Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation

Mitsubishi Rayon Company, Limited

Mitsubishi Chemical Industries Limited

Matushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Nobuyoshi Taguchi

Akihiro Imai

Yasuo Fukui

Hiromu Matsuda

Keiichi Yubakami

Hiroyuki Matsuo

Tetsuji Kawakami

Masanori Yoshikawa

Atsushi Sogami

Yukichi Murata

Takao Hirota

Tokihiko Shimizu

Kouji Ikeda

Shu Hotta

Yoshihisa Fujimori

Isao Sasaki

Kenji Kushi

Toshio Niwa

Koji Matsuo

Shigeru Yoshida

Soichiro Mima

Fujio Oda

Fukui Yasuo

Imai Akihiro

Soichirou Mima

Hiromu Takahashi

A thermal transfer recording apparatus for recording a glossy and high quality image alleviates or substantially solves at least one of the problems of low recording speed of the image, poor stability of recording, and high running cost of recording. The thermal transfer recording apparatus has an intermediate record support which forms a closed loop and extends over a plurality of drums which are placed separately, and a dye receiving layer transfer section having a dye receiving layer transfer head which faces a part of the intermediate record support on an outer periphery of one drum of the plurality of the drums. The thermal transfer recording apparatus also has an image recording section having at least one image recording head which faces a part of the intermediate record support on an outer periphery of the one drum, and an image transfer section having an image transfer head which faces the intermediate record support inside of the closed loop.

Thermal transfer recording apparatus and thermal transfer recording method using the same

An object of the present invention is to provide an image receiving layer ( ) which alliveates or substantially dissolves at least one problem selected from a low quality of the image such as glossiness and sharpness, a low preservative property of the image such as heat resistance, and a high running cost. Moreover, an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer recording image receiver ( ) having such image receiving layer ( ). To achieve the objects, the present invention provides a image receiving layer ( ) for a thermal transfer recording image receiver ( ) having a substrate ( ) and the image receiving layer ( ) characterized in that the image receiving layer ( ) is formed from a composition comprising an acrylic polyol resin and other thermoplastic resin. Further, the present invention provides such thermal transfer recording receiver ( ) having the image receiving layer as well as a thermal transfer recording method using the receiver.

Thermal transfer recording image receiving layer and thermal transfer recording image receiver

The medium for thermal transfer recording of the invention includes (a) a base material having a first surface and a second surface, (b) a transfer medium layer placed at the first surface side, and (c) a heat resistant lubricating layer placed at the second surface side, in which the heat resistant lubricating layer is composed of (1) a resin containing a hydroxyl group, (2) a crosslinking agent, and (3) a thermoplastic resin. The thermoplastic resin having at least one of thermal deformation temperature and glass transition temperature of &deg; C. or more is preferably used. The heat resistant lubricating layer can contain an adhesive. The heat resistant lubricating layer has a crosslink structure formed by crosslinking reaction between the crosslinking agent and the resin containing a hydroxyl group.

Medium for thermal transfer recording, and method of thermal transfer recording

A thermal recording method, using a thermal recording apparatus comprising an intermediate recording medium made of silicone rubber layer, of which surface thickness is 1 mm or less, surface roughness is 5 microns or less, contact angle cosine is 0.4 or less, density is 0.90 to 1.15, and rubber hardness is 20 to 50.sup.HS, a fixing roll, and a thermal recording head, and an ink sheet of which viscosity of colored material on the substrate at 100.degree. C. is 500 to 2,000,000 cps, for selectively heating the colored material on the ink sheet by the thermal recording head to transfer the colored material on the intermediate recording medium so as to record characters and images, and passing the image receiving medium such as recording paper between pressing parts of the intermediate recording medium and the fixing roll, and transferring or fixing the characters and images by the colored material transferred on the intermediate recording medium onto the recording paper so as to be recorded, and an ink sheet used therein.

Thermal recording method and ink sheet used therein

A transfer member includes a dyeing layer transfer member, which has a lubricating heat-resistant layer on the reverse surface of a first base material and laminated layers of a parting layer and a dyeing layer on the obverse surface, an ink transfer member, having a lubricating heat-resistant layer on the reverse surface of a second base material and the laminated layers of an adhesive layer and an ink layer, an intermediate member having a functional layer on a third base material, and an image-receptor. A thermal transfer printing method includes the steps of thermally transferring the dyeing layer onto the functional layer by setting a thermal head in contact with the lubricating heat-resistant layer of the dyeing layer transfer member, thermally transferring dye of the ink layer onto the dyeing layer that was transferred onto the functional layer in response to picture signals by setting the thermal head in contact with the lubricating heat-resistant layer of the ink transfer member, and thermally transferring the dyeing layer recorded with the dye onto the main surface of the image-receptor. Thus, pictorial images of high quality are formed on the image-receptor, and thermal transfer printing can be carried out repeatedly and stably.

Transfer member and thermal transfer printing method

A thermal printing apparatus includes an intermediate medium. A color developing layer transfer member includes a first base member and a color developing layer on a surface of the first base member. A dye layer transfer member includes a second base member and a dye layer on a surface of the second base member. The dye layer contains dye. At least a part of the color developing layer is transferred from the color developing layer transfer member onto the intermediate medium in response to at least one of heat and pressure. The dye is transferred from the dye layer of the dye layer transfer member onto the color developing layer on the intermediate medium to form a recorded picture on the color developing layer in response to both heat and pressure while the dye layer on the dye layer transfer member and the color developing layer on the intermediate medium are in contact with each other. The color developing layer with the recorded picture is transferred from the intermediate medium onto an image receptor. A releasing device is operative for implementing separation between the intermediate medium and one of the color developing layer transfer member and the dye layer transfer member. The releasing device includes a releasing blade and a belt support member associated with the releasing blade. The releasing blade engages one of the color developing layer transfer member and the dye layer transfer member. The belt support member supports the intermediate medium along one of a flat plane or an outwardly-projecting plane.

Thermal printing apparatus using intermediate medium

A transfer member includes a dyeing layer transfer member, which has a lubricating heat-resistant layer on the reverse surface of a first base material and laminated layers of a parting layer and a dyeing layer on the obverse surface, an ink transfer member, having a lubricating heat-resistant layer on the reverse surface of a second base material and the laminated layers of an adhesive layer and an ink layer, an intermediate member having a functional layer on a third base material, and an image-receptor. A thermal transfer printing method includes the steps of thermally transferring the dyeing layer onto the functional layer by setting a thermal head in contact with the lubricating heat-resistant layer of the dyeing layer transfer member, thermally transferring dye of the ink layer onto the dyeing layer that was transferred onto the functional layer in response to picture signals by setting the thermal head in contact with the lubricating heat-resistant layer of the ink transfer member, and thermally transferring the dyeing layer recorded with the: dye onto the main surface of the image-receptor. Thus, pictorial images of high quality are formed on the image-receptor, and thermal transfer printing can be carried out repeatedly and stably.

A thermal transfer printing method using a color developing layer transfer sheet having color developing layer at least on either side of its substrate, a dye layer transfer sheet having at least on either side of its substrate and an intermediate medium and including the steps of first transferring partly or entirely the color developing layers on the color developing layer transfer sheet onto the intermediate medium by means of heat and/or pressure as color developing layer transfer means, then laying the color developing layer and the dye layer one upon the other and causing the dye to migrate to the color developing layer on the intermediate medium by means of heat and pressure for formation of pictorial image thereon and further transferring the formed pictorial image from the intermediate medium onto the color receiving sheet again by means of heat and pressure.

Thermal transfer printing method

Thermal transfer printing apparatus essentially made of a drum-shaped recording intermediate member composed of a base material and an elastic layer disposed on the outer surface of the base material, a dyeing layer transfer member which is mounted adjacent to the drum-shaped recording intermediate layer and comprising a base material and a dyeing layer disposed on the base material of the dyeing layer transfer member, a dye transfer member mounted adjacent to the drum-shaped recording intermediate layer and comprising a base material and a dye layer disposed on the base material and an image receptor mounted adjacent to the drum-shaped recording intermediate layer, whereby the separating strength between the base material of the dyeing layer of the dyeing layer transfer member is more than 5 g/25 mm.

Thermal transfer printing method and printing media employed therefor

The present invention enables to print the image of high picture quality on an ordinary paper or other arbitrary substrate for sublimation thermal transfer printing by the thermal transfer printing method, wherein using the combination of a transfer printing member with a coloring material layer on the substrate A, intermediate medium with dye-receiving layer on the substrate B and an image receiving member.

Thermal dye transfer printing method and intermediate media therefor

A thermal transfer printing method which employs a dyeing layer transfer member having at least a dyeing layer on a base material, an ink transfer member having at least an ink layer containing a subliming dye on a base material, recording intermediate member having at least a base material, and an image-receptor. The thermal transfer printing method includes the steps of thermally transferring the dyeing layer of the dyeing layer transfer member onto the recording intermediate member, thermally transferring and recording ink of the ink transfer member onto the transferred dyeing layer according to image signals, and further thermally transferring the recorded dyeing layer onto the image-receptor. The disclosure also relates to printing media employed for effecting the method. The method may be rearranged to preliminarily form the dyeing layer on the recording intermediate member, and in this case, the dyeing layer transfer member and the process for its thermal transfer may be dispensed with. By the present invention, it becomes possible to print high quality images on plain paper at high speed.

A process for thermal transfer printing method including the steps of forming a thermal transfer image in a dyeing layer of an intermediate sheet using a coloring layer of a transfer sheet and transferring the dyeing layer carrying the formed image from the intermediate sheet to an image receptor with a medium for applying heat and/or pressure, in which the medium is also used for fixing the transferred dyeing layer on the image receptor, and an thermal transfer printing apparatus having means for feeding an elongate intermediate sheet having a dyeing layer, means for cutting the elongate intermediate sheet, printing means for forming a thermal transfer image in the dyeing layer of intermediate sheet, and means for transferring the dyeing layer carrying the formed thermal transfer image to an image receptor, by which the printed image with low gloss is formed on the image receptor at a high printing speed.

Thermal transfer printing method and apparatus and intermediate sheet

The present invention provides a thermal printing method using a sublimable dye, which is capable of faithfully printing on any kind of substrates, including plain paper without the tack sheets which make the process complicated. The method of the present invention comprises forming an image into a printing layer by heating a color layer with a printing head and then transferring the printing layer onto an image receive sheet by pressure or heat; wherein the color layer and printing layer are respectively formed on one substrate in a certain interval of distance without putting one upon another, the surface of the color layer is placed on the surface of the printing layer and heat is applied to the color layer from the substrate side with a printing head to form an image into a printing layer. The present invention also provide a color ink film comprising a substrate and both a color layer and a printing layer respectively formed on the substrate in a certain interval of distance without putting one upon another, wherein the color layer or the printing layer is formed from polyvinyl butyral having a butyralization degree of not less than 50 mol %.

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Ikoma, Japan

Nobuyoshi Taguchi