medium <NUM>, and a third line 82Y is formed in the third region F3.

As described above, according to the printed material <NUM> according to Exemplary Embodiment <NUM>, it is possible to attain the following effect.

Claim 1:
A printed material (<NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>; <NUM>) comprising: a medium (<NUM>) having a specular reflective layer for visible light;
a first line (82C) composed of a first color formed by discharging ink onto the medium;
a second line (<NUM>) formed by discharging, onto the medium, a second color ink different from the first color, the second line being formed parallel to the first line;
a prism layer (<NUM>) formed by discharging a transparent ink that does not include a color material at the first line and the second line; wherein
when a portion of the medium is pseudo-divided so that a plurality of continuous regions (F1, F2, F3) are formed by adjacently repeating a first region, a second region, and a third region, in one set, that are continuous linear regions in parallel,
the first line is disposed in any one of the first region, the second region, and the third region in the one set,
the second line is disposed in any region other than the region formed with the first line, of the first region, the second region, and the third region in the one set,
the prism layer spans two continuous regions including the region formed with the first line of the first region, the second region, and the third region, in the one set, and is disposed parallel to the linear regions, and a section of the prism layer has a shape of a portion of a non-circular arc that approximates an ellipse, and
the first line (82C) and the second line (<NUM>) are completely covered by the prism layer (<NUM>).