What did the first man know? How to kill a mammoth, bison or catch a wild boar. In the Paleolithic era, there were enough walls in the cave to record everything studied. The entire cave database would fit on a modest megabyte flash drive. In the 200,000 years of our existence, we have learned about the African frog genome, neural networks, and we no longer draw on rocks. Now we have disks, cloud storage. As well as other types of storage media capable of storing the entire library of Moscow State University 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 according to the principle of recording:
- printed or chemical with paint applied: books, magazines, newspapers;
- magnetic: HDD, floppy disks;
- optical: CD, Blu-ray;
- electronic: flash drives, solid state drives.
Data storages are classified according to the waveform:
- 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 media
The history of recording and storing data began 40 thousand years ago, when Homo sapiens got the idea to make sketches on the walls of their dwellings. The first rock art is located in the Chauvet cave in the south of modern France. The gallery contains 435 drawings depicting lions, rhinos and other representatives of the Late Paleolithic fauna.
To replace the Aurignacian culture in the Bronze Age, a fundamentally new type of information carrier arose - tuppum. The device was a clay plate and resembled a modern tablet. Recordings were made on the surface using a reed stick - a stylus. To prevent labor from being washed away by rain, 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 records of the progress of the operation.
Kipu and papyrus
WITH III millennium BC in Egypt, papyrus begins to be used. Data is recorded on sheets made from the stems of the papyrus plant. The portable and lightweight form of storage media quickly supplanted its clay predecessor. Not only the Egyptians write on papyrus, but also the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. In Europe, the material was used until the 12th century. The last document written on papyrus is a papal decree of 1057.
Simultaneously with the ancient Egyptians, at the opposite end of the planet, the Incas invented the kippah, or "talking knots." Information was recorded by tying knots on spinning threads. Kipu kept data on tax collections, population. Presumably, non-numeric information was used, but scientists have yet to unravel it.
Paper and punch cards
From the 12th century to the middle of the 20th century, paper was the main data storage. It was used to create printed and handwritten publications, books, and mass media. In 1808, punched 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, punched cards were read by machines, not by people.
The invention belongs to an American engineer with German roots Herman Hollerith. For the first time, the author applied his offspring to compile mortality and birth statistics at the New York Board of Health. After trials, punched cards were used for the 1890 US Census.
But the idea of punching holes in paper to record information was far from new. Back in 1800, punched cards were introduced by the Frenchman Joseph-Marie Jacquard to control loom. Therefore, the technological breakthrough was the creation by Hollerith 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 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 compiling 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 bodies, lotteries and bookmakers.
Perforated 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 minicomputers 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
Winchester, HDD or hard drive is a hardware device with non-volatile memory, which means that information is completely saved, even when the power is turned off. It is a secondary storage device consisting of one or more plates on which data is recorded using a magnetic head. HDDs are located inside the system unit in the drive bay. They are connected 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 IBM 350 RAMAC commercial computer. 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 disc were 50 aluminum plates, 61 cm in diameter and 2.5 cm wide. The size of the storage system was equal to two refrigerators. Its weight was 900 kg. RAMAC capacity was only 5MB. Ridiculous number today. But 60 years ago it was regarded as a technology tomorrow. After the announcement of the development, the daily newspaper of the city of San Jose released a report titled "Machine with Super Memory!".
Dimensions and capabilities of modern HDDs
A hard drive is a computer storage medium. Used to store data, including images, music, videos, text documents, and any content created or downloaded. In addition, contain files for the operating system and software.
The first hard drives contained up to several tens of MB. Constantly evolving technology allows modern HDDs to store terabytes of information. This is about 400 films with medium extension, 80,000 songs in mp3 format or 70 computer role playing, similar to Skyrim, on one device.
Diskette
The floppy, or floppy disk, is a storage medium created by IBM in 1967 as an alternative to the HDD. Floppy disks were cheaper than hard drives and were intended for storing electronic data. Early computers did not have a CD-ROM or USB. floppy disks were the only way installing a new program or backup.
The capacity of each 3.5-inch floppy was up to 1.44 MB, when one program "weighed" at least one and a half megabytes. Therefore, the version of Windows 95 appeared immediately on 13 DMF diskettes. 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 out due to optical radiation. Examples of storage media:
- Blu-ray discs;
- CD-ROM discs;
- DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW.
The device is a disk covered with a layer of polycarbonate. There are micro-pits on the surface, which are read by the laser during scanning. The first commercial laser disc appeared on the market in 1978, and in 1982 the Japanese company SONY and Philips launched CDs. Their diameter was 12 cm, and the resolution was increased to 16 bits.
Electronic media in the CD format were used exclusively for the reproduction of sound recordings. But at the time, it was cutting-edge 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.
In 1995, digital versatile discs or DVDs appeared, becoming the next generation of optical media. To create them, a different type of technology was used. Instead of red, the DVD laser uses shorter infrared light, which increases the storage capacity. 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 a non-volatile semiconductor computer memory. Memory devices with flash memory are gradually conquering the market, displacing magnetic media.
Advantages of Flash technology:
- compactness and mobility;
- large volume;
- high speed of work;
- low power consumption.
Flash storage devices include:
- USB flash drives. This is the simplest and cheapest storage medium. Used for multiple 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, do not emit squeaks, like HDDs. Of the shortcomings - the high price.
Cloud storage
Online cloud storages are modern information carriers, which are 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 don't have a network or Wi-Fi connection, you won't be able to access your data.
Cloud storage is much cheaper than its physical counterparts and has a large volume. The technology is actively used in the corporate and educational environment, development and design of computer software web applications. On the cloud, you can store any files, programs, backups, use them as a development environment.
Of all the listed types of information carriers, the most promising are cloud storage. Also, more and more PC users are moving from magnetic hard drives to solid state drives and flash 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 the printing industry. This has already been repeatedly proven by many research centers and laboratories. Having studied the reports, it is safe to say that this issue was fully examined through the "microscope" and "chewed" in detail in front of a global audience. Therefore, we do not recommend rushing to throw your peripheral equipment into the trash can. Although, you yourself will not do this, especially after you read this article to the end.
Printed vs. Digital media
The 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 array. 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 disprove the imminent disappearance of paper media were neuroscientists. They showed in practice that the human brain perceives printed information better than digital information. For example, a company like True Impact compared the effect of mail and e-mail advertising. During the experiment, it turned out that the traditional mailing 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 should not be surprised by such indicators. The fact is that most of us email ads are immediately sent 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 makes us study what we have 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 area of the "gray liquid", which is responsible for the evaluation and causes a strong feeling to purchase this or that product. Yes, the digital media also showed itself well, but nevertheless, 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, printed (paper) media, if it ever sinks into oblivion, it will not be very soon. In addition, we should not forget that today 3D printing is intensively developing, which has every chance to occupy an important niche in human life for a long time. In turn, we strongly recommend that you take advantage of both types of information media, especially for those involved in marketing activities.
The invention relates to a printing medium and a method for its manufacture. The print medium contains a partial area with a transparent anisotropic layer, which is applied by tools for printing and/or embossing on the structure with a layer orientation. The carrier also contains a partial area with colorless embossing and/or unembossed, and/or embossed with a standard optical isotropic transparent varnish, while all partial areas, when viewed with the naked eye, regardless of the viewing angle, exhibit an optical image indivisible over partial areas. The proposed invention increases the degree of protection of the relevant documents against forgery. 2 n. and 8 z.p. f-ly, 2 ill.
Drawings to the RF patent 2345899
The invention relates to a printed medium, in particular labels, tax stamps, information or data carriers, entrance tickets, electronic payment cards, etc., and to a method for manufacturing such a printed medium.
It is known from the prior art to use a print medium, for example, to protect and authenticate any products, such as software products, payment cards, etc. Here, it is known, among other things, to use embossed images, also in the form of colorless embossing or in combination with embossed holograms, which, with difficult to falsify.
In the description of the application before examination DE 198 45552 A1 describes a print medium, such as, for example, securities, bank notes, identity cards, etc., provided with embossing in a predetermined area. At least part of the embossing is in the form of an inclined plane. Additionally, the area of the printed medium on which the embossing is performed is provided with at least one ink layer or a multi-layer ink coating, the optical perception of which varies due to the inclined plane depending on the viewing angle, so as to make the embossing more distinguishable to the observer depending on the viewing angle. from the viewing angle.
All prior art print media have the disadvantage that the protection of the product is immediately visible to the naked eye, since the print media is sharply different from the background, respectively, the embossing on the print media is sharply different from the rest of the surface of the print media. The counterfeiter immediately understands that in order to counterfeit a product, it is necessary to counterfeit only a certain print medium. Counterfeiting of such printed media can be done so professionally that it is somewhat difficult for both the uninformed person and the skilled person 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 manufacture, which, when viewed with the naked eye, does not reveal the difference in individual areas, respectively, during a simple inspection, a protective embossed image (overprint) cannot be detected, so that the protection of the product, for example, cannot be recognized on the printing medium. .
Due to the implicit recognition of the security of the product on such a print medium, counterfeiting is much more difficult for a counterfeiter, but at the same time, it is possible to immediately and simply detect a counterfeit without a sign according to the invention.
This problem is solved according to the invention in that the print medium is at least partially provided with a transparent anisotropic layer, in particular an optically colorless birefringent layer, in particular deposited on a layer-oriented structure.
Such a print medium can be made in such a way that at least one partial area of the print medium having at least one layer-oriented structure is printed by printing an anisotropic layer, in particular a birefringent layer, for example, from nematogenous liquid crystals. Smectic and chirally nematic liquid crystals can also be used.
In contrast to the prior art, for example, according to the description of the application before the examination DE 198 45552 A1, the overprint or embossing made by the method in accordance with the invention is not immediately conspicuous and cannot be detected or, accordingly, cannot be easily detected by the naked eye, since the anisotropic layer is transparent, preferably colorless, and therefore the optical perception is created essentially by the print medium that is viewed through the layer, i.e. by its color and structural representation.
In this case, there is no viewing angle-dependent color effect, and difficult-to-make inclined planes that provide a color effect depending on the viewing angle may, but need not be present. Moreover, we are talking according to the invention about overprinting, which also means embossing, which, without aids, in particular optical ones, is in no way visually or tactilely distinguishable from colorless embossing or embossing based on commercially available optically isotropic clearcoats. In this way, latent information can be integrated or presented in the overprint, which is revealed through differences between the anisotropic layer and other areas that become optically apparent, respectively also through differences within the anisotropic layer.
The invention can be used, for example, when printing documents that require security, such as, for example, bank notes, securities, credit cards and identity cards. Here, the print medium itself can already be a protected product, as is the case, for example, with banknotes or credit cards, or the print medium is applied as an additional security feature or the print medium in the form of a so-called security stamp ( tag) can be hung on or attached to any product.
The transparent anisotropic layer has, for example, optical polarization effects, which cannot be perceived, for example, with the naked eye, but which can be detected using auxiliary means, for example, when it comes to the property of birefringence, using polarizing filter linear or circular type, in particular when using such an aid, they can become visible to the naked eye.
Particularly preferred can be the use of liquid crystals, such as nematic liquid crystals, respectively including varnishes, which contain such liquid crystals and, when overprinted or embossed, provide such a liquid crystal coating on a printing medium as an anisotropic birefringent layer. Such radiation-curable liquid crystal mixtures are available, for example, from Merck KGaA. These mixtures are practically invisible when applied to a printing medium, but on a suitable background, such as a reflective printing medium, and with the use of auxiliary means 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 recording medium with mirror shine, whereby the resulting coatings, for example with a nematic, can be permanently fixed by a suitable method, for example by irradiation with UV light.
When viewed with the naked eye, these embossed overprints do not differ in any way from the corresponding colorless embossing or embossed overprints made with commercially available clear lacquers. Consequently, they have the usual three-dimensional images caused by the play of chiaroscuro, but even by creating an additional contrast or a color effect dependent on the viewing angle, they do not in any way make the embossing more optically clear. The difference cannot be detected even by touch.
And only when viewed with a linear or circular polarizer, embossed overprints obtained using nematic mixtures become more or less optically distinguishable, for example, due to the brilliance of paints. In this case, color images can additionally depend to a large extent on the (angle) position of the polarizer.
The existing differences can be detected not only by the eye of the observer, but also by a machine, for example, using detectors for different polarization directions of the reflected light, so that it is also possible automatic control print media 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 print medium, in addition to at least one partial area with an anisotropic layer, preferably includes at least one partial area with inkless embossing and/or one uncoated relief area, and/or at least one partial area with a commercially available optically isotropic clearcoat.
The printed or embossed structures according to the invention can be produced particularly easily, for example by modified flexographic printing. In this case, the rolling of a rigid plate, for example, with a hardness D of about 60-70 Shore, is carried out on a preferably reflective wear-resistant deformable print medium, respectively, the printing material, while the pressing cylinder is equipped with an elastic rubber panel, for example, with a hardness A of about 50-60 Shore Shore.
The depth of embossing is controlled by increasing the pressing pressure. Additionally, for example, printed or embossed structures can be obtained by varying the thickness of the plate in the same print area with different embossing depths. Depending on whether printing is carried out with a printing medium using a cliche, and if so, either colorless embossings are obtained, or embossings are obtained, which are covered, for example, with isotropic varnishes or especially important in this regard, for example, nematic liquid crystal films with optical birefringence.
The latter are based, for example, on nematogenic liquid crystal mixtures, which are manufactured, for example, by Merck KGaA and can be used, for example, in the form of their melts at a temperature of about 60-70° C. or in the form of their solutions in organic solvents.
Further, the manufacture of the embossing according to the invention can be carried out, respectively, with any embossing tool. It can be carried out in relief, for example by intaglio printing, in which case the embossed structures are engraved in a known manner on a metal plate. Patent publication WO 97/48555, for example, describes electronic way production of such metallographic plates. During the printing process, the print material is pressed into the recesses of the engraved metal plate and thus stably formed. To obtain inkless embossing during the printing process, these printing forms are not filled with a printing medium, but are used only to form, that is, to emboss on the printing material.
Regardless of whether a deep or raised embossing is produced in this way, it is not possible for the observer to distinguish, for example, a colorless embossing from an embossing using commercially available (optically isotropic) clearcoats or from an embossing using non-matogenic liquid crystal mixtures. The observer sees rather a single embossed structure, which, as a result of the play of chiaroscuro, transmits ordinary three-dimensional optical images.
However, as a result of, for example, the miniaturization and intersection of individual sealed areas by repeated sealing, a significant microstructure is obtained, which is difficult to fake 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 silvery, unstretched specular gloss polyethylene film is embossed, for example, as a print medium using a nematogenic liquid crystal melt at 60°C, an observer using a linear polarizer at the 0° position only sees embossed areas in blue, covered with nematic liquid crystal film. All other regions do not differ from how they would be considered without a polarizer. When the polarizer is rotated 45°, the blue color of the image changes to yellow-red.
Similar color images are seen when the embossed print is analyzed with a circular polarizer. Here the color images change depending on the position of the polarizer, for example between brilliant gold and brilliant silvery blue. At the same time, there are also cases when, 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 changes only slightly between, for example, close to dark brown and close to light brown.
In general, this (dynamic) color behavior depends on a variety of factors, which include, for example, the properties of the print media, the printing method used, the transition and wetting property (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 using a linear polarizer. Changing the viewing angle does not in any way affect the resulting color image.
A particular embodiment of the method occurs when, for example, the aforementioned modified flexographic printing method or similar methods are used which require the application of force during the embossing process, for example a shear force, on (nematogenous) liquid crystal films and whose embossing tools are structured in such a way that the microscopic orientation components of the obtained liquid crystal film is supported in the preferred direction.
If, for example, when using a nematogenous liquid crystal mixture, the first embossing pass is followed by rotation of the image by an angle of preferably 45°, and then another pass follows, a two-color embossed image is presented to the observer when analyzed with a linear or circular polarizer. Multicolor embossing becomes possible when the full range between possible color images is used.
The contact pressure and therefore the depth of the embossing can also be reduced at will so that the embossed structures are no longer visible to the naked eye, but the orientation of the liquid crystals is nevertheless 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 layer with birefringence, for example, from nematogenous liquid crystals, in any printing method, is applied to at least one partial area of the print medium having at least one structure with layer orientation.
Through the structure, the liquid crystals of the anisotropic liquid crystal layer can be acted upon in at least one direction by a force which leads to the alignment of the liquid crystals, in particular along the respective acting force.
Before or during printing of the anisotropic layer, one or more of these structures may be applied to the area to be printed on the print medium. Therefore, the print media used here can be supplied with such a structure already prepared or are supplied with such a structure only in printing machine, for example, during the application of the printing medium.
The origin and type of the structure is essentially irrelevant, since they have the property of promoting the layered orientation of the anisotropic layer, that is, for example, the crystalline orientation of liquid crystals. Therefore, the print medium can be provided with a mechanical structure and/or an electrostatic structure or a potential pattern, i. e. distribution of charges in accordance with the transmitted optical picture. Separate orientation layers can also be applied in front of the liquid crystal layer. Changes or targeted alignments of the crystal orientation can also be effected by local heating of 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 multicolored print media by the method according to the invention,
The use of pre-embossed printing media with predetermined and locally defined orientation directions of various kinds for mesogenic systems,
Overprinting or applying onto pre-embossed printing media also holographic structures etc., for example, produced by injection molding or other methods of forming relief structures, for example, using nematic liquid crystal mixtures, in this case, in particular, the structuring of embossed areas or reliefs can contribute orientation of textures of optically anisotropic liquid crystal films,
Production of 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 top coat, film, etc., for example, to protect against scratches or to increase the security of the embossing against counterfeiting,
Post-embossing of partially or fully cured, optically anisotropic, e.g. nematic liquid crystal films,
Embossed overprints on clear media and overprints reverse side these printed media treated in this way, for example with reflective inks,
Overprints or coatings in the first step of the film substrate, preferably with a fully cured nematic liquid crystal film, the manufacturing process being controlled in such a way that only one certain small but sufficient cohesion is created between the film substrate and the liquid crystal film.
Transferring certain sections of the liquid crystal film in a second step to the print medium by treating the reverse side of the suitably printed or coated film substrate with appropriate embossing tools, this process being carried out both at room temperature and at lower or more high temperatures ah, and also when subjected to only very slight embossing forces. According to the method of manufacture, 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 represent color images schematically, and are for illustration purposes only. visual presentation inventions.
In FIG. 1a shows schematically an embossing according to the invention on a silver printing medium with a specular sheen and a simplified color image that can be seen without an optical aid. Essentially only the embossed structure is visible, but no color differences are seen between the inkless embossing areas BP without any lacquer layer, the embossing P+LC with liquid crystal layer, the P+KL embossing with isotropic clear lacquer, and the unembossed LC area including only the 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 sheen and simplified as an example, a color image distinguishable with a linear polarizer in the 0° position. Here, color differences are observed based on the orientation of the crystals between the embossed P+LC region and the non-embossed LC region. This area is marked 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 specular sheen and a simplified representation of a color image distinguishable with a linear polarizer in this case at the 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 specular silver print medium 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 a polarizing aid the color image for the area KL (isotropic clearcoat without embossing), P1/P2+LC (1/2 embossing 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 print carrier with a specular sheen and a simplified example of a color image that can be seen with a linear polarizer in the 0° position. The KL and P+KL regions show no change in the color image, since only isotropic clearcoat was used here. On the contrary, the areas P1+LC and P2+LC now have two different color images, since the embossings in these areas differ in that they have a different orientation 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 printing medium with a specular sheen and a simplified exemplification of a color image distinguishable by a linear polarizer in this case at the 45° position. Again different color images are observed in the liquid crystal coated areas P1+LC, P2+LC and LC. Here, due to the change in the position of the polarizer, the color image is inverted with respect to Fig. 2b.
CLAIM
1. Printing media containing at least one partial area with a transparent anisotropic layer, characterized in that the specified layer is applied by printing on the structure with layer orientation before and/or during the imprinting process of the specified layer, formed by tools for printing and/ or for embossing, said carrier contains at least one partial area with a colorless embossing and/or unembossed and/or embossed with a standard optical isotropic clear varnish, while all partial areas when viewed with the naked eye, regardless of the viewing angle, exhibit an optical image indivisible over partial regions.
2. Printing medium according to claim 1, characterized in that the anisotropic layer includes colorless birefringent nematic liquid crystals.
3. Printing medium according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes a partial area with a standard optical isotropic clear varnish.
4. Printing medium according to claim 1, characterized in that the partial area provided with an optical anisotropic varnish is made recognizable 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 colorless embossing and/or embossing with an optical isotropic transparent varnish, while all partial areas when viewed with the naked eye, regardless of the viewing angle, exhibit an optical image indivisible over partial areas.
7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that a force acts on the liquid crystals of the anisotropic liquid crystal layer in at least one direction through said structure, which leads, in particular before the anisotropic layer is cured, to align the liquid crystals, in particular along the correspondingly acting strength.
8. Method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the area to be imprinted is provided with a mechanical structure and/or an electrostatic structure or potential relief, such structure providing one or more different orientations of the anisotropic layer.
9. 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 one more imprinting process.
Hard to imagine modern life without a printer. Scripts are printed in schools, abstracts are printed at the university, contracts are printed at work, and even at home it is extremely necessary for us 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. Consider the principle of printing inkjet and laser printers.
How an inkjet printer works
We will try to highlight the principle of printing an inkjet printer briefly. Its print quality is slightly worse than that of a laser. However, their cost is much lower than that of laser ones. An inkjet printer is ideal for home use. It is easy to operate and easy to maintain. The principle of printing inkjet and laser printers are markedly different. This is manifested both in the ink supply technology and in the design of the equipment. 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 a canvas:
Piezoelectric method;
. gas bubble method;
. drop-on-demand method.
The first method, when printed, leaves an ink dot on the canvas, due to the piezoelectric element. With its help, the tube is compressed and unclenched, preventing excess ink from getting onto the paper.
Gas bubbles, also known as injected bubbles, leave an imprint on the web 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 in the process. But it is a more streamlined technology that greatly increases the speed and quality of modern printing.
An inkjet printer stores ink in two ways. There is a separate removable tank from which ink is supplied to the print head. The second way to store 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 the possibility When printing, the image is formed by superimposing the main tones on each other of different saturation. The set of primary colors bears the abbreviation CMYK. It includes: yellow, magenta, cyan and black.
Initially, a three-color set was offered, which included all of the above tones, except for the black shade. But when overlaying yellow, cyan and magenta, at 100% saturation, it was not possible to achieve black. The result was a brown or gray color. Therefore, it was decided to add black ink.
Features of the inkjet printer
The main indicators of the quality of the printer include noise, print speed, print quality and durability.
Operational properties of the printer:
- Printing principle - 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 are very quiet. How the printer prints is not audible, you can only distinguish the noise of the engine that moves the print heads. does not exceed 40 dB.
- The print speed of an inkjet printer is much faster than that of a needle printer. The print quality also depends on this indicator. Printer printing principle: the higher the speed, the worse the print. If you choose high quality printing, 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.
- The font is one of the main advantages of an inkjet printer. Font display quality can only be compared with laser printer. You can improve print quality by using good quality paper. It should have fast absorbing properties. A good image is obtained on paper with a density of 60-135g / m². Copier paper with a density of 80 g / m² also showed itself well. For fast drying of ink use function of heating of paper. Although the printing principle of an inkjet printer and a laser printer are completely different, quality equipment achieves the same effect.
- Paper. Unfortunately, the inkjet printer is not designed to print 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 integrated the print head of the printer into the cartridge to reduce the overall dimensions of the device. The principle of printing inkjet and laser printers are significantly different from each other.
The disadvantages of such a printer include:
- Low print speed.
- If the printer has not been used for a long time, the ink may dry out.
- Consumables have a high cost and a small resource.
Benefits of Inkjet Printing
- Attractive price, perfect price-performance ratio.
- The printer has very modest dimensions, which allows it to be placed in a small office without creating inconvenience to the user.
- Cartridges are easy to refill yourself, just buy ink and read the instructions.
- Connectivity With large print volumes, this will significantly reduce costs.
- High quality photo printing.
- Wide range of print media.
A little about the laser printer
A laser printer is a type of equipment designed to print text or images on paper. The history of this type of equipment is very unusual. And it has a marketing approach, unlike an inkjet printer, during the creation of which hundreds of scientific concepts were developed.
It was not until 1969 that Xerox began to develop the principle of printing a laser printer. For several years, scientific work was carried out, many methods were used to improve the existing apparatus. In 1978, the first copier appeared in the world, which used a laser beam to create a print. The printer turned out to be huge, 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. After a lot of companies started optimizing copiers and releasing new models, however, the principle of printing a laser printer has not changed.
How a laser printer prints
Prints obtained in this way have high performance characteristics. Moisture is not terrible for them, they are not afraid of erasing and fading. Images obtained in this way are very high quality and durable.
Printing principle of laser printer briefly:
- The laser printer applies the image to the canvas in several stages. The toner (special powder) melts and sticks to the paper under the influence of temperature.
- A squeegee (special scraper) removes unused toner from the drum into the waste accumulator.
- The caronator polarizes the surface of the drum, and by means of electrostatic forces assigns a positive or negative charge to it.
- The image is formed on the surface of the drum using a rotating mirror that directs it to the right place.
- The drum moves along the surface of the magnetic shaft. There is toner on the shaft, which sticks to those places on the drum where there is no charge.
- After the drum rolls over the paper, leaving the toner on the canvas.
- At the final stage, the paper with the toner sprayed on it is rolled through the 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 process of printing on a color printer differs from black and white by the presence of several shades, which, when mixed in a certain proportion, are able to 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 steps: image analysis, its raster image, the arrangement of colors and their corresponding toners. Then the 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 lies in the fact that the principle of printing a laser printer allows you to achieve very thin beams that discharge the desired areas. As a result, we get very quality image high resolution.
Advantages of modern laser printers
The benefits of laser printers include:
- High print speed.
- Persistence, clarity and endurance 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. So, you need to work with him 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 great 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 document processing speed is important.
There are many different grades of media on the market today, designed for a wide variety of applications - from budget office printing to high-quality reproductions of canvas paintings.
Especially demanding for the selection of the correct media is inkjet printing, where the ink - pigment or emulsion, enters into a chemical reaction with the surface of the media.
Even for cases of ordinary office printing of documents, it is desirable to select the appropriate type of paper; it is all the more important in photo printing, when a number of additional requirements are added to the choice of surface structure - matte, glossy, semi-gloss, structured, etc.
Typically, printer manufacturers recommend paper grades for use with their inks. own production, motivating this by an accurate 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-party companies, as well as the use of alternative ink, is a separate topic, unambiguous advice cannot be given here.
Laser printing, although less “sensitive” to media choice, also produces better results when using paper grades recommended for this purpose, due to the nature of the toner transfer and the heat-fusing process.
Especially when it comes to color laser printing.
In general, carriers are normalized 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 80 g / m² - 130 g / m²;
White- determines the degree of reflection of light from the sheet, measured as a percentage;
Media contamination- internal (chemicals, adhesives) arising during manufacture and external (dust), e.g. 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 gluing layers is practiced to slow down the penetration of liquids (ink, dyes) into the sheet, to fix 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, smoother.
A higher caliber indicates a stiffer grade of paper;
Electrical conductivity- a parameter due to which image gaps occur in wet conditions, and a background appears in dry conditions and sometimes sheets stick together;
Heat resistance- fixing the 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;
Edge quality after cut - When the cut quality is poor, dust settles on the print path and accelerates its wear.
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