The present disclosure generally relates to a sheet assembly and method of making a sheet assembly that is to be processed through a printer to print indicia thereon. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a sheet assembly with perforations that improve printer processing of the sheet.
Sheets for printing are well known and various types have been proposed to meet the requirements of a wide variety of applications. Some applications include card products such as badge inserts, business cards, tent cards, and nametags. Card products may include perforations to allow such products to be folded, torn, or the like.
In another example, labels and nametags are used in businesses to provide information about a product, person, or the like. Labels and nametags generally include a facestock layer with an adhesive side and an exposed side. The exposed side includes a surface for receiving indicia thereon and is opposite from the adhesive side. A liner sheet is operably attached to the adhesive side and is configured to allow a user to peel the label portion of the facestock from the liner sheet to be placed on a substrate. A plurality of cut lines may separate the facestock layer into a plurality of labels in various arrangements.
Other card products or sheets may have a single layer without adhesives. These sheets are typically thicker than ordinary printer paper. The sheets may also be stiffer as the card products may be placed into a sleeve or display.
However, problems arise when a user processes label sheets or cardstock through a printer, such as an inkjet printer, desktop printer, or laser printer. Many printers are configured to receive a cardstock or other sheet and process it through at least one, but usually more than one, rotary mechanisms during the printing process. The thickness or stiffness of cardstock may cause the printer to print with gross off-registration. In some instances, the card products may bend or fold in certain areas as it goes through a printer feed path which may causes gross off-registration. This may cause ink to shift or other printing errors.
Therefore, there is a need for a printable sheet assembly for cardstock configured to reduce inconsistent processing through a printer device. There is also a need for an improved method of feeding a cardstock sheet through a printer to accurately apply ink or indicia thereon without unduly altering the alignment or registration of the print, while making perforations more robust and maintaining ability for separation and a smooth edge.
The present system leverages the advantages of a printable sheet assembly with surface features. A printable sheet assembly is described herein. A printable sheet assembly comprises a sheet body having a first edge and an opposite second edge wherein said first edge and second edge comprise horizontal edges of the sheet body. A first fold region comprising at least one robust perforation line formed horizontally within the first fold region, wherein the first fold region is defined by a first boundary and a second boundary. The robust perforation line comprises a tensile strength that is about or greater than 80 Newtons per 2 linear inches of perforations. Said sheet body may be processed by a printer device to receive printed indicia thereon and the at least one robust perforation line assists to prevent printing errors due to off registration when the printable sheet assembly is processed through said printer device. The first boundary comprises the first edge of the printable sheet assembly and the second boundary may be generally 1.5 inches from the first edge. In an embodiment, the first boundary may be generally 2.75 inches from said first edge of the printable sheet assembly and the second boundary may be generally 3.25 inches from the first edge. A second fold region comprising at least one robust perforation line formed within the second fold region, wherein the second fold region is defined by a first boundary and a second boundary wherein the first boundary of the second fold region is generally 5.25 inches from the first edge and the second boundary of the second fold region is generally 5.75 inches from the first edge. At least one alternate perforated line may be formed in the sheet body for defining at least one of a label, business card, card, or a nametag in the sheet body. The at least one robust perforation line comprises alternating cuts and ties, and wherein at least one cut is about 0.010 inches and at least one tie is between about 0.006 inches and about 0.010 inches. the at least one robust perforation line comprises alternating cuts and ties, and wherein the ties are about 60%-100% the length of the cuts. The sheet body may be made from a cardstock material having a thickness between about 8 mil to about 12 mil ( 1/1000 inches) and having a level of rigidity wherein the at least one robust perforation line comprises a tensile strength that is selected based on the level of rigidity of the stock material such that the at least one robust perforation line and the at least one alternate perforation line do not break when the fold region passes through a U-shaped feed path of said printer device.
In an embodiment, provided is a method of making a printable sheet assembly, the method comprising providing cardstock material. A first fold region positioned horizontally along the cardstock material is identified. At least one robust perforated line is formed in the card stock generally horizontally spanning the cardstock material, wherein the at least one robust perforated line is disposed within said first fold region and comprises a tensile strength within a lower boundary and an upper boundary. At least one alternate perforated line is formed in the card stock material generally horizontally spanning the cardstock material, wherein the at least one alternate perforated line is disposed outside of the first fold region and comprises a tensile strength that is less than the tensile strength of the at least one robust perforated line wherein said cardstock material is configured to be processed by a printer device to receive printed indicia thereon and the at least one robust perforation line assists to prevent printing errors due to off registration when the printable sheet assembly is processed through said printer device. The lower boundary may be about 80 Newtons per 2 linear inches of perforations and the upper boundary may be about 250 Newtons per 2 linear inches of perforations. At least one robust perforated line and at least one alternate perforated line may be formed in a shape of a card or label to receive indicia thereon when processed through a printer device.
In another embodiment, provided is a printable sheet assembly comprising a cardstock material having a first edge and an opposite second edge wherein said first edge and second edge comprise horizontal edges of the cardstock. A first fold region aligned horizontally along the cardstock material, wherein the first fold region is defined by a first boundary and a second boundary. At least one robust perforated line formed generally horizontally along the cardstock material, wherein the at least one robust perforated line is disposed within said first fold region and comprises a tensile strength that is about or greater than 80 Newtons per 2 linear inches of perforations. At least one alternate perforated line formed generally horizontally along the cardstock material, wherein the at least one alternate perforated line is disposed outside of the first fold region and comprises a tensile strength that is less than the tensile strength of the at least one robust perforated line. The cardstock material is configured to be processed by a printer device to receive printed indicia thereon and the at least one robust perforation line assists to prevent printing errors due to off registration when the printable sheet assembly is processed through said printer device. The first boundary comprises the first edge of the printable sheet assembly and the second boundary is generally 1.5 inches from the first edge. In an embodiment, the first boundary may be generally 2.75 inches from the first edge of the printable sheet assembly and the second boundary is generally 3.25 inches from the first edge. A second fold region comprising at least one robust perforation line formed within the second fold region, wherein the second fold region is defined by a first boundary and a second boundary. The first boundary of the second fold region is generally 5.25 inches from the first edge of the printable sheet assembly and the second boundary of the second fold region is generally 5.75 inches from the first edge. The robust perforated line includes cuts and ties of about 0.005″ cut/0.010″ tie along its length and said alternate perforated line includes cuts and ties of about 0.005″ cut/0.005″ tie along its length.
Specific reference is made to the appended claims, drawings, and description below, all of which disclose elements of the invention. While specific embodiments are identified, it will be understood that elements from one described aspect may be combined with those from a separately identified aspect. In the same manner, a person of ordinary skill will have the requisite understanding of common processes, components, and methods, and this description is intended to encompass and disclose such common aspects even if they are not expressly identified herein.
Operation of the disclosure may be better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the following illustrations, wherein:
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional changes may be made without departing from the respective scope of the disclosure. Moreover, features of the various embodiments may be combined or altered without departing from the scope of the disclosure. As such, the following description is presented by way of illustration only and should not limit in any way the various alternatives and modifications that may be made to the illustrated embodiments and still be within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
A sheet assembly (e.g., label sheet, nametag sheet, card product etc.) may comprise a sheet body, a cardstock sheet, printable papers, printable films, non-woven materials, polyolefin materials, and laminates thereof. The sheet facestock may be a single layer or may include different layers, such as a liner, an adhesive, and a facestock layer. It is noted that the different layers may comprise different materials have different properties. For instance, a first layer may comprise a cardstock and a second layer may comprise a less stiff or less thick layer.
Described sheet assemblies may be a cardstock material or sheet body that have various sizes, such as A3, A4, 8½ inches by 11 inches, 8½ inches by 14 inches, 11 inches by 17 inches, legal size or any other size, including, without limitation smaller sizes. Generally, a sheet assembly is operatively sized to be fed through a desktop printer and/or copier (such as by way of a non-limiting example an ink jet and/or laser printer). For instance, a sheet assembly may be fed through a horizontal-feed inkjet printer.
In certain inkjet printers, gross off-registration of the print on card stock having perforations can occur. It has been found that a fold in sheet assemblies in such printers can cause a retardation of the transport of the sheet assembly, which in turn leads to off-registration of the print. As such, consumers may be left with sheets having errors on the indicia printed thereon. This may result in a need to reprint the sheet.
Described embodiments include printable sheet assemblies comprising robust perforated fold lines within at least one area. The robust perforated fold line alters (e.g., improves) feeding of the sheet assemblies through a printer. For instance, the perforation may allow for increased flexibility while maintaining ease of separation and a smooth edge. As described herein, the perforation may be more robust or exaggerated in certain areas such that the perforations do not break as easily when the sheet is flexed about the perforations. Embodiments describe the relative bending strength of perforations in fold zones of a sheet or cardstock product compared to the bend resistance of the uncut sheet material. In some examples, the tensile strength of the perforations in the fold zones is directly related to the perforation bend strength. The tensile strength is at or above minimum strength to prevent the perforations from breaking as the sheet curves through the feed path of a printer. This minimum strength may be needed in the fold or critical zones as a rigid sheet may not be able to relive much stress on the perforations. As such, the minimum strength may reduce or prevent breakage of the perforations in the fold zones. It is noted that the perforation strength may be selected based on a rigidity or flexibility of the material utilized for the sheet. For instance, a lower tensile strength of perforations may be utilized for more flexible material as the material itself will flex and relieve stress on the perforations to prevent or reduce breakage. Whereas a higher tensile strength of perforations may be utilized for a sheet comprising a more rigid material. Accordingly, ranges of tensile strength described herein are exemplary and related to the particular cardstock selected to illustrate the various embodiments.
Embodiments of printable sheets may include perforations in areas that are more robust in those areas while still maintaining ease-of-separation and a smooth finished product edge. As an exemplary embodiment, perforations may comprise a tensile strength of generally greater than or equal to 80 Newtons per 2 linear inches of perforations and less than or equal to about 250 Newtons per 2 linear inches of perforations. Cardstock having robust perforations with such tensile strength may be robust enough to effectively prevent the gross off-registration. The measurement of 80 Newtons per 2 linear inches of perforations may be the low threshold transition between good registration and bad registration occurs, where a lower tensile strength is likely to result in registration errors when processed through a printer device and a higher tensile strength will result in registrations without the noted errors. Perforations generally comprise alternating cuts and ties. In some embodiments, the cut-to-tie ratio or the overall size of either cuts or ties may affect the tensile strength of the perforations. Robust perforation line designs that deliver a tensile strength within the above range while still maintaining a smooth edge range from about 0.010″ cut/0.006″ tie to 0.010″ cut/0.010″ tie, or have a tie length that is about 60%-100% of the cut length.
As shown in
Sheet assembly 100 may include a first edge 106 and a second edge 108. First edge 106 and second edge 108 may comprise horizontal edges of the sheet assembly 100. In some embodiments, first edge 106 may be referred to as a top edge and second edge 108 may be referred to as a bottom edge. As an example, the second edge 108 may be fed into a printer. The printer may print onto the sheet assembly 100 and may continue to feed the sheet assembly 100 through the printer until first edge 106 exits the printer.
A robust perforated line 124 (See
The second boundary 120 may be about 1.5 inches from the first edge 106. In an aspect, the robust perforated line 124 may define a boundary between a first body section 102 and a second body section 104. Moreover, while embodiments may refer to “a” or “the” perforated line 124, 126, 128 it is noted that the one or more types of perforated lines may be formed or otherwise disposed of along the sheet assembly or within the defined fold regions. For example,
Location of a robust perforated line 124 within the defined fold regions 122 may allow the sheet assembly 100 to pass through the printer with decreased chances of misalignment. This may prevent or reduce print errors for cardstock or label sheet assemblies having a facestock layer with a liner layer, such as sheet assemblies with a thickness between about 8 to about 12 mil ( 1/1000 inches). Moreover, the robust perforated line 124 within the fold region 122 may be formed to coincide with an edge of a label, nametag, or the like. In other embodiments, the robust perforated line 124 may be formed in an area that does not align with an edge of a label or nametag, and does not pass through a label or nametag (e.g., such as in a matrix).
As illustrated by
The second fold region 232 may be similarly defined by a first boundary at second edge 208 and a second boundary 230 that may be generally 1.5 inches from the second edge 208. In an aspect, the first fold region 222 may be a first body section 202 and the second fold region 232 may be a second body section 204 wherein a third body section 205 may be spaced between the first and second fold regions. As described herein, one or more robust perforated lines 124 (see
Turning now to
The sheet assembly 300 may generally comprise a first edge 306 and a second edge 308. While embodiments describe that the sheet assembly 300 may be fed into a printer device at the second edge 308, it is noted that the sheet assembly 300 may be fed into the printer at the first edge 306.
According to embodiments, the sheet assembly 300 may comprise one or more fold regions, such as a first fold region 320 and a second fold region 330. In an aspect, the first fold region 320 may be disposed horizontally along the sheet assembly 300 positioned between the first edge 306 and a center or general vertical middle 350. The second fold region 320 may encompass a region located horizontally along the vertical middle 350. It is noted that the first fold region 320 and the second fold region 330 may be generally equal in size, such as about 0.5 inches in length. It is noted, however, that the length may be appropriately greater or lesser than 0.5 inches in different or other embodiments. As an illustrative example, the first fold region 320 may comprise a first boundary 322 and a second boundary 324. For sheet assemblies that are 8.5×11 inches, the first boundary 322 may be generally 2.75 inches from the first edge 306. The second boundary 324 may be generally 3.25 inches from the first edge 306. The second fold region 330 similarly comprises a first boundary 332 and a second boundary 334. For sheet assemblies that are 8.5×11 inches, the first boundary 332 may be generally 5.25 inches from the first edge 306. The second boundary 334 may be 5.75 inches from the first edge 306. Notably, these dimension may be adjusted proportionately for various dimensioned sheet assemblies such as A3, A4, 8½ inches by 11 inches, 8½ inches by 14 inches, 11 inches by 17 inches, legal size or any other size, including, without limitation smaller sizes.
The first fold region 320 and the second fold region 330 may comprise one or more fold lines or robust perforations 124 as shown in
In view of the subject matter described herein, methods that may be related to various embodiments may be better appreciated with reference to the flowchart of
At 402, a system or device may form perforations on a printable sheet assembly. In an aspect, the perforations may be formed via die cutting or other processes. The printable sheet assembly may comprise card stock as described herein. According to embodiments, the perforations may be formed in regions that are located on the printable sheet assembly with reference to one or more edges of the sheet assembly.
At 404, the system or device may form a label, nametag, or other product in or on the sheet assembly. As an example, a system may die cut nametags in the cardstock of the sheet assembly. It is noted that the formation of the product may utilize the perforated lines an edge of the label, nametag, or other product. In other examples, the perforated lines may not form an edge of a product. As described herein, the formation of the perforated lines and the product may occur in various orders or generally simultaneously.
At 406, the system or device may print indicia on packaging or the sheet assembly that identifies applicable printer devices for the sheet assembly. For example, different printers may comprise differently arranged rollers, feed angles, or the like. As such, perforated lines and/or fold regions may be associated with different printers. Thus, the system or device may identify associated printers to enhance an end user's experience.
The embodiments of
The location of a robust perforation lines 124 within the identified fold regions for sheet assembly made of cardstock as described in
The first column identifies the type of printer device tested which included printer devices that utilized ink jet, auto registrations, and auto feed modes. The HP DJ3050 and Epson 410 models do not have a U-shaped feed path. The HP 8610 model does have a U-shaped feed path. The second column identifies the type of sheet assemblies tested as microperforated (MP) business cards (BC) control (similar to
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to just the embodiments disclosed, but that the invention described herein is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the claims hereafter. The features of each embodiment described and shown herein may be combined with the features of the other embodiments described herein. The claims as follows are intended to include all modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the claims or the equivalent thereof.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/636,896 filed Mar. 1, 2018 titled, “SHEET WITH FEEDING PERFORATION” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62636896 | Mar 2018 | US |