The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus on a photographic print by which secondary images such as characters, illustrations and the like are freely formed in a primary image portion on a photographic paper.
There is known a photographic print on which a primary image is printed with a negative film, and at the same time a secondary image is printed with a secondary image document film.
For example, when a driver's license or an identification card is made, a portrait and the characters of one's name and address are simultaneously printed and developed. In some cases, a post card is made of a photographic print. In this case, a primary image is printed on a photographic print with a negative film, and at the same time a secondary image is printed with a secondary image document film.
The layout, such as printing position and size, and characters such as an explanation of the photograph, and illustrations of a secondary image, which are to be printed on a photographic print together with a primary image, are optionally designated by a customer.
In order to print the secondary image on a photographic print together with the primary image, it is necessary to make a secondary image document film on which the secondary image is previously formed. This secondary image document film is usually made by the method of computerized phototype-setting.
Since a photographic process is utilized in the aforementioned case in which the secondary image is made by the method of computerized phototype-setting, it is necessary to provide a specific apparatus in order to make a print, and further it is time consuming.
It costs much labor and expense to make an image document mask film previously.
In the case of the photographic printing method described above, the final layout can not be known until printing has been completed, so that the check of the layout is delayed.
Consequently, instead of the photographic printing method, the following method can be considered: for example, after a primary image has been printed on silver-halide light sensitive components of a photographic paper and has been developed, a secondary image is printed on the aforementioned primary image with a printer. In this case, for example a computer is used and the secondary image is inputted into the computer so that the inputted image can be edited. Accordingly, the layout of the secondary image can be previously confirmed, so that mistakes can be easily corrected.
In the aforementioned case, for example in which an electrophotographic printer is used, the secondary image can be directly printed, but it is difficult to transfer the toner image onto a thick paper such as a photographic paper.
In the case in which an impact printer is used, dents are made on a photographic paper and photographic components are damaged so that the formed image is affected.
Further, it is not possible to use an ink-jet printer because the ink bleeds on the surface of the photographic paper and the primary image is damaged since the ink strikes through.
When the photographic print is used as a post card, it is necessary to provide image durability so that the image portion can be protected from stain and damage.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds