MXPA98010504A - Exhibition unit and method for exhibiting an ima - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for displaying an image in a display device having first and second sides, the image includes a light restricting silhouette configuration having a plurality of transparent or translucent first areas and at least one design layer having at least one color, the at least one design layer is visible from one side of the display device and substantially less visible from the other side, the images substantially transparent or translucent, as seen from the other side, which comprises the steps of: 1) providing at least one definition of the design layer to a computer, 2) generating a computerized version of the design layer with the computer, 3) issuing the computer version of the design layer to the computer, display device, the computerized version of the design layer is modified to subdivide the design layer into a plurality of second trans areas parental or discrete translucent and other areas, and 4) exhibit the modified design layer and silhouette configuration with the first and second transparent areas in register. Articles produced according to the method are also described. Printers, methods and systems of raster image processing, computer graphics systems to produce the art.

Description

DISPLAY UNIT AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING AN IMAGE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is concerned with a display unit and in particular with a display unit for displaying images viewable from two sides, whereby the image, as it is perceived from one side may be different from the perceived image on the other side and the display unit or screen is transparent or translucent when viewed from one side. The invention is also concerned with a method for displaying such an image, as well as with appropriate printers for displaying a printed image and with raster (or cross-hatched) image processing (RIP) systems to prepare the data prior to display, particularly before of the impression.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Screen devices with different images on each side and which are transparent or translucent from one of the sides are known from a variety of documents in which are included document EP-A-0170472 which describes a panel comprising a light-permeable material and a silhouette configuration, comprising any array of light-restricting material, which subdivides the panel into a plurality of discrete light-restricting areas REF-29018 and / or a plurality of transparent or translucent areas discrete, characterized in that a design is superimposed on or forms part of the silhouette configuration, such that the design is visible from one side of the panel only and where the design is less noticeable from one side of the panel, as the The level of illumination transmitted through the panel from the other side is increased. A variety of different vision effects are obtainable from different panels that fall within the above definition. Thus, the clarity of vision can be maintained from one side to the other side with the exception of the area covered by the design with clear vision across the entire panel from the other side to the first side. The visibility from the first side to the other side can be totally or partially obstructed while there is clarity of vision across the entire panel from the other side to the first side, in other words, a unidirectional vision effect is obtained. The clarity of vision is obtainable from the first side to the other except in the area of the design where the visibility of the other side to the first side is obstructed totally or partially. The vision either from one side or the other can be partially or totally obstructed. In all cases, a view can be obtained from one side to the other either in one direction or another through the panel when the level of illumination perceived through the panel from the far side of the panel sufficiently exceeds the reflected light from the side near the panel. Transparent areas normally have dimensions that range from 0.5 to 3 mm. EP-A-0170472 and EP-00118638 describe methods for producing the silhouette configuration and also the imposed design. The methods as described can be summarized as either the sequential print of the silhouette and / or the design using lithographic screen printing processes, or similar ink printing processes, with as accurate a record as can be obtained or a method in which a mask is applied and the printing processes are carried out through the mask on the substrate. When the mask is removed, the silhouette and image settings remain on the substrate only in the areas which the mask or stencil allows the ink to penetrate. EP-A0234121 discloses additional printing methods of such an image. Printing methods are limited to those that include inks. Again, a mask is described which is subsequently removed by taking it with the unwanted portions of the silhouette and image configuration. U.S. Patent 5396559 describes a security device for use in identification cards, monetary documents and the like when using a reference configuration and a message configuration, each having the appearance of a random or disordered configuration of points. The reference configuration is a dense configuration of randomly positioned points and the message configuration is a modulated version of the reference configuration, in which the points of the reference configuration are re-positioned slightly by an amount depending on the gray value or the color value of a message image at each point location. The image of the message is deciphered and becomes visible with a range of gray values when viewed through a film transparency of the reference configuration. The dot configuration can be printed, recorded or recorded as a photograph or a hologram. The decryption of the message image can be carried out by means of visualization through a contact mask, overlaying of images of the message configuration and reference configuration, when viewing the configuration of the message through a mask positioned in an image. real of the reference configuration or similar means. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication, 1 (1993) -57863 describes the production of an image that includes transparent sections for areas of the image. A method is described in which a decorative sheet is prepared by printing in register form a subsequent configuration layer, a cover ink layer and a front configuration layer on a transparent plastic sheet, in such a way that a plurality of small transparent portions remain in the image. No description is made as to how the registration printing (or coincidence or correspondence) should be carried out. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 1 (1989) -69397 describes a method for producing a transparent plastic or glass substrate with a printed layer that includes a plurality of holes. The method includes printing the image on a second substrate, perforating the image and the second substrate and then transferring the image only from the second substrate to the transparent plastic or the glass substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a method for displaying an image on a screen device having first and second sides, the image includes a restrictor silhouette configuration of light having a plurality of first transparent or translucent areas and at least one design layer having at least one color, the at least one design layer is visible from one side of the display device and substantially less visible from the other side, the image is substantially transparent or translucent such as see from the other side, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: 1) providing at least one definition of the design layer to a computer; 2) generate a computerized version of the design layer with the computer; 3) issue the computerized version of the design layer to the display device, the computerized version of the design layer is modified to subdivide the design layer into a plurality of discrete transparent or translucent second areas and other areas and 4) exhibit the modified design layer and silhouette configuration with the first and second transparent areas in register or coincident with each other. The present invention also includes an article having a conformable substrate, comprising: a dye-receiving layer and a light-restricting layer on the substrate, the light-restricting layer having a plurality of first transparent or translucent areas. The present invention also includes an article comprising: a polymeric substrate having a composition comprising vinyl chloride resin, optional acrylic resin, optional plasticizer and optionally stabilizing, wherein the composition is formed on an internal polymeric release coating having a smoothness of a Sheffield value of approximately 1 to approximately 10 and a light-restricting layer and a design layer on the substrate, the design layer includes at least one color layer, the light-restricting layer is subdivided in a plurality of first transparent or translucent areas, the design layer is subdivided into a plurality of second transparent or translucent areas and the first and second transparent areas are in register (or in coincidence with each other). The present invention also includes a printer for receiving a print file including color-separated image data, light-restricting layer data and transparency data and for printing the color-separated image and data of the light-restricting layer. light include transparent areas in the layer separated by colors and the light-restricting layer, according to the transparency data. The invention further includes a method of processing raster image (cross-linked) for the processing of raster image of a print file which includes image data separated by colors, data of the light-restricting layer and transparency data, which comprising: operating on the print file to generate raster image bitmaps for the color-separated image data and data of the light-restricting layer and entering the transparency data to the raster image bitmaps for the image data separated by color and the data of the light-restricting layer, in such a way that the transparent areas in the image frame bitmap separated by colors and the bitmap of the light-restricting layer are they find in register or coincidence between them. The invention further includes a frame image processing system for the frame image processing of a print file including color-separated image data, light-restricting layer data and transparency data, comprising: which operate on the printing file to generate raster image bitmaps for the image data separated by colors and the data of the light restricting layer and means which introduce the transparency data to the image bitmaps of the image. raster for the image data separated by colors and the data of the light-restricting layer, such that the transparent areas in the image frame bitmap separated by colors and the bitmap of the light restricting layer are in register or coincidence with each other. The invention also includes a computer-based graphics system for creating graphic images including color-separated layers and light-restricting layers, comprising: first input or input means for image data, means for generating data from image separated by colors from the image data, means for generating the data of the light-restricting layer, second means of introduction or entry for the transparency data and means for issuing an image file including the image data separated by colors, the data of the light-restricting layer and the transparency data. The present invention can provide conformable articles that include transparent areas in images, methods for providing same and printers, computer graphics systems and frame image processing systems and methods for producing images on articles at low cost. The present invention can provide conformable articles that include transparent areas in images, methods for providing same and printers, computer graphics systems and raster image processing systems and methods for producing images on the articles that allow variability in the image that it had not been previously obtained. The invention with its modalities and advantages will be described with reference to the following drawings: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a display unit according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a display system or screen according to the present invention. Figure 3 is a complex image including transparent areas according to the present invention. Figures 4A and B show characters and shapes defined by the transparent areas according to the present invention. Figure 5 shows the effect of grayness of conventional light-colored window graphics as seen in the prior art. Figure 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a display unit according to the present invention.

Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the backlight for use with the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a display unit according to the present invention. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view through a printed substrate according to the present invention. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view through another printed substrate according to the present invention. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of a printing substrate according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of a printing substrate according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of a printing substrate of a tenth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 14 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a durable, optically clear, transparent layer of the eleventh embodiment of the present invention prepared on a polymeric release layer.

Figure 15 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the durable, optically clear, transparent layer of the eleventh embodiment during a lamination step. Figure 16 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the durable, optically clear, transparent layer of the eleventh embodiment in combination with a printed substrate. Figure 17 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the durable, optically clear transparent layer of the present invention, in combination with a printed substrate as a modification of a twelfth embodiment of the invention. Figure 18 is a block diagram of the components of a printing system according to embodiments fourteen to sixteen of the present invention. Figure 19A is a cross-sectional view and Figure 19b is a top view of a printed substrate for use with embodiments fourteen to sixteen of the present invention. Figure 20 is a schematic drawing of a print head according to the fifteenth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 21 is a schematic drawing of a printer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Definitions As used in this application: "colorant" means any material that imparts color to another material or mixture and may consist of either pigments or dyes; "Dye-receiving layer" means any layer on a printing substrate which is provided for the purpose of transferring dyes to the substrate. "durable" means the substrates used in the present invention that are capable of withstanding the wear and tear associated with signal formation and can be from 2 to 5 years in outdoor environments; "plastic" means a material that is capable of being formed or molded with or without application of heat and includes thermoplastic types, thermosettable types, both of which may be flexible, semi-rigid or rigid, brittle or ductile; "Tamper resistant" as used in this application, means resistance of the ink jet ink to the fuzziness as described in the following test, printing an image with black lines, allowing a minimum time of five minutes for the drying, rub the line with the fingertips with light or moderate pressure, such as could be used during normal image manipulation and observe if line dispersion occurs; "durable" means the substrates useful in the present invention which are capable of withstanding the wear and tear associated with signaling and which can be used for 2 to 5 years in outdoor environments; "conformable" means substrates in a direct-printing film that are capable of conforming to uneven surfaces and retaining such conformation during use, without significant force applied per unit area of the film. Typically, the conformable substrate can be adhered with manual pressure and formed into a surface having periodic or compound irregularities, such as a rivet or weld overlay on the outer metal surface of a tractor trailer, without the substrate being lifted off. the surface. Preferably, a conformable substrate in a direct-printing film exhibits a yield strength and / or permanent plastic deformation when subjected to a maximum tensile stress of about 3.5 X 107 N / m2 (5000 pounds / square inches) at room temperature according to ASTM D638-94b (1994), when the gauge used for the test includes the total cross-sectional thickness of the substrate, the thickness of the adhesive and the thickness of any additional layer such as ink-receiving layers, conductive or dielectric layers . More preferably, the maximum tensile stress limit is about 1.4 X 107 N / m2 to provide more conformable films. More preferably, the maximum tensile stress limit is about 7 X 106 N / m2 to provide even more conformable films. The formability of the films still requires internal integrity. Desirably, the minimum tensile stress limit is about 6.9 X 104 N / m2 (10 pounds / square inch) and preferably the minimum tensile stress limit is about 1.7 X 105 N / m2 (25). pounds / square inch).

Test Methods Volumetric Resistivity of Dust: "The Application of ZELEC ECP in Static Dissipative Systems" (DuPont Chemicals, Deepwater, New Jersey, September 1992). Specific resistance: "Tego Conduct S Resistivity Measurement and Apparatus" (available from Esprit Chemical Company, Roc land, Maryland).

Surface resistance: ASTM D 4496-87 and ASTM D 257-93 published by the North American Testing and Materials Society. Displacement of color: ASTM D 2244-93 published by the North American Testing and Materials Society. Color density: "Reflective Optical Density on a Status T Method" under the requirements of ANSI / ISO 5 / 3-194, ANSI PH2. 18-1985 published by the Graphic Communications Association of Arlington, Virginia. The reflected optical density is measured using techniques well known to those in the printing industry. The examples herein were evaluated with a Gretag SPM50 densitometer from Gretag Limited, CH-8105 Regensdorf, Switzerland. Other instruments will provide similar comparisons, but not necessarily the same values. "Color density" is the measure of the intensity of the individual primary colors on a recording medium to form the latent image and is important for the films of the present invention, because the color density has a great impact on the perceived aesthetics of the image in the recording medium. By comparison, the optical transmission density can be measured by using an optical densitometer such as a Macbeth TD 904 densitometer.

Sheffield: The measurement of the Sheffield method described in TAPPI test T 538 om-88, published by the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry of Atlanta, Georgia. Descriptions of the test methods are incorporated herein by reference.

Modes of the invention The figures are designed for purposes of illustration only. Certain dimensions may have been exaggerated to improve clarity. Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view through a display unit of the kind used with the present invention. A screen includes a first silhouette configuration 2, comprising an arrangement of light-restricting material that subdivides the panel into a plurality of discrete light restriction areas 5 and / or a plurality of discrete transparent or translucent areas. The light-restricting areas 5 have properties that reduce the transmission of light. These can be, at one extreme, completely opaque, that is, the optical density of transmission is infinite. The ODD transmission optical density (which will be distinguished from the optical reflection density, ROD) is defined by the formula: TOD = logio, where I ± is the intensity of the incident light on the sample material and It is the intensity of the transmitted light passing through the material. The present invention accepts that the light-restricting layer 5 may not be perfectly opaque, but may allow some light to be transmitted. It is preferable if the TOD (optical transmission density) of the light-restricting layer is greater than 1, preferably greater than 2, more preferably greater than 2.5, and more preferably 3 or greater. Translucent or transparent areas 6, allow light to pass through. At one end, the transparent areas 6 will transmit all light and reflect or disperse no light, that is, a TOD of infinity and an ROD of infinity, where the optical density in reflection is given by: ROD log: i 10 V1 - / IR is the intensity of the reflected light. The present invention accepts that translucent / transparent areas 6 may not be perfect light transmitters, that is, they may absorb and / or reflect and / or scatter some light. It is preferred if the TOD of the transparent or translucent areas have an ROD less than 1, preferably less than 0.5. The translucent areas 6 must differ in optical density from the light-restricting areas 5 by a sufficient amount to make a clear visual difference. The difference of TOD between areas 5 and 6 should preferably be greater than 0.3. In accordance with the present invention, the areas 6 are preferably transparent, more preferably optically clear. The configuration of the light-restricting and / or transparent / translucent areas 5 can be any arrangement of pixels, for example a configuration of parallel lines, points, circles, squares, etc., which can be arranged in a regular array, in the form of a design or drawing, in an irregular arrangement or in a random or disorderly manner. The transparent areas 6 may have any dimension depending on the screen device used and may be of diameters normally in the range of 0.1 mm to 8 mm, preferably 0.2 mm to 3 mm. The ratio of the transparent areas 6 to the light-restricting areas 5 can be chosen as desired, but is usually from 0.3 to 3, usually around 1, that is 50% of the surface area is covered by transparent areas 6. According to the present invention, the silhouette configuration 2 can be provided by any spatial light modulator or filter comprising a plurality of discrete light restriction areas 5 and / or a plurality of discrete transparent or translucent areas 6. The spatial light modulator or filter 2 can be of a silhouette configuration similar to that described in EP-A-0170472 or a configuration created by the backlighting of a liquid crystal display (LCD) device or any other appropriate screen device. Substantially co-extensive with the spatial light modulator or filter 2 is placed a display device 3 and / or a display device 4. The display device 3 or 4, can display an image which can be a full color image schematically represented by the four layers 7-10, 7 '-10' and the image is divided into transparent or translucent areas and colored design areas 7-10, 7 '-10', such that the transparent or translucent areas 6 of the spatial light modulator or filter 2 are aligned (in register) with the translucent or transparent areas 6 of the display device 3, 4. The display device 3 or 4, can be a printed image for example, according to the document EP-A-0170042 or similar or it may be an LCD or LED display device which is capable of displaying a monochromatic or full color image. At least one of the display devices 3 or 4 may be of a black or dark color configuration.

The screen unit 1 can be self-contained or can be laminated to a substrate such as a transparent sheet of glass or polymer-like material. The glass or polymer sheet can be laminated to the display device 3, the display device 4 or can be interposed between any of the layers 7-10, 7 '-10' or between the display device 3 and the silhouette configuration 2 or between the silhouette 2 configuration and the display device 4. The substrate can be the window of a car, bus or construction or it can be a flexible polymer sheet. When the screen device 3 or 4 is black or of a dark color and is located close to the transparent sheet 1, the dark screen device 3, 4 may be provided partially or completely by coloring the transparent sheet as taught in EP patent No. 0 133 761. Figure 2 shows a schematic block diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention. An appropriate graphic image for display purposes is generated in the image generating means 12. The image can be generated using computer 13 and special programming elements developed for the production of graphic images such as Adobe Photoshop ™, Adobe Illustrator ™, Corel-Draw ™, Aldus® Pagemaker ™, Quark Xpress ™ or the like. The image generation means 12 can be a scanner with which all or part of the image information of an illustration, portrait or photograph is converted from point to point to electrical signals to be stored in the computer 13 as digital data. Once the graphic image has been stored in the computer 13 as a matrix of digital data that includes sufficient data to determine the brightness and color of each pixel of information, the data can be prepared in such a way that they can be displayed with a plurality of transparent areas 6 in the graphic image. According to the present invention, this can be done in several different ways: Method 1. Data layers separated by colors (conventionally CMYK, cyan, magenta, yellow and black or if the black layer is not used: CMY) can be modified to include data of no color representing the transparent areas 6 in each of the layers. This modification to the data can be performed on the computer 13, but the invention is not limited thereto. The configuration of transparent areas 6 can be provided by overlaying the transparent areas 6 as "no color" areas on the graphic image on the computer 13. The colorless data can be stored as raster or pixel data. In general, there is no need to modify the halftone algorithms as described for example in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,253,084; 5,258,832; 5,264,926; or 4,758,886, used to create the full-color image. However, if small diameters of the transparent areas are used (<0.5 mm) it may be advisable to select the size of the transparent areas 6 and their spacing in such a way that they are not a multiple of the size of the half tone cells with the so as to avoid rhythmic color shifts. With the transparent areas 6 of small size, method 2 is preferred. Translucent / transparent areas 6 may be of a regular, irregular or unordered arrangement of points, lines, squares, circles, polygons or the like or a separate arrangement of these representing a design or image. The size and distribution of the transparent areas 6 can be varied throughout the image. As shown in Figure 3, the transparent areas 6 can be a complex and attractive design 5, 6, 11 which has image portions 22 which can be light restrictors and a transparent design portion 23 made of transparent areas / translucent 6 surrounded by image areas which can be light-restricting areas. The transparent areas 6 may have different diameters and shapes in order to represent the detail of the design correctly. It will be understood that on the reverse side of the design 22, 23, a full-color image 3 or 4 can be displayed. The representation of the filigree configurations of the fern leaves in a plurality of transparent areas 6 which are in register or correspondence (or coincidence) across multiple layers of printing, requires accurate printing of repetitive transparent areas 6 of small size, separated by substantially opaque regions 5 in order to create a vivid and clear design. Method 2. The data representing the transparent areas are stored in a separate layer - a "T" layer - in the computer 13. A display output file of the computer 13 includes the primary color print layers separated by colors, CMYK or CMY plus layer T. As will be described later herein, the information in the T layer can be used in different ways. For example, where the frame image processing (RIP) is carried out, the data of the T layer can be input to each of the CMYK layers in the final frame bitmap during or immediately after the processing of the frame. RIP The introduction of this data to the raster bitmap has the advantages that the distortion of the small repetitive structure can be reduced and the registration (correspondence or coincidence) of the final image can be improved, since each bitmap separated by colors has the identical positions of the transparent areas. Alternatively, the T layer can be bypassed (or omitted) from the RIP process and used by a display control circuit to control the display 3, 4 in such a way that the transparent areas 6 are generated. For example, where the display device 3, 4 is a printer, the transparent areas 6 can be generated by activating or deactivating the printer head during printing according to the data of layer T. Method 3: Method 3 is a modification of the method 2 and use a separate transparent data T layer. The difference lies in the form of the data. According to method 3, the transparency data is stored in the same way as dot arrays are stored, except that instead of a dot representing a colored dot on the final screen, the dot represents a transparent area 6. All word processing techniques and graphics programming elements can be duplicated in reverse: instead of colored dots on a white background, the data represent transparent areas on a light-restricting background. For example, data can be stored as transparent sources. Thus, a letter such as "I" is stored in the computer as a character that includes a predetermined array of transparent areas 6, as shown schematically in Figure 4A. When in the "T" mode, that is, when generating the data for the transparency layer T, the "I" key stores the array of transparent areas 6 shown in FIG. 4A. Similarly, graphic transparency programs can be used to create designs in transparent areas. Thus, lines or straight forms can be generated. Graphic elements: a rectangle and a line of transparent points are shown schematically in Figure 4B. Method 4 is a modification to method 1, in which the silhouette layer 2 is included in addition to the CMYK or CMY layers. The silhouette layer 2 can generally be included as a light colored spot color, in particular, white. It contains the transparency data in register (or correspondence) with the transparency data in each of the CMY or K layers. Method 5 is a modification of method 2, in which the silhouette layer 2 is included in addition to the layers CMYK or CMY. The silhouette layer 2 can generally be included as a light colored spot color. When preparing the silhouette layer 2 for display, the same methods (eg RIP) can be used as described for the CMYK or CMY layers.

Method 6 is a modification of method 3, in which the silhouette layer 2 is included in addition to the CMYK or CMY layers. The silhouette layer 2 can generally be included as a light colored spot color. When preparing the silhouette layer 2 for display, the same methods (for example, RIP) can be used, as described for the CMYK or CMY layers. The method 7 is a modification to method 4, in which the image of the display device 4 is included in addition to the first image of the display device 3 and the silhouette layer 2. The second image can generally be included as layers of CMYK or additional CMY. These contain transparency data in register (or correspondence) with transparency data in all other layers. The method 8 is a modification of the method 4, in which the image of the display device 4 is included in addition to the first image of the display device 3 and the silhouette layer 2. In the preparation of the second image 4 for display , the same methods (e.g., RIP) can be used as described for the CMYK or CMY layers of the first image 3. Method 9 is a modification of method 6, in which the image of the display device 4 is included in addition to the first image of the display device 3 and the silhouette layer 2. In the preparation of the second image 4 for display, the same methods (e.g., RIP) can be used as described for the CMYK layers. or CMY of the first image 3. For the methods 1-9, the image is emitted to a display device 14 which, according to the present invention, can be a direct display device similar to an LCD or LED screen , a device a) indirect printing 16-19 or a direct printing device 20, 21. The method of displaying the data depends on the method of storing the data. Methods 1, 2 and 7. Since these methods have the transparency data stored in each of the layers of the CMYK CMY data, the CMYK or CMY data can be handled as in conventional display devices, provided that these can display the number of layers for the particular method. Methods 2, 3, 5, 8 and 9 include a separate "T" layer, which can be processed by display devices according to the present invention. In some existing graphics programming elements it may be possible to specify a transparent spot color or specify a spot color of any desired color but modify the display device in such a way as to display this spot color as transparent. According to this application, devices capable of processing data according to methods 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 are called transparency layer display devices or TLD devices. When the display device 3 or 4 of Figure 1 is viewed from the front and the level of illumination on that side is high, the transparent areas 6 appear dark, usually black. If the image to be displayed is simply provided with transparent areas 6 without modification to the colors of the image, this image appears uniformly darker than the original. This is particularly noticeable when the screen device 3, 4 is placed adjacent to the same image in which there are no transparent areas 6. This can happen when the screen device 3, 4 covers the window of a vehicle and the graphics persist on the body of the vehicle. This is shown in Figure 5 (previous technique) which is a photocopy of a photograph of a train in which a large white sign has been applied on one side of the train. The white sign passes over the windows which have been covered with conventional perforated film window graphics. The gray appearance of the window areas 54, as compared to the adjacent areas 52 on the body of the train, can be clearly seen. You can also present changes of hue in the arrangement, as described with respect to Figure 3, in which the full color portions 22 of the image may be adjacent to the portions 23 with transparent areas 6. The following embodiment of the present invention provides a solution to this problem. The background color removal technique is known in print and photography (see for example, "The Reproduction of Color in Photography, Printing &; Television, "Fountain Press, UK, second printing, 1988.) Instead of printing or displaying dark areas of the image with a combination of the three traditional colors, cyan, magenta and yellow, by using background color removal, the The black component of the color is provided separately, for example, by using organic pigments or separate black inks.According to the present embodiment of the invention, this technique is used in a novel way.When the data is prepared for its exhibition, the program of computer graphics of the computer 13 of figure 2 performs the removal of the background color in a normal manner, however, the transparent dark color of the transparent areas 6 is taken into account in the removal of the background color. For example, if 50% of the image area is provided by transparent areas 6, a color with a black component of 50 + X% will be displayed with only one black component of X%. This is the real color, since 50% of the remaining black color is provided by the transparent areas 6 which appear as black. For a color with less than 50% 5 of black, black is not displayed. This results in some darkening of the color with respect to the original, but the overall effect is still improved. To prevent differences in hue between light-colored areas and the image with and without transparent areas 6, color areas clear of the image that transparent areas do not have • (for example, the external window areas or area 22 of Figure 3) are provided with a background color addition, black, in effect. With the example given above, if a color has only one component 10% black, this component is separated as completely as possible from this color in the areas of the transparent areas 6. In the parts of the image without transparent areas 6, this same color has 40% black added to match the shades in the whole image. It is acceptable that, with some embodiments of the present invention, the display device 4 may be partially visible from the other side of the silhouette layer 2, that is, viewed from the side of the display device 3. This may be due to the fact that the The silhouette layer 2 can not be produced (for example, by some kinds of printing methods) with such opacity that the screen device 4 is optically isolated completely. When the display device 4 has a dark color, the result of a layer 2 of light restricting silhouette, but not opaque, is that all the colors of the screen device 3 become darker. In accordance with the present invention, any darkening of the image displayed on the display device 3 is also compensated by the correction of the background color or if this is not possible, by increasing the black content of any part of the image 3 which falls outside the area where the transparent areas 6 are located. An additional method to compensate for the darkening effect of the transparent areas 6 is to partially metallize these areas. This has the effect of reducing the transmission, but provides a gain in the white light reflected from the image 3. To obtain the metallization, the entire area of the substrate can be partially metallized using known techniques for bidirectional mirrors. A direct or simultaneous display device 15 according to the present invention is a display device which at least shows the image directly from the electrical output of the computer 13 and which combines this with the silhouette configuration 2, in such a way that the transparent areas 6 of the silhouette layer 2 are in register or correspond with the transparent areas of the image. Such a direct display device 15 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically in Figure 6. A conventional LCD screen 24 is addressed by an addressing unit 28 which is connected to the computer 13 in a conventional manner, for example, by means of a cable and connector 29. The LCD array 24 can be part of a window. Behind the LCD array 24 is placed a backlight or reflector 25 having a light source 26 connected to an appropriate power source (not shown) via cable and connector 27. The backlight 25 produces strip-shaped illumination , squares, circles or circular shapes separated by areas of transparent material in such a manner to produce the silhouette configuration 2 as shown in figure 1. An example of such backlight 25 is shown schematically in figure 7. The light of Background 25 consists of a series of optical fibers 30 that produce distributed light separated by transparent areas 31, which may be of a transparent material such as optically clear acrylic resin. The optical fibers 30 are modified in such a way as to distribute light from the light source 26 and emit the light in a distributed manner along its length in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the backlight 25 towards the screen 24 of LCD This can be done by introducing an irregularity 32, called an optical element, such as a slit, on the sce of each fiber 30 remote from the LCD screen 24. Such optical fibers 30 that include optical elements 32 to produce a distributed series of light cones are described in the article entitled "Control of light output from plastic optical fiber with optical elements" by Mary Poppendieck and David Brown, published in the "International Congress and Exposition of the Engineering Society for Advancing Mobility Land Sea and Air Space", February 26-29, 1996. When the optical elements 32 are arranged on the side of each optical fiber 30, which is remote of the LCD screen 24, then the individual light cones are reflected towards the LCD screen 24, to illuminate the parts, for example, strips or rectangles of the LCD screen 24. As explained in the article mentioned above, the spacing of the optical elements 32 along the fiber 30 can be arranged in such a way that the spacing of the elements 32 is closer together or is introduced deeper into the fiber, depending of the distance of the light source 26. In this way a uniform light extraction can be obtained along the length of the fiber 30. Further descriptions of how to produce a backlight from optical fibers are provided in the US Patents Nos. 5,226,105; 4,907,132; 4,885,663; 4,845,596; 4,519,017; 4,234,907; 5,432,876; 5,187,765; and 5,005,931; all of which are incorporated herein by reference. The LCD screen 24 is operated or controlled by the computer 13 via the cable and the connector 29 and the addressing unit 28, such that only those liquid crystal cells, of the LCD screen 24, which are illuminated by the optical fibers 30 are addressed with data of the image 3 or 4 of figure 1 of the present application, prepared according to the method 2 or 3 above. When the transparent areas are small, it is preferable if the introduction of transparent areas in the data is delayed until immediately before the display. For example, the output data file for the image on the screen device is first prepared on the computer 13. Then the transparent areas 6 are introduced. It has been found that, particularly when the transparent areas 6 are small and are in a regular arrangement, the introduction of transparent areas at a premature stage can result in the distortion of these areas, when the image is manipulated by other algorithms, for example, filters. The removal of the background color mentioned above is carried out to allow the percentage of transparent areas 6 in the image 3, 4 to be displayed. In the areas of the LCD screen 24 which are opposite the transparent areas 31 of backlight 25, the computer 13 outputs the relevant data, such that the LCD screen 24 is transparent in these areas. Thus, the image 3, 4 shown on the LCD screen 24 consists of areas of the image 3 or 4 illuminated by the optical fibers 30 separated by transparent areas 31. When viewed from the front of the LCD screen 24, a Full image 3 or 4 can be seen separated by the transparent areas 6, which appear dark when the general illumination on the back side of the LCD screen 24 is less than the general illumination on the front side of the LCD screen 24. On the other hand, when viewed from the back of the LCD screen 24, the screen device 25 has transparent areas 31 separated by opaque areas provided by the back of the optical fibers 30. According to a modification of the second In this embodiment, the backlight 25 can be provided by a series of LED units 33 separated by transparent areas 34, as schematically shown in Figure 8. The LED elements 33 can be formed in lines or squares or circles or in shapes similar and arranged in such a way that the light emitted from the LED elements 33 is projected towards the LCD screen 24. Thus, the LED elements 33 illuminate those parts of the LCD screen 24 which contain image data fed to the LCD screen 24 via the connector and cable 29 and the addressing unit 28 of the computer 13. The data output of the computer 13 provides transparent areas on the LCD screen 24, which are in registration or correspondence with the transparent areas 34 of the backlight 25 shown in Figure 8. Alternatively, the display device 14 according to a third embodiment of the present invention, can be an indirect printing device 16-19. An indirect printing device according to the present invention is a printing method with which there is a sequential dye transfer of images separated by individual colors, from intermediate image carriers to the printing substrate. Commonly, this requires a set of intermediate image substrates 17 separated by colors, that is, a single primary color, which are used in the printing device 18 to produce the final printed image 19. The intermediate printed substrates 17 are produced from of the output data of the computer in the intermediate printing device 16. Such an indirect printing method can be for example, lithographic printing or screen printing. With reference to lithographic printing, the printed substrates 17 may consist of a series of printed polyester lithographic plates, suitable for lithographic printing on a printing press 18. The lithographic substrates 17 can be generated directly from the information of the computer 13 in an appropriate printing device 16. The set of lithographic substrates 17 can be used to sequentially print all or part of the image 4, the silhouette configuration 2 and the Figure 3 of Figure 1 according to the present invention. For example, as shown schematically in Figure 9, the image 4 can be a black 42 configuration on a transparent sheet 41 in register or correspondence with a light-restricting white silhouette configuration 43, on which it is printed, in registration or correspondence, a complete image 44-47 of 4 colors, which leaves transparent areas 48. The preparation of the data can be carried out by any of methods 7 to 9 above. Thus, a total of 6 plates 17 may be necessary: black, white, cyan, magenta, yellow and black. An individual plate 17 may be used several times for each color in order to obtain a sufficient depth of color or opacity of the printed layer 42-47. Where a transparent sheet colored dark colored is used it may be possible to omit the first black layers and use only five layers of color: white, cyan, magenta, yellow and optionally black. Then, the preparation of the data can be done according to any of the methods 4 to 6 above. In order to obtain a good registration or correspondence or coincidence between the various lithographic substrates 17, they can be produced by a method described in co-pending European patent application EP 95106746.1 filed on May 4, 1995, which is incorporated in the present by reference. After the preparation of the intermediate printed substrates 17 of the image data, the final prints 19 are produced in printers 18 in a conventional manner in clear films. The printing films used for all embodiments of the present invention, which involve printing, are conformable due to the conformable nature of the selected substrates and the conformable adhesive layer which is contacted with a major surface of the substrate. An alternative sequence of color layers 42-47 can be printed as shown schematically in Figure 10. The order of layers 42 to 47 is inverted and the last printed color is black layer 42. As applied to a substrate of window, the transparent substrate 41 can now form the outer layer or laminate to the sheet 40. An adhesive layer 50 can optionally be applied to the printed side of the sheet 40 in order to secure the sheet 40 to a window or the like. The adhesive layer 50 may consist of any of the adhesives mentioned hereinafter with reference to the laminates. It is preferred if the transparent substrate 41 of FIGS. 9 and 10 is the optically clear vinyl sheet according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. It is also preferable if the adhesive layer 50 is optically clear, preferably a pressure sensitive adhesive, acrylic. Although it is preferable to use a pressure sensitive adhesive, any adhesive that is particularly appropriate for the particular substrate selected and the end use application may be employed on the sheets 41. Such adhesives are those known in the art and may include adhesives that are aggressively adherent adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesives, repositionable and / or positionable adhesives, thermal fusion adhesives and the like. Pressure sensitive adhesives are generally described in Satas, Ed., Handbook of Pressure Sensitive Ahdesives 2nd Ed. (Von Nostrand Reinhold 1989), the description of which is incorporated herein by reference. Also, as indicated in FIG. 10, any error in registration or correspondence between the printed layers 42-47 can be compensated by making the transparent areas 48 in the silhouette configuration, that is, the white layer 43, slightly smaller that the colored layers 44 to 47. Similarly, the transparent areas 48 in the black layer 42 can be made slightly smaller than the areas 48 in the white layer 43. By this, the mismatch or matching of the colored layers does not will invade the transparent area 48, similarly the mismatch or correspondence of the white layer 43 will also not invade the transparent areas 48 of the black layer 42. The intermediate printed substrates 17 can also be a set of meshes for a screen printing device 18 . The output of the computer 13 is then fed to a device 16 which produces automatic stenciling as is well known to those experienced in the technique of screen printing. The final image 19 is produced by the sequential átk printing of the colors using the mesh 17 and conventional screen printing techniques. 5 A major disadvantage with indirect printing methods is that the intermediate printed substrates 17 are located in a printing device 18 in sequence and maintaining the exact correspondence between the various layers of images. 3 and 4 and the silhouette configuration 2 of Figure 1 is difficult or requires tests and adjustments that take a long time. Some improvement can be obtained by using a full color laser printer. In this case, the intermediate printed substrates 17 are provided by the drums printed semiconductors used to print the substrates 19 by means of attracting the organic pigment to the charged electrostatic areas of the drum. The provision of six or more drums requires a special printer, which is expensive or in the alternative, to use the same drum six times can make a match or difficult exact correspondence. The AGFA Chromapress ™ electrostatic printing system provided by AGFA-Gevaert NV, Mortsel, Belgium, can be an indirect printer according to the present invention. The system includes 8 electrostatic printer drums arranged as a series of four drums on each side of the substrate to be printed. The printing drums are controlled by a system of appropriate computer graphics to produce the modified images according to the present invention. This system is designed to print on paper, but could be modified to print on clear films, especially optically clear polyester films of the known type for overhead transparencies. It is preferred according to fourth to sixth modalities of the method of the present invention if the display device 14 is a direct printing device 20. According to the present invention, the direct printing device is capable of performing a colorant deposition of a full-color image directly to a single printing substrate. The printing substrate may be the final printed article or an intermediate substrate. Hence, a direct printing method is one which does not make use of a set of intermediate printed substrates 17 which must be used in sequence in order to print a substrate 19 in a printer 18. A direct printing device 20 in accordance with the present invention it is capable of converting the signals of the computer 13 to a full-color image onto a substrate 21 or a single intermediate substrate used to transfer the image, for example, a decal in order to produce for example, the sheet 40 shown schematically in FIGS. 9 or 10. Such direct printing methods may include, but are not limited to, ink jet in which bubble jets are included, and sparking, jets of thermal and piezoelectric pulses, thermal transfer which includes sublimation or thermal mass transfer or electrostatic or electrophotographic printing methods. According to the present invention, a direct printing method can also be the electrostatic transfer method known as ScothPrint ™ Electronic Graphics System available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company in which an electrostatic image is first created on special electrostatic paper and then it is transferred in a single operation to a transparent substrate 21. The distinction between the ScothPrint ™ process described above and indirect printing methods such as screen printing or lithographic printing is that the transfer of the image is carried out with a single substrate and It is full color while the indirect printing methods make use of a set of printed substrates 17 separated by colors in order to generate a full color image. The registration or correspondence of electrostatic printing can be considerably better than that of an indirect printer method, regardless of whether the transfer process is used. An example of a printing process used in the present invention comprises feeding the material 41 either in the form of a sheet or dispensing from a roller to a printer, printing a desired color image and configuring silhouette 42-47 in accordance with the present invention, recover the image of the printer and optionally, laminate the image with a film 50 to protect the receiving coatings and the water image, scratches and other potential sources of image damage, and then remove the release liner and fix the image printed to a transparent substrate for viewing. It is preferable if the direct printing method has good registration or local correspondence. An example of good local registration printing is that produced by a conventional high-quality ink jet printer that prints relatively local areas in full color. Thus, a record or correspondence of very high quality can be obtained locally on the receiving medium. Since a very high definition is required around each small transparent area of the image, a good registration or local matching can be advantageous and some distortion of the whole image over long distances can be tolerated. On the other hand, electrostatic printers have distances of several centimeters between each color station, so that full color printing is not carried out as locally as inkjet printers, even with one-step machines. Many factors can affect the local print correspondence. Ink-jet printers move the substrate a distance of 2-3 mm between colors, while the single-step electrostatic printer moves the substrate between 100 and 150 mm and a thermal transfer printer such as the Summagraphics Summachrome ™ Imaging System prints the entire area before changing the color. Tests have indicated that the amount of movement between color changes is not a reliable guide for the degree of local correspondence. Printers are often characterized by "dots per inch" or DPI. Tests have indicated that DPI is a better but not infallible guide for the choice of printer according to the present invention as can be seen from Table 1 hereinafter. A wavy or distortion or thermal expansion / contraction of the substrate 21 or of the intermediate substrates 17 can also affect or reduce the theoretical level of local correspondence.

It has been determined that the degree of local registration can be determined virtually by printing a special test image that includes a special full-color image with a regular arrangement of transparent circles of different diameters in the image. When the diameter of a transparent area falls to a level less than a certain value, the errors in the correspondence or printing registers are such that the individual transparent areas are significantly reduced in diameter. The special test image is preferably constructed of all the layers to be printed and each layer is printed 100% color. Each layer includes the configuration of transparent circles with diameter that decreases in coincidence with a layer yes and a layer no. As an example, the layers of the colors black, white, magenta, yellow, cyan and black are printed at 100% intensity of color sequentially, each layer includes the arrangement of transparent circles. Since the colors are 100%, any bad correspondence will be easily visible since the respective color invades the transparent areas and reduces their diameters. According to the present application, the "local registration index" (LRI) of the printing method / printer involved, is defined as the diameter of the transparent area in mm at which the diameter of a substantial number of the transparent areas in the image printed has reduced to 50% of its proposed diameter in any direction. Typical values are given in Table 1 for some commercial printers. The actual LRI values depend on the accuracy of printer installation and calibration. It is advantageous if the printer according to the present invention has a better local registration index (LRI) of (this is less than) 1.0 mm and preferably less than 0.6 mm and more preferably about 0.3 mm when printing 4 or more colors.

Table 1 * The print quality was very good that it was difficult to determine the limit due to strange effects probably introduced by the graphic programming elements.

In general, the silhouette configuration 2 includes a light colored or white restricting layer of light or a metallic silver or gold layer facing the display device 3 and / or the display device 4 of Figure 1. According to with the present invention this light colored, light-restricting layer 2 can be printed using metallic or white silver organic ink or pigment depending on the printing method used. A white dot color is preferred. "Light-restricting" means that the deposited layer has a transmission optical density (TOD) of at least 1.0, preferably at least 2.0, more preferably 2.5, and more preferably 3.0 or greater. The programming elements required for the computer graphics using the computer 13 according to the present invention are modified in such a way that the target areas are printed with the organic pigment or white ink as a color of dots, while the areas Transparent areas are "printed" as "no ink". To prepare the data for the graphics design, the image 3, 4 can first be created and stored in the computer 13 which includes data for a light-restricting layer 43. The removal of the background color according to the invention can be carried out in the image data as described above. The image is normally stored as layers or planes of data separated by color for each primary print color. Each of the planes represents the data for a color, for example data for a color, for example, black, cyan, magenta or yellow or a dot color. With conventional equipment, the data preparation method 7 is used and the following is created: a black or dark color plane 100% of the layer 42 representing data as the first image 4 in the graphics programming elements. This can be created as a dot color layer. Right away, a flat white, or silver, data plane of 100%, representing the light colored layer 43 as the light-restricting layer 2 is produced. Finally, the data for layers 44-47 is generated as image 3 of full-color graphics. The black and white layers 42, 43 are preferably specified as spot colors. This normally results in a production of six sets or data planes: one for black layer 43, one for white layer 43 and four for layers 44-47 of magenta, yellow, cyan and black, used for printing to all color However, the invention is not limited thereto. Where a good quality process black can be produced, that is, a black from a mixture of cyano, magenta and yellow, the final black layer 47 can be omitted. Where a colored substrate is used, the first black or dark layer 42 may be omitted. One or more of layers 42-47 may be applied as a plurality of layers. For example, the white layer 43 can be stored as a series of data planes representing the white layer 43 in order to obtain sufficient opacity in the final print. The arrangement of transparent areas 48 can be generated in the computer 13 and the image data modified by introducing the transparent areas 48 to each of the data layers representing the printed layers 42-47 by superposition or other technique. Typically, for the printing devices 16-21, "EPS" separation files are constructed from the modified image that includes the transparent areas 48 and those files are communicated to the relevant intermediate printing device 16 or the printer 20. Alternative and preferably, the introduction of the transparent areas 48 to the data to be printed is delayed to the last possible stage before the creation of the intermediate printing substrates 17 or printing to form the printed images 21. This is best obtained by using methods of data preparation 5, 6, 8 or 9 in which a separate T layer is emitted from the computer 13. The data from the T layer is inputted to the CMYK layer data and the silhouette layer data when the data output of the computer 13 are processed by raster image in raster bitmaps of the various printing layers 42-47. This has the advantage that the operation on the data with algorithms, for example to prepare print files, scale of change, change of Macintosh format to DOS format is carried out before small scale repetitive structures such as transparent areas 48 are introduced to the image data. Due to truncation errors, small-scale repetitive structures in digital data can suffer distortions when operated by algorithms. Such distortions can appear as rhythmic changes in size or shape or loss of part of the image. To protect the print, a transparent laminate 49 which is preferably optically clear can be used. It is preferable if the laminate 49 is the optically clear sheet according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. In this application, the laminated layer 49 refers to any clear material that can be adhered to the surface of any existing coated or uncoated sheet material. "Lamination" refers to any process for obtaining this adhesion, particularly without the entrapment of air bubbles, wavy or other defects that could deteriorate the appearance of the finished article or image. The detrimental effects of ambient humidity can be delayed by the lamination of a transparent protective coating or sheet referred to herein as a laminate. The lamination has the additional advantage that the images are protected from scratching, splashing and lamination can provide a high gloss or gloss finish or other desired surface finish or design and provide a desired degree of optical dot gain. The laminated layer 49 can also absorb ultraviolet radiation or protect the underlying layers and image the damaging effects of direct sunlight or other sources of radiation. This lamination is described for example in the North American patent 4966,804. After the printing of an image or design of the present invention, the image is preferably laminated with a clear colorless or almost colorless material 49. The appropriate laminated layers 49 include any suitable transparent plastic material carrying an adhesive on a surface. The adhesive of the laminated layer 49 could be a thermal melt adhesive or other thermal adhesive or a pressure sensitive adhesive. The surface of the laminated layer 49 can provide high gloss or a matte texture or other surface texture. Laminated preferred layers 49 are designed for external graphics applications and include materials such as those commercially available from 3M Company such as Scotchprint ™ 8910 Outdoor Protective Film 8911 Outdoor Protective Film, and 8912 Exterior Protective Film. However, other films are available and could be manufactured and the invention is not limited to those exemplified. In the absence of the use of a clear, transparent laminate, a clear protective coating of a vinyl / acrylic material may be applied, such as product numbers 3920, 8920, 9720, 66201, and protective coatings 2120 of the Commercial Graphics Division. Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. of St. Paul, United States of America, to protect the printed durable substrate. Such coating can be carried out by some printers at the end of the image printing process. The pressure sensitive adhesives useful for the layer 41 can be any conventional pressure sensitive adhesive, which adheres to the layer 41 and the surface of the item or article on which the sheets 40 having the permanent exact image is intended for be placed. Pressure sensitive adhesives are generally described in Satas, Ed., Handbook of Pressure Sensitive Adhesives 2nd Ed. (Von Nostrand Reinhold 1989), the description of which is incorporated by reference. Pressure sensitive adhesives are commercially available from a variety of sources. Particularly preferred are commercially available acrylate pressure sensitive adhesives from the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota and are generally described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,141,790, 4,605,592, 5,045,386, and 5,229,207. Further non-limiting examples of the pressure sensitive adhesives useful with the present invention include those adhesives described in U.S. Patent Nos. 24,906 (Ulrich); 2,973,826; Re. 33,353; 3,389,827; 4,112,213; 4,310,509; 4,323,557; 4,732,808; 4,917,929; and 5,296,277 (ilson et al.) and European publication 0 051 935, the descriptions of which are incorporated by reference herein. A currently preferred adhesive is an acrylate copolymer pressure sensitive adhesive formed from a monomeric ratio of 90/10 weight percent 2-methylbutyl acrylate / acrylic acid in a 65/35 heptane solvent system / acetone (39-41% solids) and having an inherent viscosity of about 0.7-0.85 dl / g. The thickness of the adhesive 318 can range from about 0.012 mm to about 1 mm with a thickness of about 0.025 mm (1 mil) that is preferred. The adhesive can be protected with an optional internal liner or liner (not shown) that can be constructed from any conventional internal release liner known to those skilled in the art for graphic imaging media. Non-limiting examples include commercially available Polyslik ™ release coatings from Rexam Relay of Oak Brook, Illinois and polyester coatings such as 0.096 mm polyethylene terephthalate film with a matte backside coating on one major surface, and on the other surface main, an antistatic primer coating of vanadium oxide / surfactant / sulfopolyester and an outer coating of silicone curing by condensation. These antistatic coatings are generally described in U.S. Patent 5,427,835 (Morrison et al), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. Ideally, the inner lining is optically flat. The coating preferably has a Sheffield value of between 1 and 10. Non-limiting examples of additional release coatings include silicone coated kraft paper, silicone coated polyethylene coated paper, silicone coated or uncoated polymeric materials such as polyethylene or polypropylene, also as polymeric materials coated with polymeric release agents such as silicone urea, urethanes and long chain alkyl acrylates, such as are defined in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,957,724; 4,567,073; 4,313,988; 3,997,702; 4,614,667; 5,202,190; and 5,290,615; the descriptions of which are incorporated herein by reference. In accordance with the present invention, transparent areas in the printing can be introduced after the RIP. The printer 20 or the intermediate printing device 16 can be a "TLD" device configured to introduce the transparent areas of the image. For example, when the printer 20 is an ink jet printer, the printer can be configured in such a way that no printing is made across the width of a printing substrate at regular intervals. This produces a series of parallel transparent areas. Alternatively, the print head may be deactivated a number of times to produce a distribution of transparent square or rectangular areas. If the printer 20 is an electrostatic printer, portions of each print head can be omitted or deactivated, which produces a series of longitudinal transparent areas. Portions of the heads can be deactivated in sequence to introduce transparent square or rectangular areas. A TLD printer according to the present invention can be created by controlling the printer 20 using the data from the T layer. After the frame image processing, the bit frames of the frame bit can be put into operation by an additional algorithm using the data from the T layer which changes the raster bitmap in such a way that transparent areas are produced when they are printed. Such modification can be done by a wired circuit in the printer 20 or by the programming elements running in a local processor in the printer 20. Alternatively, the data of the T layer can be used to control the print head directly. For example, for an ink jet printer, the printing signals that go from the print head can be suppressed according to the data of the T layer to produce transparent areas at the required positions. In accordance with the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the silhouette configuration 2 and images 3 or 4 are printed using inkjet or bubble jet printing methods. Inkjet printing includes a variety of methods including thermal ink jet printing and piezoelectric inkjet printing. All these methods have in common that discrete amounts of ink are sprayed from fine nozzles onto a receiving sheet. Recently, large format printers have become commercially available and consequently, the printing of larger items such as large engineering drawings, heliographs and posters and color signs has become feasible. The appropriate receiver sheets for non-durable use may be a transparent polyester marking film 8501 / 8501H, provided by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. The optically clear, flexible vinyl substrate according to the eleventh embodiment is particularly preferred. The formation of accurate inkjet images is provided by a variety of commercially available printing techniques. One suitable large-format printer that includes guaranteed clear films and inks is the Hewlett Packard HP Design JET 750C or 755CM printer provided by Hewlett Packard Corporation of Palo Alto, California, United States of America, however, other brands are available. Non-limiting examples include thermal inkjet printers such as DeskJet brand, PaintJet brand, Deskwriter brand, DesignJet brand, and other commercially available printers from Hewlett Packard Corporation, as well as piezoelectric ink jet printers such as those from Seiko. Epson, spray jet printers and continuous ink jet printers. To carry out the invention, additional cartridges must be added to the printhead in addition to the usual four colors, cyan, magenta, yellow and black. To print a black layer 42 and a white layer 43 of figures 9 or 10, at least one additional target station and one black station are required. To obtain good opacity, two or more white or black cartridges can be added to the printhead. From the test results shown in Table 1, it can be seen that the ink jet printing provides a highly accurate local correspondence printing. Pigmented ink jet printing inks are available from the Commercial Graphics Division of the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M). In general, 3M pigmented inkjet inks are a water-based pigmented ink comprising a suspension of commercially available pigment particles and a dispersant of the formula: wherein R is an alkyl, aryl or aralkyl group obtained by the removal of primary amino groups of alkyl or aryl or aralkylamines; m = 1 to 6; R3 and R4 are hydrogen or lower alkyl; R5 is the residue of the nitrogen reactive compound selected from the group consisting of acylating reagents, carbamoyl halides, sulfamoyl halides, alkylation reagents, alkylation reagents (epoxide), iso (thio) cyanates, sulfonation reagents and azolactone reagents; wherein R20 and R21 are independently alkyl, aryl or aralkyl groups or a cation selected from the group consisting of a proton, lithium, sodium, potassium, ammonium or tetraalkylammonium. Pigments for inkjet inks use the standard colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. For black inks, carbon black can be used as the black pigment. The selection of carbon blacks suitable for use with the present invention is based primarily on surface oxidation considerations (the highly "volatile" are preferred) and the degree of blackness (also called jet blackness) of the pigment. Pigments that are acidic or surface-treated provide suitable interaction sites for strong adsorption of the dispersant. Pigments having a high surface oxide content are more hydrophilic and by this are much easier to disperse. Pigments with a high degree of blackness or jet blackness provide a printed image of high quality. For yellow inks, the use of nickel azo yellow pigment offers several advantages. First, such pigments provide inks which are highly durable in outdoor environments. Secondly, such pigments contain nickel ions which may be able to form complex bonds with the new dispersants. Finally, it is believed that such pigments offer a high degree of thermal conductivity. As a result, if the deposition of particles on a heating element does not occur during the jetting process, the deposited film will not significantly reduce the heating efficiency of the ink, thereby enabling proper bubble formation. For magenta inks, a primary consideration is the resistance to light, since it is very desirable to produce graphic images that are adapted for outdoor applications. It is known that the quinacridone magenta pigment has excellent light resistance and therefore is a preferred magenta pigment.

For cyano inks, the above considerations, (for example, light resistance, durability, etc.) also apply. Since a variety of satisfactory properties can be found by using copper phthalocyanine as a cyano pigment, inks comprising such pigments are a preferred embodiment. Preferably, the pigmented inkjet inks can be prepared with dispersants of the following formula: The specific compositions of the appropriate dispersants are given in the table below.

Eí R * R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 na RHHH CH3 CH3 C4H9 Na Na H 2 0 b RHHH CH3 CH3 CsHp Na Na H 2 0 c RHHH CH3 CH3 C12H25 Na Na H 2 0 d RHHH CH3 CH3 Cj8H37 Na Na H 2 0 e RHHH CH3 CH3 CH2CH2C6H5 Na Na H 2 0 1 C6H5CH2CH2 HHH CH3 CH3 C4Hg Na Na H 1 0 g N (CH2CH2) 3 HHH CH3 CH3 C4H9 Na Na H3 0 HHH CH3 CH3 R ** C2H5 C2H5 H 2 0 j HHH CH3 CH3 R *** C2H5 C2H5 H 2 0 * The aspartic ester used in the dispersant preparation of examples a-e, h and j was Desmophen ™ XP 7059E, available from Bayer Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA. Desmophen ™ XP 7059E contains a short chain alkyl group. ** The amine used in the ring opening reaction to prepare the dispersant of Example h was Jeffamine ™ M-600 [O- (2-aminopropyl) -O '- (methoxyethyl) polypropylene glycol 500] (available from Fluka Chemical Corp.

Ronkonkoma, NY). *** The amine used in the ring opening reaction to prepare the dispersant of Example j was Jeffamine ™ M-1000 [0- (2-aminopropyl) -0 '- (2-methoxyethyl) co-poly (ethylene, propylene glycol 900) (available from Fluka Chemical Corp. Ronkonkoma, NY). In practice and the field of the fifth embodiment, the groups which are not directly involved in the reaction steps forming the compounds of the present invention can be substituted to meet the requirements of physical properties desired in the final dispersants. This is not only permissible, but may be highly desirable or essential in the formation of the adapted dispersants. Where the individual substituents can tolerate such a broad substitution, they are referred to as groups. For example, the term "alkyl group" may be permitted for ester bonds or other bonds, unsubstituted alkyls, alkyls with such a useful substitution as halogen, cyano, carboxylic ester, esters or sulfonate salts and the like. Where the term "alkyl" or "alkyl portion" is used, that term would include only unsubstituted alkyls such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, cyclohexyl, isooctyl, dodecyl, etc. In addition to the pigments and dispersants described above, the inks will mainly comprise water as a pigment suspending agent. Such inks will also normally include additional additives to provide various properties. For example, an alcoholic polyol may be employed to control the drying speed of the ink. Suitable alcohol polyols include, for example, polyalkylene glycols such as polyethylene glycol and propylene glycol, alkylene glycols whose alkylene group has 2-6 carbon atoms, such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, thiodiglycol, hexylene glycol and diethylene glycol; glycerol; and lower alkyl esters of alcoholic polyols such as ethylene glycol monomethyl or monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl or ethyl ether and triethylene glycol monomethyl or monoethyl ether. A useful surfactant can also be provided to wet and reduce the surface tension of the ink system. In addition to the above, other ink additives commonly known in the art may also be used. These include water-soluble organic co-solvents, humectants, biocides, fungicides, defoamers, corrosion inhibitors, viscosity modifiers, pH regulating solutions, penetrating agents, sequestering agents and the like. The current composition technology for the processing of pigment dispersions employs numerous processing technologies. One such technology makes use of ultrasonic energy to obtain the mixing and deflocculation of particles. Another technology makes use of media mills, such as ball mills, sand mills or crushers. The media mills obtain acceptable pigment dispersions by subjecting the pigment mixture to micro-cutting and high-intensity cascade milling which breaks up the agglomerations of the pigment particles. However, media mill processing systems often suffer disadvantages including contamination of the wear product of the grinding media. Additionally, if the flow rate in a media mill is elevated beyond a certain level, the resulting grinding and dispersion becomes uneven and much of the material leaves the system without being sufficiently processed. The problems associated with media grinding systems can be overcome at least in part, by using homogenizers and emulsifiers. These systems work in general by forcing a pre-mix of solids and liquids to hit a surface or collide with themselves. Unfortunately, it is considered that such high pressure devices are not suitable for the processing of pigment dispersions due to the abrasive nature of the pigment particles and the relatively large size of the pigment agglomeration structures which can clog the narrow spaces through of which such systems drive the mixture to be treated. Such plugging or sealing can be avoided, at least in part, by filtration or pre-processing to reduce the size of the pigment agglomerations and to ensure sufficient dispersion of the pigment before the use of high pressure processing. In yet another processing method, the pigment dispersion can be forced through a series of small nozzles having diameters in the order of about 150 microns to about 1000 microns. Such systems must be able to withstand very high pressures at high fluid velocities. Three different configurations can be used for such systems: a) a "wedge" configuration with decreasing diameter holes, b) a "wedge" configuration in which the holes have devices that improve cavitation, and c) a "jet" configuration of shock "in which the dispersion stream is divided into at least two elements, each stream is passed through a hole to create a jet and the jet streams are recombined by making them collide with each other. It has been found that each of these systems produces satisfactory results when pigmented water-based inks are processed. After the ink has been processed by using either the "wedge" configurations or the "shock jet" configuration at a concentration of about 15% by weight, it is diluted with an additional amount of deionized water and diethylene glycol to produce a final ink concentration of about 4% concentration with a given diethylene glycol ratio to water. In the dilution step, the dispersion is mixed using a shear mixer (available, for example, from Silverson Machines Inc., East Longmeadow, MA) at moderate speed while water and diethylene glycol are added sequentially. The addition of diethylene glycol is carried out slowly to prevent flocculation of the dispersion. Following the dilution step, the ink is filtered using for example a 5 micron Whatman Polycap 36 HD cartridge filter (available from Arbor Technology, Ann Arbor, MI). A pump, such as a Masterflex peristaltic pump (available from Barnant Co., Barrington, IL) can be used to feed the ink through the filter. A flow rate of approximately 120 milliliters per minute with a back pressure of approximately 0.21 Kg / cm2 (3 pounds / square inch) is preferred. Further examples of suitable inks are given in the co-pending US patent application also belonging to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. which has a case number of the attorney 52146USA4A, Serial No. 08 / 556,336 and a PCT application No., claiming priority thereof, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. In accordance with the present invention, the display device 4 of Figure 1 may be a black or dark layer. This layer is facing towards the interior of a bus or construction window to which the graphic has been applied. It is preferable that this black layer is uniform and that the graphic is durable, particularly water resistant. Another inkjet formulation replaces the dispersants previously described with water-soluble silicone polymers such as poly (dimethylsiloxane) -g-poly (acrylate) s as additives in water-based pigmented inks for ink jet printing, particularly thermal ink jet printing. Additional information with respect to these ink jet formulations can be found in the co-assigned co-assigned PCT patent application Serial No. incorporated herein by reference. Not only the inks but also the inkjet printing substrate is preferably durable. In accordance with the seventh and eighth embodiments, durable receiving sheets suitable for the durable inkjet printed graphic products of the present invention will now be described. Advantageously, the articles of the seventh and eighth modalities accept inkjet inks based on pigment when the substrate consists of weather-resistant plastic materials, to allow image constructions stable to heat and light under such circumstances as they are found. in exterior signaling environments.

With reference to Figure 11, an ink jet recording sheet (101) of the present invention is illustrated, comprising: (a) an image receiving layer (111-112) on a (b) substrate (110) , wherein the sheet may optionally have (c) an adhesive layer (113) coated or laminated to the substrate (110) on the surface remote from the image receiving layer (111-112). The adhesive layer (113) may or may not be reinforced with release coating (114). In this embodiment (Figure 11), the image receiving layer (111-112) comprises at least two layers, wherein one layer is a protective penetrating layer (112) and one layer is a jet receiving layer (111). ink. Once the inkjet print sheet has been printed with inkjet ink (shown as patches of dry ink containing pigmented particles) (115) By using an inkjet printing process, the printed sheet (101) can be laminated with a transparent protective layer (116). The transparent protective layer (116) can be a transparent plastic sheet that bears on one side a pressure sensitive adhesive or hot melt adhesive (thermal) or a clear coating or a processing technique that will affect the surface of the sheet printed (101).

The ink jet receiving layer (111) and the penetrating protective layer (112) have particles (117) and (118), respectively, that contribute to the performance of the printed sheet. Typically, an internal release liner (114) comprises a paper or plastic or other suitable sheet material coated or otherwise treated with a release material such as a silicone or fluorocarbon type material on at least one surface in contact with the adhesive layer, such that the adhesive layer adheres to the release layer but is easily separated from the release coating when desired, such that the adhesive layer is exposed. Briefly, in one aspect of the seventh embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording sheet comprising a substrate and an image receiving layer, which is contacted with the substrate, wherein the image receiving layer consists of at least one penetrating protective layer of a composition. and at least one ink jet receiving layer of a second composition, and wherein the ink jet receiving layer contains dispersed particles or particles of a size that causes protuberances of the penetrating protective layer. Optionally, on the side of the substrate opposite the image receiving layer, in sequential order, there is an adhesive layer and a release coating. An advantage of the seventh embodiment is an inkjet printing sheet wherein the substrate and adhesive are durable for periods of several years in an outdoor environment where the materials and images can be exposed to rain, sun and such variations. in temperature as they are in outdoor environments and on surfaces in outdoor environments. Normally, the articles of the present invention have some flexibility such that they can adhere on surfaces that have some curvature or non-uniformity, for example, windows with heads or screw rivets, which easily tear the material or crack or delaminate the image receiving layers, lamination layers, other coatings or image or "tighten" the material on the protrusion. The inkjet print sheet provides usable images by using dye-based and pigment-based inkjet inks, suitable for use, for example, in wide-format inkjet printers where wide images can be made or narrows by an ink jet printing process. The resulting printed sheet is easily manipulated without easily tearing or deteriorating the image and can be applied, when an adhesive layer is part of the inkjet print sheet, to a window, side of the vehicle or other surface using well known techniques in the art without using other devices such as spray adhesives. Finally, the articles of the seventh embodiment maintain other desirable properties of an ideal ink jet printing sheet, such as dye shift resistance and low background color. A good saturation of color and density are also observed in the printed images. Printed items do not curl excessively on exposure to the unit or during the ink jet printing process, and the printed images exhibit fast drying times of the ink after printing with good image sharpness. Inkjet print sheets are commercially available from the Commercial Graphics Division of 3M. Inkjet print sheets are also described in PCT Publication WO 96/08377, which is incorporated herein by reference. Additional modalities are described in co-pending U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 554,256 and its corresponding PCT patent application claiming priority thereof, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. According to the present invention and as shown schematically in figures 1, 7 and 8, six or seven layers of ink can be printed with close coincidence with each other. It is preferable if the inks are quick drying. The eighth embodiment of the present invention deals with fast drying receiving materials for inkjet printers. In addition, the ink receiving layers are not perfectly transparent and a method for improving transparency would be preferable. The eighth embodiment can provide, in one aspect, an ink jet recording medium comprising a hydrophilic, microporous polymeric membrane, having opposite major surfaces and a non-porous hygroscopic layer residing on at least one major surface of the membrane. The hygroscopic layer provides a means for receiving an ink jet image and retaining dyes and pigments contained in the ink. The hydrophilic polymeric membrane, microporous provides a means to sustainably hold the hygroscopic layer containing the ink jet image and also means for diffusing the solvents contained in the inks of the dyes and pigments retained in the hygroscopic layer. The combination of the hygroscopic layer and the hydrophilic, microporous, polymeric membrane provides the means to rapidly produce an accurate ink jet image on a durable medium. For purposes of this invention "hydrophilic" means that the contact angle of liquid on the surface is less than 90 degrees. For purposes of this invention, "hygroscopic" means that the layer is capable of being wetted by a water-based mixture or combination of solvents and surfactants used in inkjet inks and the water-based combination or mixture is absorbed. through the layer. For purposes of this invention, "microporous polymer membrane" means a polymeric film containing a hollow interconnecting structure. For purposes of this invention, "non-porous layer" means a layer that does not contain a hollow interconnecting structure. For purposes of this invention "hydrophilic microporous polymeric membrane" means a polymeric film by means of which the capillary and surface tension forces of water-based liquids, such as a mixture of solvents and surfactants, will cause the liquid to be absorbed, that is, enter the pores of the membrane. Preferably, the membrane will absorb water with less than one atmosphere of pressure. For purposes of this invention "precise" means that the scattering of dots resulting from the application of a jet of ink to the sheet is less than a level at which the resolution of the image is adversely affected. Examples without accurate printing may show image shift, uneven edges or stained colors. In an eighth embodiment of the invention, the ink jet recording medium 210 of FIG. 12 consists of a hydrophilic, microporous, polymeric membrane 212 having a hygroscopic layer 214 thereon. The layer 214 may be coated on or laminated to the membrane 212 using techniques known to those skilled in the art of coating or laminating multilayer constructions. Non-limiting examples of coating or lamination techniques include nicked bar coating, curtain coating, roller coating, extrusion coating, etching coating, calendering and the like. The hydrophilic, microporous, polymeric membrane 212 is hydrophilic and receptive for aqueous solvents normally used in inkjet formulations. Microporous membranes are available with a variety of pore sizes, compositions, thickness and hollow volumes. Microporous membranes suitable for this invention preferably have an appropriate void volume to fully absorb the ink jet ink discharged onto the hydrophilic layer of the ink jet recording medium. It should be noted that this empty volume must be accessible to the ink jet ink. In other words, a microporous membrane without channels connecting the hollow areas to the coating of the hygroscopic surface and to each other (that is, a closed cell film) will not provide the advantages of the invention and instead will function similarly to a film that has no gaps. The void or void volume is defined in ASTM D792 as (1-density in volume / density of the polymer) * 100. If the density of the polymer is not known, the void volume can be determined by saturating the membrane with a density liquid known and compare the weight of the saturated membrane with the weight of the membrane before saturation. Typical void or void volumes for hydrophilic, microporous polymer membrane 212 range from 10 to 99 percent, with common ranges that are from 20 to 90%. The void or void volume combined with the membrane thickness determines the volumetric capacity of the membrane ink. The thickness of the membrane also affects the flexibility, durability and dimensional stability of the membrane. Membrane 212 may have a thickness that ranges from about 0.01 mm to about 0.6 mm (0.5 thousandths to about 30 thousandths of an inch) or more for typical uses. Preferably, the thicknesses are from about 0.04 mm to about 0.25 mm (approximately 2 thousandths to approximately 10 thousandths of an inch). The liquid volume of typical ink jet printers is about 40 to 140 picoliters per drop. The typical resolution is 118 to 283 drops per centimeter. High resolution printers provide smaller drop volumes. Actual results indicate a deposited volume of 1.95 to 2,223 microliters per square centimeter with each color. Solid coverage in multi-color systems could lead to coverage as high as 300% (when using background color removal) to lead to a volume deposition of 5.85 to 6.69 microliters per square centimeter. The hydrophilic, microporous polymeric membrane 212 has a pore size that is smaller than the nominal drop size of the ink jet printer, in which the ink jet recording medium is to be used. The pore size can be from 0.01 to 10 microns with a preferred range of 0.5 to 5 microns with pores on at least one side of the leaf.

The porosity, or hollow aspect, of the membrane 212 need not advance through the entire thickness of the membrane, but only to a depth sufficient to create the necessary hollow volume. Accordingly, the membrane can be asymmetric in nature, such that one side possesses the properties mentioned above, and the other side can be more or less porous or non-porous. In such a case, the porous side may have a void or void volume suitable for absorbing the liquid in the ink which is passed through the hygroscopic layer 214. Non-limiting examples of hydrophilic, microporous polymeric membranes include polyolefins, polyesters, halides of polyvinyl and acrylics with a microhueca structure. Preferred among these candidates is a microporous membrane commercially available as "Teslin" from PPG Industries as defined in U.S. Patent No. 4,833,172 and the hydrophilic microporous membranes normally used for microfiltration, printing or liquid barrier films, as described in US Pat. U.S. Patent Nos. 4,867,881, 4,613,441, 5,238,618 and 5,443,727, which are all incorporated by reference as if rewritten herein. The microporous Teslin membrane has an overall thickness of approximately 0.18 itim and the hollow volume has been measured to be experimentally 65.9%. The volume capacity of the membrane ink is thus 11.7 microliters per square centimeter. Accordingly, this membrane has a sufficient void volume combined with thickness to fully absorb the ink deposited by most inkjet printers, even at 300% coverage, regardless of the amount retained in the hygroscopic layer. The membrane 212 may also optionally include a variety of additives known to those skilled in the art. Non-limiting examples include fillers such as silica, talc, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide or other polymeric inclusions. To obtain clarity these fillers can be ground until their particle size is less than the wavelength of the light. It can also include modifiers to improve coating characteristics, surface tension, surface finish and hardness. The hygroscopic layer 214 may be a coated layer or a laminated layer on that portion of the membrane 212 on which the ink jet image is to be formed. Thus, the layer 214 does not need to completely cover the membrane 212. Nor does the layer 214 need to cover both sides of the membrane 212. The layer 214 preferably falls substantially on the surface of the membrane 212 and does not come into contact with the surface of the membrane 212. internal pore of the membrane. Depending on the final purpose for the medium 210, at least one side of the membrane 212 can be covered at least partly by the layer 214 and the other side can be sealed or coated with another material., such as an antistatic coating, adhesive, barrier layer, layer that improves strength, etc. The layer 214 may be constructed from a variety of naturally occurring materials or synthetically constructed materials known to those skilled in the art to provide an ink receiving surface. Non-limiting examples of the materials used to form layer 14 include polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, cellulose derivatives such as carboxymethyl cellulose, polyethylene oxide, water soluble starches and gums. In addition, inorganic fillers such as silica, talcum, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide may be beneficial to improve handling, strength, wetness or control viscosity. Mordants may also be included, such as are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5354813 and 5403955 and color stabilizers. Of these materials, hygroscopic, polymeric coatings are preferred because of ease of manufacture and performance to provide an ink receiving surface to receive and permanently contact and retain dyes and pigments in a precise ink jet image. Of these coatings, poly (N-vinyl lactams), polyethylene oxides, methyl and propylcellulose derivatives and polyvinyl alcohols are particularly preferred. The hygroscopic layer 214 can be formed on the membrane 212 by using a variety of techniques, in which coating, lamination or coextrusion is included. When a hydrophilic coating solution is applied to the membrane, the viscosity and concentration of the solution will affect the performance of the resulting ink jet recording medium. For example, low viscosity coating solutions coated on membranes with very high porosity, and / or large pore size tend to fill the pores, to result in a coated membrane that is saturated with hygroscopic polymer and has little or no coating Over the surface. Membranes coated in such a manner do not meet the requirements of this invention, because the printed medium usually exhibits a lower image density and lower contrast and can dry more slowly. Preferably, the medium 210 after printing or imaging may have the pore structure of the membrane 212 crushed to provide transparency by post-treatment such as heating or calendering, such as is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,443,727. Additional embodiments are given in co-pending US patent application Serial No. 08 / 614,986 and a PCT patent application claiming priority thereof, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. The ninth and tenth embodiments of a direct printing method according to the present invention are concerned with electrostatic printing. The term "electrostatic" is used for recording processes in which a recording head is used to impose an electrostatic configuration on a recording medium and in which an organic pigment material is subsequently attracted to and fixed to the electrostatic configuration. Processes of this type are used to prepare design graphics, illustrations for advertisements, screens and the like. In a typical electrostatic image forming or printing process, a recording head including a linear array of a plurality of separately chargeable electrodes, referred to in general as "spikes", is scanned through a medium. of registration and the tips or peaks are selectively energized to impose an electrostatic configuration on the medium. The charged medium is contacted with an organic pigment, which normally comprises a liquid containing a pigment or dye thereon. The excess organic pigment is removed from the medium, to leave the organic pigment only in the charged areas. Subsequently, the organic pigment is dried or otherwise fixed to produce a permanent image. The process can be used for single-color or full-color graphics and can be accomplished in a single step through the medium or in multiple steps through the medium. The recording medium is an important component of the electrostatic printing system. The medium must be able to accept, retain and discharge the electrostatic configuration. The medium must also be compatible with the organic pigment system used also as with the particular physical printing components, such as the single-step or multi-step electrostatic printer. According to the ninth embodiment of the present invention, the printing of electrostatic media requires the printing of electrostatic images on a dielectric paper construction followed by transfer of that image to polymeric films. Such conventional electrostatic imaging or printing is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,114,520 (Wang et al.). The dielectric paper construction typically comprises a paper or paper-like substrate, a conductive layer coated on a major surface of the substrate, a dielectric layer coated on the conductive layer and a release layer coated above, below or with the dielectric layer for ensure that the image received above the dielectric layer can be transferred to the final substrate after the application of heat and pressure. A commercially available example of this transfer process and the products to carry out that process is the Scotchprint ™ Electronic Graphics System available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota which is a direct printing method in accordance with this invention. A further suitable system for carrying out the present invention is the DCS 5400 printer and associated inks, in which white and silver spot colors are included for the silhouette layer 2, available from Raster Graphics Inc., San Jose, California, United States of America. Both single-step and multi-step electrostatic printers can be used. Multi-step printers have a single print head and feed the appropriate primary color to the head at each step. According to the present invention, the sequence of organic pigments can be used to print the sequence of colors described with reference to Figures 9 and 10: an initial dark layer 42, a layer 43 restricting light-colored light and CMYK layers 44 to 47 or vice versa. The one-step machines have at present four or five print heads arranged parallel to each other in the longitudinal printing direction. In accordance with the present invention, conventional one-step machines can be modified to run in multiple steps. For example, a four-head electrostatic printer can be modified to apply the dark layer 42 which includes recording registration marks along the longitudinal edges of the printing substrate and three identical layers of the light-restricting layer 43 one on top. from another to increase the opacity of this layer. In the second step, the CMYK image layers 44 to 47 are applied using the registration marks or correspondence to maintain the match. Alternatively, a five-head electrostatic printer can be used to print the dark layer 42, the light-restricting layer 43 and then the CMY image layers 44 to 46 in one step, using the process black (CMY) instead of the final black station. Due to the considerable elimination of the background color according to the present invention, a separate black (K, layer 47) is often not necessary. A preferred transparent printing substrate, to which the image is transferred from electrostatic paper, is the optically clear vinyl sheet of the eleventh form. The transfer of the image of the electrostatic paper to the transparent substrate in the laminator can result in some reduction of the optical clarity of the printing substrate in the transparent areas. This can be corrected by running the printed substrate through the laminator again after the transfer of the image, by using an optically flat sheet such as a former such as a polyester sheet. The polyester does not soften at the temperatures of the laminator, so that there is no transfer of the image to the polyester. One aspect of the tenth embodiment of the present invention is the construction of a film for the direct printing of electrostatic images. In one aspect, the direct printing film comprises a durable, conformable polymeric substrate having a conductive layer prepared from a coating solution comprising conductive pigment and organic solvent.

Preferably, the conductive pigment in the conductive layer has a volumetric powder resistivity ranging from about 2 to about 15 Ohm-cm. "Volume powder resistivity" means the electrical resistivity of the powder in volume used in the conductive pigment according to the following test described by E. I. DuPont, one of the commercial suppliers of the conductive pigments. As described in Capano et al., "The Application of SELEC ECP in Static Dissipative Systems" (Du Pont Chemicals, Deepwater, New Jersey, September 1992), a cylindrical cell, with electrodes at the top and bottom is used for make powder resistivity measurements in volume. A heavy amount of powder is placed in the cell and then pressed with a laboratory press in a tablet. The resistance between the two electrodes is then measured as a function of the applied pressure and the thickness of the powder pellet. The volume dust resistivities of Du Pont conductive pigments commonly fluctuate from approximately 2 Ohm-cm to approximately 20 Ohm-cm according to this test. Another supplier of conductive pigments, Goldschmidt A. G. of Essen, Germany, identifies the volumetric powder resistivity as "specific resistance" and employs a test method available from Esprit Chemical Company of Rockland, Maryland. For the purposes of this application, the property of "bulk powder resistivity" includes the concept of "specific resistance" property. In another aspect, the direct printing film comprises a durable, conformable polymeric substrate having on a main surface a conductive layer coated thereon and a dielectric layer coated on the conductive layer, wherein the dielectric layer includes spacer particles and abrasive particles. The separating particles, which in general are of a lower hardness than the abrasive particles and / or have a more rounded configuration than the abrasive particles, function to provide a roughness or roughness which maintains a relatively small space between the print head or Image formation of the electrostatic printer and the remaining surface of the direct-printing film. The abrasive particles function to provide abrasiveness to the contact of the print head of the electrostatic printer in order to clean the oxidation and other undesirable fragments of the print head. Optionally, the direct-printing film has a field of pressure-sensitive adhesive coated on the other main surface of the direct-printing film, protected by a release coating. The field of pressure sensitive adhesive allows direct application of the film having an image printed thereon to be adhered to a final site. An advantage of the present invention is the ability to eliminate the manufacturing steps for the preparation of electrostatic images on a final substrate. An electrostatic direct-printing film can have a surface resistance in its conductive layer from approximately 2 x 105 to approximately 3 x 106 Ohms / D and may have a surface resistance in its dielectric layer greater than about 1 x 108 Ohms / D.

This difference in surface resistance results in clear, sharp images generated by the electrostatic printer. "Surface resistance" is the measure of the resistance of D-C of moderately conductive materials according to the test designations D 4496-87 and D 257-93 of the ASTM. With reference to Figure 13, a typical construction of the film of the present invention 310 comprises a substrate film 312 having on a major surface thereof, a conductive layer 314 and a dielectric layer 316. On the opposite major surface of the 312 of film resides an optional pressure sensitive adhesive 318 protected by a release liner 320. For electrostatic printing on the film 310 a conductive coating layer 314 is provided from a conductive coating solution based on organic solvent on the upper main surface of the film substrate 312, which can be any substrate described above, for the previous modalities. The electronically conductive layers employ a plurality of particles of a transparent, electrically conductive material, such as tin oxide doped with antimony or the like, arranged in a polymeric matrix. The conductive layer 314 is prepared from a solution of a conductive formulation which generally comprises a binder, conductive pigments, dispersants and organic solvent, the latter of which is separated during the manufacturing process. The weight percent solids to organic solvent in the conductive formulation can range from about 10 to about 40, about 25 weight percent is currently preferred for ease of application to the film substrate 312. After coating the conductive formulation on the film substrate 312 and evaporation or other removal of the organic solvent, the thickness or gauge of the conductive layer 314 can range from about 2 to about 5 μm, 3 μm is currently preferred. Non-limiting examples of binders include acrylic, polyester and vinyl binders. Among acrylic binders, carboxylated acrylate binders and hydroxylated acrylate binders are useful for the present invention, such as those commercially available from Allied Colloids of Suffolk, VA such as "Surcol SP2" carboxylated acrylate binder and hydroxylated acrylate binder "Surcol SP5" Among some of the polyester materials, which can be used as binders are the materials sold by Goodyear of Akron, Ohio, under the trademark "Vitel" of which the PE222 and PE200 grades are particularly suitable for use in the present invention . Also, vinyl resins such as "UCAR" brand resins, "VAGD" from Union Carbide of Danbury, Connecticut may also be useful. The conductive pigments may include tin oxide pigments containing antimony or other pigments such as tin oxide doped with indium, cadmium stannate, zinc oxides and the like. Non-limiting examples of antimony-containing tin oxide conductive pigments include those pigments described in U.S. Patent No. 5,192,613 (Work, III et al.); U.S. Patent No. 4,431,764 (Yoshizumi); U.S. Patent No. 4,965,137 (Ruf); U.S. Patent No. 5,269,970 (Ruf et al.); and in the product literature for commercially available "Tego S" pigments from Goldschmidt AG of Essen, Federal Republic of Germany, and "Zelec" pigments commercially available from DuPont of Wilmington, Delaware. In general, the particle size must be reduced by a grinding process particularly when the Tego S conductive pigment from Goldschmidt is used. The pigments are preferably milled until the particle size is less than the wavelength of visible light. The dispersed transmittance of the conductive layer 314 must be 10% or less. The particle size of the conductive pigments in the conductive layer 314 can range from about 0.02 to about 0.4 μm. At a level of less than about 0.02 μm in particle size, the conductive pigment is too easily imbibed with the action of the solvent, while, at more than 0.4 μm, the conductive layer 314 can affect the transparency. Preferably, the average particle size can range from about 0.05 μm to about 0.2 μm, particles of about 0.1 μm are more preferred. The powder resistivity in volume can range from about 2 to about 15 Ohm-cm, about 2 to about 10 Ohm-cm are preferred and about 6 about 7 Ohm-cm are currently preferred. With DuPont pigments, the dust resistivity in volume can be approximately 2-5 Ohm-cm for "zelec 3410-T" and 4-15 Ohm-cm for "Zelec 2610-S" pigments are acceptable for the present invention. It has been found that dust resistivity in volume is important to control the final appearance of the image on direct-printing film because materials that are too resistive require the use of a larger amount of conductive pigment that could cause an amount Objectable background color in the final image. It is identified that the "Tego S" particles have a specific resistance of 10, which is believed to be calculated at approximately a powder resistivity in volume of about 10. A variety of surfactant materials can be employed as dispersants for the conductive layer 314 in the present invention, in which nonionic and anionic dispersants are included. In general, anionic dispersants are most preferred, although the invention is not limited thereto. An anionic dispersant particularly < Preferred is a "Lactimon" brand dispersant material from BYK-Chemie USA Corporation of Wallingford, Connecticut. 5 Also commercially available from BYK-Chemie USA Corporation is a non-ionic dispersant of the "Anti Terra U" dispersant brand. Non-limiting examples of solvents for the conductive formulation include ethyl acetate and ethanol. The formulations of the conductive layer 14 require a weight ratio of about 5: 1 to about 1: 1 of pigment: binder, with a preference of a weight ratio of 3: 1 pigment: binder. When the conductive pigment is used "Tego S" the weight ratio can range from about 3.0: 1 to about 4.7: 1 pigment: binder. When the conductive pigment "Zelec" of DuPont is used, the weight ratio can range from about 1: 1 to about 4: 1 of pigment: binder. When the ratio of pigment to binder falls to a level less than 1: 1, there is an inappropriate volume conductivity of layer 314. When the weight ratio of binder pigment is greater than about 5: 1, there is a cohesive force insufficient of the layer 314 on the film substrate 312. The dielectric layer 316 may be coated on the conductive layer 314 to provide the electrostatic capacitance required for electrostatic printing. The dielectric layer 316 is of relatively high electrical resistivity and contributes to the performance of the film 310 for direct image printing electrostatically. In addition to providing the interface of the film 10 with the recording head and the organic pigment, the dielectric layer 316 covers and protects the conductive layer 314 and provides the upper surface for the film 310. The dielectric layer 316 is coated on the layer 314 of a dielectric formulation comprising particulate material of separating particles and abrasive particles, preferably at particular ratios dispersed in a binder. The spacer particles and the abrasive particles should be selected in consideration with the refractive index thereof, to provide a correspondence of the index with the rest of the dielectric layer 316 and the film 310. In this way, the film 310 has an appearance transparent uniform. The separating particles can be manufactured from a material that has sufficient rigidity to support the coating and handling, but does not need to be highly abrasive. Non-limiting examples of materials useful as separating particles include relatively soft materials such as a polymer or a mineral or relatively hard materials such as silica or glass, provided that such relatively hard materials have a relatively rounded configuration. More particularly, the useful separating particles can be manufactured from synthetic silicas, glass microbeads, natural minerals, polymeric materials such as polypropylene, polycarbonate, fluorocarbons or the like. Typically, the separating particles have an average size ranging from about 1 to about 15 μm and preferably less than about 10 μm. In general, the spacer particles will be present in a size distribution, although it is more preferable that the particles remain in a size range of about 3-10 μm. To improve transparency, particle sizes can be reduced to 0.4 μm or less. A particularly preferred group of spacer particle materials comprises amorphous silica, of which more preferable are the synthetic amorphous silicas sold by W.R. Grace Corporation under the brand name "Syloid 74". These materials have an average particle size of about 3.5-7.5 μm, as measured in a Coulter apparatus and an average particle size of 6-10 μm, as measured in a Malvern analyzer. A specific element of this group of materials comprises "Syloid 74 X Regular" particles having an average particle size of 6.0, as measured in a Coulter apparatus. The abrasive particles useful for the dielectric layer 316 of the present invention are provided to ensure that the performance of the separating and abrasive particles are effectively decoupled to provide an optimized dielectric medium. The abrasive particles in general will be harder than the material of spacer particles chosen and will usually have a more irregular configuration or a texture more irregular than the material of spacer particles. Among some of the preferred abrasive materials are the silica materials, such as microcrystalline silica and other mining or processed silicas, as well as other abrasives, such as carbides and the like. The abrasive particles generally have the same size range as the separating particles, usually in the range of about 1 to about 15 μm and preferably less than 10 μm. A particularly preferred group of abrasive materials comprises microcrystalline mining silica, sold under the trademark "Imsil" by Unimin Specialty Minerals, Inc. of Elko, Illinois. These materials comprise 98.9% silica with minor amounts of metal oxides. A degree that has particular utility comprises "Imsil A-10" which has an average particle size of 2.2 μm and a range of particle size such that 99% of the particles have a size smaller than 10 μm and 76% of the particles have a size of less than 5 μm. The proportion of the separating particles to the abrasive particles is such that the particles separators are present in a larger quantity. Preferably, the ratios of separating particles to abrasive particles will fall in the range of about • 1.5: 1 to approximately 5: 1. More preferably, the ratio of separating particles to abrasive particles is approximately 3: 1. The separating particles and the abrasive particles are disposed in a binder consisting generally of a polymeric resin. The resin must be of a fairly high electrical resistivity and must be compatible with both types of particles and the organic pigment. The resin must have sufficient durability and flexibility to allow it to function in the process of printing or electrostatic image formation and must be stable under atmospheric and transparent atmospheric conditions. There is a great diversity of resins that meet these criteria. A preferred group of materials are acrylic copolymers of the commercially available type from Roh, and Haas of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the trademark "Desograph-E342-R". A coating mixture for preparing the dielectric layer 316 can employ solvents such as toluene in which the binder, the separating particles and the abrasive particles can be added as solids. The range of total solids in the coating mixture can be from 10 to about 35 and preferably from about 15 to 25 percent by weight of the total coating mixture. Of the total solids, the binder solids can comprise from about 93 to about 78 and preferably 82 percent by weight. Of the total solids, the particulate solids (preferably in a 3: 1 separator: abrasive mixture) may comprise from about 7 to about 22 and preferably 18 weight percent. The particulate solids for the coating mixture can be combined by grinding in ball mills for approximately two hours at room temperature. Under these conditions, there is no significant reduction in the morphology of the particles and the ball mill process only serves to mix and disperse the particles. Other processes could be employed. There is a conflict between the need for roughness or surface roughness for a good impression and a need for a smooth surface to provide good transparency. The roughness or surface roughness is desirable to provide a topography for the deposition of organic pigment particles based on a Sheffield measurement method described in the TAPPI Test T 538 ohm-88 published by the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry of Atlanta, Georgia, incorporated herein by reference. For printing, the dielectric layer 316 must have a surface roughness ranging from about 50 to about 200 Sheffield units and preferably from about 80 to about 180, 140 is currently preferred. On the other hand, a surface with less than 10 units of Sheffield is preferable for the transparent areas, in particular optically clear in the printing. In accordance with the present invention, it is preferred to print on a surface of 50 to 80 Sheffield units (the lower end of the acceptable range) and then subject the finished impression to a post-pressure calendering process using an optically flat former such as an optically clear polyester film. Referring again to Figure 13, a pair of electrically conductive grounding strips 322 and 324 may be provided to assist in the prevention of "front edge haze" by providing an avenue for the residual load to be removed. from the ground plane. These strips 322 and 324 ranging from about 0.76 to about 2.54 mm in width are applied to the dielectric layer 316 at the opposite side edges of the film 310. The strips 322 and 324 can be fabricated from a conductive ink sold under the brand "Multifilm, Conductive Black Ink 9093E20J "by Raffi and Swanson of Wilmington, Massachusetts and are configured to penetrate the dielectric layer 316 at such lateral edges of the film in order to provide an electrical ground connection to the conductive layer 312. Thus, a Film 310 of the present invention can have, in sequential order, a release coating 320, comprising from about 0.07 to about 0.15 mm (about 3 to about 6 mils) thick, a field of adhesive 318 sensitive to the pressure comprising approximately 0.03 mm (approximately 1 thousandth of an inch) in thickness, a film substrate 312 comprising from about 0.05 to about 0.10 mm (about 2 to about 4 mils) thick, a conductive coating layer 314 which comprises from about 1 to about 5 microns (0.04-0.2 thousandths of an inch), a dielectric layer 31 6 comprising from about 2 to about 4 microns (0.08-0.16 thousandths of an inch) of thickness and a pair of electroconductive grounding strips 322 and 324 w at the side edges of the film 310 penetrating from the layer 316 to the layer 314. A preferred method of construction of the films of the present invention comprises a modular construction, but may comprise a sequential construction. In the sequential construction, beginning with the release liner 320, each of the layers 318, 316, 314 and 312 are integrated on top of the release liner 320. Preferably, the method of the present invention employs a modular construction, in wherein the first step is the molding of a film organosol onto an internal temporary release coating, preferably an internal optically flat release coating according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention, followed by the fusion of the organosol to form a substrate 312 according to techniques known to those skilled in the art. In a separate module, the field of pressure sensitive adhesive 318 is molded onto the release liner 320, preferably an optically flat inner liner according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention and the techniques described hereinafter. Then, the module of the film substrate 312 on the temporary inner liner is bonded to the pressure sensitive adhesive field module 318 on the inner liner 318 and the temporary liner is discarded. Alternatively, a polymeric film reinforced with commercially available pressure-sensitive adhesive may be employed, replacing it with the modular construction described above. The conductive layer 314 may be coated on the film substrate 312 by using any technique known to those skilled in the art, preferably a wire rod coating technique, as is known to those skilled in the art. Wire rod # from about 6 to about 40 is used to obtain the thickness of 1-5 microns described as appropriate for layer 314, a wire rod, # 10 is useful for conductive DuPont particles and a wire rod # 12 to # 14 are useful for Tego conductive particles. The step of the wire rod coating process can be put into operation at a line speed ranging from about 9 meters per minute to about 19 meters per minute and preferably about 12 meters per minute (40 feet per minute). The dielectric layer 316 is coated on the conductive layer 14 according to coating techniques known to those skilled in the art, preferably a coating by reverse etching the dielectric layer 316 on the conductive layer 314. In those instances, where use a wire rod, the total solids are preferably about 16 weight percent. Where a reverse etching process is employed, the total solids are preferably about 25 weight percent. The front mill cylinder having a theoretical "laying" factor of about 0.031 mm to about 0.078 mm is used to obtain the thickness of 1.5-5 microns described as being appropriate for layer 316 with a thickness of 3 microns which is preferred. The step of the reverse-etch coating process can be put into operation at a line speed ranging from about 1.5 to about 62 meters per minute, and preferably about 15 meters per minute. The reverse engraving can be put into operation at a roller ratio ranging from about 0.5 to about 1.5 and preferably about 1.0. When grounding strips 322 and 324 are employed, such strips may be applied to the side edges of the film 310 using techniques known to those skilled in the art, preferably a offset or flexographic engraving of the strips 322 and 324. The strips 322 and 324 penetrate the layer 316 at such lateral edges to create a grounding path of the strips 322 and 324 to the layer 314. The step of the offset or flexographic engraving process can be put into operation at a line speed ranging from about 12 meters per minute to about 31 meters per minute and preferably about 15 meters per minute (50 feet per minute). After printing or imaging, the film 310 can be protected with laminated films such as described above. The lamination film of the eleventh embodiment of the present invention is particularly preferred.

Films 310 of the present invention can provide an average color density as measured according to a "Reflective Optical Density of a Status T Method" under the requirements of ANSI / ISO 5 / 3-1984, ANSI PH2. 18-1985 published by the Graphic Communications Association of Arlington, Virginia from approximately 1.0 to approximately 1.6 units of O.D. Preferably, the average color density ranges from about 1.3 to about 1.5 units of O.D. These values show that the films 310 of the present invention have an excellent color printing capability after electrostatic printing directly on the film 310 using electrostatic printers otherwise used for the processes described in Wang et al., And Chou et al. ., mentioned above. Prior to calendering, the films 310 of the present invention can provide a luster at 60 ° from about 10 to about 30. The luster at 60 ° can be measured as described in ASTM standard D2457-90 (1990). After calendering after printing, the transparent areas of the film 310 can have a luster at 60 ° from 100 to 150. Additional embodiments are provided in copending US Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 581,324, which is incorporated in the present by reference.

The sheets for the laminated and printable substrates for use in the embodiments according to the present invention are preferably flexible, weather resistant and optically clear. A suitable substrate is a vinyl sheet according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention. Optionally, the sheet can be provided with an optically clear adhesive. While the optically clear, transparent, known prior art laminates and printing substrates are quite acceptable for large format graphics uses, the optically clear, transparent vinyl-based laminated and printing substrate films follow being extremely elusive to obtain. One aspect of the eleventh embodiment of the present invention is a transparent, non-expensive, durable, optically clear layer formed on an internal polymeric release liner having preferred surface properties to allow the layer of the present invention to have optical clarity within acceptable ranges. This layer according to the eleventh embodiment of the invention comprises a composition consisting of vinyl chloride resin, optional acrylic resin, optional plasticizer and optional stabilizer, wherein the composition is formed on an internal polymeric release coating having values of thickness from about 0.05 mm (0.002 inches) to about 0.12 mm (0.005 inches). The method for forming the layer comprises the steps of: forming the optically clear, transparent layer having two major surfaces from an organosol on a first polymeric release coating having a fluctuating thickness of about 0.05 mm (0.002 inches) to approximately 0.127 mm (0.005 inches); optionally adhering a field of pressure-sensitive adhesive to a second internal coating of the release; and optionally laminating the field of the pressure sensitive adhesive to an exposed main surface of the transparent, optically clear layer and optionally separating the first internal polymeric release coating. An advantage of the eleventh modality is the ability of the transparent, durable, optically clear layer to provide stabilization and protection from abrasion and degradation to ultraviolet light. As shown in Figure 9, the printing layers 42 to 47 on the printing substrate 41 can be protected by a laminate 49 which can be the laminate according to the eleventh embodiment. However, the vinyl layer according to the eleventh embodiment may also be the printing or laminate substrate 41 of Figure 10 which adheres to a substrate such as a glass window by adhesive 50 with the image 42-47 between the same. Therefore, the present invention not only includes printing on the vinyl layer according to the eleventh embodiment, but also includes a method for protecting an image according to the present invention, comprising the steps of forming a layer of the eleventh embodiment on an internal coating of polymeric release and lamination of the layer of the eleventh modality on the image. Figure 14 shows a preparation compound 410 comprising a dura optically clear layer 412 of an organosol 412 composition processain an internal polymeric release coating 414 having smooth surface properties useful in forming the optical clarity properties of the layer 412. The inner liner 414 can be manufactured from an internal polymeric release coating material known to those skilled in the art, having a substantial speed, measured in accordance with Haggerty Sheffield (see above reference), of about 1 to approximately 10 Sheffield units. The selection of innerliner 414 should recognize the nature of the surface of the innerliner 414 that contacts the layer 412 that will determine the appearance of the outer surface of the layer 412 on the duraprinted substrate. Non-limiting examples of release coatings include silicone coated polyester, polyester coated with alkyd urea and the like. Particularly preferred for the release coating 414 is an alkyd urea coated polyester having a polymeric coating of urea comprising a 0.005 mm caliber polyurea formulation on a 0.07 mm polyester film. The internal release liner 414 may have a luster ranging from about 100 to about 150 and preferably from about 120 to about 140. The luster is measured by a Gardner 60 ° gloss meter, using published techniques known to those skilled in the art. skilled in the art such as ASTM standard No. D523. The transparent, dura optically clear layer 412 comprises a thermally processacomposition containing vinyl chloride, optional additional thermally processaresins and optional plasticizer and an optional stabilizing agent wherein the layer can be prepared from an organosol at a temperature of sufficient fusion to be thermally processato cause the layer 412 to be formed on the inner liner 414 of polymeric release without causing damage to the surface of the inner lining 414 responsifor the formation• of the optical clarity properties of layer 412. 5 Vinyl chloride is an industrial chemical compound commercially available from many sources throughout the world. Preferably, the vinyl chloride useful in the present invention is a vinyl chloride resin comprising: vinyl chloride Geon available commercially from B.F. Goodrich Chemical Company of • Cleveland, Ohio. When used as another optional resin, in the formation of layer 12, the acrylic resin is readily available as an industrial chemical compound available commercially from many sources around the world. Desirably, the acrylic resin useful in layer 12 comprises from about 75,000 to about 125,000 number • average molecular weight. Preferably, the acrylic resin useful in the present invention is a resin Acrylic resin comprising Elavacite acrylic resin having a molecular weight of about 100, 000 commercially available from ICI Resins of Wilmington, Delaware. Optionally, the composition for layer 412 comprises a plasticizer to assist in the formation of the layer 12 and its transfer to a durable, printed substrate.

Non-limiting examples of the plasticizer include 1,4-butylene glycol; adipic acid; butyloctyl phthalate; hydrocarbon resins; di (2-ethylhexyl) azelate; dibutyl azelate; dihexyl azelate and the like. Particularly preferred by plasticizer, if present in the composition of layer 12, is the plasticizer Vikoflex 7170 commercially available from ATOChem of Philadelphia, PA. Optionally, the composition for layer 412 comprises a stabilizer to aid in the formation of Ca a 412, to provide resistance to ultraviolet light and assist in transfer to a durable printed substrate. Non-limiting examples of the stabilizer include Hal-Lub, Hal-Base, Hal-Carb, Hal-Stab hindered amine hindered light stabilizers commercially available from Hal-stab Company of Hammond, Indiana; Noustabe V1923 ultraviolet light stabilizer commercially available from Witco of Greenwich; Connecticut; ultraviolet light stabilizer brand Cosorb, commercially available from 3M Company of St. Paul, Minnesota; and Tinuvin HAL brand stabilizers commercially available from Ciba-Geigy Corp., of Greensboro, N.C. Particularly preferred by stabilizer, if present in the composition of layer 12, are the stabilizers Tinuvin 1130 and Tinuvin 292 HAL from Ciba-Geigy or stabilizer Noustabe V1923. Layer 412 may have a composition ranging from about 40 to about 60 weight percent vinyl chloride, from about 10 to about 30 weight percent acrylic resin, from about 0 to about 33 weight percent plasticizer and from about 0 to about 10 weight percent of stabilizer. Desirably, layer 412 may have a composition ranging from about 45 to about 55 weight percent vinyl chloride, from about 15 to about 30 weight percent acrylic resin, from about 0 to about 20 percent by weight of plasticizer and from about 0 to about 8 weight percent of stabilizer. Preferably, layer 412 may have a composition ranging from about 47 to about 60 weight percent vinyl chloride, from about 16 to about 27 weight percent acrylic resin, from about 10 to about 21 percent by weight. plasticizer weight and from about 2 to about 6 weight percent stabilizer.

The composition for layer 412 can be prepared by dissolving the ingredients in solvents such as ketones and aromatics, preferably di-isobutyl ketone, mineral spirits, methyl ethyl ketone., methyl isobutyl ketone and toluene, more preferably in equal parts of such solvents. The layer 412 is coated by knife or etched onto the coating 414 with a dry coating weight ranging from about 0.70 to about 1.10 g to produce a dry thickness of about 0.04 mm (0.0015 inches) to about 0.08 mm (0.0030 inches). gadas). Preferably, the inner liner 414 has a thickness that ranges from about 0.5 mm (0.002 inches) to about 1 mm and the layer 412 has a thickness that ranges from about 0.5 mm (0.002 inches) to about 1 mm. After coating, layer 412 is dried over coating 414 to remove solvents at a temperature ranging from about 90 ° C to about 120 ° C for about 2 minutes, then melted in an oven for 30 seconds to 60 seconds at a temperature of 175 ° C to 205 ° C. Then, the compound 410 is stored until use, optionally, but preferably, as a portion of a lamination with a field of pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) and a second inner liner or release liner that protects the PSA field (pressure sensitive adhesive). Figure 15 illustrates a laminated composite 420, formed from the lamination of a PSA field 416 (protected by a second internal release liner 418) laminated to a major surface of the layer 412 opposite the internal polymer release liner 414. Field 416 and innerliner 418 are combined in a separate stage prior to lamination according to techniques well known to those skilled in the art. Field 416 may consist of any conventional pressure sensitive adhesive having an optical clarity at least as good as and preferably better than the optical clarity properties of layer 412. Non-limiting examples of such adhesives include polyacrylates, polyvinyl ethers, natural rubber, silicone, rubber, styrene butadiene, cis-polybutadiene, block copolymers of styrene-isoprene. Preferably, the adhesives used include acrylic vinyl combinations having a weight percent ratio ranging from about 50/50 to about 90/10 and preferably about 75/25 and a viscosity of 1100-1500 centipoise.

Field 416 can have a laminated thickness of about 0.013 mm to about 0.05 mm and preferably about 0.015 to about 0.03 mm. The internal release liner 418 can be manufactured from an internal release coating material known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, the inner release coating material 418 has a surface roughness, as measured according to Haggerty Sheffield from about 5 to about 40 units ------- Sheffield. The selection of the innerliner 418 will affect the appearance of the layer 442 and the PSA field 16 during storage and before use, which may be the material for the customer's preference for the layer of the present invention. Non-limiting examples of internal release coatings include silicone coated polyester, silicone coated paper, alkyd urea coated polyester, paper coated with alkyd urea and the like. Particularly preferred for the internal release liner 418 is a silicone-coated polyester commercially available from Rexam Reléase of Oak Brook, IL, having a silicone coating of gauge 0.005 mm on a 0.007 mm polyester film.

The internal release liner 418 may have a luster that ranges from about 80 to about 130 and preferably about 100. • at about 130. The luster is measured by a Gardner 60 ° gloss meter, using published techniques known to those skilled in the art, such as ASTM Standard No. D523. After lamination of field 416 of the PSA to layer 412, the first internal coating 414 of polymer release can be separated before storage and use. Figure 16 illustrates the cross-sectional appearance of the final composite 430 'consisting of the layer 412 having the PSA field 416 adhered to a surface of the same and also adhered to a substrate 422 having an image 424 on the main surface thereof to which the field 416 is adhered. Layer 412 and the • PSA field 416 is contacted with a major surface of the substrate 422 without wrapping the substrate 422.

Preferably, the substrate 422 has an image 424 on a major surface and an adhesive field 424 (not shown) on the opposite major surface. The image 424 is formed in accordance with the present invention. The image 424 may comprise dyes, pigments or combinations of both from organic pigments, inks or paints, all as are known to those skilled in the art, in particular those described in the embodiments of the present invention. Preferably, the image 424 comprises compositions capable of withstanding processing temperatures of at least about 100 ° C and preferably at least about 105 ° C. This film surface is receptive to most inks, pigments, organic pigments, dyes and paints. The substrate 422 may be any transparent substrate known to those skilled in the art of image graphics. Non-limiting examples include clear glass, transparent acrylic sheets and transparent polycarbonate sheets. The substrate 422 may be the window of a construction or a vehicle. Layer 412 and field 416 of PSA are transferred from innerliner 418 over composite 420 to image 424 and substrate 422 by applying pressure of a sufficient range to adhere PSA field 416 to substrate 422 and preferably from about 1 Kg to about 5 Kg Layer 412 and PSA field 416 (pressure sensitive adhesive) can have a combined gauge of about 0.05 mm (0.002 inches) to about 0.13 mm when they adhere to image 424 and the substrate 422. Preferably, the caliber fluctuates from approximately 0.10 mm to approximately 0.13 mm. After the layer 412 and the PSA field 416 are applied to the image 424 and the substrate 422, the inner liner 18 can be separated, laminated and can be recycled for later use. The machinery conventionally employed in the formation of durable printed substrates can be employed for the pressure sensitive transfer of the layer 412 to the substrate 422. Non-limiting examples of machinery include laminators such as the 3M Scotc print ™ a-9540 and 9542 marks. Company Figure 17 illustrates a twelfth embodiment of the present invention wherein an image 426 is placed on layer 412 of compound 410 before adhering to PSA field 416. The transfer layer 412 and the PSA field 416 (pressure sensitive adhesive), with the image 426 between the layer 412 and the PSA field 416, is adhered to a substrate 422 (with or without a second image 424 as shown). see Figure 17) to become the final composite 430. In this embodiment, an electrostatic image transfer process such as the Scotchprint ™ Electronic Imaging System and electrostatic printing paper, such as image transfer paper No, can be employed. . 8601, both commercially available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. St. Paul, United States of America, to place a 4-color design and a layer organic pigment image of the electrostatic paper silhouette configuration on layer 412. Optionally, a PSA 416 field (pressure sensitive adhesive ) is adhered and the inner liner 414 is peeled off to leave the image 426 on the layer 412 for the transfer of lamination to a desirable durable film. Alternatively, any of the printing methods of the embodiments of the present invention, for example, ink jet or thermal transfer, may be used to print the image on layer 412. Thermal mass transfer printing according to with the thirteenth modality is particularly preferred. The use of layer 412 provides protection against abrasion and ultraviolet light from image 424, image 426, or both, and substrate 422. Abrasivity for layer 412 of the present invention, before image 424 is worn ranges from about 500 to about 2000 cycles with commercially available CS-10 abrasion wheels from Taber Industries of Tonowanda, New York and preferably from about 500 to about 1000 cycles, depending on the type of substrate used.

The layer 412 provides protection to the image 424 and the substrate 422 without impairing the appearance of the image. Jfc Layer 418 is optically clear, transparent, as determined by visual perception. Preferably, optical clarity provides acceptable vision when measured with a standard vision test with and without the film placed between the eyes and the viewing table. A clear protective layer is prepared on an alkyd urea coated polyester having a urea polymer coating comprising a 0.005 mm caliber polyurea formulation on a 0.07 mm polyester film from the following components. 46.7 weight percent of Geon 15 178 vinyl resin (B.F. Goodrich, Cleveland, Ohio), 17.9 weight percent Elvacite acrylic resin (ICI Resins, Wilmington, Delaware); 17.2 weight percent plasticizer Vikoflex 7170 (ATOChem, Philadelphia, PA); 2.3 weight percent of Tinuvin 292 HAL stabilizer (Ciba-Geigy, Greensboro, N.C); 2.3 weight percent stabilizer Noustabe V1923 (Witco, Greenwich, CT) and 13.6 weight percent of a solvent system of two parts of di-isobutyl ketone and a portion of mineral spirits. One layer is coated by knife or spatula 25 on the internal coating with a wet thickness of 0.127 mm and dried to remove the solvents at a temperature of 120 ° C for 2 minutes and then melted in an oven for 45 seconds at 175 ° C. ° C to a dry thickness of approximately 0.05 mm. 5 An adhesive is prepared from the following components: VYHH (Union Carbide, Danbury, CT) 69 parts Acryloid B82 (Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, PA) 17 parts 10 Paraplex G62 (C.P. Hall, Bedford Park, IL). 14 parts • The components are dissolved in a solvent mixture consisting of equal parts of xylol, methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone to produce a final viscosity of the solution of 1100 - 1600 centipoises. A solution field is coated by knife or spatula at a wet thickness of 0.076 mm on a silicone coated inner liner of silicone coated with a 0.05 mm caliper silicone coating. on a 0.07 mm polyester film (Rexam Reléase, Chicago, IL) and dried at a temperature of 120 ° C for 2 minutes to obtain a dry thickness of 0.0025 mm. Then the layer on the inner liner of Example 9 is brought into contact with the adhesive field of the Example 10 to produce the laminate as seen in Figure 15, with the application of pressure of approximately 2.3 Kg / cm2. According to a thirteenth and particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the display device 20, 21 of the present invention is a thermal transfer printer, which includes thermal mass transfer or sublimation. In thermal mass transfer printing a donor sheet or "ribbon" is placed in contact with a receiving sheet and the donor sheet is heated from image to image (usually from the back) by a localized thermal print head. The image distribution in heat image (and pressure, if necessary) causes a transfer of image in image of material from the donor sheet to the receiving sheet. The transferred material is usually a dye-containing binder (for example, a dye, pigment or mixture of the two). The binder is a thermally softenable material (eg, a wax or resin) that is released from a carrier layer on the donor sheet and is transferred and adhered to the receiving sheet. The thermal head normally consists of a matrix of small heating elements, each of which can be addressed individually, in a normal manner with highly controlled current pulses which are passed through resistors comprising the heating elements.

Recently, large format thermal mass transfer printers have become commercially available with good match or local correspondence (registration), for example, the printing system SummaChrome ™ (406 DPI) from Summagraphics Corporation, United States United States or the Gerber Scientific system Products / Gerber Edge Graphtec Corp. USA / GC 1300 (400 DPI) or the Roland Digital Group ColorCamm PNC-5000 (360 DPI). Such systems can be addressed directly by the computer 13 of the present invention. w Thermal sublimation printers differ from thermal mass transfer printers in that the donor tape does not contact the receiving sheet. The term "sublimation" refers to the fact that the dye layer on the donor tape vaporizes and condenses on the receiving sheet without passing through an intermediate liquid state. By controlling the number of pulses of currents sent to each cell of the thermal print head, the generated heat can be controlled, which in turn determines the amount of sublimation and hence the color density at that site. An example of a sublimation printer is the series of Rainbow ™ printers supplied by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. St.

Paul, United States of America. These printers are usually small format. Ribbons and printing methods for thermal transfer printing of light-restricting colors including opaque silver metallic, opaque white and durable gloss are known, for example, from U.S. Patent No. 5,409,883 and U.S. Patent No. 5,312,683, also like U.S. Patent No. 5,472,932, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. The known light-weighting white and metallic silver tapes of U.S. Patent No. 5,409,883 and of U.S. Patent No. 5,312,683 are preferred for printing the light color silhouette configuration 2 restricting the light in registration or correspondence with the image. colored 3, 4 of the present invention on an appropriate substrate. The optical density of the white light restricting layer should be at least 1 preferably at least 2, more preferably at least 2.5 and more preferably 3. Extremely smooth, optically clear substrates having a very flat surface they are preferred since the transfer process is sensitive to surface errors and the final sheet should restrict vision as little as possible. The clear vinyl sheet according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention is particularly preferred. The heat transfer dyes used in the thermal transfer ribbons are advantageous since the commercially available ribbons provide UV resistant and full color moisture resistant images. For example, the SummaChrome ™ printing system (406 DPI) from Summagraphics Corporation, United States of North America, includes a printer with eight stations for up to eight different tapes, each of which can be transported to the thermal print head individually and in any order. Four of these tapes can be the conventional tapes black, magenta, yellow and cyan, with the other four tapes that are dotted colors, in particular, at least in the clear colored tape restricting the light, such as the metallic tape Silver or white as mentioned above. Resin-based tapes are preferred because they provide scratch-resistant prints with good weather resistance and durability. Tests with the SummaChrome ™ printing system have shown good registration or local correspondence between multiple layers of different colored ribbons (see Table 1) to result in an accurate correspondence print to diameters of transparent area of less than 1 mm.

The substrate for thermal transfer printing can be particularly optically clear films, such as the transparent marking film VM 4414 from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, Co., St. Paul, United States of America or optically clear polyester films available commercially Particularly preferred are the optically clear vinyl films according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. In order to provide adequate mechanical stability to the vinyl film, it is preferably supplied in laminated form with a polyester film with optional pressure sensitive adhesive between the vinyl and the polyester. According to the fourteenth to sixteenth embodiments of the present invention, the TLD device 14 according to the present invention can be a combination of direct printers 60, 70 or a combination of direct printer types in the printer 80. The fourteenth to sixteenth embodiments of the present invention provide printed substrates of exceptional quality that provide transparent areas 6 with optical clarity and free of printing aids and also colored images of the highest quality. As shown schematically in Figure 18, the output of the computer 13 which includes the CMYK image data as well as the data of the T layer is fed to the printer 60 and optionally also to the printer 70. The printer 60 is used for printing a special silhouette configuration 2 onto a conformable, translucent or transparent substrate, preferably optically clear. The vinyl substrate of the eleventh embodiment is particularly preferred. The output print 62 of the printer 60 is fed to the printer 70 which may be a separate printer or a print head integrated with the print head of the printer 60. The final full-color image 3 includes transparent areas 6 is produced by the printer 80 as a final print 72. With reference to FIGS. 19A and 19B, the transparent substrate 63, which can be any of the translucent, transparent and / or optically clear substrates, mentioned in the previous embodiments, particularly the optically clear formable substrate of the eleventh embodiment is printed with the layers 64 to 66 in register or coincidence to leave transparent areas 67 according to the transparency data of the T layer. The printer 60 is preferably a thermal transfer printer as described with reference to the thirteenth modality. The layer 64 is a dark colored layer equivalent to the layer 42 of FIGS. 9 or 10. The layer 65 is a light colored silhouette layer and preferably has a transmission optical density of at least 1, preferably at least 2, more preferably at least 2.5, and more preferably at least 3. The white and metallic tapes described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,312,683 and 5,409,883 are preferred. Layer 66 is a dye-receiving layer printed at the same time as layer 65 or printed as a separate layer. Certain general principles about dye receptor layers are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,472,932. In accordance with the present invention, the layer 66 may be an ink jet image receiving layer, for example, as described with reference to the seventh embodiment of the present invention which includes a penetrating layer and an ink receiving layer. . Alternatively, the layer 66 may be the hygroscopic layer of the eighth embodiment and the substrate 63 may be the microporous layer of the same embodiment. Alternatively, layer 66 may consist of the conductive and dielectric layers of the tenth embodiment. Conductivity is maintained by providing a continuous path in layer 66 around transparent areas 67 as best seen in Figure 19B. The tapes for the printer 60 can be produced by imbibition of the particular type of dye-receiving layer in an appropriate resin or wax. As the dye receptor layer 66 is • placed in register or correspondence with layer 65 of light color, there is no need for layer 66 to be transparent. This has the advantage that the receiving layer 66 can be optimized better for the acceptance of organic inks or pigments. In particular, the limitations of particle size required in the ninth modality can be relaxed. For the conductive layer, the particle range can be extended to 0.02 to 10 μm. Also, the surface roughness can be increased to 200 Sheffield units without affecting the clarity of the transparent areas 67. The pigments, particles and other materials required for the dye-receiving layer 66 can be incorporated into a suitable binder for transfer • to layer 65 by heat and pressure as is known for thermal transfer printing. The printed substrate 62 can be transferred to a second printer 70. When the printer 70 is an electrostatic printer, the substrate 62 can be printed directly on the printer 70 as described in the tenth embodiment of the present invention.

Surprisingly, the transparent areas 67, which do not contain dielectric and conductive layer, receive no charge and do not absorb organic pigment. Hence, there is no need to provide the printer 70 with the data of the T layer. This printing method must be distinguished with respect to the European patent No. EP 0234121 and the US patent No. Bl 4,925,705 in which it is used. a mask and subsequently it is removed. According to this modality, no mask is used. The fifteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 20. The substrate 62 is prepared as described above, whereby layer 66 is an ink jet ink receiving layer. The substrate '62 is printed on a modified inkjet printer 70. As shown in Figure 20, the printer 70 may include a conventional four-color inkjet print head 76 running on a guide 71 across the width of the substrate 62. Associated with the head 76 is a continuous ribbon which has closely spaced registration marks. A detector (not shown) on the head 76 detects the marks or markings on the tape 77 and sends the reference position data of the head 76 to the control circuits (not shown) of the printer. Attached to or attached to the head 76 is a light source 78, which may consist of a laser and which provides a narrow beam of light directed substantially perpendicular to the substrate 62. On the other side of the substrate 62 a head 74 is mounted on an additional guide 73. The head 74 is driven synchronously with the head 76 by means of synchronized step-speed motors or DC servomotors (direct current) as is well known in the art. Alternatively, a mirror can be placed in the position of the guide 73 and the head 74 and the light source 78 can be mounted on the head 76. The head 74 includes a light detector 75. When the light beam of the source of light 78 passes through the transparent region 67 of the substrate 62, the detector 75 sends a signal 79 to the control circuit of the printer. The control circuit modifies the print signal 69 to the head 76, in such a way that the printing is only carried out in register or coincidence with the layers 63 to 66. A sixteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 21. The items with the same reference numbers are identical to those of the fourteenth and fifteenth modalities. The printer 80 includes a thermal transfer printer 84, 86 to 89 and an ink jet printer 85, 90 to 93, combined into a single head. The thermal transfer printer 84, 86 to 89 includes two or more tapes 88, 89 which print the layers 64 to 66 on the substrate 62.

The tapes are retained in tape carriers 86, 87. The thermal printer prints the layers 64 to 66 on top of each other and in the width of a step of the printer 85 to ink jet. Under the control of the printer control circuit, then the inkjet printer 85 prints a full-color image in register or correspondence with the layers in geometric figures 64 to 66, when using the CMYK cartridges 90 to 93. The The combined print head can be mounted on a guide 81 supported by supports 82, 83 at each end and can traverse the width of the substrate 62 as is conventional for inkjet printers. A registration mark tape such as 77 of FIG. 20 can be used to improve correspondence or registration as is conventional in inkjet printers. Alternatively, the print head can be stationary and the substrate 62 is moved in the X-Y directions by means of a known X-Y plotter actuator. Since the inkjet printer does not print in areas where there are no layers 64 to 66, these areas do not require ink receiving layers. The transparent areas 67 may therefore remain optically clear. While some embodiments of the invention have been described, the invention is not limited thereto.

For example, several ways to identify the invention include the following. A method for displaying an image on a display device having first and second sides, the image includes a restrictor silhouette configuration of light having a plurality of first transparent or translucent areas and at least one design layer that has at least one color, the at least one design layer is visible from one side of the display device and substantially less visible from the other side. The image is substantially transparent or translucent, as seen from the other side, comprising the steps of: 1) providing at least one definition of the design layer to a computer; 2) generate a computerized version of the design layer with the computer; 3) issue the computerized version of the design layer to the display device, the computerized version of the design layer is modified to subdivide the design layer into a plurality of discrete transparent or translucent second areas and other areas and 4) exhibit the modified design layer and silhouette configuration with the first and second transparent areas in register or correspondence. The method may also have a screen device consisting of an LCD screen. The method can have the first stage that includes providing a definition of a silhouette layer to the computer, the second includes generating a computerized version of the silhouette layer and the third stage includes issuing the computerized versions of the silhouette layer and the layer of design, the computerized version of the silhouette layer is modified to subdivide the silhouette layer into the plurality of first transparent or discrete translucent areas. The method may have a third step which includes introducing the plurality of discrete transparent or translucent second areas to the computerized version of the design layer when using the computer. The method may have the third step which includes introducing the plurality of the first transparent or translucent discrete areas to the computerized version of the silhouette layer when using the computer. The method may comprise that the display device is a printer. The method can comprise that the printer can be a direct or indirect printing printer. The method can understand that the printer is a local accurate register printer. The method can comprise that the local registration index of the printer is less than 1 mm, preferably less than 0.6 mm and more preferably less than 0.4 mm. The method You can understand that the computerized version of the design layer includes data from layers separated by color from the design layer. The method may comprise that the computerized versions of the design layer and the silhouette layer include data from the first transparent or translucent areas as separate transparency data. The method can comprise that the display device is a transparent layer display device. An article may have a conformable substrate and comprises: a dye-receiving layer and a light-restricting layer on the substrate, the restricting layer of the light has a plurality of first transparent or translucent areas. The article may have a conformable substrate, further comprising: the dye layer having a plurality of second transparent or translucent areas and the first transparent or translucent areas being in correspondence or registration with the second transparent or translucent areas. The article may have a dye-receiving layer that includes a conductive layer suitable for electrostatic printing. The article may comprise that the receiving layer includes a dielectric layer suitable for electrostatic printing. The article may comprise that the conductive layer includes a conductive pigment comprising antimony particles intimately mixed with tin oxide. The article may comprise that the particles consist of tin oxide doped with antimony. The article may comprise that the conductive layer has a surface resistivity ranging from 2.0 X 105 to about 3 X106 ohms / D. The article may comprise that the dielectric layer comprises separating particles and abrasive particles, with the ratio of separating particles to β-abrasive particles present in the range of about 1.5: 1 to about 5: 1. The article may have a dye-receiving layer that includes a conductive layer suitable for electrostatic printing. The article may comprise that the receiving layer includes a dielectric layer suitable for electrostatic printing. The article may comprise that the substrate is a polymeric substrate containing vinyl. The article may comprise that the dye-receiving layer includes an ink-receiving layer suitable for ink-jet printing. The article may comprise that the dye-receiving layer includes an ink-receiving layer suitable for ink-jet printing. The article may comprise that the substrate includes a hydrophilic, microporous polymeric membrane and that the dye-receiving layer includes a hygroscopic layer. The article may comprise that the pore structure of the membrane be crushed to provide transparency by post-treatment after printing or imaging such as heating or calendering. The article may further comprise a protective penetrating layer and the ink receiving layer containing dispersed particles of a size that cause protrusions of the protective layer. The article may comprise a protective penetrating layer and the ink receiving layer containing dispersed particles of a size which causes protuberances of the protective layer. The item can 'be durable. The article can understand that the substrate is transparent, preferably optically clear. An article may comprise a polymeric substrate having a composition comprising vinyl chloride resin, optional acrylic resin, optional plasticizer and optional stabilizer, wherein the composition is formed on an internal polymeric release coating having a smoothness of a value of Sheffield from about 1 to about 10 and a light-restricting layer and a design layer on the substrate, the design layer includes at least one color layer, the light-restricting layer is subdivided into a plurality of first transparent areas or translucent, the design layer is subdivided into a plurality of second transparent or translucent areas and the first and second transparent areas are in register or coincidence. The article may also comprise acrylic resin. The article may comprise that the amount of vinyl chloride resin ranges from about 49 to about 72 weight percent; the amount of acrylic resin ranges from about 9 to about 33 weight percent; the amount of plasticizer ranges from about 0 to about 25 weight percent; and wherein the stabilizer fluctuates - from about 0 to about 8 weight percent. The article may comprise that the amount of vinyl chloride resin ranges from about 55 to about 65 weight percent; the amount of acrylic resin ranges from about 16 to about 27 weight percent; and the composition includes an amount of plasticizer ranging from about 10 to about 16 weight percent; and an amount of stabilizer ranging from about 2 to about 6 weight percent. The article can understand that the substrate is transparent, preferably optically clear.

A printer for receiving a print file includes image data separated by colors, data of the light-restricting layer and transparency data and for printing the image data separated by colors and data of the light-restricting layer including transparent areas in the color-separated layer and the light-restricting layer according to the transparency data. The printer can be an electrostatic printer, an ink jet printer or a thermal transfer printer. The electrostatic printer may include a linear array of a plurality of separately chargeable electrodes and the printer prints the transparency data by selectively controlling one of the chargeable electrodes separately. The ink jet printer includes a plurality of ink jet heads and the printer prints the transparency data by selectively controlling some of the ink jet heads. The thermal mass transfer printer can print the light-restricting layer and an additional printing device to print the image data separated by colors. A frame image processing method for the frame image processing of a print file that includes color-separated image data, light-restricting layer data and transparency data may comprise operation on a print file to generate raster image bitmaps for the color-separated image data and the light-restricting layer data and to enter the transparency data to the raster image bitmaps for the image data separated by colors and the data of the light-restricting layer in such a manner that the transparent areas in the color-separated image frame bitmap and the bitmap of the light-restricting layer are in register or correspondence. The frame image processing method may comprise that the color-separated image frame bitmap and the bitmap of the light-restricting layer is first created and then the transparent areas are introduced. A raster image processing system for the raster image processing of a print file that includes image data separated by color, data of the light-restricting layer and transparency data, comprises means operating on the file of printing to generate raster image bitmaps for the image data separated by color and the data of the light-restricting layer and means that introduce the transparency data to the raster image bitmaps for the image data separated by colors and the data of the light-restricting layer, such that the transparent areas in the color-separated image frame bitmap and the bitmap of the light-restricting layer are in register. The frame processing system can be wired. The frame processing system may include a programmable digital processor. A computer-based graphics system for creating graphic images including color-separated layers and light-restricting layers comprises first input or input means for image data, means for generating image data separated by colors, starting of the image data, means for generating data of the light-restricting layer, second input means for the transparency data and means for issuing an image file that includes the image data separated by colors, the layer data restrictor of light and transparency data. The computer-based graphics system may further comprise storage means for storing a plurality of standard transparency data templates.

It is noted that, in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:

Claims (9)

1. Claims 1. A method for printing a graphic image on a substrate, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: controlling the ratio of the optical transmission density to the reflective optical density in any area of the graphic image by using programming elements of computer; and print the image on the substrate.
2. 2. A graphic image on a substrate, characterized in that it has over at least one area where the ratio of the optical density of transmission to the reflective optical density of the graphic image has been controlled by the use of computer programming elements, during the printing of the image on the substrate.
3. 3. A method for displaying an image on a screen device having first and second sides, the image includes a silhouette restricting configuration of light having a plurality of first transparent or translucent areas and at least one design layer that has at least one color, the at least one design layer is visible from one side of the display device and substantially less visible from the other side, the image is substantially transparent or translucent, as seen from the other side, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: a) providing at least one definition of the design layer to a computer, b) generating a computerized version of the design layer with the computer; c) issue the computerized version of the design layer to the display device, the computerized version of the design layer is modified to subdivide the design layer into a plurality of discrete transparent or translucent second areas and other areas and d) exhibit the layer of "modified design and silhouette configuration with the first and second transparent areas in agreement"
4. 4. An article having a conformable substrate, characterized in that it comprises: a dye-receiving layer and a light-restricting layer on the substrate, The light-restricting layer has a plurality of first transparent or translucent areas, such that a design applied to the light-restricting layer is visible from one side of the article and substantially less visible from the other side, the article is substantially transparent or translucent as seen from the other side and the dye receiving layer includes a conductive layer suitable for electrostatic printing.
5. 5. An article having a conformable substrate, characterized in that it comprises: a dye-receiving layer and a light-restricting layer on the substrate, the light-restricting layer has a plurality of first transparent or translucent areas, in such a way that a design applied to the light-restricting layer is visible from one side of the article and substantially less visible from the other side, the article is substantially transparent or translucent as seen from the other side and the dye-receiving layer includes a ink receiving layer suitable for inkjet printing.
6. 6. An article characterized in that it comprises: an optically clear polymeric substrate having a composition comprising vinyl chloride, a light-restricting layer and a design layer on the substrate, the design layer includes at least one color layer , the light-restricting layer is subdivided into a plurality of first transparent or translucent areas, the design layer is subdivided into a plurality of second transparent or translucent areas and the first and second transparent areas are in register or coincidence.
7. 7. A printer for receiving a printing file for printing an image, characterized in that the printing file includes data of layers separated by colors in the image, data of a restricting layer of the light in the image and data of transparent areas in the image and to print on a substrate the image separated by colors and the data of the light-restricting layer include transparent areas in the layers separated by colors and the light-restricting layer according to the data of the transparent areas, such that the color-separated, printed layers are visible from one side of the substrate and substantially less visible from the other side, the printed substrate is substantially transparent or translucent, as seen from the other side.
8. 8. A raster image processing method for the raster image processing of a print file that defines an image, the print file includes data of layers separated by color in the image, data of a light-restricting layer in the image and data of the transparent areas in the image, characterized in that it comprises: operating on the printing file to generate raster image bitmaps for the Jfe image data separated by color and the data of the restriction layer of the light, and enter the data of the transparent areas to the raster image bitmaps for the image data separated by colors and the data of the light-restricting layer, in such a way that the transparent areas on the map of the separate image frame bits 10 by colors and the bit map of the light restricting layer are in register or coincidence.
9. 9. A computer-based graphics system, for creating a graphic image, which includes color-separated layers of a colored graphic image and a light-restricting layer, characterized in that it comprises: first introduction or entry means for introducing data of the colored graphic image; means for generating image data separated by colors defining the colored graphic image, means for generating data of the light-restricting layer defining the light-restricting layer, second means of introduction or entry for entering data of the transparent areas in the colored graphic image and means to issue an exhibit file that includes the image data separated by colors, the data -jA of the light-restricting layer and the data of the transparent areas, in such a way that when the areas are displayed 5 transparent in the graphic color image and the light restricting layer is in register. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a method for displaying an image in a display device having first and second sides, the image includes a restrictor silhouette configuration of light having a plurality of first transparent or translucent areas and therefore less a design layer having at least one color, the at least one design layer is visible from one side of the display device and substantially less visible from the other side, the image is substantially transparent or translucent, as see from the other side, which comprises the steps of: 1) providing at least one definition of the design layer to a computer; 2) generate a computerized version of the design layer with the computer; 3) issuing the computerized version of the design layer to the display device, the computerized version of the design layer is modified to subdivide the design layer into a plurality of discrete transparent or translucent second areas and other areas; and 4) displaying the modified design layer and silhouette configuration with the first and second transparent areas in register. Articles produced according to the method are also described. Printers, methods and systems for processing raster image, computer graphic systems to produce the article are described.