JPH04292983A - Thermal transfer recording medium having metal gloss - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a thermal transfer recording medium adaptable to a printer having a high printing speed and capable of forming a character or image having metal gloss. CONSTITUTION:A thermal transfer recording medium consists of a base sheet 1, a release layer 2, a vapor deposition anchor layer 3, a vapor deposition layer 4 and an adhesive layer 5 and the film thicknesses of the layers 2,3,5 are respectively set to 0.4-1.1mum, 0.3-0.8mum and 0.2-0.7mum and the total film thickness of the layers 2,3,4,5 is set to 1.0-1.4mum.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording medium for transferring metallic luster characters and images using a heat-generating recording medium such as a thermal head.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, thermal transfer recording systems using thermal heads have rapidly become popular. As the printing speed of printers increases, the thermal transfer recording media used are also required to be compatible with these speeds.

[0003] Some thermal transfer recording media are provided with a metal vapor deposition layer for transferring characters and images with metallic luster, but due to heat capacity and other factors, sensitivity deteriorates as printing speed increases; The thermal transfer recording media used since then were not compatible with high-speed printing printers.

0004

Problem to be Solved by the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional situation, and it is an object of the present invention to provide characters with metallic luster that can provide sufficient sensitivity even when used in high-speed printing printers. The object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer recording medium on which a satisfactory image can be formed.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] Hereinafter, the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention, in which a release layer (2), a vapor-deposited anchor layer (3) are formed on a base sheet (1).
, a metal vapor deposition layer (4), and an adhesive layer (5) are formed in this order.Although not shown in the drawing, if necessary, a backing is provided on the opposite side of the base sheet (1) to prevent sticking. A coating layer can be formed.

[0006] The base sheet (1) can be any film or sheet that is commonly used as a support for thermal transfer recording media, and specifically, polyester film,
Examples include capacitor paper.

The release layer (2) has the role of sensitively responding to heat signals from the thermal head so that clear records can be obtained during printing, and specifically, carnauba wax and rice wax are used. , candelilla wax, montan wax, paraffin wax, or a heat-melting resin composition.

[0008] The vapor deposition anchor layer (3) has the role of protecting the release layer from the heat during metal vapor deposition and improving the adhesion with the metal vapor deposition layer. , epoxy-based, acrylic-based, hydrocarbon-based, urethane-based, polyether-based, butyral-based, silicon-based, and other synthetic resins, as well as cellulose derivatives such as nitrocellulose and ethylcellulose, are effective. Use a mixture of more than one species as appropriate. In addition,
It may be colored and made transparent if necessary.

Various metals can be used for the metal vapor deposition layer (4), but aluminum is most commonly used, and its thickness is preferably in the range of 300 to 500 angstroms.

The role of the adhesive layer (5) is to adhere to the image-receiving paper, and its main component is carnauba wax, rice wax, candelilla wax, montan wax, paraffin wax, or heat-melting resin such as polyamide resin. It is a heat-melting substance such as a resin composition.

[0011] The thickness of the release layer is 0.4 μm to 1.1 μm.
Let it be m. If the film thickness is less than 0.4 μm, peeling from the base sheet becomes difficult and transfer becomes difficult, and if it is more than 1.1 μm, burrs will appear between the base sheet and the release layer during transfer, which is not preferable. .

[0012] The thickness of the vapor-deposited anchor layer is 0.3 μm or more.
It is set to 0.8 μm. If the film thickness is less than 0.3 μm, it will not be possible to protect the release layer from the heat during vapor deposition, and the
．． When the thickness is 8 μm or more, peeling occurs between the release layer and the vapor-deposited anchor layer, and burrs are likely to appear.

The thickness of the adhesive layer is 0.2 μm to 0.7 μm. If the film thickness is less than 0.2 μm, the amount of ink transferred to the receiving paper will be small, and the characters will become blurred.
If the thickness is 7 μm or more, characters will be distorted.

The total thickness of the release layer, vapor deposited anchor layer, metal vapor deposited layer and adhesive layer is 1.0 μm to 1.4 μm. In order to form a good image with high sensitivity when used in a high-speed printer, the total thickness of the layers transferred to the receiver paper must be 1
．． It needs to be 4 μm or less; if it is thicker than this, the sensitivity will deteriorate and it will not be compatible with high-speed printers currently on the market.

[0015]

EXAMPLES Next, examples of the thermal transfer recording medium having metallic luster of the present invention will be shown.

[0016] A mixture having the composition shown below was applied onto a polyester film having a thickness of 3.5 μm to form a film having a thickness of 1.0 μm.
A release layer of m was formed. Composition of release layer rice wax
10 parts by weight carnauba wax
10 parts by weight Ethylene vinyl alcohol resin 2 parts by weight

Next, nitrocellulose is applied thereon to form a vapor deposition anchor layer with a thickness of 0.5 μm, and a vapor deposition film is further applied on top of this by vacuum vapor deposition at a vapor deposition rate of 20 angstroms/second. A metal vapor deposited layer of aluminum having a thickness of 500 angstroms was formed.

Further, a mixture having the composition shown below was coated on the metal vapor deposited layer to form an adhesive layer having a thickness of 0.2 μm to obtain a thermal transfer recording medium. Composition of adhesive layer rice wax
10 parts by weight butyral resin
1 part by weight

The thermal transfer recording medium produced as described above was printed at a printing speed of 90 KPS.
When applied to a (Kan/second) printer, it was possible to faithfully reproduce the original image.

[0020]

[Effects of the Invention] Since the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention has the above-described structure, it is possible to obtain printed matter with high sensitivity even when used in a printer with a high printing speed, and moreover, the amount of composition such as ink used can be reduced. Since it requires less than the conventional one, a low-cost thermal transfer recording medium can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of a thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Base sheet 2 Peeling layer 3 Vapor deposition anchor layer 4 Metal vapor deposition layer 5 Adhesive layer

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A release layer, a vapor deposited anchor layer, a metal vapor deposited layer, and an adhesive layer are sequentially laminated on a base sheet, the release layer having a thickness of 0.4 μm to 1.1 μm, and the film of the vapor deposited anchor layer having a thickness of 0.4 μm to 1.1 μm. Thickness: 0.3μm to 0.8μm, adhesive layer thickness: 0.2μm
m to 0.7 μm, and the total film thickness of the release layer, vapor deposited anchor layer, metal vapor deposited layer, and adhesive layer is 1.0 μm to 1
．． A thermal transfer recording medium having a metallic luster, characterized in that the thickness is 4 μm.