Other

Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Fujicopian Co., Ltd.

Yasutoshi Inoue

Jun Sogabe

Yoshiyuki Asabe

Fumio Uetsuji

Takashi Goto

Takashi Nakai

Tetsuo Hoshino

Yuuichi Miyakusa

Tetuo Hoshino

Susumu Arauchi

Osamu Ogiyama

There is provided an ink sheet cartridge that includes a cartridge case having a case body disposed opposite to an upper surface of an ink sheet unit, driving sidewall portions rotatably supporting driving shafts of respective sheet supply and winding bobbins, and a supporting sidewall portion to rotatably support supporting shafts of respective sheet supply and winding bobbins. The ink sheet unit is detachably insertable in the case body, receives an ink sheet wound around the sheet supply bobbin, and includes a supply sheet case capable of drawing out the ink sheet therefrom at the time of receiving the ink sheet. The ink sheet cartridge enables replacement of the ink sheet unit such that the cartridge case is reusable and protects the replacement ink sheet from foreign objects and substances.

Ink sheet cartridge

A thermal printer includes a rotatable platen roller; an elongated thermal head which is movable toward or away from the platen roller; and a head supporting member having an elongated head supporting portion for supporting the thermal head formed at an end. A heat radiation plate through which heat generated from the thermal head during printing can escape is arranged between the thermal head and the head supporting portion, and the thermal head can be adjustably curved toward the platen roller via the heat radiation plate by an adjusting member arranged in the head supporting portion.

Thermal printer having heat radiation plate

A multi-gradation recording method comprising the steps of: providing a thermal transfer recording medium comprising a substrate, a release layer, a first ink layer and a second ink layer provided in this order on the substrate, and carrying out a gradation recording using the thermal transfer recording medium, the step of carrying out a gradation recording comprising: (a) in the case of recording in a middle density/high density region, carrying out a gradation expression based on an area gradation expression by transferring the first ink layer and the second ink layer together, and (b) in the case of recording in a low density region, carrying out a gradation expression by transferring only the second ink layer by causing a cohesive failure in the second ink layer, thereby changing the area of transferred ink per one dot and the thickness of transferred ink dots.

Multi-gradation recording method and thermal transfer recording medium used in the method

Color thermal transfer recording medium

A thermal transfer recording medium for forming a printed image with metallic luster of high level with superior transferability according to a thermal transfer mechanism is disclosed which comprises a foundation, and provided on one side of the foundation, a laminate transfer layer comprising at least a release layer, a heat-resistant layer for metal deposition, a metal deposition layer and an adhesive layer in this order from the foundation side, the release layer having a thickness of 0.05 to 0.50 &mgr;m and a softening point not lower than 100&deg; C., the release layer being a substantially transparent layer consisting essentially of a resin, and the peel strength of the laminate transfer layer from the foundation according to T-mode peeling being not larger than 50 gf/12.7 mm.

Metallic thermal transfer recording medium

Method for forming image by thermal transfer

There are provided printed matter whose image surface has uniform gloss and whose image formed of ink is of high quality, has enhanced appearance, does not have its left and right sides reversed, and is easy to see; a printing method which allows the printed matter to be easily obtained, and a printer which makes it possible to easily realize the printing method. The image which is a mirror image formed with ink is formed within an image-formation area of a surface of a print medium which is a transparent member. Then, a surface of the image and at least a blank space section within the image-formation area of the print medium are covered with an underlying layer formed with underlying layer ink, after which a surface of the underlying layer is covered with a light-shielding layer formed with light-shielding layer ink.

Printed matter which has enhanced appearance and whose image surface has uniform gloss, printing method used to form the printed matter, and printer used in the printing method

Thermal transfer recording medium

A heat-fusible ink is fused and transferred to opaque recording paper on the basis of recording information to make an underlying layer and a metallic-luster ink is transferred to the underlying layer to make a record. Even if the metallic-luster ink is used, a beautiful record can be stably made on the various kinds of recording papers.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo-to, Japan

Yasutoshi Inoue