JPH0225390A - Image-receiving material for thermal transfer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an image-receiving material for thermal transfer capable of exhibiting favorably a metallic image with a metallic luster by providing a metallic layer comprising a metallic powder dispersed therein, between a dyeable resin layer and a base. CONSTITUTION:An image receiving material for thermal transfer has a three- layer construction comprising a dyeable resin layer 1, a metallic layer 2 and a base 3. The image-receiving material is superposed on a thermal transfer recording medium which has a coloring material layer 5 comprising a sublimable dye on a base 4, and the image-receiving material and the medium are heated by a thermal head 6 while pressing them between the head 6 and a platen roller 7, whereby the sublimable dye in the coloring material layer 5 is transferred by sublimation onto the dyeable resin layer 1 of the image-receiving material, thereby forming an image. Since the image-receiving material is provided with the metallic layer 2, the image being printed will be a favorable metallic image having a metallic luster. The metallic layer 2 is provided by using a material comprising a metallic powder dispersed in a thermoplastic resin and/or a thermoplastic elastomer.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention is directed to transfer of the dye from a thermal transfer recording sheet, which is formed by providing a coloring material layer containing a sublimable dye on a substrate, by heating with a thermal head or the like. The present invention relates to a thermal transfer image receptor on which color recording is performed, and particularly to a thermal transfer image receptor suitable for obtaining metallic full-color images with metallic luster.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, with the spread of information terminals such as personal computers, televisions, VTRs, video discs, etc. and the use of color displays, the demand for printers that output these still images as color images has increased. Recording methods for color printers include electrophotography, inkjet, and thermal transfer, but thermal transfer is the most commonly used method because it is noiseless and easy to maintain. . This thermal transfer method uses a thermal transfer recording sheet in which pigments or dyes are bound with heat-melting wax, and a method that applies conventional sublimation transfer printing technology, using disperse dyes that are relatively easy to sublimate as a binder. There is a sublimation transfer type that uses a thermal transfer recording sheet bound with resin. Among these, the heat-melting transfer type transfers the pigment or dye to the image receptor together with the wax melted by thermal energy from a thermal head, etc., so it is difficult to obtain the halftones necessary for image quality, and it is good because of the transferred wax. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to obtain a hue. On the other hand, with the sublimation transfer type, only the sublimable dye is sublimated and transferred by the thermal energy of a thermal head, etc., and excellent hues and intermediate tones can be easily obtained because the sublimable dye sublimes in response to the thermal energy. This method has the advantage of being able to control the gradation at will, and is considered to be the most suitable method for a full-color printer.

As a thermal transfer image receptor used in this sublimation transfer type transfer method, plain paper can be used as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 15446/1982, but plain paper alone does not have sufficient color density. Moreover, it is not preferable because it has poor fixing properties for sublimable dyes and economical discoloration is also significant. For these reasons, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-107885
As described in the publication, a dyeing resin layer made of a thermoplastic resin, typified by a saturated polyester resin, which can be effectively dyed with sublimable dyes, is provided on a base material. Ru.

However, unlike heat-fusion transfer, the sublimation transfer type transfer method forms an image by sublimation transfer of sublimable dye, and since there is no metallic sublimable dye with metallic luster, it forms a metallic image with metallic luster. That was difficult.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the difficulties of the above-mentioned conventional techniques in thermal transfer image receptors. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer image receptor that can satisfactorily obtain metallic images with metallic luster.

[Means to solve the problem]

This problem is solved by dispersing metal powder between the dyeing resin layer and the base material in a thermal transfer image receptor that undergoes transfer of the dye from a thermal transfer recording sheet 1- containing a sublimable dye by heating with a thermal head or the like. The problem is solved by providing a formed metal layer.

[Function and structure of the invention]

The thermal transfer image receptor of the present invention basically has a three-layer structure, as shown in FIG. 1, including a dyed resin layer (1), a metal layer (2), and a base material (3). Then, as shown in Fig. 2, a thermal transfer recording sheet consisting of a substrate (4) and a coloring material layer (5) containing a sublimable dye is placed on top of the substrate (4) and pressed using a thermal head (6) and a platen roller (7). While heating with a thermal head, the sublimable dye in the color material layer (5) is sublimated and transferred to the dyed resin layer (1) of the thermal transfer image receptor, thereby forming an image. In forming such an image, since the metal layer (2) is provided in the thermal transfer image receptor of the present invention, the printed image becomes a good metallic image with metallic luster.

To explain the present invention in more detail, the metal layer (2) used in the present invention can be widely used in which various metal powders are dispersed in a thermoplastic resin or/and a thermoplastic elastomer. In the present invention, dispersing the metal powder means dispersing the thermoplastic resin or (
and) The metal powder is uniformly dispersed at least over the entire surface of the elastomer, and it is particularly preferable that the metal powder is uniformly dispersed not only on the surface but also in the thickness direction (inside).

A wide variety of metal powders can be used here, including aluminum, titanium, zinc, tin, copper, and silver.

Examples of thermoplastic resins include polyester resin, polyamide resin, butyral resin, acrylic resin, epoxy resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, and ethylene resin.
Examples include vinyl acetate resin and vinyl chloride resin. Preferred examples of thermoplastic elastomers include copolymers such as styrene-butadiene, styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene-isoprene-styrene, and styrene-butadiene-ethylene-butadiene, but they are not limited to these. do not have.

Next, the compounding ratio of the metal powder to the thermoplastic resin or (and) thermoplastic elastomer is preferably 50 to 500% polymerization, and if it does not reach 50% polymerization, it will be difficult to obtain a sufficient metallic color, and if the polymerization ratio is less than 50% polymerization, it will be difficult to obtain a sufficient metallic color. If the amount increases, the adhesion to the substrate tends to deteriorate and the film properties tend to deteriorate. The thickness of the metal layer (2) itself is not particularly limited as long as the image printed on the thermal transfer image receptor has a metallic color, and may be determined as appropriate by taking into account the proportion, particle size, dispersion state, etc. of the metal powder. Although it may be determined, it is preferably about 5 μm to 100 μm. Normally, if it is extremely thicker than 5 μm, it may be difficult to obtain a sufficient metallic color, and 110
If it is larger than 0 IJ, it may have an adverse effect on running performance, etc.

In particular, in the present invention, the metal layer (2) itself has the function of the dyeing resin layer (1), so that the dyeing resin layer (1) and the metal layer (2) are substantially unified. There may be two layers. That is, the thermoplastic resin of the metal layer (2) or (and)
A thermoplastic elastomer having good dyeability with respect to sublimable dyes is used, and the metal layer itself is used as the dyeing resin layer. In this case, the image receptor has a two-layer structure.

Furthermore, the metal layer (2) is formed by dissolving the thermoplastic resin or/and thermoplastic elastomer in a common organic solvent such as toluene, xylene, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, etc. You can put metal powder inside and disperse it with a dispersing machine such as a whole mill, sand mill, or roll mill, and then apply this liquid with a coating machine such as a reverse coater, kiss coater, or fountain coater. The resin and metal powder may be cross-dispersed using a mixing roll or the like heated above the melting point of the resin, and a film may be formed by extrusion using a Gui coater or rolling with a calendar roll, and the film may be bonded to the base material (3). .

Next, as the base material (3) used in the present invention, polyester film, polyethylene film, polypropylene film, polyamide film, polyvinyl chloride film, polyacetate film, polycarbonate film, polyimide film, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer In addition to various plastic films such as film, natural paper such as high-quality paper, medium-quality paper, art paper, coated paper, etc., and various synthetic papers such as laminated paper and polypropylene synthetic paper are widely used. Furthermore, a composite of two or more of these types can also be used.

As the dyeing resin layer (1) used in the present invention, a wide range of materials can be used as long as they can be effectively dyed with sublimation dyes, such as polyester resin, polyamide resin, polyaryl resin, and epoxy resin. , thermoplastic resins such as acrylic resins, but are not limited to these.

These dyeing resin layers are provided by dissolving them in a suitable organic solvent, coating them on the base film using any coating machine such as a roll coater, bar coater, gravure coke, etc., and drying them. If it is a material, it may be heat-fused and provided by extrusion coating using an accumator or the like. The thickness of these dyeing resin layers is preferably 5 g/m or more in terms of dry coating amount, and 5 g/ni
If this is not achieved, it will be difficult to obtain uniform adhesion during printing, resulting in a decrease in image quality. Further, these dyeing resin layers may be partially cured to prevent fusion with the coloring material layer of the thermal transfer paper, or may further be provided with a layer made of a releasable substance.

The thermal transfer recording sheet used in the present invention is made by dispersing or dissolving a sublimable dye together with a suitable binder and coating it on a substrate such as a polyester film or condenser paper. The above-mentioned sublimable dyes are widely used as long as they sublimate and migrate when heated.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the image receptor for thermal transfer of the present invention, which includes the metal layer (2) formed by dispersing metal powder between the dyed resin layer (1) and the base material (3), it is possible to obtain a metallic color tone. It has the great effect of allowing images to be obtained in good condition, and has extremely high industrial utility value.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an example of a thermal transfer image receptor of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a simulated explanatory diagram when printing is performed using this image receptor. (1)...Dyeing resin layer (2)...Metal layer (3)...Base material (4)...Base material (5)... ...Coloring material layer (6) ...Thermal head (7) ...Platen roller (and above) Fig.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a thermal transfer image receptor having a dyed resin layer on one side of the base material that receives dye transfer, a metal layer made of dispersed metal powder is provided between the dyed resin layer and the base material. Features of thermal transfer image receptor. (2) The thermal transfer image receptor according to claim 1, wherein the metal layer also serves as a dyed resin layer.