TRANSPARENTIZING DEVICE FOR TRANSPARENT PRINTED MATTER

PURPOSE:To make it possible to obtain a transparent printed matter excellent in gloss, transparency, water resistance and other properties, by transparentizing a surface layer of a recording material after recording on the material, bringing a treating sheet having a smooth surface into close contact with the surface of the surface layer by pressing, then cooling them, and releasing the sheet from the recording material. CONSTITUTION:A recording material 1 with an ink jet image formed thereon is subjected to a transparentizing treatment between a melting and transparentizing roller 11 and a pressing roller 12 in a transparentizing device 100. At least the surface of a surface layer 6 is melted or softened between a heating roller 21 and a pressing roller 22, then the surface layer 6 is covered by a smoothening treatment sheet 29, and is heated and pressed. Since the sheet 29 is thin and flexible, it makes uniform and close contact with the surface layer 6, and resin particles 5a are melted and joined in a body. The material 1 is fed further, the surface layer 6 is cooled to or below the softening point of the resin by a cooling fan 33, and one end part of the material 1 is separated from the sheet 29 by a separating belt 30. The surface layer 6 thus obtained has a clear-cut smooth surface 5b, which reflects most of incident light I, and clear and glossy images with high density and image quality can be obtained.