What is claimed is:
1. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet comprising:
a support; and
a toner image-receiving layer which is to be disposed on at least one surface of the support and contains a thermoplastic resin,
wherein the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet is formed by soft calender treatment using a metal roller having surface temperature of glass transition temperature (Tg) of the thermoplastic resin minus 30 C. or more and the glass transition temperature plus 50 C. or less, so that the metal roller contacts a surface of the toner image-receiving layer.
2. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 1, wherein the soft calender treatment is carried out by a shoe calender having a long nip.
3. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the support on which the toner image-receiving layer is to be disposed is subject to the soft calender treatment using a metal roller having surface temperature of 150 C. or higher.
4. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 1, wherein the support is selected from raw paper, synthetic paper, a synthetic resin sheet, coat paper, and laminated paper.
5. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 4, wherein the support is the raw paper, and the raw paper has polyolefine resin layers on both surfaces thereof, and the toner image-receiving layer is to be disposed on at least one of the both surfaces.
6. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 5, wherein one of the polyolefin resin layers on which the toner image-receiving layer is not to be disposed has a ten point average roughness (Rz) of 2 m to 10 m and a centerline average roughness (Ra) of 0.5 m to 1.5 m.
7. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 1, wherein the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the toner image-receiving layer is 40 C. to 100 C.
8. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 1, wherein the toner image-receiving layer contains 50% by mass or more of the thermoplastic resin.
9. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic resin in the toner image-receiving layer is self-dispersing water-dispersible polyester resin emulsion which satisfies the following properties (1) to (4):
(1) number average molecular weight (Mn)5000 to 10000
(2) molecular weight distribution (weight average molecular weight (Mw)number average molecular weight (Mn))4
(3) glass transition temperature (Tg)40 C. to 100 C.
(4) volume average particle diameter20 nm to 200 nm
10. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 1, wherein the toner image-receiving layer contains natural wax, and the natural wax is one of vegetable wax and mineral wax.
11. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 10, wherein the vegetable wax is carnauba wax having a melting point of 70 C. to 95 C.
12. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 10, wherein the mineral wax is montan wax having a melting point of 70 C. to 95 C.
13. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 1, wherein the toner image-receiving layer receives toners, and the toners contain a binder resin and a colorant, the toners have an average particle diameter of 0.5 m to 10 m and a volume average particle size distribution index (GSDv) of the toners of 1.3 or less.
14. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 13, wherein a ratio (GSDvGSDn) of the volume average particle size distribution index (GSDv) and a number average particle size distribution index (GSDn) of the toners is 0.95 or more.
15. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 13, wherein the toners have the volume average particle diameter of 0.5 m to 10 m, and an average value of a formation coefficient of the toners expressed by the following formula is 1.00 to 1.50:
Formation coefficient(L2)(4S)
where L expresses a maximum length of one of the toners, and S expresses a projected area of one of the toners.
16. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 13, wherein the toners are manufactured by a process comprising the steps of:
(i) forming aggregated particles in a dispersion in which resin particles are dispersed, so as to prepare aggregated particle dispersion;
(ii) adding and mixing a fine particle dispersion in which fine particles are dispersed, into the aggregated particle dispersion, so as to form adhesion particles in which the aggregated particles adhere to the fine particles; and
(iii) heating and fusing the adhesion particles, so as to form toners.
17. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet comprising:
a support; and
a toner image-receiving layer which is to be disposed on at least one surface of the support and contains a thermoplastic resin and a pigment,
wherein a surface of the support on which the toner image-receiving layer is to be disposed has a glossiness of 25% or more in a 75 glossiness specified by JIS P8142, a content of the pigment is less than 40% by mass based on a mass of the thermoplastic resin.
18. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 17, wherein a surface of the support on which the toner image-receiving layer is to be disposed is subject to soft calender treatment using a metal roller having surface temperature of 150 C. or higher.
19. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 18, wherein the soft calender treatment is carried out by a shoe calender having a long nip.
20. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 18, wherein the soft calender treatment is carried out at nip pressure of 100 kNm or more.
21. A process for manufacturing an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet comprising the steps of:
subjecting a surface of a support on which a toner image-receiving layer is to be disposed, to soft calender treatment using a metal roller having surface temperature of 150 C. or higher; and
subjecting a surface of the toner image-receiving layer to soft calender treatment using a metal roller having surface temperature of glass transition temperature (Tg) of the thermoplastic resin minus 30 C. or more and the glass transition temperature plus 50 C. or less, so that the metal roller contacts a surface of the toner image-receiving layer,
wherein the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet comprises:
the support; and
the toner image-receiving layer which is to be disposed on at least one surface of the support and contains the thermoplastic resin.
22. A process for manufacturing an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 21, wherein the soft calender treatment is carried out by a shoe calender having a long nip.
23. A process for manufacturing an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet according to claim 21, wherein the soft calender treatment is carried out at nip pressure of 100 kNm or more.
24. A process for image formation comprising the steps of:
forming a toner image on an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet;
heating and pressurizing a surface of the electrophotogrpahic image-receiving sheet on which the toner image is formed by a fixing belt and a fixing roller; and
cooling the surface so as to separate the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet from the fixing belt,
wherein the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet comprises:
a support; and
a toner image-receiving layer which is to be disposed on at least one surface of the support and contains a thermoplastic resin,
wherein a surface of the support on which the toner image-receiving layer is to be disposed is subject to soft calender treatment using a metal roller having surface temperature of 150 C. or higher, the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet is formed by soft calender treatment using a metal roller having surface temperature of glass transition temperature (Tg) of the thermoplastic resin minus 30 C. or more and the glass transition temperature plus 50 C. or less, so that the metal roller contacts a surface of the toner image-receiving layer.
25. A process for image formation according to claim 24, further comprising the step of:
fixing the toner image,
wherein the step of fixing is carried out by a heating roller, and is carried out between the step of forming and the step of heating and pressurizing.
26. A process for image formation according to claim 24, wherein the step of cooling is carried out by cooling the toner image to one of a melting point or lower of a binder resin contained in a toner of the toner image, and a glass transition temperature plus 10 C. or lower of the binder resin.
27. A process for image formation according to claim 24, wherein a surface of the fixing belt has one of a layer of fluorocarbon siloxane rubber, and a layer of silicone rubber and fluorocarbon siloxane rubber in which the silicone rubber and the fluorocarbon siloxane rubber are disposed in this order.
28. A process for image formation according to claim 27, wherein the fluorocarbon siloxane rubber has at least one of a perfluoroalkylether group and a perfluoroalkyl group in a main chain thereof.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A printing press comprising:
a printing unit with a plate cylinder;
a plate making unit provided in said printing unit and adapted to perform plate making for a plate mounted on an outer surface of said plate cylinder, said plate making unit being supported to be movable between an operative position where said plate making unit performs plate making while closing at least part of said printing unit, and a wait position where said plate making unit opens at least part of said printing unit; and
control means for selectively operating said printing press at a first speed at which normal printing is performed and a second speed lower than the first speed, said control means serving to enable said printing press to operate at the first speed when said plate making unit is located at the operative position, and disable said printing press to operate at the first speed when said plate making unit is not located at the operative position.
2. A printing press according to claim 1, wherein
said printing press further comprises detection means for detecting that said plate making unit is located at the operative position, and
said control means enables operation of said printing press at the first speed on the basis of at least a detection signal from said detection means.
3. A printing press according to claim 2, wherein
said printing press further comprises a fixing mechanism for fixing said plate making unit at the operative position when said plate making unit is located at the operative position, and
a fixed state detection sensor for detecting that said fixing mechanism fixes said plate making unit, and
said control means enables operation of said printing press at the first speed on the basis of the detection signal from said detection means and a detection signal from said fixed state detection sensor.
4. A printing press according to claim 3, wherein said control means drives said fixing mechanism in response to the detection signal from said detection means.
5. A printing press according to claim 2, wherein said detection means comprises two photosensors that line up above said plate making unit in an axial direction of said plate cylinder.
6. A printing press according to claim 1, wherein
said printing press further comprises detection means for detecting that said plate making unit is located at the wait position, and
said control means disables operation of said printing press at the first speed on the basis of a detection signal from said detection means.
7. A printing press according to claim 6, wherein said detection means comprises
a cam member fixed to a lower portion of said plate making unit, and
a mechanical switch attached to said printing unit and actuated by said cam member when said plate making unit is located at the wait position.
8. A printing press according to claim 6, wherein said control means enables operation of said printing press at the second speed on the basis of a detection signal from said detection means.
9. A printing press according to claim 1, further comprising a support mechanism for supporting said plate making unit to be movable between the operative position and the wait position.
10. A printing press according to claim 1, wherein
said printing unit has an opening corresponding to said plate cylinder, and
said plate making unit closes the opening at the operative position and opens the opening at the wait position.