JP7637361B2 - Printed materials and their creation methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printed matter in which a raised, borderless printed area is formed in a single printing with one type of ink on a substrate, and to a printed matter in which one part of the printed area differs from the other part in height in the film thickness direction of the printed area, number of pigments per unit area contained in the printed area, and/or particle size, and a method for producing the same.

In screen printing, a plate base made of metal or resin is made by drilling many small holes according to the pattern to create a screen printing surface, and a squeegee or similar tool is attached to the screen printing surface, after which printing ink is pumped in and pushed out through the many small holes formed in the screen printing surface, printing the pattern onto the base material.

Screen printing is characterized by a flexible screen surface, extremely low printing pressure, and a thicker ink film than other printing methods. This allows for free selection of substrate material, and it is widely known as one of the printing methods for producing raised prints such as Braille.
Flatbed screen printing uses a flat plate shape, while rotary screen printing uses a flat plate processed into a cylindrical shape, and rotary screen printing is capable of printing continuous patterns on rolled paper. These screen printing mechanisms have traditionally been used for decorative printing and textile printing, and are a standard technology in the field of printed electronics, where conductive paste is used to form electronic circuit boards.
Furthermore, screen printing is also used for security printed materials that require anti-counterfeiting technology and high print quality.

The applicant has disclosed a screen printing surface capable of forming convex print lines having a smooth cross-sectional shape and smooth edges (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
This screen printing plate comprises a base layer and a relief layer laminated on the base layer and made of a different material than the base layer and which is thinner than the base layer. The image portion that forms the image lines consists of linear openings (14a) formed in the relief layer and at least one partial opening (14b) formed in the base layer within the openings along the apexes of the convex images. Printing can be performed using either the flat or rotary type plate described above, and in both cases printing is performed by filling the openings with ink using a squeegee and transferring it to the substrate.

JP 2020-175605 A

However, with the screen printing plate of Patent Document 1, a single printing on a substrate using one type of ink can produce a simple printed area with a constant pigment concentration, and in order to produce a printed matter with a gradation, for example, in which the pigment concentration differs in part of continuously formed printed areas, it is necessary to prepare two or more screen printing plates and two or more types of ink, and perform screen printing on the same substrate multiple times. In such cases, the preparation of the screen printing plates and inks is cumbersome, and high printing accuracy is required.
Furthermore, even if the image lines printed in the first print and the image lines printed in the second print could be formed without any boundary with each other by high print matching, the image lines printed on each screen surface themselves had the same pigment concentration, so no printed matter with gradation could be obtained.

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and relates to a printed matter having a raised printed area with no borders, in which one part of the printed area and the other part have different heights in the film thickness direction, or different particle numbers or particle diameters of the functional pigment contained therein, and a method for producing the same, and provides a printed matter in which the difference in functional properties between one part of the printed area and the other part can be visually recognized and/or detected.

The present invention is a printed matter having a raised printed area on at least a portion of a substrate, printed with one type of ink containing at least one type of functional pigment, the printed area being made up of at least a first printed area and a second printed area, the first printed area and the second printed area being formed without a border, and the number and/or particle size of the functional pigment particles per unit area in the first printed area and the second printed area being different.

The screen plate of the present invention is formed from a first aperture region having one or more first openings with at least a first aperture diameter, and a second aperture region having one or more second openings with a second aperture diameter, and the first aperture region and the second aperture region are adjacent to each other, and the first aperture region and the second aperture region have different aperture diameters and/or transmission volumes in each aperture region.

The method for producing a printed matter in the present invention is a method for producing a printed matter by printing, in a single pass, one type of ink containing one type of resin or at least one type of functional pigment on a substrate using a screen printing plate, the method comprising the steps of:
The method is characterized by producing a printed matter having a printed area with no borders due to the resin or ink, in which at least one of the height in the film thickness direction, the number of functional pigment particles per unit area in the printed area, or the particle diameter is different between one part of the printed area and another part of the printed area.

According to the printed matter and production method of the present invention, a raised and borderless printed area is formed by printing once using one type of ink, and a printed matter can be obtained in which the height in the film thickness direction, the number of functional pigment particles contained in the printed area, or the particle size differs between one part and another part forming the printed area, making it possible to provide printed matter with a variety of functional properties.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a printed matter in the present embodiment. 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views of an example of a printed matter according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is another cross-sectional view of the printed matter in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a printing surface for producing a printed matter in the present embodiment. 3A to 3C are diagrams showing a manufacturing process of the screen plate in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the number of functional pigment particles per unit area in a printed matter according to the present embodiment. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between a plate surface and a printed matter in the present embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating another example of the relationship between the plate surface and the printed matter in the present embodiment. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the opening diameter of the plate surface in the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention. 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating the film thickness of a printing area according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 6A to 6C are diagrams showing the effects of the printed matter according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a plate surface and a printing area according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the effect of a printed matter according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating a printing surface and a printing area according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing the effects of a printed matter according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and various other embodiments are included within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims.

(Printed matter)
First, the printed matter (1) of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a plan view of the printed matter (1) of the present invention, and as shown in Fig. 1(a), the printed matter (1) has a printed area (3) on at least a part of a substrate (2).
In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1(b), the printing area (3) is composed of at least a first printing area (4) and a second printing area (5), with the first printing area (4) being a polygon and the second printing area (5) being configured in the shape of the number 10. However, as long as the printing area (3) is formed of at least the first printing area (4) and the second printing area (5), the type of design is not important.
In FIG. 1(b), the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) are separated by design, but they share an area at the boundary (K) between the printed areas, and there is no boundary between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) and the areas are connected.
In the present invention, the term "boundary" refers to the boundary between areas formed with different inks when two or more types of ink are used to form a printed area.
The first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) are formed using one type of ink (7).

(Ink)
The printing area (3) in the present invention is formed with one type of ink (7). The ink (7) is a transparent clear ink that does not contain a functional pigment or an ink that contains a functional pigment (8).
In the present invention, the functional pigment (8) refers to a pigment that is blended into the ink in order to observe or detect the functional properties of the pigment, and examples of such pigments include color pigments that can be viewed with visible light, fluorescent pigments that emit visible light when excited by ultraviolet light, pearl pigments, color shift pigments, metallic pigments, thermochromic pigments, photochromic pigments, fluorescent pigments that emit light other than visible light and that can be detected by a reading device, infrared absorbing pigments, magnetic pigments, and conductive pigments.
As described above, one type of ink (7) used in the present invention may be a clear ink that does not contain a functional pigment (8), or may contain one or more types of functional pigments (8).
The functional pigment (8) used in the present invention is a material containing pigment particles ranging from the minimum particle size to the maximum particle size, and the size of the pigment is generally expressed as the average particle size. The particle size of the pigment can be measured by a known method such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), laser diffraction, or precipitation method.

Depending on the type, the ink (7) contains a resin and a functional pigment (8), as well as a drying agent, a curing agent, and a photopolymerization initiator that are suited to the curing method. In addition to the functional pigment (8), extender pigments, waxes, and the like that are blended to adjust the ink flow characteristics and physical properties are appropriately blended. Furthermore, auxiliary agents such as defoamers, dispersants, and leveling agents may be appropriately blended to adjust the ink characteristics according to the application.
The curing method of the ink (7) in the present invention may be any of the solvent evaporation type, oxidative polymerization type, ultraviolet curing type, etc., or a combination of these. However, in order to form the height of the printed area (3) immediately after printing, which will be described later, the ultraviolet curing type is preferred.

(Substrate)
In the present invention, the substrate (2) may be paper such as fine paper, coated paper, or art paper, a film, or a composite substrate in which paper is coated with a film, as long as it does not affect the optical effect of the printed area (3). In addition, the substrate (2) itself may be colored, or may have characters or patterns printed thereon in advance.

In the present invention, since there are several forms of the printed matter (1), a representative example will be described below. Fig. 2(a) shows the printed area (3), and Fig. 2(b) and Fig. 2(c) are XX' cross-sectional views of the printed area (3).
As shown in Fig. 2(b), the printing area (3) of the present invention is composed of a first printing area (4) and a second printing area (5), and both the first printing area (4) and the second printing area (5) are formed with one type of ink (7) containing a functional pigment (8). Moreover, the first printing area (4) does not contain the functional pigment (8), and only the second printing area (5) contains the functional pigment (8). Furthermore, in Fig. 2(b), the second printing area (5) is formed to be taller than the first printing area (4).
In addition, as shown in Figure 2 (c), a printed matter (1) in which the first printed area (4) does not contain a functional pigment (8) and only the second printed area (5) contains a functional pigment (8), and in which the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) are formed to have approximately the same height, is also within the scope of the present invention.

Next, another embodiment of the printed matter (1) of the present invention will be described. Fig. 2(a) is a diagram showing the printed area (3) of the printed matter (1), and Fig. 3(a) is a XX' cross-sectional view of the printed area (3) of Fig. 2(a).
The printed area (3) in the printed matter (1) of the present invention is composed of a first printed area (4) and a second printed area (5) as shown in Fig. 3(a), and both the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) are formed with one type of clear ink (7) that does not contain any pigment. Therefore, neither area contains any pigment. Also, in Fig. 3(a), the second printed area (5) is formed to be taller than the first printed area (4).

Another embodiment of the printed matter (1) of the present invention will be described below. Fig. 2(a) shows the printed area (3) of the printed matter (1), and Fig. 3(b) and Fig. 3(b') are XX' cross-sectional views of the printed area (3) of Fig. 2(a).
The printed area (3) in the printed matter (1) of the present invention is composed of a first printed area (4) and a second printed area (5) as shown in Fig. 3(b), and both the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) are formed with one type of ink (7) containing one type of functional pigment (8). The second printed area (5) contains more functional pigment (8) than the first printed area (4). In addition, the height of the second printed area (5) is formed to be higher than the first printed area (4).
In addition, as shown in Figure 3 (b'), a printed matter (1) in which the second printed area (5) contains more functional pigment (8) than the first printed area (4) and the heights of the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) are formed to be approximately equal is also within the scope of the present invention.

Further, another embodiment of the printed matter (1) of the present invention will be described. Fig. 2(a) shows the printed area (3) of the printed matter (1), and Fig. 3(c) and Fig. 3(c') are XX' cross-sectional views of the printed area (3) of Fig. 2(a).
The printed area (3) in the printed matter (1) of the present invention is composed of a first printed area (4) and a second printed area (5) as shown in Fig. 3(c), and both the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) are formed with one type of ink (7) containing two types of functional pigments (8), a first pigment (8a) and a second pigment (8b). The first pigment (8a) has a smaller particle size than the second pigment (8b).
In the printed matter (1) of Fig. 3(c), both the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) contain the first pigment (8a) having a small pigment diameter, but the second printed area (5) contains more of the first pigment (8a) than the first printed area (4). Also, only the second printed area (5) contains the second pigment (8b). The height of the second printed area (5) is formed to be higher than the first printed area (4).
As shown in Fig. 3(c'), the second printed area (5) contains more first pigment (8a) than the first printed area (4), and only the second printed area (5) contains the second pigment (8b), and the heights of the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) are approximately equal, so the printed matter (1) is also within the scope of the present invention. This concludes the description of the printed matter (1) of the present invention.

(How to create printed materials)
Next, a method for producing the printed matter (1) of the present invention will be described. The printed matter (1) is produced by printing one type of ink (7) on the substrate (2) in one pass by screen printing.

(Printing device)
The printing device may be either a flatbed type or a rotary type screen printing device, and may be equipped with a drying device that uses hot air drying, IR drying, UV irradiation, or a combination of these, depending on the curing method of the ink (7) described above.

(Printing surface)
Next, the screen plate used in the present invention will be described. Figure 4 shows the structure of a screen plate (9) for printing the printed matter (1) of the present invention with a screen printer.
Fig. 4(a) is a plan view of a pattern area (10) of a screen plate (9) corresponding to a printing area (3) of a printed matter (1), Fig. 4(b) is a partially enlarged view of the pattern area (10) of the screen plate (9), and Fig. 4(c) is an XX' cross-sectional view of the pattern area (10) of the screen plate (9) shown in Fig. 4(b).

The screen plate (9) shown in Fig. 4(c) has a structure in which a relief layer (9b) is laminated on a base layer (9a). Here, a method for producing the screen plate (9) will be described with reference to Fig. 5.
First, a base layer (9a) is prepared as shown in FIG. 5(a), and a relief layer (9b) is laminated on the base layer (9a) as shown in FIG. 5(b). Next, an opening (14a) is formed in the relief layer (9b) according to a pattern by a laser as shown in FIG. 5(c). Then, as shown in FIG. 5(d), a partial opening (14b) is formed in the base layer (9a) by a laser according to the pattern formed in the relief layer (9b). With this structure, the partial opening (14b) of the base layer (9a) can be appropriately designed according to the opening (14a) according to the pattern formed in the relief layer (9b), and various patterns can be configured under optimal conditions within the same plate surface. The method for creating the screen plate surface (9) is described in JP 2020-175605 A by the present applicant.

In addition to the above, in the present invention, in order to create a printed matter (3) having a raised area without a boundary between different printing areas (3), the screen plate surface (9) has at least a first opening area (11) and a second opening area (12), the first opening area (11) and the second opening area (12) are adjacent to each other, and are designed in consideration of the interval (T) between the partial openings (14b) of the first opening area (11) and the partial openings (14b') of the second opening area (12) at the boundary (K) of the opening areas. In this case, the interval (T) between the partial openings (14b) of the first opening area (11) and the partial openings (14b') of the second opening area (12) varies depending on the size of the printing area (3) to be formed, the particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) used, etc., but is preferably in the range of 20 μm to 500 μm. If the gap (T) is less than 20 μm, it is undesirable because it will impair the strength of the screen surface (9), and if the gap (T) is more than 500 μm, ink will not be supplied to the boundary (K), making it difficult to obtain a printing area (3) without borders.
In this embodiment, the partial openings (14b, 14b') are shown to have a circular shape, but may have any shape, such as a circle, an ellipse, a square, a rectangle, a trapezoid, or a hexagon (not shown).

(Base layer)
The base layer (9a) is made of a resin material or a metal layer, and may be made of metals such as nickel, nickel alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, stainless steel, or other metals, or thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate and PET, or engineering plastics such as polyurethane, polyimide, and polyamide. The thickness of the base layer (9a) is preferably 30 to 200 μm. If it is less than 30 μm, the strength of the plate surface will be insufficient, and if it is more than 200 μm, poor ink ejection will occur.

(Relief layer)
The relief layer (9b) is made of a resin material, a metal plating layer or a diamond-like carbon coating layer on the resin material, and can be used by coating the resin material with a metal film such as a vapor-phase plating layer using an epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, or DLC coating layer, or a plating layer formed by electrolytic plating with a metal such as chromium or nickel. The formation of a plating layer improves durability.
The DLC coating layer formed on the relief layer (9b) as vapor-phase plating can be formed by known methods such as plasma CVD, photo-CVD using excitation by ultraviolet light, and MOCVD for compound crystal growth using an organic metal as a source.
The thickness of the relief layer (9b) is preferably 3 to 30 μm. If it is less than 3 μm, the position of the image line apex and image line height will be disturbed due to uneven discharge of the base layer (9a) on the printed image line. If it is more than 30 μm, the ink supply from the base layer (9a) will be insufficient, causing blurring of the printed image line. By forming the base layer (9a) and the relief layer (9b) from different materials, it becomes possible to selectively process them with different lasers during laser processing. For example, the base layer (9a) can be made of stainless steel and the relief layer (2) can be made of a polymer.
Furthermore, the thickness of the relief layer (9b) must be thinner than that of the base layer (9a), because if an ultraviolet-curable ink with a viscosity of 0.5 to 3.0 Pa·s (30° C.) is used to print the raised images, a thicker relief layer (9b) would result in insufficient ink supply from the base layer (9a).

(Laser)
In the present invention, the laser used to form the openings (14a) and partial openings (14b) is a CO2 laser, a fiber laser, or the like, but the type of laser is not limited as long as it is possible to provide the openings.

Next, the characteristics of the screen plate (9) of the present invention will be further explained. In the present invention, the first opening region (11), the second opening region (12) ... the nth opening region differ in at least one of the opening diameter (L) and the transmission volume (V). For example, the screen plate (9) shown in FIG. 4(c) has an opening diameter (L1) in the first opening region (11) and an opening diameter (L2) in the second opening region (12), and shows a configuration in which the opening diameter (L1) and the opening diameter (L2) are different in size.

The above-mentioned permeation volume (V) refers to the calculated ink transfer amount in the printing area ( ^cm3 /m2 ⁾ , and can be calculated as the ink volume per unit area. If the permeation volume (V) in the printing area is large, the height of the corresponding printing area will be high, and if the permeation volume (V) in the printing area is low, the height of the corresponding printing area will be low.
The opening diameter (L) refers to the diameter of the opening (14b) provided in the base layer (9a) as shown in Fig. 4(b). If the opening diameter (L) is large, the functional pigment (8) with a large particle diameter is transferred to the printing area, and if the opening diameter (L) is small, the functional pigment (8) with a large particle diameter is not transferred to the printing area, and only the functional pigment (8) with a particle diameter smaller than the opening diameter (L) is transferred to the printing area.

In the present invention, the number and particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) particles per unit area contained in the printed region (3) can be controlled by adjusting the opening diameter (L) of the base layer (9a). Also, the height of the printed region (3) and the number of functional pigments (8) per unit area can be controlled by adjusting the permeation volume (V).
In this embodiment, the arrangement of the openings (14) in the opening region is, for the sake of explanation, arranged at equal intervals in the X direction and the Y direction as shown in FIG. 4(b), but there is no limitation on the arrangement of the openings (14) and they can be freely designed.

6 is a diagram illustrating the number of functional pigment (8) particles per unit area in the printed region (3) of the printed matter (1). The number of functional pigment (8) particles per unit area contained in the printed region (3) indicates the number of functional pigment (8) particles present on a given area (S) in each of the first printed region (4) and the second printed region (5).
In the case of Fig. 6, the number of functional pigment (8) particles per unit area in the first printed area (4) is 2, and the number of functional pigment (8) particles per unit area in the second printed area (5) is 5. The greater the number of functional pigment (8) particles per unit area, the stronger the expression of the functionality of the printed area. Note that the ink volume per unit area is not relevant.

(Example of different permeation volumes with the same aperture diameter)
Here, the relationship between the screen printing surface (9) and the printed matter (1) will be described. Fig. 7(a) is a diagram showing the state of the substrate (2), the screen printing surface (9), and the ink (7) during screen printing, and the ink (7) is printed by passing through the screen printing surface in the direction D1 with a squeegee (not shown) and transferring to the substrate (2).
The screen surface (9) has a boundary (K: shown by a dotted line) at the design boundary between the first opening area (11) and the second opening area (12), and the first opening area (11) and the second opening area (12) have the same opening diameter (L) but different transmission volumes (V), with the second opening area (12) having a larger transmission volume (V) than the first opening area (11).
The ink (7) contains one type of functional pigment (8), and in Fig. 7(a) it has pigments with large and small particle diameters for the sake of explanation. The large particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) is larger than the opening diameter (L) of the first opening region (11) and the second opening region (12), and the small particle diameter is smaller than the opening diameter (L) of the first opening region (11) and the second opening region (12). A first printing region (4) is formed corresponding to the first opening region (11) of the screen plate surface (9), and a second printing region (5) is formed corresponding to the second opening region (12).

As shown in Fig. 7(b) , the obtained printed matter (1) contains more small particle diameter functional pigment (8) in the second printed region (5) than in the first printed region (4). This is because the second open region (12) has a larger permeation volume (V) than the first open region (11), and therefore a larger amount of small particle diameter functional pigment (8) is transferred to the second printed region (5) corresponding to the second open region (12).
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7(b), in the printed matter (1), the permeable volume (V) of the second opening area (12) is larger than that of the first opening area (11), and therefore the height (h2) of the second printing area (5) is larger than the height (h1) of the first printing area (4).

The printed matter (1) of the present invention has a borderless structure in which the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) are shared at the design boundary (K) between the adjacent first opening area (11) and second opening area (12) on the screen printing surface (9), and the difference in functional properties can be visually recognized and/or detected due to the difference in height between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) or the difference in the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) contained in the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5).

(Example of different aperture diameters with the same permeation volume)
Next, another example of the relationship between the screen printing surface (9) and the printed matter (1) will be described. Fig. 8(a) is a diagram showing the state of the substrate (2), the screen printing surface (9), and the ink (7) during screen printing, in which the ink (7) passes through the screen printing surface in the direction D1 by a squeegee (not shown) and is transferred to the substrate (2) to be printed.
The screen surface (9) has a boundary (K: shown by a dotted line) at the design boundary between the first opening area (11) and the second opening area (12), and the transmission volumes (V) in the first opening area (11) and the second opening area (12) are the same, but the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening area (12) is larger than the opening diameter (L1) of the first opening area (11).
A cross-sectional view of the printing area (3) printed corresponding to the screen plate surface (9) of Fig. 8(a) is shown in Fig. 8(b). The ink (7) contains one type of functional pigment (8), and in Fig. 8(a), for the sake of explanation, the ink contains pigments with large particle diameters and small particle diameters. The large particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) is larger than the opening diameter (L1) of the first opening area (11) and smaller than the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening area (12). The small particle diameter is smaller than the opening diameter (L1) of the first opening area (11) and the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening area (12).
A first printing area (4) is formed corresponding to the first opening area (11) of the screen printing surface (9), and a second printing area (5) is formed corresponding to the second opening area (12).

Fig. 8(b) is a diagram showing a XX' cross-sectional view of the printing area (3) printed by the screen plate (9) of Fig. 8(a). A first printing area (4) is formed corresponding to the first opening area (11) of the screen plate (9), and a second printing area (12) is formed corresponding to the second opening area (12).
In this case, the permeation volume (V) in each printing area is the same, but since the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening area (12) is larger than the opening diameter (L1) of the first opening area (11), the heights of the first printing area (4) and the second printing area (5) are the same, and only the second printing area (12) has a functional pigment (8) with a larger particle diameter.

The obtained printed matter (1) has a borderless structure in which the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) which are located at the boundary (K) between the adjacent first opening area (11) and second opening area (12) on the screen printing surface (9) are shared, and the difference in functional properties can be visually recognized and/or detected due to the difference in the particle number or particle size of the functional pigment (8) contained in the first printed area (5) and the second printed area (5).

(Screen opening diameter)
Here, an example of the aperture diameter (L) of the screen printing plate (9) will be described with reference to Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 9(a) and Fig. 9(b), in the base layer (9a) of the screen printing plate (9), when the aperture diameter (L1') on the side where the ink enters is taken as L1, and the aperture diameter on the relief layer side that contacts the substrate (2) is taken as L1, it is desirable that the relationship be L1 ≧ L1'. The reason for this is that if L1 <L1', the pigment that enters the aperture (14) will be clogged in the base layer (9a), causing printing defects.

In this embodiment, the printing area (3) is a first opening area (11), a second opening area (12), ... an nth opening area of the base layer (9a) constituting the screen printing surface (9), and at least one of the transmission volume (V) or the opening diameter (L) is different in each area. Therefore, in the first printing area (4), the second printing area (5), ... an nth printing area corresponding to each opening area, a printed matter (1) can be obtained in which at least one of the height in the film thickness direction in each printing area, the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area in each printing area, or the particle diameter is different from one another. This concludes the basic description of the printed matter (1) of the present invention and the method for producing it.

Next, we will explain the first embodiment of the present invention, which is an example of using clear ink alone, the second embodiment, which is an example of using ink containing one type of functional pigment (8), and the third embodiment, which is an example of using ink containing two or more types of functional pigments (8).

(Embodiment 1)
As a first embodiment of the present invention, an example will be described using the screen printing surface (9) shown in FIG. 4 and a clear ink that does not contain a functional pigment (8) as the ink (7).
The screen plate (9) shown in Figure 4 is configured such that the opening diameter (L2) and transmission volume (V) of the second opening area (12) are both larger than the opening diameter (L1) and transmission volume (V) of the first opening area (11).

Fig. 10(a) is a cross-sectional view of the screen plate surface (9) corresponding to the printing area (3), Fig. 10(b) is a plan view of the printing area (3) of the printed matter (1) printed by the screen plate surface (9), and Fig. 10(c) is a XX' cross-sectional view of the printing area (3) of Fig. 10(b).
In FIG. 10(c), printing is performed by causing ink (7) to pass through the plate surface in the direction D1 by a squeegee (not shown) in FIG. 10(a) and transfer to the substrate (2).

The printed area (3) is formed by printing a first printed area (4) corresponding to the first opening area (11) and a second printed area (5) corresponding to the second opening area (12) on the substrate (2). In the first embodiment, the permeable volume (V) of the second opening area (12) is larger than that of the first opening area (11), so that a printed matter (1) is obtained in which the film thickness of the second printed area (5) is greater than that of the first printed area (4).

11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the height of the film thickness of the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) in the printed area (3). If the height of the first printed area (4) is h1 and the height of the second printed area (5) is h2, the difference between h1 and h2, Δh, is preferably 3 μm or more, and more preferably 8 μm or more to obtain good visibility. This is because if the height difference (Δh) is less than 3 μm, the difference between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) is difficult to visually recognize.
Although not shown, Δh may be 3 μm or more, and the first printing area (4) may be higher than the second printing area (5). Depending on the configuration of the screen plate surface (9), in addition to the first printing area (4) and the second printing area (5), any printing area may be provided, such as a third printing area, a fourth printing area, ... an nth printing area, as areas with a height difference (Δh) of 3 μm or more.

(effect)
FIG. 12(a) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the observation light source (B) and the observer (A). When the observer (A) visually observes the printed area (3) from the observation angle (A1) corresponding to the diffuse reflection angle, the boundary (K) between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) is indistinguishable, and the contour pattern at the boundary between the substrate and the first printed area (4) is visible as shown in FIG. 12(b). On the other hand, when the printed area (3) is visually observed from the observation angle (A2) corresponding to the regular reflection angle, the reflection of light is blocked at the boundary (K) due to the height difference between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5), so the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) can be distinguished and viewed. In this example, as shown in FIG. 12(c), the first area (4) is blocked by the height of the second printed area (5), and only the second printed area (5) is visible. Furthermore, by visually observing successively from the diffuse angle to the specular reflection angle, the intensity of the reflected light changes continuously due to the difference in elevation between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5), allowing the printed area (3) to be viewed in three dimensions.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the printed area (3) is formed so that different printed areas are seamlessly arranged, and there are no gaps or misalignments between the printed areas, as in the case of a printed matter in which multiple designs are printed together in multiple printings, improving counterfeit resistance and design. In addition, because the printed area (3) is formed so that printed areas of different heights are seamlessly arranged, a latent image effect can be obtained in which the visible printed area changes depending on the observation angle. Furthermore, by continuously changing the observation angle, a three-dimensional effect is achieved in which the printed pattern appears to stand out.

(Embodiment 2)
In the second embodiment of the present invention, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described, while omitting the same contents as in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment using a screen printing plate (9) and an ink (7) containing a functional pigment (8) as shown in FIG. 4 will be described.
The screen plate (9) shown in FIG. 4 is configured such that the transmission volume (V) and the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening region (12) are both larger than the transmission volume (V) and the opening diameter (L1) of the first opening region (11).
For the sake of explanation, the functional pigment (8) is a pigment consisting of large and small particle diameters, the large particle diameter being larger than the opening diameter (L1) of the first opening region (11) and smaller than the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening region (12), and the small particle diameter being smaller than the opening diameter (L1) of the first opening region (11) and the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening region (12).

Fig. 13(a) is a cross-sectional view of the screen plate surface (9) corresponding to the printing area (3), Fig. 13(b) is a plan view of the printing area (3) of the printed matter (1) printed by the screen plate surface (9), and Fig. 13(c) is a XX' cross-sectional view of the printing area (3) of Fig. 13(b).
In FIG. 13(c), printing is performed by causing ink (7) to pass through the plate surface in the direction D1 by a squeegee (not shown) in FIG. 13(a) and transferring it to the substrate (2).

The printed area (3) is formed by printing a first printed area (4) corresponding to the first opening area (11) and a second printed area (5) corresponding to the second opening area (12) on the substrate (2). Since the permeation volume (V) of the second opening area (12) is larger than that of the first opening area (11), the height of the second printed area (5) is higher than that of the first printed area (4) and the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area is also larger.
Furthermore, since the large particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) is larger than the opening diameter (L1) of the first opening region (11) and smaller than the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening region (11), the large particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) passes only through the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening region (12) and is transferred onto the substrate, and therefore, as shown in FIG. 13( c ), the second printing region (5) contains more large particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) than the first printing region (4).

In order to distinguish and visually recognize and/or detect the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) in the printed area (3) using the functional pigment (8), it is sufficient that at least one of the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area contained in the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) is different from the particle size. This embodiment is an example of a configuration in which both the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area and the particle size are different.

When the functional pigment (8) is visible with visible light, such as a color pigment, pearl pigment, metallic pigment, or visibly emitting fluorescent pigment, it can be seen as a different printed area with a color difference ΔE ≧ 1.5. When ΔE < 1.5, it cannot be distinguished as a different hue. Furthermore, when the functional pigment (8) is used for machine reading, such as a magnetic pigment, conductive pigment, or fluorescent pigment other than visibly emitting fluorescent pigment, it is sufficient to appropriately adjust the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area and the particle diameter to create differences in order to distinguish the printed area according to the detection accuracy.

Since the printed region (3) is composed of multiple adjacent printed regions (n≧2) differing in at least one of the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area and the particle diameter, seamless changes according to the characteristics of the functional pigment (8) can be visually recognized and/or detected.
For example, when the functional pigment (8) is a color pigment, the density can be visually recognized as different in the borderless printed area. As another example, when the functional pigment (8) is a fluorescent pigment that emits visible light under ultraviolet excitation, the emission intensity can be visually recognized as different in the borderless printed area.
Furthermore, by forming a printing area in which at least one of the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area and the particle diameter is different, a gradation pattern in which the density and luminescence intensity are gradually changed can be formed. Furthermore, when the functional pigment (8) has machine-readable properties such as a magnetic pigment or a conductive pigment, the machine-readable intensity can be adjusted in multiple stages. In addition, when the heights of the printing areas are different, the effect of the first embodiment can also be achieved.

(effect)
Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the effect of embodiment 2. In Fig. 14, a colorless fluorescent pigment that emits visible light when excited by ultraviolet light is used as the functional pigment (8), and the number of particles and particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) per unit area are different between the first printed region (4) and the second printed region (5).
The colorless fluorescent pigment of ultraviolet excitation visible light emission refers to a pigment that is colorless under visible light and emits visible light under ultraviolet light. The second printed area (4) has a larger number of functional pigment (8) particles per unit area of the first pigment (8a) than the first printed area (5), and the particle diameter is also larger. Therefore, under ultraviolet light, the emission intensity (I2) in the second printed area (5) is greater than the emission intensity (I1) in the first printed area (4), and a difference in emission intensity occurs between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5). When this difference in emission intensity is equivalent to a color difference ΔE≧1.5, the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) can be distinguished and visually recognized at the boundary (K).

In the present embodiment 2, the first printed region (4) and the second printed region (5) are configured to have different particle numbers and particle diameters of the functional pigment (8) per unit area, but any configuration that produces a sufficient difference in luminescence intensity may be used, and at least one of the particle number and particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) per unit area may be different. In addition, although an example of a colorless fluorescent pigment that emits visible light excited by ultraviolet light is shown as the first pigment (8a), the same applies to other functional pigments (8).

(Embodiment 3)
As the third embodiment of the present invention, only the differences will be described, while omitting the same contents as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. In the third embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment using a screen printing plate (9) shown in Fig. 4 and an ink (7) containing a first pigment (8a) and a second pigment (8b) as the functional pigment (8) will be described.
The screen plate (9) shown in FIG. 4 is configured such that the transmission volume (V) and the opening diameter (L2) in the second opening region (12) are both larger than the transmission volume (V) and the opening diameter (L1) in the first opening region (11).

The first pigment (8a) is smaller than the opening diameter (L1) of the first opening region (11) and the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening region (12), and the second pigment (8b) is larger than the opening diameter (L1) of the first opening region (11) and smaller than the opening diameter (L2) of the second opening region (12). The second pigment (8b) is larger than the first pigment (8a) to the extent that its particle size distribution can be ignored.

Fig. 15(a) is a cross-sectional view of the screen plate surface (9) corresponding to the printing area (3), Fig. 15(b) is a plan view of the printing area (3) of the printed matter (1) printed by the screen plate surface (9), and Fig. 15(c) is a XX' cross-sectional view of the printing area (3) of Fig. 15(b).
In FIG. 15(c), printing is performed by causing ink (7) to pass through the plate surface in the direction D1 by a squeegee (not shown) in FIG. 15(a) and transfer it to the substrate (2).

The printing area (3) is formed by printing the first printing area (4) corresponding to the first opening area (11) and the second printing area (5) corresponding to the second opening area (12) on the substrate (2). Since the second opening area (12) has a larger transmission volume (V) than the first opening area (11), the height of the second printing area (5) is higher than that of the first printing area (4), and the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area is larger. Furthermore, since the first pigment (8a) passes through both the openings (14) of the first opening area (11) and the second opening area (12), the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area of the second printing area (5) is greater than that of the first printing area (4) depending on the transmission volume (V) of each opening area. On the other hand, the second pigment (8b) does not pass through the first opening region (11) but only through the second opening region (12), and therefore is not present in the first printing region (4), and the number of functional pigment (8) particles per unit area in the second printing region (5) is greater than in the first printing region (4).

In order to distinguish and visually recognize and/or detect the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) in the printed area (3) using the functional pigment (8), at least one of the particle number and particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) per unit area of the first pigment (8a) and the second pigment (8b) contained in the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) must be different. In this embodiment 3, the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area of the first pigment (8a) and the second pigment (8b) is different.

The first pigment (8a) and the second pigment (8b) may be different functional pigments (8), or may be the same functional pigment (8) as long as they have different characteristics. The same functional pigment (8) but different characteristics refers to, for example, when a colored pigment is selected as the functional pigment (8), the first pigment (8a) is magenta and the second pigment (8b) is cyan, and the visible hues, which are the functions of the colored pigments, are different.

The printed region (3) is composed of a plurality of adjacent printed regions (n≧2) in which at least one of the particle numbers and particle diameters of the functional pigments (8) per unit area of the first pigment (8a) and the second pigment (8b) is different, and therefore seamless changes in the first pigment (8a) and the second pigment (8b) in each printed region can be visually recognized and/or detected.
For example, when a colorless fluorescent pigment that emits visible light when excited by ultraviolet light is used as the first pigment (8a) and a colored pigment (non-fluorescent pigment) is used as the second pigment (8b), the first pigment (8a) is colorless under visible light, so that the density in each printed area can be visually recognized differently depending on the particle number and particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) per unit area of the second pigment (8b). On the other hand, under ultraviolet light, the second pigment (8b) conceals the emission of the first pigment (8a), so that the printed area containing more of the second pigment (8b) than the first pigment (8a) can be visually recognized with a suppressed emission intensity. In this way, the functionality of the first pigment (8a) and the second pigment (8b) mix, strengthen, or cancel each other out, so that the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) can be visually recognized separately. In addition, when the heights of the printed areas are different, the effect of the first embodiment is also achieved.

(effect)
Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the effect of the third embodiment. Fig. 16 shows an example in which a colorless fluorescent pigment that emits visible light when excited by ultraviolet light is used as the first pigment (8a), and a colored pigment (non-fluorescent pigment) is used as the second pigment (8b), and the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area of each pigment is different in the first printed region (4) and the second printed region (5). The colored pigment (non-fluorescent pigment) that is the second pigment (8b) is a pigment that is colored under visible light, such as carbon black or a metal-based metallic pigment, does not emit light under ultraviolet light, and conceals the emission of light when other functional pigments emit light.

The second printed area (5) has a larger number of functional pigment (8) particles per unit area for both the first pigment (8a) and the second pigment (8b) compared to the first printed area (4). In particular, the second pigment (8b) is not present in the first printed area (4) and is selectively present in the second printed area (5). Therefore, under visible light, the second printed area (5), in which the number of functional pigment (8) particles per unit area of the second pigment (8b) is large, is colored and has a high concentration with a color difference ΔE≧1.5, making it possible to distinguish between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5). In addition, under ultraviolet light, the second pigment (8b) in the second printed area (5) has the effect of concealing the luminescence emitted by the first pigment (8a), so that the luminescence intensity (I1') in the first printed area (4) is stronger than the luminescence intensity (I2') in the second printed area (5), resulting in a difference in luminescence intensity. This difference in luminescence intensity is equivalent to a color difference ΔE≧1.5, so that the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) can be distinguished and visually recognized at the boundary (K).

In the present embodiment 3, the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area of the first pigment (8a) and the second pigment (8b) is different in the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5), but it is sufficient that there is a sufficient difference in the concentration under visible light and/or the luminescence intensity under ultraviolet light, and it is sufficient that at least one of the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area and the particle diameter is different. In the present embodiment 3, examples of the first pigment (8a) and the second pigment (8b) are shown, but two or more pigments may be used, and other functional pigments (8) may be combined.

Example 1
An example of the printed matter (1) shown in Fig. 1 will be described. The printing area (3) formed on the substrate (2) is composed of the first printing area (4) and the second printing area (5) shown in Fig. 1. The substrate (2) is made of coated paper (Shiraoi Matte, Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.), and the screen printing surface (9) is the printing surface shown in Fig. 4.
The first opening region (11) corresponding to the first printing region (4) had an opening diameter (L) of 80 μm and a transmission volume (V) of 15.4 μm. The second opening region (12) corresponding to the second printing region (5) had an opening diameter (L) of 150 μm and a transmission volume (V) of 24.0 μm. Furthermore, the interval (T) between the partial opening (14b) of the first opening region (11) and the partial opening (14b') of the second opening region (12) at the boundary (K) of the opening region of the screen plate surface (9) was 60 μm. A commercially available clear ink (UVA9117, manufactured by Seiko Advance Co., Ltd.) was used as the ink (7).
Next, the printing area (3) was printed on the substrate (2) by flatbed screen printing and cured by UV irradiation (metal halide lamp, cumulative light amount 100 mJ/ ^cm2 ). The height (h1) of the first printing area (4) of the obtained printing area (3) was 12.5 μm, the height (h2) of the second printing area (5) was 22.5 μm, and the height difference (Δh) was 10.0 μm. The height of the area was measured using a three-dimensional roughness measuring instrument (SURFCOM1500DX3, Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.).

The obtained printed matter (1) was a printed matter (1) in which there was no boundary between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) in the printed area (3).
When this printed matter (1) was visually observed under visible light from an observation angle (A1) corresponding to the diffuse reflection angle, the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) in the printed area (3) could not be distinguished from each other because there was no boundary between them. However, as shown in Figure 12 (b) , a contour pattern was visible at the boundary between the first printed area (4) and the base material (1).
On the other hand, when the printed area (3) was visually observed from an observation angle (A2) corresponding to the specular reflection angle, the difference in height between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) blocked the reflection of light at the boundary (K), and as shown in Fig. 12(c), the first area (4) was blocked by the height of the second printed area (5), and only the second printed area (5) was visible. Furthermore, by continuously changing the observation angle, a three-dimensional effect was confirmed in which the printed pattern appeared to stand out.

Example 2
Next, Example 2 will be described. Example 2 also has the same printed matter (1) as Example 1, shown in Fig. 1, and the printed area (3) formed is composed of a first printed area (4) and a second printed area (5). Example 2 uses a different ink (7) from Example 1, but the rest is the same.
Ink (7) was prepared by mixing a commercially available clear ink (UVA9117, manufactured by Seiko Advance Co., Ltd.) with one type of functional pigment (8), fluorescent medium (BESTCURE UV fluorescent medium R, manufactured by T&K TOKA), a colorless fluorescent pigment that emits visible light when excited by ultraviolet light, in a ratio of 90:10. In this case, the particle diameter of the functional pigment (8) was 2.54 μm (0.1 mil) or less. The particle diameter was measured using a grind meter.
Next, a printing area (3) was printed on the substrate (2) by flatbed screen printing, and cured by UV irradiation (metal halide lamp, cumulative light amount 100 mJ/cm ² ).
The height (h1) of the first printed area (4) in the obtained printed area (3) was 12.5 μm, the height (h2) of the second printed area (5) was 22.5 μm, and the height difference (Δh) was 10.0 μm. The image height was measured using a three-dimensional roughness measuring instrument (SURFCOM1500DX3, Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.).

(effect)
The obtained printed matter (1) had a configuration in which there was no boundary between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) in the printed area (3), as shown in Figures 13(b) and 13(c).
When this printed matter (1) was visually observed under visible light, the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) in the printed area (3) could not be distinguished from each other because there was no boundary between them, but a contour pattern was visible at the boundary between the first printed area (4) and the base material (1) (not shown).
Furthermore, when this printed matter (1) was observed under ultraviolet light, the second printed area (5) in the printed area (3) was observed to emit a stronger light than the first printed area (4) due to the effect of the colorless fluorescent pigment, which is the first pigment.
In addition, when the printed area (3) was observed under visible light at different observation angles, a latent image effect was confirmed in which the visible printed area changed depending on the observation angle. Furthermore, a three-dimensional effect in which the printed pattern appeared to stand out was confirmed by continuously changing the observation angle.

Example 3
Next, Example 3 will be described. Example 3 also has the same printed matter (1) as Example 1 and Example 2, with the design shown in Fig. 1, and the printed area (3) formed is composed of a first printed area (4) and a second printed area (5). Example 3 uses a different ink (7) from Examples 1 and 2, but is otherwise similar.
The ink (7) uses two types of functional pigments (8), and is a mixture of a commercially available clear ink (UVA9117, manufactured by Seiko Advance Co., Ltd.), a fluorescent medium (BESTCURE UV fluorescent medium R, manufactured by T&K TOKA Co., Ltd.), which is a colorless fluorescent pigment that emits visible light when excited by ultraviolet light, as the first pigment (8a), and a colored pigment (UV Carton L Cyan, manufactured by T&K TOKA Co., Ltd.), as the second pigment (8b), in a ratio of 85:10:5. In this case, the particle diameter of the colorless fluorescent pigment that emits visible light when excited by ultraviolet light, which is the first pigment (8a), is 2.54 μm (0.1 mil) or less, and the particle diameter of the colored pigment that is the second pigment (8b) is 2.54 μm (0.1 mil) or less. The particle diameters were measured using a grind meter.
Next, a printing area (3) was printed on the substrate (2) by flatbed screen printing, and cured by UV irradiation (metal halide lamp, cumulative light amount 100 mJ/cm ² ).
The height (h1) of the first printed area (4) in the obtained printed area (3) was 12.5 μm, the height (h2) of the second printed area (5) was 22.5 μm, and the height difference (Δh) was 10.0 μm. The image height was measured using a three-dimensional roughness measuring instrument (SURFCOM1500DX3, Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.).

(effect)
The obtained printed matter (1) had a structure in which there was no boundary between the first printed area (4) and the second printed area (5) in the printed area (3).
When this printed matter (1) was visually observed under visible light, the second printed area (5) in the printed area (3) was visually perceived as darker cyan due to the effect of the color pigment, which is the second pigment, than the first printed area (4). Under ultraviolet light, the second pigment (8b) has the effect of concealing the luminescence of the first pigment (8a), so the luminescence intensity (I1) in the first printed area (4) and the luminescence intensity (I2) in the second printed area (5) were approximately the same, and the second printed area (5), which has a larger number of particles of the second pigment (8b) and a higher concentration, was visually perceived as darker than the first printed area (4), which has a smaller number of particles of the second pigment (8b) and a lower concentration, making it possible to distinguish between the respective printed areas.
In addition, when the printed area (3) was observed under visible light at different observation angles, a latent image effect was confirmed in which the visible printed area changed depending on the observation angle. Furthermore, a three-dimensional effect in which the printed pattern appeared to stand out was confirmed by continuously changing the observation angle.

Example 4
Next, Example 4 shown in Fig. 17 will be described. Example 4 is an experiment to confirm the screening effect of the functional pigment (8) contained in the ink (7) by the opening diameter (L) and the permeation volume (V) provided in each opening region of the screen plate surface (9) in the present invention.
The printed area (3) in the printed matter (1) of Example 4 is composed of a first printed area (4), a second printed area (5) and a third printed area (6) shown in Figure 17(a).
The printing method and ink curing method were the same as in Examples 1, 2 and 3, but the screen surface and ink were as follows.
The screen plate (9) used was a plate consisting of a first opening area (11) corresponding to the first printing area (4), a second opening area (12) corresponding to the second printing area (5), and a third opening area (13) corresponding to the third printing area (6).
In addition, the first opening area (11) corresponding to the first printing area (4) has an opening diameter (L1) of 60 μm and a transmission volume (V1) of 11.8 μm, the second opening area (12) corresponding to the second printing area (5) has an opening diameter (L2) of 120 μm and a transmission volume (V2) of 20.9 μm, and the third opening area (13) corresponding to the third printing area (6) has an opening diameter (L3) of 200 μm and a transmission volume (V3) of 27.9 μm.
The ink (7) was a 90:10 mixture of a commercially available clear ink (UVA9117, manufactured by Seiko Advance Co., Ltd.) and one type of functional pigment (8), a glittering pigment having an average particle size of 20 μm (Chromashine, manufactured by Toyo Aluminum Co., Ltd.).
Next, the printing area (3) was printed on the substrate (2) by flatbed screen printing, and then cured by UV irradiation (metal halide lamp, cumulative light amount 100 mJ/ ^cm2 ). In the obtained printing area (3), the height (h1) of the first printing area (4) was 5.2 μm, the height (h2) of the second printing area (5) was 15.4 μm, and the height (h3) of the third printing area (6) was 29.8 μm. The image height was measured using a three-dimensional roughness measuring device (SURFCOM1500D×3, Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.).

Figures 17(b), 17(c) and 17(d) show images of the first opening area (11), the second opening area (12) and the third opening area (13) constituting the screen plate surface (9) taken with a digital microscope (VHX-1000, Keyence Corporation). Figures 17(b'), 17(c') and 17(d') show images of the first printing area (4), the second printing area (5) and the third printing area (6) corresponding to each opening area taken with a digital microscope (VHX-1000, Keyence Corporation).
It was confirmed that the first printed region (4) has a smaller number of functional pigment (8) particles per unit area than the other printed regions, and contains a large amount of luster pigment with a small particle diameter of the functional pigment (8).
Next, in the second printed region (5) and the third printed region (6), the number of particles of the functional pigment (8) per unit area increases in the order of increasing transmission volume (V) and opening diameter, and it was confirmed that there is a large amount of the luster pigment having a large particle diameter of the functional pigment (8).

(effect)
The obtained printed matter (1) had a printed area (3) with no boundaries between the first printed area (4), the second printed area (5) and the third printed area (6).
When the printed matter (1) was visually observed under visible light, the first printed area (4) in the printed area (3) had the weakest glitter, followed by the second printed area (5) and the third printed area (6), confirming the gradation effect caused by the glitter.

1 Screen print 2 Substrate 3 Print area 4 First print area 5 Second print area 6 Third print area 7 Ink 8 Functional pigment 8a First pigment 8b Second pigment 9 Screen plate surface 9a Base layer 9b Relief layer 10 Pattern area 11 First opening area 12 Second opening area 13 Third opening area 14a Openings 14b, 14b' Partial openings A, A1, A2 Observer B Observation light source C Incident light D Reflected light I1, I1', I2, I2' Emission intensity K Boundary L, L1, L2, L3 Opening diameter T Distance between partial openings at boundary V, V1, V2, V3 Transmission volume h1, h2, h3 Height

Claims (3)

A printed matter having a raised printed area on at least a portion of a substrate using one type of ink containing at least one type of functional pigment,
The printing area includes at least a first printing area and a second printing area, and the first printing area and the second printing area are formed without a boundary,
In the first printing area and the second printing area, at least one type of functional pigment contained in the ink is contained in only one of the printing areas,
Or, a printed matter characterized in that the film thickness is the same in the first printed area and the second printed area, and the particle diameter of at least one type of the functional pigment contained in the first printed area and the second printed area is different. A screen printing plate for printing an ink containing at least one functional pigment, comprising:
The insulating film is formed from a first opening region having one or more first openings having at least a first opening diameter, and a second opening region having one or more second openings having a second opening diameter,
the first opening region and the second opening region are adjacent to each other,
A screen plate, characterized in that the first opening area and the second opening area have the same transmission volume but different opening diameters. A method for producing a printed matter by printing a substrate with one type of ink containing at least one type of functional pigment in a single pass using the screen printing plate according to claim 2, comprising the steps of:
A method for creating a printed matter, comprising the steps of: creating a printed matter having a first printed area and a second printed area without a border; and producing a printed matter in which at least one of the particle diameter of the functional pigment and the number of particles of the functional pigment per unit area is different in the first printed area and the second printed area.

Images