Fujicopian Co., Ltd.

Hitomi Kawabata

Manabu Ikemoto

Shinya Yamamoto

Hideki Suematsu

Yasuo Tago

Tomoaki Yamanaka

Atsuo Saiki

Tsuneo Kawabata

A thermal transfer printing medium is provided which includes a foundation, and a transfer layer provided on one side of the foundation and comprising a heat-meltable color ink layer, a heat-meltable transparent ink layer, a metal deposition layer and an adhesive layer which are stacked in that order from the foundation side. The thermal transfer printing medium is capable of forming print images in a color inherent to the color ink layer, free from the influences of the color of the image-receiving medium and the metal deposition layer serving as a hiding layer.

Thermal transfer printing medium

Disclosed is a transfer printing method including the steps of: with use of a thermal transfer ink sheet wherein a heat-meltable ink Y containing a sublimation dye for yellow, a heat-meltable ink sublimation M containing a dye for magenta and a heat-meltable ink C containing a sublimation dye for cyan are applied on a single foundation or separate foundations respectively, selectively melt-transferring at least two of the sublimation inks Y, M and C onto a master sheet to form a master image in which at least two of respective images of the sublimation inks Y, M and C are superimposed one on the other; and transferring the sublimation dyes contained in the superimposed images onto an image receptor, wherein the sublimation inks Y, M and C are transferred onto the master sheet in the order of ink C, ink M and ink Y with an optional skipping-over of untransferred sublimation ink to the succeeding one. With this method a color dyed image can be obtained with a good color reproducibility, especially for an achromatic color.

Transfer printing method

In a sublimation transfer method wherein a heat-meltable ink layer containing a sublimation dye is melt-transferred to give a master having an image of the ink, and the sublimation dye in the ink image is heat-transferred to form a dyed image on a substrate, there is used a heat-melt transfer medium wherein a release layer comprising a wax-like substance as a major component is provided between a foundation and the ink layer, or an adhesive layer comprising a wax-like substance as a major component is provided on the ink layer, or both the release layer and the adhesive layer are provided. The releasability of the ink layer from the foundation and the adhesiveness of the ink layers with each other are good. The method is especially useful to form a full-color dyed image.

Sublimation transfer method and heat-melt transfer medium used in the

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Osaka, Japan

Hitomi Kawabata