What did the first man know? How to kill a mammoth, bison or catch a wild boar. In the Paleolithic era, there were enough cave walls to record everything that had been studied. The entire cave database would fit on a modest megabyte-sized flash drive. Over the 200,000 years of our existence, we have learned about the genome of the African frog, neural networks, and no longer draw on rocks. Now we have disks, cloud storage. As well as other types of storage media capable of storing the entire MSU library on one chipset.
What is a storage medium
A storage medium is a physical object whose properties and characteristics are used to record and store data. Examples of storage media are films, compact optical discs, cards, magnetic disks, paper and DNA. Storage media differ in the recording principle:
- printed or chemical with paint: books, magazines, newspapers;
- magnetic: HDD, floppy disks;
- optical: CD, Blu-ray;
- electronic: flash drives, solid-state drives.
Data storages are classified according to signal shape:
- analog, using a continuous signal for recording: audio compact cassettes and reels for tape recorders;
- digital - with a discrete signal in the form of a sequence of numbers: floppy disks, flash drives.
The first storage media
The history of recording and storing data began 40 thousand years ago, when Homo sapiens came up with the idea of making sketches on the walls of their homes. The first cave art is found in the Chauvet Cave in the south of modern France. The gallery contains 435 drawings depicting lions, rhinoceroses and other representatives of the late Paleolithic fauna.
To replace the Aurignacian culture in the Bronze Age arose fundamentally the new kind information carriers - tuppum. The device was a clay plate and resembled a modern tablet. Records were made on the surface using a reed stick - a stylus. To prevent the work from being washed away by the rain, the tuppums were burned. All tablets with ancient documentation were carefully sorted and stored in special wooden boxes.
The British Museum has a tuppum containing information about a financial transaction that took place in Mesopotamia during the reign of King Assurbanipal. An officer from the prince's retinue confirmed the sale of the slave Arbela. The tablet contains his personal seal and notes on the progress of the operation.
Kipu and papyrus
WITH III millennium BC papyrus began to be used in Egypt. Data is recorded on sheets made from the stems of the papyrus plant. The portable and lightweight form of storage media quickly replaced its clay predecessor. Not only the Egyptians, but also the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines wrote on papyrus. In Europe, the material was used until the 12th century. The last document written on papyrus was the papal decree of 1057.
At the same time as the ancient Egyptians, on the opposite end of the planet, the Incas invented the kippa, or “talking knots.” Information was recorded by tying knots on spinning threads. Kipu kept data on tax collections and population. Presumably, non-numeric information was used, but scientists have yet to unravel it.
Paper and punch cards
From the 12th century to the mid-20th century, paper was the main storage medium for data. It was used to create printed and handwritten publications, books, and media. In 1808, punch cards began to be made from cardboard - the first digital storage media. They were sheets of cardboard with holes made in a certain sequence. Unlike books and newspapers, punch cards were read by machines rather than by people.
The invention belongs to an American engineer with German roots, Herman Hollerith. The author first used his brainchild to compile mortality and birth rate statistics at the New York Board of Health. After trial attempts, punched cards were used for the US Census in 1890.
But the idea of making holes in paper to record information was far from new. Back in 1800, punched cards were introduced into use by the Frenchman Joseph-Marie Jacquard for managing loom. Therefore, the technological breakthrough consisted in Hollerith’s creation not of punched cards, but of a tabulation machine. This was the first step towards automatic reading and calculation of information. Herman Hollerith's TMC tabulating machine company was renamed IBM in 1924.
OMR cards
They are sheets of thick paper with information recorded by a person in the form of optical marks. The scanner recognizes the marks and processes the data. OMR cards are used to compile questionnaires, tests with optional choice, bulletins and forms that must be completed manually.
The technology is based on the principle of drawing up punched cards. But the machine does not read through holes, but bulges, or optical marks. The calculation error is less than 1%, so OMR technology continues to be used government agencies, examination authorities, lotteries and bookmakers.
Punched tape
A digital storage medium in the form of a long paper strip with holes. Perforated ribbons were first used by Basile Bouchon in 1725 to control a loom and mechanize the selection of threads. But the tapes were very fragile, easily torn and at the same time expensive. Therefore, they were replaced by punched cards.
WITH late XIX century, punched tape was widely used in telegraphy, for entering data into computers of the 1950-1960s, and as carriers for mini-computers and CNC machines. Now bobbins with wound punched tape have become an anachronism and have sunk into oblivion. Paper media have been replaced by more powerful and voluminous data storages.
Magnetic tape
The debut of magnetic tape as a computer storage medium took place in 1952 for the UNIVAC I machine. But the technology itself appeared much earlier. In 1894, Danish engineer Voldemar Poulsen discovered the principle of magnetic recording while working as a mechanic for the Copenhagen Telegraph Company. In 1898, the scientist embodied the idea in an apparatus called the "telegraph".
A steel wire passed between the two poles of an electromagnet. Recording of information on the carrier was carried out by means of non-uniform magnetization of electric signal oscillations. Voldemar Poulsen patented his invention. At the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, he had the honor of recording the voice of Emperor Franz Joseph on his device. The exhibit with the first magnetic sound recording is still kept in the Danish Museum of Science and Technology.
When Poulsen's patent expired, Germany began to improve magnetic recording. In 1930 steel wire was replaced by flexible band. The decision to use magnetic stripes belongs to the Austrian-German developer Fritz Pfleimer. The engineer came up with the idea of coating thin paper with iron oxide powder and recording through magnetization. Using magnetic film, compact cassettes, video cassettes and modern storage media for personal computers were created.
HDDs
A hard drive, HDD or hard drive is a hardware device with non-volatile memory, which means that information is completely stored, even when the power is turned off. It is a secondary storage device consisting of one or more plates onto which data is written using a magnetic head. HDDs are located inside the system unit in the drive bay. Connect to the motherboard using an ATA, SCSI or SATA cable and to the power supply.
The first hard drive was developed American company IBM in 1956. The technology was used as a new type of storage media for the commercial computer IBM 350 RAMAC. The abbreviation stands for “method of random access to accounting and control.”
To accommodate the device at home, it would take an entire room. Inside the disk were 50 aluminum plates, 61 cm in diameter and 2.5 cm wide. The size of the data storage system was equivalent to two refrigerators. His weight was 900 kg. The RAMAC capacity was only 5MB. A funny number for today. But 60 years ago it was regarded as technology tomorrow. After the announcement of the development, the daily newspaper of the city of San Jose released a report entitled “A machine with super memory!”
Dimensions and capabilities of modern HDDs
Hard drive is a computer storage medium. Used to store data including images, music, videos, text documents and any content created or downloaded. Also contain files for the operating system and software.
The first hard drives could hold up to several tens of MB. Constantly developing technology allows modern HDDs to store terabytes of information. This is about 400 films with medium resolution, 80,000 songs in mp3 format or 70 computer role playing games, similar to Skyrim, on one device.
Diskette
Floppy, or flexible magnetic disk, is a storage medium created by IBM in 1967 as an alternative to HDD. Floppy disks were cheaper than hard drives and were intended for storing electronic data. Early computers did not have CD-ROM or USB. Floppy disks were the only way installing a new program or backup.
The capacity of each 3.5-inch floppy disk was up to 1.44 MB, when one program “weighed” at least one and a half megabytes. Therefore, the version of Windows 95 appeared on 13 DMF floppy disks at once. The 2.88 MB floppy disk appeared only in 1987. This electronic storage medium existed until 2011. Modern computers do not have floppy drives.
Optical media
With the advent of the quantum generator, the popularization of optical storage devices began. Recording is carried out by a laser, and data is read using optical radiation. Examples of storage media:
- Blu-ray discs;
- CD-ROM drives;
- DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW.
The device is a disk covered with a layer of polycarbonate. There are micro-grooves on the surface that are read by a laser when scanning. The first commercial laser disc appeared on the market in 1978, and in 1982 the Japanese company SONY and Philips released compact discs. Their diameter was 12 cm, and the resolution was increased to 16 bits.
Electronic storage media in CD format were used exclusively for playing audio recordings. But at that time it was an advanced technology, for which Royal Philips Electronics received an IEEE award in 2009. And in January 2015, the CD was awarded as the most valuable innovation.
Digital versatile discs, or DVDs, were introduced in 1995 and became the next generation of optical media. A different type of technology was used to create them. Instead of red, the DVD laser uses shorter infrared light, which increases the storage capacity of the storage medium. Dual-layer DVDs can store up to 8.5 GB of data.
Flash memory
Flash memory is an integrated circuit that does not require constant power to store data. In other words, it is non-volatile semiconductor computer memory. Storage devices with flash memory are gradually conquering the market, displacing magnetic media.
Advantages of Flash technology:
- compactness and mobility;
- large volume;
- high speed;
- low power consumption.
Flash-type storage devices include:
- USB flash drives. This is the simplest and cheapest storage medium. Used for repeated recording, storage and transmission of data. Sizes range from 2 GB to 1 TB. Contains a memory chip in a plastic or aluminum case with a USB connector.
- Memory cards. Designed to store data on phones, tablets, digital cameras and other electronic devices. They differ in size, compatibility and volume.
- SSD. Solid state drive with non-volatile memory. This is an alternative to a standard hard drive. But unlike hard drives, SSDs do not have a moving magnetic head. Due to this, they provide quick access to data and do not make squeaks like HDDs. The disadvantage is the high price.
Cloud storage
Cloud online storage is a modern storage medium that is a network of powerful servers. All information is stored remotely. Each user can access data at any time and from anywhere in the world. The disadvantage is complete dependence on the Internet. If you do not have a network connection or Wi-Fi, access to data is blocked.
Cloud storage is much cheaper than its physical counterparts and has a larger volume. The technology is actively used in corporate and educational environments, development and design of web applications for computer software. You can store any files, programs, backups on the cloud, and use them as a development environment.
Of all the listed types of storage media, the most promising are cloud storage. Also, more and more PC users are switching from magnetic hard drives to solid-state drives and flash memory media. Development of holographic technologies and artificial intelligence promises the emergence of fundamentally new devices that will leave flash drives, SDDs and disks far behind.
Despite the development trend modern technologies, their level is not yet so high that we can completely abandon printing. This has been repeatedly proven by many research centers and laboratories. Having studied the reports, it is safe to say that this issue has been fully examined through a “microscope” and “chewed out” in detail before a global audience. Therefore, we do not recommend rushing to throw your peripheral equipment into the trash. Although, you yourself will not do this, especially after you read this article to the end.
Printed vs. Digital media
Material printed on paper, in comparison with digital information, has a much more effective effect on human development. After all, this is how people get tactile and user experience, and also form an important associative series. However, the information contained on paper may soon lose its relevance; in this regard, a modern gadget will be much more reliable. It is also worth noting that print is inferior to digital in terms of scaling, distribution and analytics. But printed material is very difficult to plagiarize.
Research data
The first to refute the imminent disappearance of paper media were neurospecialists. They have shown in practice that the human brain perceives printed information better than digital information. For example, a company such as True Impact compared the effect of postal and email advertising. During the experiment, it turned out that the traditional newsletter is easier to understand, since 75% of those who viewed it remembered the information contained in the letter. Concerning Email, then everything is much worse there, only 44% were able to remember at least something. You shouldn't be surprised by such indicators. The fact is that most of us immediately send email advertisements to spam without even reading the content. At the same time, the envelope in the mailbox, one way or another, attracts attention, and our curiosity forces us to study what we received.
Another study was carried out by Temple University. To get more accurate data, they did an MRI of the brain during the experiment. And as it turned out, the printed material was able to easily activate the ventral region of the “gray liquid”, which is responsible for evaluation and causes a strong feeling to purchase a particular product. Yes, digital media also performed well, but still the real perception of physical material is remembered much better, more accurately and faster (Bangor University also talked about this in 2009).
conclusions
The result is unambiguous, the printed (paper) medium, if it ever sinks into oblivion, it will not be soon. In addition, we should not forget that today 3D printing is rapidly developing, which has every chance of occupying an important niche in the industry for a long time. human life. In turn, we strongly recommend that you take advantage of both types of information media; this will be especially useful for those involved in marketing activities.
The invention relates to a printing medium and a method for its production. The print medium contains a partial area with a transparent anisotropic layer, which is applied by printing and/or embossing tools to the structure in a layer orientation. The carrier also contains a partial area with inkless embossing and/or not covered with relief, and/or with embossing with a standard optical isotropic transparent varnish, and all partial areas, when viewed with the naked eye, regardless of the viewing angle, exhibit an optical image indivisible across the partial areas. The proposed invention increases the degree of protection of relevant documents from forgery. 2 n. and 8 salary f-ly, 2 ill.
Drawings for RF patent 2345899
The invention relates to a printed medium, in particular labels, excise stamps, information or data carriers, entrance tickets, electronic payment cards, etc., and to a method for producing such a printed medium.
It is known from the prior art to use a printed medium, for example, to protect and determine the authenticity of any products, for example software products, payment cards, etc. It is also known here to use embossed images, also in the form of inkless embossing or in combination with embossed holograms, which difficult to falsify.
The pre-examination description of the application DE 198 45552 A1 describes a printed medium, such as securities, bank notes, identity cards, etc., embossed in a predetermined area. At least part of the embossing has the shape of an inclined plane. Additionally, the area of the printing medium on which the embossing is performed is provided with at least one ink layer or multi-layer ink coating, the optical perception of which varies in connection with the inclined plane depending on the viewing angle, so as to make the embossing more visible to the observer depending on from the viewing angle.
All printed media known from the prior art have the disadvantage that the protection of the product is immediately visible to the naked eye, since the printed media is sharply different from the background, accordingly, the embossing on the printing medium is sharply different from the rest of the surface of the printing medium. The counterfeiter immediately understands that in order to counterfeit a product, it is necessary to counterfeit only a certain printed medium. Counterfeits of such printed media can be so professionally done that it can be somewhat difficult for both the uninformed person and the specialist to distinguish the counterfeit product from the genuine product.
The objective of the invention is to create such a printing medium and a method for its production, which, when viewed with the naked eye, does not reveal differences in individual areas; accordingly, during simple inspection, a protective embossed image (overprint) cannot be detected, so that the protection of the product, for example, cannot be recognized on the printed medium .
Due to the implicit recognition of the security of the product on such a printed medium, counterfeiting becomes much more difficult for the counterfeiter, but at the same time, it is possible to immediately and simply detect a counterfeit without the feature according to the invention.
This task is achieved according to the invention in that the printing medium is at least partially provided with a transparent anisotropic layer, in particular an optically colorless birefringent layer, in particular applied to a layer-oriented structure.
Such a printing medium can be manufactured in such a way that at least one partial region of the printing medium having at least one layer-oriented structure is printed with an anisotropic layer, in particular a birefringent layer, for example from non-matogenic liquids. crystals. Smectic and chiral nematic liquid crystals can also be used.
In contrast to the prior art, for example, according to the description of the application before examination DE 198 45552 A1, the overprint or embossing made by the method according to the invention is not immediately noticeable and cannot be detected, or accordingly cannot be easily detected with the naked eye, since the anisotropic layer is transparent, preferably colorless, and therefore the optical perception is created essentially by the printing medium that is viewed through the layer, that is, by its color and structural appearance.
In this case, there is no viewing angle dependent color effect, and difficult to manufacture inclined planes that provide a viewing angle dependent color effect may, but do not necessarily have to be present. Moreover, we're talking about according to the invention about overprinting, which also means embossing, which, without auxiliary means, in particular optical ones, is in no way distinguishable to the touch or visually from inkless embossing or embossing based on optically isotropic transparent varnishes available on the market. In this way, hidden information can be integrated or represented in the overprint, which is revealed through differences between the anisotropic layer and other regions becoming optically apparent, respectively also through differences within the anisotropic layer.
The invention can be used, for example, when printing documents requiring security, such as, for example, bank notes, securities, credit cards and identity cards. Here, the printed medium itself can be a protected product, as is the case, for example, with banknotes or credit cards, or the printed medium is applied as an additional security feature or the printed medium is in the form of a so-called security mark ( tag) can be hung on or attached to any product.
The transparent anisotropic layer has, for example, optical polarization effects that cannot be perceived, for example, by the naked eye, but which can be detected using auxiliary means, for example when it comes to the birefringence property, using polarizing filter linear or circular type, in particular when using such an aid they can become visible to the naked eye.
It may be particularly advantageous to use liquid crystals, for example nematic liquid crystals, or varnishes that contain such liquid crystals and, when printed or embossed, provide such a liquid crystal coating on the printing medium as the anisotropic birefringent layer. Such radiation-curable liquid crystal mixtures are produced, for example, by Merck KGaA. These mixtures are virtually invisible once applied to a printing medium, but when applied to a suitable background, such as a reflective printing medium, and when used with auxiliaries in the form of linear or circular polarizers, they provide pronounced visual optical effects.
Such a liquid crystal layer can be applied, for example, by means of an embossed overprint, preferably on a metallic printing medium with mirror shine, and the resulting coatings, for example, with a nematic, can be fixed for a long time by an appropriate method, for example, irradiation with UV light.
When viewed with the naked eye, these embossed overprints are in no way different from the corresponding inkless embossing or such embossed overprints that are made using clear varnishes available on the market. Consequently, they have the usual three-dimensional images caused by the play of chiaroscuro, but even by creating additional contrast or a color effect depending on the viewing angle, they in no way make the embossing optically more visible. The difference cannot be detected even by touch.
It is only when examined with a linear or circular polarizer that embossed overprints obtained using nematic mixtures become more or less optically distinguishable, for example, due to the shine of the inks. In this case, color images can additionally depend significantly on the (angle) position of the polarizer.
The existing differences can be detected not only by the eye of the observer, but also mechanically, for example, using detectors for different directions of polarization of the reflected light, so that it is also possible automatic control printing medium according to the invention.
The reason for this behavior of liquid crystal components is their spatial orientation, which in turn is largely due to the forces acting during the embossing process, in particular shear forces, as well as the corresponding microstructures of the printing media or embossing tools.
Therefore, when dividing an embossed image into various spatially delimited (partial) areas and when participating in the creation of an embossed image, forces orienting in separate areas that differ in their direction from each other, or in the case of structuring certain specific areas of a print medium or embossing tools, respectively, in different directions, an embossed image is created, the areas of which, when viewed with a polarizer, are distinguished by various optical effects.
The embossed overprints according to the invention are particularly characterized in that, in the presence of colorless embossings or embossings based on commercially available clear lacquers, they are not visible to the naked eye. But in reality, they offer optical information that becomes visible or can be detected, for example, using a polarizer. Therefore, the invention can be used in security overprints, for example, valuable papers, bank notes and credit cards, respectively, to increase security against forgery of relevant documents.
Thus, the printing medium, along with at least one partial region with an anisotropic layer, preferably includes at least one partial region with inkless embossing and/or one uncovered relief region, and/or at least one partial region with a commercially available optically isotropic clearcoat.
The printed or embossed structures according to the invention can be produced particularly simply, for example by a modified flexographic printing method. In this case, rolling of a rigid cliche, for example, with a hardness D of approximately 60-70 Shore, is carried out on a preferably reflective wear-resistant deformable printing medium, respectively, the printing material, while the pressing cylinder is equipped with an elastic rubber panel, for example, with a hardness A of approximately 50-60 Shore. Shora.
The depth of embossing is regulated by increasing the clamping pressure. Additionally, for example, printed or embossed structures can be obtained by varying the thickness of the cliche in the same printed area with different embossing depths. Depending on whether the printing is carried out using a printing medium using cliches, and if so, then either inkless embossings are obtained, or embossings are coated, for example, with isotropic varnishes or, especially important in this connection, for example, with nematic liquid crystal films with optical birefringence.
The latter are based, for example, on nematogenous liquid crystal mixtures, which are produced, for example, by Merck KGaA and can be used, for example, in the form of their melts at a temperature of approximately 60-70°C or in the form of their solutions in organic solvents.
Further, the production of embossing according to the invention can be carried out accordingly by any embossing tool. This can be carried out in relief, for example by intaglio printing, wherein the embossed structures are engraved in a known manner on a metal plate. Patent publication WO 97/48555, for example, describes electronic method production of this kind of metallographic plates. During the printing process, the printing material is pressed into the recesses of the engraved metal plate and thus formed stably. To obtain inkless embossing during the printing process, these printed forms are not filled with printing media, but are used only to form, that is, to emboss on the printing material.
Regardless of whether in-depth or relief embossing is produced in this manner, it is impossible for the naked eye to distinguish, for example, inkless embossing from embossing using commercially available (optically isotropic) clear varnishes or from embossing using non-matogenic liquid crystal mixtures. The observer is presented rather with a single embossed structure, which, as a result of the play of chiaroscuro, conveys conventional three-dimensional optical images.
However, as a result of, for example, miniaturization and intersection of individual sealed areas by multiple sealing, a significant microstructure is obtained that is difficult to falsify and which is revealed in the form of various viewing angle-dependent optical effects only when viewed with a linear or circular polarizer.
In typical practice, when a silver, undrawn, high-gloss polyethylene film is embossed, for example, as a printing medium using a non-matogenic liquid crystal melt at 60°C, an observer using a linear polarizer at the 0° position will only see embossed areas in blue, covered nematic liquid crystal film. All other areas are no different from what they would be if they were viewed without a polarizer. When the polarizer is rotated 45°, the blue color of the image changes to yellow-red.
Similar color images are visible when the embossed print is analyzed using a circular polarizer. Here the color images change depending on the position of the polarizer, for example between brilliant gold and brilliant silvery blue. However, there are also cases where, depending on the position of the polarizer, the colors do not undergo significant changes, or there are cases when not every 45°, but, in particular, every 90°, the color only changes slightly between, for example, close to dark brown and close to light brown.
In general, this (dynamic) color behavior depends on many factors, which include, for example, the properties of the printing media, the printing method used, the transition and wetting properties (Verlaufs- und Benetzungseigenschaft) of the liquid crystal ink, as well as the thickness, uniformity and microstructure of the resulting liquid crystal films.
In general, nematic films, for example, appear much more reflective when viewed with a circular polarizer than when viewed with a linear polarizer. Changing the viewing angle in no case has any effect on the resulting color image.
A special embodiment of the method occurs when, for example, the above-mentioned modified flexographic printing method or similar methods are used, which during the embossing process require the application of force, for example shearing force, on (non-matogenic) liquid crystal films and the embossing tools of which are structured in such a way that microscopic orientation components of the resulting liquid crystal film is maintained in the preferred direction.
If, for example, when using a nematogenous liquid crystal mixture, a first embossing run is followed by a rotation of the image through an angle of preferably 45°, followed by another run, a two-color embossed image is presented to the observer when analyzed with a linear or circular polarizer. Multi-color embossing becomes possible when the entire range between possible color images is used.
The clamping pressure and therefore the embossing depth can also be reduced at will, so that the embossed structures are no longer undetectable to the naked eye, but despite this the orientation of the liquid crystals is maintained, with the result that, when using a polarizer, at least the corresponding color images appear .
For all embodiments according to the invention, it is essential that an anisotropic layer, in particular a birefringent layer, for example of non-matogenic liquid crystals, is applied in any printing method to at least one partial area of the printing medium having at least one structure with layer orientation.
Through the structure, a force can act on the liquid crystals of the anisotropic liquid crystal layer in at least one direction, which leads to the alignment of the liquid crystals, in particular along the correspondingly acting force.
Before or during printing of the anisotropic layer, one or more such structures may be applied to the printed area of the printing medium. Therefore, the printing media used here can be supplied with such a structure ready-made or supplied with such a structure only in printing machine, for example, during the application of the printing medium.
The origin and type of structure are essentially irrelevant, since they have the property of promoting the layer orientation of the anisotropic layer, that is, for example, the crystalline orientation of liquid crystals. Therefore, the printing medium may be provided with a mechanical structure and/or an electrostatic structure or a potential relief, i.e. distribution of charges in accordance with the transmitted optical picture. Separate orientation layers can also be deposited in front of the liquid crystal layer. Changes or targeted alignments of crystal orientation can also be achieved by locally heating the deposited liquid crystal layer or by applying electric and/or magnetic fields.
Other forms of implementation of the method, for example, the production of a printing medium according to the invention, concern, for example:
Making positive and negative embossing on the same image (print),
Improvements in optically anisotropic or multi-colored print media using the method according to the invention,
The use of pre-embossed printed media with specified and locally defined orientation directions of various kinds for mesogenic systems,
The overprinting or application onto pre-embossed printing media also of holographic structures etc., for example produced by injection molding methods or other methods of forming relief structures, for example using nematic liquid crystal mixtures, in which case, in particular, the structuring of the embossed areas or reliefs can contribute orientation of textures of optically anisotropic liquid crystal films,
Producing different, thick, optically anisotropic liquid crystal films on the same embossed image, resulting in different color effects,
Applying an additional transparent, optically isotropic or anisotropic coating varnish layer, film, etc., for example, for the purpose of protection against scratches or increasing the security of embossing from falsification,
Post-embossing of partially or fully cured, optically anisotropic, e.g. nematic liquid crystal films,
Overprints of embossings on transparent printing media and seals reverse side these printed media treated in this way, for example with reflective inks,
The film substrate is preferably overprinted or coated in a first step with a fully cured nematic liquid crystal film, the manufacturing process parameters being controlled such that only a certain small but sufficient cohesion is created between the film substrate and the liquid crystal film.
Transferring certain areas of the liquid crystal film in a second step onto the printing medium by treating the reverse side of the suitably printed or coated film substrate with appropriate embossing tools, which process can be carried out either at room temperature or at lower or higher temperatures. high temperatures ah, and also under the influence of only very slight embossing forces. According to the production method, a printing medium is preferred that is deformable, has increased adhesion relative to the film substrate and is capable of reflecting light in such a way that the optical effects according to the invention become visible with the help of a polarizer.
Examples of implementation and advantages of the invention are explained on the basis of figures 1a, 1b, 1c and 2a, 2b, 2c. They are not to scale, they only schematically convey color images and serve only for visual representation inventions.
In fig. 1a shows schematically the embossing according to the invention on a silver-colored printing medium with a mirror-like sheen and a simplified color image that can be seen without an optical aid. Essentially only the embossed structure is visible, but there are no visible color differences between the areas BP of inkless embossing without any varnish layer, P+LC embossing with a liquid crystal layer, P+KL of embossing with an isotropic transparent varnish and the non-embossed area LC including only a liquid crystal layer.
In fig. 1b shows the same embossing according to the invention as in FIG. 1, on a silver print medium with a specular luster and a simplified example of a color image visible with a linear polarizer at 0° position. Here, color differences are observed based on the crystal orientation between the embossed P+LC region and the non-embossed LC region. This area is drawn with a thick line.
In fig. 1c shows the same embossing according to the invention as in FIG. 1a, on a silver print medium with a mirror finish and a simplified representation of the color image visible with a linear polarizer, in this case at a 45° position. Here, the P+LC regions and the LC region have a different color image than in FIG. 1b, due to the changed position of the polarizer. This other color image is represented by thick dotted lines.
In fig. 2a shows an embossing according to the invention on a silver-colored printing medium with a mirror finish and a simplified representation of a color image that can be seen without the use of an aid. Here again it can be seen that without polarizing aid the color image for the area KL (isotropic clearcoat without embossing), P1/P2+LC (embossing 1/2 with liquid crystal), P+KL (embossing with isotropic clearcoat) BP (liquid crystal without embossing) is identical everywhere.
In fig. 2b shows an embossing 2a according to the invention on a silver-colored printing medium with a mirror finish and a simplified example of a color image visible with a linear polarizer at position 0°. The KL and P+KL areas do not show any changes in the color image, since only an isotropic clearcoat was used here. On the contrary, the areas P1+LC and P2+LC now have two different color images, since in these areas the embossings differ in that they have different orientations of the liquid crystals. The color image of the LC region may correspond to the image of the P1+LC region.
In fig. 2c shows an embossing 2a according to the invention on a silver-colored printing medium with a mirror finish and a simplified example of a color image visible with a linear polarizer, in this case at a 45° position. Again, different color images are observed in the liquid crystal-coated regions P1+LC, P2+LC, and LC. Here, due to a change in the position of the polarizer, the color image is mirrored relative to Fig. 2b.
CLAIM
1. A printing medium containing at least one partial area with a transparent anisotropic layer, characterized in that said layer is printed onto a layer-oriented structure before and/or during the printing process of said layer, formed by printing tools and/ or for embossing, said carrier contains at least one partial area with inkless embossing and/or not covered with relief, and/or with embossing with a standard optical isotropic transparent varnish, and all partial areas, when viewed with the naked eye, regardless of the viewing angle, exhibit optical image indivisible over partial areas.
2. The printing medium according to claim 1, characterized in that the anisotropic layer includes colorless nematic birefringent liquid crystals.
3. The printing medium according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes a partial area with a standard optical isotropic clear varnish.
4. The printing medium according to claim 1, characterized in that the partial area provided with an optical anisotropic varnish is configured to be recognized by an auxiliary optical means.
5. Printing medium according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one partial area with an optically anisotropic layer has predetermined areas delimited from each other with different layer orientation, as a result of which, in particular, when using an optical auxiliary means, certain separated areas with different color images.
6. A method of manufacturing a printing medium with an optically anisotropic layer applied to it at least on partial areas, characterized in that the anisotropic layer is applied by printing on at least one partial area of the printing medium, which has at least one a layer-oriented structure formed by the printing and/or embossing tools before and/or during the imprinting process of said anisotropic layer, wherein at least one additional partial area is created in close proximity to this at least one partial area. an area with inkless embossing and/or embossing with an optical isotropic transparent varnish, with all partial areas, when viewed with the naked eye, regardless of the viewing angle, exhibiting an optical image indivisible across the partial areas.
7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, through said structure, a force acts on the liquid crystals of the anisotropic liquid crystal layer in at least one direction, which leads, in particular before curing of the anisotropic layer, to the alignment of the liquid crystals, in particular along the correspondingly acting strength.
8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the area subject to the imprinting process is provided with a mechanical structure and/or an electrostatic structure or a potential relief, wherein such a structure provides one or more different orientations of the anisotropic layer.
9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the layer-oriented structure is created by a printing roller.
10. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that after the imprinting process, the printing medium is rotated through an angle, followed by at least another imprinting process.
Hard to imagine modern life without a printer. At schools they print out scripts, at the university - essays, at work - contracts, and even at home we sometimes urgently need to transfer this or that information to paper. There are several types of printers, they are classified by type of printing, by format, by size and even by type of printed materials. Let's look at the printing principle of an inkjet and laser printer.
How does an inkjet printer work?
We will try to briefly highlight the printing principle of an inkjet printer. Its print quality is slightly worse than laser. However, their cost is significantly lower than laser ones. The inkjet printer is ideal for use at home. It is easy to operate and easy to maintain. The printing principles of inkjet and laser printers are noticeably different. This is manifested in both ink supply technology and equipment design. Therefore, let's first talk about how an inkjet printer prints.
Its principle of operation is as follows: an image is formed in a special matrix, and then this matrix prints the image on the canvas using liquid dyes. Another type of inkjet printer is equipped with cartridges that are installed in a special unit. In this case, with the help of the print head, ink is supplied to the print matrix, and it transfers the image to paper.
Methods for storing ink and applying it to paper
There are three ways to apply ink to canvas:
Piezoelectric method;
. gas bubble method;
. drop-on-demand method.
The first method, when printing, leaves an ink dot on the canvas due to the piezoelectric element. With its help, the tube compresses and unclenches, preventing excess ink from getting onto the paper.
Gas bubbles, also known as injection bubbles, leave an imprint on the canvas due to high temperatures. Each nozzle of the printing matrix is equipped with which heats up in a fraction of a second. The resulting gas bubbles are pushed through the nozzle and transferred to the consumable.
The drop-on-demand method also uses gas bubbles during operation. But this is a more optimized technology that significantly increases the speed and quality of modern printing.
An inkjet printer stores ink in two ways. There is a separate removable reservoir from which ink is supplied to the print head. The second method for storing ink uses a special cartridge, which is also located in the print head. To replace the cartridge, you must also replace the head itself.
Let's talk about inkjet printers
Inkjet printers have gained particular popularity due to their ability. When printing, an image is formed by superimposing basic tones of different saturations on top of each other. The set of primary colors is abbreviated CMYK. These include: yellow, magenta, cyan and black.
Initially, a three-color set was offered, which included all of the above tones, except for the black tint. But when layering yellow, cyan and magenta at 100% saturation, it was not possible to achieve black. The result was brown or gray. Therefore, it was decided to add black ink.
Features of an inkjet printer
The main indicators of high-quality printer operation include noise, print speed, print quality and durability.
Printer performance properties:
- The printing principle is inkjet. The ink is fed through special nozzles and printed on the canvas. Unlike needle printers, where applying ink is a shock-mechanical process, inkjet printers operate very quietly. You can’t hear how the printer prints, you can only hear the noise of the motor that moves the print heads. does not exceed 40 dB.
- The printing speed of an inkjet printer is much higher than that of a pin printer. The print quality also depends on this indicator. Printer printing principle: the higher the speed, the worse the print. If you choose a high-quality print, the process slows down and the ink is applied more thoroughly. The average of such a printer is approximately 3-5 pages per minute. More modern models increased this figure to 9 pages per minute. Color printing takes a little longer.
- Font is one of the main advantages of an inkjet printer. The quality of font display can only be compared with laser printer. You can improve print quality by using good paper. It should have quickly absorbing properties. A good image is obtained on paper with a density of 60-135 g/m². Copier paper with a density of 80 g/m² also performed well. To quickly dry the ink, use the paper heating function. Despite the fact that the printing principle of an inkjet printer and a laser printer are completely different, quality equipment allows you to achieve a similar effect.
- Paper. Unfortunately, the inkjet printer is not suitable for printing on roll media. And to get multiple copies you will have to use multiple printing.
Disadvantages of Inkjet Printing
As it turned out above, inkjet printers printed with liquid dyes using a matrix. The image is formed from dots. The most expensive part in a printer is the print head; some companies have built the print head of the printer into the cartridge to reduce the overall dimensions of the device. The printing principles of inkjet and laser printers are significantly different from each other.
The disadvantages of this printer include:
- Low printing speed.
- If the printer has not been used for a long time, the ink may dry out.
- Consumables have high cost and low resource.
Benefits of Inkjet Printer Printing
- Attractive price, ideal price-performance ratio.
- The printer has very modest dimensions, which allows it to be placed in a small office without causing inconvenience to the user.
- The cartridges are easy to refill yourself, just buy the ink and read the instructions.
- Connectivity For large print volumes, this will significantly reduce costs.
- High quality photo printing.
- Wide selection of print media.
A little about the laser printer
A laser printer is a type of equipment designed to print text or images onto paper. The history of the creation of this type of equipment is quite unusual. And it has a marketing approach, unlike the inkjet printer, which was created using hundreds of scientific concepts.
It was only in 1969 that Xerox began to develop the printing principle of a laser printer. Scientific work was carried out for several years; many methods were used to improve the existing apparatus. In 1978, the world's first copier appeared that used a laser beam to create a print. The printer turned out to be huge in size, and the price did not allow anyone to purchase this unit. After some time, Canon became interested in the development, and in 1979 the first desktop laser printer was released. Afterwards, many companies began optimizing copiers and releasing new models, but the printing principle of a laser printer has not changed.
How does a laser printer print?
Prints obtained in this way have high performance characteristics. They are not afraid of moisture, they are not afraid of abrasion and fading. Images obtained in this way are very high quality and durable.
The printing principle of a laser printer in brief:
- A laser printer applies an image to a canvas in several stages. The toner (special powder) melts under the influence of temperature and sticks to the paper.
- A squeegee (special scraper) removes unused toner from the drum into the waste storage tank.
- The caronator polarizes the surface of the drum and, through electrostatic forces, assigns a positive or negative charge to it.
- The image is formed on the surface of the drum using a rotating mirror, which directs it to the desired location.
- The drum moves along the surface of the magnetic shaft. There is toner on the shaft, which sticks to those parts of the drum where there is no charge.
- The drum then rolls over the paper, leaving toner on the canvas.
- At the final stage, the paper with toner sprayed on it is rolled through an oven, where the substance melts under the influence of high temperatures and reliably adheres to the paper.
The printing principle of a laser printer has much in common with the technology used in copiers.
Color laser printers and their main differences
The printing process on a color printer differs from black and white in the presence of several shades, which, when mixed in a certain proportion, can recreate all the colors known to us. Color laser printers use four separate compartments for each ink color. This is their main difference.
Printing on a color printer consists of the following stages: image analysis, its raster image, arrangement of colors and their corresponding toners. Then a charge distribution is formed. After the procedure is the same as for black and white printing. The ink sheet passes through an oven where the toners are melted and firmly bonded to the paper.
Their advantage is that the printing principle of a laser printer makes it possible to achieve very thin beams that discharge the desired areas. As a result, we get very high quality image high resolution.
Advantages of modern laser printers
The benefits of laser printers include:
- High printing speed.
- Durability, clarity and durability of prints (they are not afraid of a humid microclimate).
- High resolution image.
- Low printing cost.
Disadvantages of laser printer printing
The main disadvantages of laser printers:
- During operation of the equipment, ozone is released. This means you need to work with it in a well-ventilated area.
- High power consumption.
- Bulky.
- High cost of equipment
Based on all the pros and cons, we can conclude that inkjet printers are perfect for home use. They have an affordable price and small dimensions, which is important for many users.
A laser printer is suitable for offices and other institutions where there are a lot of black and white printouts and speed of document processing is important.
There are currently many different types of media on the market, designed for a wide variety of applications - from budget office printing to the production of high-quality copies of paintings with imitation canvas structure.
Inkjet printing is especially demanding when it comes to selecting the right media, where the ink - pigment or emulsion - enters into a chemical reaction with the surface of the media.
Even for cases of ordinary office document printing, it is desirable to select the appropriate type of paper; it is even more important in photo printing, when the choice of surface structure - matte, glossy, semi-gloss, structured, etc., is supplemented by a number of additional requirements that determine ink absorption, drying speed, resistance to fading, shelf life of prints, and so on.
Typically, printer manufacturers recommend the grade of paper for use with their inks. own production, motivating this by precise knowledge of the types of chemical reactions that occur during the interaction of ink and paper.
The use of alternative types of media from third companies, as well as the use of alternative inks, is a separate topic; no definite advice can be given here.
Laser printing, although less "sensitive" to the choice of media, also allows you to get better results when using the grades of paper recommended for this purpose, due to the specific nature of the toner transfer and the process of its curing using heat.
Especially when it comes to color laser printing.
In general, media are standardized according to a huge list of characteristics.
Here are just the most important of them:
Density(g/m², grams per square meter).
For office printing, the optimal density is within the range of 80 g/m² - 130 g/m²;
White- determines the degree of light reflection from the sheet, measured as a percentage;
Media contamination- internal (chemicals, adhesives) arising during manufacturing, and external (dust), for example, due to static;
Acid / alkaline reaction- with an acid reaction, the carrier quickly ages, turns yellow, and becomes brittle; in the case of alkaline, it has better reflectivity.
Sometimes sizing layers is practiced to slow down the penetration of liquids (ink, dyes) into the sheet, to secure the paper fibers;
Rigidity- a parameter that varies depending on the location of the fibers and is always higher in the direction across the fibers;
Porosity- influences both reliability of giving, and on quality of a print;
Paper gauge (thickness)- completely depends on the density and subsequent calendering (pressing), after which the paper becomes thinner and smoother.
A higher caliber indicates a stiffer grade of paper;
Electrical conductivity- a parameter due to which image gaps occur in humid conditions, and a background appears in dry conditions and sometimes sheets stick together;
Heat resistance- fixing toner with a laser printer involves heating the paper to +100 °C and above.
Non-specialized paper then becomes brittle and sometimes turns yellow;
Friction- parameter, determines the ease of separation of sheets in a pack from each other;
Opacity- parameter important for duplex printing;
Quality of edges after cutting - with poor cutting quality, dust settles on the printing path and accelerates its wear.
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