JPH061076A - Protective-layer transfer film and photographic print - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To maintain various durability, particularly light resistance of a heat transfer image for a prolonged term by containing an ultrafine particle inorganic pigment in a transfer resin layer in a protective-layer transfer film, in which the resin layer is formed onto a base material film. CONSTITUTION:A peelable transparent resin layer 3, an ultraviolet light screen 4 and a heat seal layer 5 are formed onto a base material film 1 in a protective- layer transfer film. A mold release layer 2 lowers the adhesive properties of the transparent resin layer 3 and the base material film 1, and facilitates the transfer of the transparent resin layer 3. Fine particles having high transparency and wax are added to various resins excellent in abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, transparency, hardness, etc., in the transparent resin layer 3 formed onto the base material film 1. The ultraviolet light screen 4 containing an ultrafine particle inorganic pigment is shaped onto the surface of the transparent resin layer 3. The inorganic pigment takes the form of ultrafine particles, and has low whiteness and hardly has the degree of concealment, but it has an excellent ultraviolet screening effect. The heat seal layer 5 is shaped of a resin having excellent adhesive properties at the time of heating as an uppermost layer in order to improve the transfer properties of each layer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a protective layer transfer film, and more specifically, it can impart durability such as excellent light resistance, weather resistance, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance and solvent resistance to a heat transfer image and the like. The present invention relates to a protective layer transfer film.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a thermal transfer method has been widely used as a simple printing method. In these thermal transfer methods, various images can be easily formed, and therefore, printed matter such as an identification card can be printed with a relatively small number of printed sheets.
It is designed to be used for creating D cards. When a color image such as a facial photograph is desired, a large number of yellow, magenta, and cyan (and black if necessary) colored thermal transfer layers are repeatedly provided on a continuous base film in a frame-sequential manner. A thermal transfer method using a long thermal transfer film is performed. Such a thermal transfer film is roughly classified into a so-called melt transfer type thermal transfer film in which those thermal transfer layers are softened by heating and thermally transferred to a thermal transfer material in an image form, and a dye in the thermal transfer layer is sublimated by heating ( It is roughly classified into a so-called sublimation type thermal transfer film in which only the dye is thermally transferred to the image-transferred material by heat transfer).

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When an ID card such as an identification card is produced using the heat transfer film as described above, it is easy to form an image such as letters or numbers in the case of a melt transfer type heat transfer film. However, these images have the drawback of being inferior in durability, especially in abrasion resistance. On the other hand, in the case of a sublimation transfer type thermal transfer film, a gradation image such as a facial photograph can be formed, but since the formed image is different from ordinary printing ink, there is no vehicle,
There is a problem that durability such as light resistance, weather resistance, and abrasion resistance is poor. As a method for solving the above problem, the present inventor has previously proposed a method of transferring a transparent resin layer containing a light-proofing agent such as an ultraviolet absorber onto the image surface. According to this method, an image with excellent durability is provided, but since the above-mentioned light-proofing agent and the like are organic substances and are themselves decomposed by ultraviolet rays, the duration of their effect is short and Has a problem that the image is discolored or discolored. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to provide a protective layer transfer film in which various durability of a thermal transfer image, in particular, light resistance and the like are maintained for a long period of time.

[0004]

The above object can be achieved by the present invention described below. That is, the present invention provides a protective layer transfer film comprising a substrate film and a transferable resin layer provided on the substrate film, wherein the resin layer contains an ultrafine inorganic pigment, and a protective layer transfer film comprising the same. It is the obtained print.

[0005]

In the protective layer transfer film, by incorporating an inorganic pigment such as ultrafine zinc oxide in at least a part of the transferable resin layer, the various protective properties of the thermal transfer image, especially the light resistance, can be maintained for a long period of time. A transfer film and prints are provided.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the accompanying drawings, which schematically show preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of a protective layer transfer film according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The protective layer transfer film of this example has a transparent resin layer 3 which can be peeled on a base film 1. An ultraviolet blocking layer 4 and a heat sealing layer 5 are provided. Reference numeral 2 in the drawing is a release layer, which has the function of lowering the adhesiveness between the transparent resin layer 3 and the base film 1 to facilitate transfer of the transparent resin layer. This layer 2 is unnecessary when the releasability between the base film and the transparent resin layer is excellent. Further, 6 is a back layer, which has a function of preventing adhesion of the thermal head of the printer. This layer 6 is also unnecessary when the substrate film has good heat resistance and slip properties.

Next, the protective layer transfer film of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to materials used and forming method. As the base film used in the present invention, the same base film as that used in the conventional thermal transfer film can be used as it is, and other materials can also be used and are not particularly limited. As specific examples of the preferable base film, thin paper such as glassine paper, condenser paper, paraffin paper, etc. are useful, and in addition, for example,
Examples thereof include plastics such as polyester, polypropylene, cellophane, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, nylon, polyimide, polyvinylidene chloride and ionomer, and a base film in which these are combined with the paper. The thickness of the base film can be appropriately changed according to the material so that the strength, heat resistance and the like are appropriate, but the thickness is preferably 3 to 100 μm.

The transparent resin layer provided on the base film is made of various resins having excellent abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, transparency and hardness, such as polyester resin, polystyrene resin, acrylic resin, polyurethane resin, acrylic resin. Examples thereof include urethane resins, silicone-modified resins of these resins, and mixtures of these resins. Although these resins have excellent transparency, since they tend to form a relatively tough film, the film breakage during transfer cannot be said to be sufficient, and therefore silica, alumina, calcium carbonate, Highly transparent fine particles such as plastic pigments and wax may be added to such an extent that the transparency of the resin is not impaired. As a method for forming a transparent resin layer on a substrate film or a release layer previously provided on the substrate film, gravure coating, gravure reverse coating, roll coating, and many other methods are used to apply and dry the ink containing the resin. And the like. The thickness of the transparent resin layer is preferably
It is about 0.1 to 50 μm, preferably 1 to 10 μm
It is a degree. Further, in forming the transparent resin layer, by adding an additive such as a lubricant to the transparent resin layer, scratch resistance and gloss of various images to be coated can be improved. Prior to the formation of the transparent resin layer, the release layer which may be formed on the surface of the base film is formed of a release agent such as wax, silicone wax, silicone resin, fluorine resin, acrylic resin or the like. The method for forming the transparent resin layer may be the same as the method for forming the transparent resin layer, and a thickness of about 0.1 to 2 μm is sufficient. When a matte protective layer is desired after transfer, the surface of the release layer is matted by incorporating various particles into the release layer or by using a base film having the release layer side surface matt treated. You can also do it.

Further, an ultraviolet blocking layer is provided on the surface of the transparent resin layer. This ultraviolet blocking layer is formed from the same resin as the above transparent resin layer by the same method, but is characterized in that the layer contains an inorganic pigment such as ultrafine zinc oxide. Of these ultrafine inorganic pigments, zinc oxide is most preferred, but other tin oxide-based conductive fine powder (for example, SN-100, manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo), conductive titanium oxide, TiO ₂ · SnO ₂ (Sb-doped). ), Barium sulfate-based conductive powder and the like can also be used. These inorganic pigments such as ultrafine zinc oxide are extremely fine particles, and the particle diameter is 0.1 μm or less. Inorganic pigments such as zinc oxide are usually used as white pigments, but the inorganic pigments such as zinc oxide as the white pigment usually have a particle size of about 0.5 to 5 μm and have a high hiding property. There is. On the other hand, the inorganic pigments such as ultrafine zinc oxide used in the present invention are ultrafine particles as described above, have a low whiteness and little hiding power, but have an excellent ultraviolet blocking effect. The inorganic pigment such as ultrafine zinc oxide can be used in a ratio of 5 to 200 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the resin forming the ultraviolet blocking layer. Never hide. The formation method itself may be a conventionally known method, the thickness is about 0.1 to 5 μm, and it is preferable to select the amount of the inorganic pigment such as ultrafine zinc oxide to be used in inverse proportion to this thickness. The ultraviolet blocking layer may be omitted when the above-mentioned inorganic pigment such as ultrafine zinc oxide is added to the transparent resin layer and / or the heat seal layer described later.

In order to improve the transferability of each of the above layers, the heat seal layer 5 is provided as the uppermost layer. These heat-sealing layers are, for example, resins having good adhesiveness at the time of heat such as acrylic resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, and silicone resin. The solution is applied and dried to form a thickness of preferably about 0.1 to 5 μm. An inorganic pigment such as the ultrafine zinc oxide may be added to the heat seal layer. The thickness of the transferable resin layer including the transparent resin layer as described above is 0.
It is preferably about 5 to 50 μm.

The above is the constitution of the protective layer transfer film of the present invention. The transferable resin layer of the protective layer transfer film may be provided alone on the substrate film, or may be a sublimation dye layer or a wax ink layer. As a matter of course, they may be provided in the frame order. The image protected using the protective layer transfer film as described above is preferably an image formed by a sublimation type thermal transfer method and / or a wax type thermal transfer method, but is not limited to these images. Particularly when applied to a sublimation transfer image, the protective layer of the image is formed, and the dye forming the image is subjected to recoloring treatment by heat during transfer, so that the image becomes clearer. There is. Also, sublimation transfer image and /
Alternatively, the melt transfer type transfer image may be formed on any transfer target material, but in the present invention, an image formed on a card substrate made of polyester resin, vinyl chloride resin or the like is particularly preferable. . Of course, these card base materials may be provided with embossing, signature, IC memory, magnetic layer, other printing, etc., and it is also possible to provide embossing, signature, magnetic layer, etc. after transfer of the protective layer. is there.

An example of manufacturing a card using the protective layer transfer film of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, a yellow dye layer of a sublimation type thermal transfer sheet is superposed on the surface of the card substrate 21, and a yellow image Y is transferred by a thermal printer which operates according to a color separation signal. Similarly, the magenta image M and the cyan image C are transferred to the same area to form a desired color image 22. Next, desired characters, symbols, etc. 23 are printed in the same manner using a wax ink type thermal transfer sheet. When the sublimation type thermal transfer area and the melting type thermal transfer area are different, the sublimation image may be formed after transferring the wax ink. Further, a transferable resin layer including a transparent resin layer is transferred onto the color image 22 and / or the image 23 such as characters by using the protective layer transfer film of the present invention to form the protective layer 24. In this way, the desired card is obtained. At the time of the above transfer, the thermal printer may be set separately (preferably continuously) for sublimation transfer, wax ink transfer, and protective layer transfer film. The printing energy may be adjusted appropriately by the printer. In addition, in the present invention, the heating means is not limited to the thermal printer, and may be a hot plate, a heat roll, an iron, or the like.

[0013]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Reference Examples, Examples and Use Examples. In the text, parts and% are based on weight unless otherwise specified. Reference Example 1 An ink containing three color sublimable dyes having the following composition was prepared. Yellow ink disperse dye (Macrolex Yellow6G, manufactured by Bayer) 5.5 parts Polyvinyl butyral resin (S-REC BX-1, manufactured by Sekisui Chemical) 4.5 parts Methyl ethyl ketone / toluene (weight ratio 1/1) 89.0 parts Magenta ink dye Same as the yellow ink except that magenta disperse dye (Disperse Red 60) was used as. Same as yellow ink except that cyan disperse dye (Solvent Blue 63) was used as the cyan ink dye. A heat-resistant slip layer (thickness 1 μm) is formed on the back surface of the ink composition by a gravure coating method, and a primer layer made of a polyurethane resin (thickness 0.5 μm) is formed on the surface.
m) is formed on the surface of a 6.0 μm-thick polyester film (trade name “Lumirror” Toray) so that the coating amount is about 3 g / m ² and yellow, magenta and cyan are coated in this order. A sublimation-type thermal transfer sheet was prepared by sequentially coating and drying the coating with a width of 15 cm to form sublimable dye layers of three colors.

Reference Example 2 The following wax ink composition was heated at a temperature of 100 ° C., and was applied to a film having the same base film as in Example 1 but having no primer layer by a roll coating method using hot melt. Of about 4 g / m ² to prepare a melt transfer type thermal transfer sheet. Wax ink Acrylic / vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer resin 20 parts Carbon black 10 parts Toluene 35 parts Methyl ethyl ketone 35 parts

Example 1 An ink having the following composition was applied to the same base film as in Reference Example 2 at a rate of 3 g / m ^{2 based on} the solid content and dried to form a transparent resin layer. Ink for transparent resin layer Acrylic resin (BR-83, manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon) 20 parts Methyl ethyl ketone / toluene (weight ratio 1: 1) 80 parts Next, on the surface of the resin layer, an ink having the following composition is added in an amount of 1 g / solid basis. The ultraviolet blocking layer was formed and laminated by coating and drying at a ratio of m ² . Ink for UV blocking layer Acrylic resin (BR-83, made by Mitsubishi Rayon) 20 parts Ultrafine zinc oxide (ZnO-100, average particle size 0.05 μm, made by Sumitomo Cement) 20 parts Methyl ethyl ketone / toluene (weight ratio 1: 1) 80 parts Next, an ink having the following composition was applied to the surface of the ultraviolet blocking layer at a rate of 1 g / m ^{2 based} on solid content and dried to form an adhesive layer, and the protective layer transfer film of the present invention was formed. Created. Ink for adhesive layer Vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer (1000ALK, manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo) 20 parts Methyl ethyl ketone / toluene (weight ratio 1: 1) 80 parts

Example 2 The protective layer transfer film of the present invention was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 10 parts of the ultrafine zinc oxide was added to the transparent resin layer ink and the formation of the ultraviolet blocking layer was omitted. Got Example 3 A protective layer transfer film of the present invention was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 30 parts of the ultrafine zinc oxide was added to the ink for the adhesive layer and the formation of the ultraviolet blocking layer was omitted. . Example 4 In Example 1, tin oxide-based conductive fine powder (SN-100, manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo Co., Ltd., average particle size of 0.
The protective layer transfer film of the present invention was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 1 μm) was used.

Comparative Example 1 A protective layer transfer film of Comparative Example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the following ink was used in place of the ink for the ultraviolet blocking layer used in Example 1. Ink for UV blocking layer Acrylic resin (BR-83, manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon) 20 parts UV absorber (Tinuvin P, manufactured by Ciba Geigy) 1 part Methyl ethyl ketone / toluene (weight ratio 1: 1) 80 parts Comparative Example 2 Used in Example 1 A protective layer transfer film of a comparative example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the following ink was used in place of the ultraviolet blocking layer ink. Ink for UV blocking layer Acrylic resin (BR-83, made by Mitsubishi Rayon) 20 parts Titanium oxide (CR-50, made by Ishihara Sangyo, particle size 0.2-0.3 μm) 5 parts Methyl ethyl ketone / toluene (weight ratio 1: 1 ) 80 parts Comparative Example 3 A protective layer transfer film of Comparative Example was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the following ink was used in place of the ink for the ultraviolet blocking layer used in Example 1. Ink for UV blocking layer Acrylic resin (BR-83, made by Mitsubishi Rayon) 20 parts White pigment (zinc white, average particle size 1.0 μm) 10 parts Methyl ethyl ketone / toluene (weight ratio 1: 1) 80 parts

Example of use Card comprising 100 parts of polyvinyl chloride (polymerization degree 800) compound containing about 10% of additives such as stabilizer, 10 parts of white pigment (titanium oxide) and 0.5 part of plasticizer (DOP) A sublimation dye layer of the sublimation-type thermal transfer film of Reference Example 1 was superposed on the surface of the base material, and thermal energy was applied by a thermal head connected to an electric signal obtained by color-separating the facial photograph to give a full-color facial photograph image. Then, the melt transfer type thermal transfer film of Reference Example 2 was used to transfer characters and symbols, and the protective layer transfer film of the above Examples and Comparative Examples was used to include a transparent resin layer in each image portion. The layers were transferred by the same thermal head to obtain a card having a facial photograph and various necessary information. The image of the card thus obtained was excellent in both abrasion resistance and chemical resistance, but the light resistance and the sharpness (transparency) of the image were as shown in Table 1 below.

[0019]

[Table 1] Light resistance: ◯: Good Δ: Poor image clarity: ◯: The protective layer is transparent, the image does not become cloudy, and the image density is high. Δ: The protective layer is somewhat opaque and the image density is lowered. X: The protective layer is opaque and the image density is remarkably reduced.

[0020]

According to the present invention as described above, in the protective layer transfer film, by incorporating an inorganic pigment such as ultrafine zinc oxide in at least a part of the transferable resin layer, various durability of the thermal transfer image, particularly light resistance, can be obtained. PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a protective layer transfer film and a printed matter whose properties are maintained for a long time.

[0021]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross section of a protective layer transfer film of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross section of a printed matter obtained by using the protective layer transfer film of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Base film 2: Release layer 3: Transparent resin layer 4: UV blocking layer 5: Heat sealing layer 6: Back layer 21: Card substrate 22: Dye color image 23: Ink image 24: Including transparent resin layer Transferable resin layer

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A protective layer transfer film comprising a base film and a transferable resin layer provided on the base film, wherein the resin layer contains an ultrafine inorganic pigment. 2. The protective layer transfer film according to claim 1, wherein a release layer is provided between the base film and the resin layer. 3. The protective layer transfer film according to claim 1, wherein the transferable resin layer comprises a transparent resin layer and a heat seal layer, and at least one layer contains an ultrafine particle inorganic pigment. 4. The protective layer transfer film according to claim 1, wherein an ultraviolet blocking layer containing an ultrafine particle inorganic pigment is provided between the transparent resin layer and the heat seal layer. 5. The protective layer transfer film according to claim 1, wherein the ultrafine inorganic pigment is ultrafine zinc oxide. 6. A print product, wherein the transferable resin layer of the protective layer transfer film according to claim 1 is transfer laminated on at least a part of the surface of the print product having at least a dye image. .