JPH04308793A - Image receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an image receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording capable of preventing the occurrence of a missing transfer image and a hickey caused by static charges at the time of image forming, having good transport properties, and preventing sticking. CONSTITUTION:In an image receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording consisting of an image receiving layer and a substrate, an image receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording provided with a laminate having thermoplastic resin layers on both surfaces of paper as a substrate and controlled so that a water content of the paper is in the range of 5-10wt.% of the total paper weight.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording, and more specifically, it prevents deterioration of image quality due to transfer omissions during image formation, white spots due to charging, blister phenomenon, etc., and prevents sticking. The present invention relates to an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording that has good conveyance properties.

0002

[Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In recent years, inkjet,
Color recording technologies using electrophotography, thermal transfer, etc. are being considered.

Among these, the thermal transfer method in particular has many advantages, such as ease of operation and maintenance, the ability to make the device compact, and the ability to reduce costs.

In this thermal transfer method, a transfer sheet having a meltable ink layer on a support is imagewise heated by a laser or a thermal head to melt and transfer the meltable ink layer onto a transfer sheet. Thermal diffusion transfer method (sublimation) uses a transfer sheet having an ink layer containing a heat-diffusible dye (for example, a sublimable dye) on a support to diffusely transfer only the heat-diffusible dye to the transfer sheet. There are two types: transfer method).

The latter thermal diffusion transfer method has recently been developed as a method that can control the gradation of an image by changing the amount of heat-diffusible dye transferred in response to changes in the thermal energy of the thermal head. Attention has been paid.

On the other hand, as a typical image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording used in the above-mentioned thermal transfer recording system, there can be mentioned a laminated sheet having an image-receiving layer containing a thermoplastic resin and a release agent on the surface of a support.

In this image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording, a heat-diffusible dye is transferred to the image-receiving layer.

The support for this image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording may be, for example, paper, coated paper, synthetic paper (polypropylene, polystyrene, or a composite material made by laminating these with paper), white polyethylene terephthalate substrate, etc. - base film, transparent polyethylene aphthalate base film,
Transparent polyvinyl chloride-based films, polyolefin-coated papers, etc. are used.

However, among the above-mentioned image-receiving sheets for thermal transfer recording, those in which a plastic layer is laminated on the surface of the support have good smoothness, but the support is easily charged, and therefore the image-receiving layer attracts dirt and dust. It has the property of being easy to use.

[0010] If dirt or dust is adsorbed to the image-receiving layer, when the image-receiving layer and ink layer are overlapped and the heat-diffusible dye is transferred, voids due to the dirt or dust will be created at the interface between the two layers, which will prevent thermal diffusion. The color pigment is not transferred, and there are wide white spots in the image mainly due to dirt and dust.

Furthermore, if the support is easily charged, the transportability of the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording will be poor, and if the image-receiving sheets for thermal transfer recording are stored in piles, they will tend to stick to each other, so each sheet is You may not be able to take out the sheets, you may have to feed two sheets, or the handling is poor and it is not easy to handle.

On the other hand, among the above-mentioned supports, since polyolefin-coated paper is partially made of paper, it is relatively difficult to charge, but on the other hand, problems arise due to its high water content.

For example, if the paper in the image-receiving sheet has a high moisture content, the moisture may have an adverse effect on the image-receiving sheet due to high temperatures during image-receiving layer formation, image formation, or heat treatment after image formation. Sometimes.

That is, water in the paper evaporates due to the heat generated during high-temperature heating, resulting in a blister phenomenon (a phenomenon in which air bubbles are formed), making it impossible to obtain a clear image.

Furthermore, if the water content of the paper in the image-receiving sheet is high, the heat-diffusible dye in the ink layer tends to escape to the back side of the image-receiving sheet during transfer, resulting in so-called transfer omission.

The present invention has been made to improve the above situation.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording which can prevent transfer omissions during image formation, white spots due to charging, and blister phenomenon, has good conveyance properties, and can prevent sticking. There is a particular thing.

[0018]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a support comprising a paper containing a water content of 5 to 10% by weight based on the weight of the paper, and a thermoplastic resin layer on both sides of the paper. , an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording characterized by being provided with an image-receiving layer.

The present invention will be explained in detail below.

(1) Image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording The image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording of the present invention can basically be composed of a support and an image-receiving layer formed thereon.

- Support - The support in the present invention consists of paper and thermoplastic resin layers formed on both sides of the paper.

1. Paper In the present invention, the water content of the paper (inner paper) constituting the support is within the range of 5 to 10% by weight based on the total weight of the inner paper.

If the water content is less than 5% by weight, the support tends to become electrostatically charged, causing white spots due to adsorbed dirt and dust, and poor transportability of the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording. A problem arises.

On the other hand, if the water content of the paper exceeds 10% by weight, blister phenomenon and transfer omissions tend to occur during transfer. Furthermore, since the rigidity of the paper itself is reduced, the rigidity of the thermal transfer recording image-receiving sheet itself is also reduced, causing difficulties in operation and handling.

In the present invention, the water content of the paper can be adjusted to the specified range in a drying section using a drying cylinder or the like in the papermaking process.

[0026] The moisture content in the paper can be determined by a microwave moisture meter and gravimetric analysis.

The paper used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has a moisture content within the above range.

[0028] As the paper constituting the support, paper containing natural pulp as a main component can be used as long as it satisfies the above moisture content.

[0029] As this natural pulp, wood pulp is preferable. As the wood pulp, chemical pulp, kraft pulp (sulfate pulp), sulfite pulp, bleached pulp, etc. can be suitably used.

Further, the paper may contain additives such as a softener, a paper strength enhancer, a sizing agent, a filler, and a fixing agent during its production. Furthermore, this paper includes paperboard, medium-quality paper,
High quality paper, art paper, coated paper, cast coated paper, kraft paper, synthetic resin emulsion impregnated paper, etc. can be used.

The paper used in the present invention has a whiteness of, for example, Hunter whiteness L≧85, a=-1 to 3, b=-
It is preferably in the range of 1 to -6, especially L≧90, a
It is preferable that b = 0.5 to 1.5 and b = -3 to -5. When the Hunter whiteness of the paper is within the above range, the clarity of the thermally transferred image can be improved.

[0032] Hunter whiteness is determined by JIS Z
Measured with a spectrophotometer according to 8722, JIS
It can be determined according to Z 8730.

[0033] In order to bring the whiteness of the paper within the above range, it may be adjusted by bleaching the pulp used for paper making, using a fluorescent brightener, using a pigment, etc.

Further, the paper used in the present invention preferably has a smoothness of, for example, Bekk smoothness of 100 (unit: seconds) or more.

[0035] Beck smoothness is JIS P 8119
It can be measured with a Beck tester according to the following.

[0036] If paper with low smoothness and rough surface is used,
The heat-diffusible dye will not be transferred well because the surface of the support will be uneven, but if paper with high smoothness is used, the unevenness of the support surface will be reduced, making it possible to produce high-quality images. Obtainable.

The smoothness of the paper can be adjusted to a desired value by, for example, calendering the paper using an on-machine calender in a paper machine or a supercalender after paper making.

Further, the paper used in the present invention preferably has a Taber stiffness of 7 or more in the paper making direction and 3 or more in the direction perpendicular thereto, particularly 10 to 20 in the paper making direction and 5 to 10 in the perpendicular direction. When the stiffness of the paper is within the above range, the transportability of the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording will be improved and handling will be facilitated.

The stiffness can be measured using a Taber stiffness meter (Teledyne Company, USA).

On the other hand, the thickness of the paper used in the present invention is usually 100 μm or more, and preferably 150 to 250 μm.

[0041] The paper used in the present invention is preferably surface-treated, and corona discharge treatment is particularly preferred as the surface treatment. By performing the corona discharge treatment, it is possible to improve the adhesion of the thermoplastic resin layer, which will be described next.

2. Thermoplastic Resin Layer The resin constituting the thermoplastic resin layer laminated on both sides of the paper is not particularly limited as long as it is a thermoplastic resin.

Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyolefin resins, polyester resins, and polystyrene resins. Particularly preferred are polyolefin resins. Specific examples of preferred polyolefin resins include polyethylene resins and polypropylene resins. These resins have excellent adhesion to the ink sheet. In the present invention, a layer made of one or more of these thermoplastic resins is laminated on both sides of the paper, so the surface of the support is smoothed and the quality of transfer is improved, and it is also moisture-proof, waterproof, and water-resistant. , a moisture-resistant function is provided.

[0044] Unlike the case where a thermoplastic resin layer is laminated on only one side of paper, curling (warping or bending) can also be prevented.

In the present invention, the thermoplastic resin layer may contain known additives such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, barium sulfate, calcium carbonate, ultramarine blue, organic dyes, optical brighteners, antioxidants, etc. However, in the present invention, conductive substances well known as additives in the field of thermal transfer recording do not need to be added to the thermoplastic resin layer.

That is, as mentioned above, in the present invention, paper with a specific water content is used, so the support itself has appropriate antistatic properties even without adding a conductive substance to the thermoplastic resin layer. It is.

In the present invention, the thickness of the thermoplastic resin layer is preferably within the range of 5 to 35 μm.

3. Manufacturing method of support The support of the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording of the present invention can be produced by, for example, extrusion lamination or dry lamination of thermoplastic resin.
It can be manufactured by methods such as sion.

[0049] The thickness of the support is usually 20 to 300 μm.
, preferably 30 to 300 μm.

[0050] Furthermore, in the support of the present invention, an adhesive layer may be provided between the paper and the thermoplastic resin layer.

A back coat layer can also be provided on the lower surface of the thermoplastic resin layer provided on the lower surface of the paper.

-Image-receiving layer- The image-receiving layer can be formed from only a binder. Moreover, depending on the case, it can also be formed from a binder and various additives.

1. Binder The binder includes, for example, polyvinyl chloride resin,
Copolymer resins of vinyl chloride and other monomers (such as vinyl acetate), polyester resins, acrylic esters, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polycarbonates, cellulose triacetate, styrene acrylate resins, vinyl toluene acrylate resins, polyurethane resins, polyamide resins, Examples include urea resin, polycaprolactone resin, styrene-maleic anhydride resin, and polyacrylonitrile resin.

The above various resins may be newly synthesized and used, but commercially available products may also be used.

For example, commercially available polyester resins include Vylon 200, Vylon 290, Vylon 600 [all manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.], KA-1038C [manufactured by Arakawa Chemical Co., Ltd.] 220, and TP235 [all manufactured in Japan]. [manufactured by Synthetic Co., Ltd.] etc. can be used.

Among the binders, vinyl chloride copolymer resins typified by vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resins, polyvinyl chloride resins, polyester resins, and the like are preferred.

The vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resin preferably has a vinyl chloride component content of 85 to 97% by weight and a degree of polymerization of about 200 to 800. The vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resin used in the present invention does not necessarily need to be composed only of vinyl chloride components and vinyl acetate components, and may include vinyl alcohol components, maleic acid components, etc. as long as they do not impede the purpose of the present invention. It may also include.

Examples of such vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymers include S-LEC A, S-LEC C, S-LEC M [manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.], Vinyrite VACH, Vinylyte VYHH, Vinylyte VMCH,
Viny Light VYHD, Viny Light VYLF, Viny Light VYNS, Viny Light VMCC, Viny Light VMCA,
Vinilite VACD, Vinilite VERR, Vinilite VROH (manufactured by Union Carbide), Denkabinir 1000GKT, Denkabinir 1000L, Denkabinir 1000CK, Denkabinir 1000A, Denkabinir 1000LK2, Denkabinir 1000AS,
Denkabinir 1000MT2, Denkabinir 1000
CSK, Denkabinir 1000CS, Denkabinir 10
00GK, Denkabinir 1000GSK, Denkabinir 1000GS, Denkabinir 1000LT3, Denkabinir 1000D, Denkabinir 1000W [manufactured by Denka Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.], and the like.

In any case, from the viewpoint of physical properties, resins with glass transition points (Tg) in the range of -20 to 150°C, particularly 30 to 120°C, are suitable as binders for the image-receiving layer.
It is preferable to use a resin having an Mw in the range of .degree.

[0060] In forming the image-receiving layer, the various resins mentioned above utilize their reactive active sites (if there are no reactive active sites, they are added to the resin), and radiation, heat, moisture, catalysts, etc. It may be crosslinked or cured by, for example.

In that case, a radiation active monomer such as epoxy or acrylic or a crosslinking agent such as isocyanate can be used.

2. Additives Antioxidants, UV absorbers, light stabilizers, fillers (inorganic fine particles, organic resin particles), and pigments may be added to the additive image-receiving layer. Furthermore, a plasticizer or the like may be added as a sensitizer.

[0063] As the antioxidant, JP-A-59-1
No. 82785, No. 60-130735, JP-A-1-1
Antioxidants described in publications such as No. 27387, and compounds known to improve image durability in photographs and other image recording materials can be mentioned. As the UV absorber and light stabilizer, JP-A-59-15
No. 8287, No. 63-74686, No. 63-1450
No. 89, No. 59-19692, No. 62-229594
Compounds described in publications such as No. 63-122596, No. 61-283595, and JP-A-1-204788,
and compounds known to improve image durability in photographs and other image recording materials.

[0064] Examples of the filler include inorganic fine particles and organic resin particles.

Examples of the inorganic fine particles include silica gel, calcium carbonate, titanium oxide, acid clay, activated clay, alumina, etc., and examples of the organic fine particles include fluororesin particles, guanamine resin particles, acrylic resin particles, silicone resin particles, etc. The following resin particles can be mentioned. These inorganic/organic resin particles vary depending on their specific gravity, but are 0.1
Addition of ~70% by weight is preferred.

Typical examples of the pigment include titanium white, calcium carbonate, zinc oxide, barium sulfate, silica, talc, clay, kaolin, activated clay, and acid clay.

[0067] As the plasticizer, phthalate esters (
For example, dimethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, didecyl phthalate, etc.), adipate esters (dioctyl adipate, methyl lauryl adipate, di-2-ethylhexyl adipate, ethyl lauryl adipate, etc.), and other oleic acids. acid esters,
Succinic acid esters, maleic acid esters, sebacic acid esters, citric acid esters, epoxy stearic acid esters, phosphoric acid esters such as triphenyl phosphate and tricresyl phosphate, ethyl phthalylethyl glycolate and glycol esters such as butylphthalyl butyl glycolate.

In the present invention, the total amount of additives added is usually in the range of 0.1 to 50% by weight based on the binder.

(2) Production of image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording The image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording of the present invention is prepared by preparing a coating liquid for the image-receiving layer by dispersing or dissolving the components forming the image-receiving layer in a solvent; It can be manufactured by a coating method in which the image-receiving layer coating liquid is applied to the surface of a support and dried.

[0070] The image receiving layer can also be produced by a lamination method in which a mixture containing the components forming the image receiving layer is melt-extruded and attached to the surface of a support.

Examples of the solvent used in the coating method include conventionally known solvents such as water, alcohol, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, dioxane, and cyclohexanone.

[0072] When employing the lamination method, a coextrusion method may also be employed.

The image-receiving layer may be formed over the entire surface of the support, or may be formed on a part of the surface of the support.

The thickness of the image-receiving layer formed on the surface of the support is generally about 2 to 50 μm, preferably about 5 to 20 μm.

Further, in the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording of the present invention, a cushion layer may be provided between the support and the image-receiving layer.

[0076] By providing a cushion layer, noise is reduced and an image corresponding to image information can be transferred and recorded with good reproducibility.

In the present invention, when a support having polyethylene resin layers laminated on both sides of paper is used, a cushion layer is not necessary. However, when using a support in which hard resin such as polyester resin is laminated on both sides of paper, it is preferable to provide a cushion layer.

Examples of the material constituting the cushion layer include urethane resin, acrylic resin, ethylene resin, butadiene rubber, and epoxy resin. The thickness of the cushion layer is usually 1 to 50 μm, preferably 3 to 30 μm.
It is um.

The image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording of the present invention may further include a barrier layer and an intermediate layer (adhesive layer) between the support and the image-receiving layer.

(3) Ink sheet for thermal transfer recording The ink sheet for thermal transfer recording can basically consist of a support and an ink layer formed thereon.

-Ink layer- The ink layer contains a heat-diffusible dye and a binder as essential components.

1. Heat-diffusible dyes Examples of heat-diffusible dyes include cyan dyes, magenta dyes, and yellow dyes.

[0083] As the cyan dye, JP-A-59-7
No. 8896, No. 59-227948, No. 60-249
No. 66, No. 60-53563, No. 60-130735
No. 60-131292, No. 60-239289, No. 61-19396, No. 61-22993, No. 6
No. 1-31292, No. 61-31467, No. 61-3
No. 5994, No. 61-49893, No. 61-1482
No. 69, No. 62-191191, No. 63-91288
Examples include naphthoquinone dyes, anthraquinone dyes, and azomethine dyes described in publications such as No. 63-91287 and No. 63-290793.

[0084] As the magenta dye, JP-A-59-
No. 78896, JP-A-60-30392, JP-A-60
-30394, JP 60-253595, JP 61-262190, JP 63-5992, JP 63-205288, JP 64-159, JP 64-63194 Examples include anthraquinone dyes, azo dyes, azomethine dyes, etc., which are described in various publications such as No.

[0085] As a yellow dye, JP-A-59-78
No. 896, JP-A-60-27594, JP-A-60-3
No. 1560, JP-A-60-53565, JP-A-61-
Examples include methine dyes, azo dyes, quinophthalone dyes, and anthrisothiazole dyes described in publications such as No. 12394 and JP-A-63-122594.

Particularly preferred as the heat-diffusible dye is a compound having an open-chain or closed-chain active methylene group, and an oxidized product of a p-phenylenediamine derivative or a p-phenylenediamine derivative.
Azomethine dye obtained by a coupling reaction with an oxidized product of an aminophenol derivative and indoaniline obtained by a coupling reaction with an oxidized product of a phenol or naphthol derivative or a p-phenylenediamine derivative or an oxidized product of a p-aminophenol derivative. It is a pigment.

The heat-diffusible dye contained in the ink layer may be any of yellow dye, magenta dye, and cyan dye, as long as the image to be formed is monochromatic.

[0088] Depending on the tone of the image to be formed, the composition may contain two or more of the above three types of dyes or other heat-diffusible dyes.

The amount of the heat-diffusible dye used is usually 0.1 to 20 g, preferably 0.2 to 20 g per 1 m 2 of the support.
It is 5g.

2. Binder Binders for the ink layer include cellulose resins such as ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, cellulose acetate, and cellulose acetate butyrate; polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl formal, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl pyrrolidone,
polyester, polyvinyl acetate, polyacrylamide,
Examples include vinyl resins such as polyvinyl acetoacetal, styrene resins, styrene copolymer resins, polyacrylic esters, polyacrylic acids, and acrylic acid copolymers, rubber resins, ionomer resins, and olefin resins.

Among these resins, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl acetoacetal or cellulose resins, which have excellent acid resistance, are preferred.

[0092] The above-mentioned various binders can be used singly or in combination of two or more.

The weight ratio of the binder to the heat-diffusible dye is preferably 1:10 to 10:1, particularly preferably 2:8 to 8:2.

3. Other Optional Components Furthermore, various additives may be added to the ink layer as long as they do not impede the object of the present invention.

The additives include fillers such as fine metal powder, silica gel, metal oxide, carbon black, and fine resin powder, mold release agents such as silicone resin and fluororesin, and curing agents that can react with the binder component ( Examples include radiation active compounds such as isocyanates, acrylics, and epoxies.

Furthermore, as additives there may be mentioned heat-melting substances for accelerating transfer, such as waxes, higher fatty acid esters, and the compounds described in JP-A-59-106997.

-Support- Any support for the ink sheet for thermal transfer recording may be used as long as it has good dimensional stability and can withstand the heat during recording with a thermal head, but condenser paper, glassine paper, etc. Heat resistant plastic films such as tissue paper, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyamide, polycarbonate, polysulfone, polyvinyl alcohol, cellophane, polystyrene can be used.

The thickness of the support is preferably 2 to 10 μm, and the support has a subbing layer for the purpose of improving adhesion with the binder and preventing transfer and dyeing of the dye to the support. You can leave it there.

Furthermore, the back side of the support (the side opposite to the ink layer)
A backing layer may be provided for purposes such as running stability, heat resistance, and antistatic properties.

[0100] The thickness of this backing layer is usually 0.1~
It is 1 μm.

[0101] There are no particular restrictions on the shape of the support;
For example, it can be of any shape, such as wide sheets or films, or narrow tapes or cards.

(4) Production of ink sheet for thermal transfer recording The ink sheet for thermal transfer recording is prepared by dispersing or dissolving the various components forming the ink layer in a solvent to prepare a coating liquid for forming the ink layer. It can be manufactured by coating this on the surface of a support and drying it.

[0103] The above-mentioned binders are used by dissolving one or more of them in a solvent or dispersing them in a latex form.

[0104] Examples of the solvent include water, alcohols (eg, ethanol, propanol), cellosolves (eg, methyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve), aromatics (
(e.g., toluene, xylene, chlorobenzene), ketones (e.g., acetone, methyl ethyl ketone), ester solvents (e.g., ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, etc.), ethers (e.g., tetrahydrofuran, dioxane), chlorinated solvents (e.g., chloroform, trichloroethylene)
etc.

[0105] For the above-mentioned coating, conventional methods such as a surface sequential coating method using a gravure roll, an extrusion coating method, a wire bar coating method, a roll coating method, etc. can be employed.

[0106] The ink layer may be formed as a layer containing a monochromatic heat-diffusible dye on the entire surface or a part of the surface of the support, or may be formed as a layer containing a monochromatic heat-diffusible dye, or a yellow ink layer containing a binder and a yellow dye. A magenta ink layer containing a binder and a magenta dye and a cyan ink layer containing a binder and a cyan dye are formed on the entire surface or a part of the surface of the support in a constant repetition along the plane direction. You can leave it there.

The thickness of the ink layer thus formed is usually 0.2 to 10 μm, preferably 0.3 to 3 μm.
It is μm.

[0108] In the present invention, convenience in use can be made by forming perforations on the ink sheet for thermal transfer recording or providing detection marks for detecting the positions of areas with different hues. .

[0109] The ink sheet for thermal transfer recording is not limited to the structure consisting of a support and a heat-sensitive layer formed thereon, and other layers may be formed on the surface of the ink layer.

For example, an overcoat layer may be provided for the purpose of preventing set-off (blocking) of the heat-diffusible dye.

(5) Image formation (thermal transfer recording) To form an image, the ink layer of the ink sheet for thermal transfer recording and the image receiving layer of the image receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording of the present invention are superimposed, and the ink layer and the image receiving layer of the image receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording of the present invention are overlapped. Apply thermal energy imagewise to the interface of the image-receiving layer.

[0112] In this way, the heat-diffusible dye in the ink layer is vaporized or sublimated in an amount corresponding to the applied thermal energy, and transferred to the image-receiving layer side and received.

As a result, an image is formed on the image receiving layer.

[0114] As the heat source for providing the thermal energy,
A thermal head is generally used, but other known devices such as a laser beam, an infrared flash, and a thermal pen can also be used.

When a thermal head is used as a heat source for applying thermal energy, the applied thermal energy can be changed continuously or in multiple steps by modulating the voltage or pulse width applied to the thermal head.

[0116] When using laser light as a heat source for providing thermal energy, the heat energy provided can be changed by changing the amount of laser light and the irradiation area.

[0117] In this case, in order to facilitate laser light absorption, a laser light absorbing material (for example, in the case of a semiconductor laser, carbon black, an infrared absorbing substance, etc.) may be present in the ink layer or near the ink layer.

When using a laser beam, it is preferable to bring the ink sheet for thermal transfer recording and the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording into close contact with each other.

[0119] If a dot generator incorporating an acousto-optic element is used, thermal energy can be applied depending on the size of halftone dots.

[0120] When an infrared flash lamp is used as a heat source for providing thermal energy, heating is preferably performed through a colored layer such as black, as in the case of using laser light.

[0121] Alternatively, heating may be performed through a pattern or halftone dot pattern that continuously expresses the shading of an image, such as black, or a colored layer such as black on one side and a negative of the above pattern. Heating may be performed in combination with negative patterns.

Thermal energy may be applied from the ink sheet side for thermal transfer recording, from the image receiving sheet side for thermal transfer recording, or from both sides, but priority is given to effective use of thermal energy. If so, it is desirable to do so from the ink sheet side for thermal transfer recording.

[0123] By the above thermal transfer recording, a one-color image can be recorded on the image-receiving layer of an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording, but according to the method described below, it is possible to obtain a color photographic color image consisting of a combination of each color. You can also do it.

[0124] For example, by sequentially replacing yellow, magenta, cyan, and, if necessary, black thermal transfer recording sheets and performing thermal transfer according to each color, a color photo-like color image consisting of a combination of each color is obtained. You can also do that.

[0125] In addition, the following method is also effective.

That is, instead of using ink sheets for heat-sensitive transfer recording of each color as described above, an ink sheet for heat-sensitive transfer recording is used which has areas pre-painted in each color.

[0127] First, the yellow area is used to thermally transfer the yellow color separation image, and then the magenta area is used to thermally transfer the magenta color separation image. , and, if necessary, a method of thermally transferring the black color image in this order.

[0128] Although it is possible to obtain a color photographic-like color image with this method, a further advantage is that this method does not require replacing the heat-sensitive sheet for heat-sensitive transfer recording as described above. There is.

[0129]

[Example] Canadian Standard Freeness (JI)
S P-8121-76) 20% by weight of softwood bleached sulfite pulp (NBSP) beaten to 250ml and 80% by weight of hardwood bleached sulfite pulp (LBKP) beaten to Canadian standard freeness 280ml, and this mixture The pulp is fed to a Fourdrinier paper machine, and the moisture content is adjusted to four levels in the drying section using a drying cylinder, and the basis weight is 1.
A base paper with a weight of 40 g/m2 and a tension of 1.05 g/m2 was made. At this time, the following paper-making additives were used in the following amounts based on the absolute dry weight of the pulp.

[0130] Papermaking additives:
Cationized starch・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
・・・・・・2.0% Alkyl ketene dimer resin・・・・・・・・・・・・0.4% Anionic polyacrylamide resin・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
・0.1% Polyamide polyamine epichlorohydrin resin 0.7% Caustic soda...
・・・・・・・・・Adjust the pH to 7.5.

[0131] Also, counting from the press side of the drying section, 75
% position, mix carboxyl-modified polyvinyl alcohol and sodium chloride at a ratio of 2:1, dissolve this mixture in water, and apply 20g of the 5% size liquid prepared on both sides of the base paper. /m2 coating amount,
Base paper samples E and F were obtained.

Next, corona discharge treatment was applied to the wire side of the paper base paper, and high density polyethylene (density 0.94 g/cm2, MI=8.0) and low density polyethylene (density 0 .92g/cm2, MI=4.
A 1:1 weight ratio mixture with 6) was laminated by melt extrusion at a resin temperature of 330° C., and the mixture was cooled while being matted with a cooling roll to form a back coating layer with a thickness of 10 μm.

[0133] Next, the felt surface of the base paper was subjected to corona discharge treatment, and a 3:7 weight ratio dispersion mixture of high density polyethylene and low density polyethylene containing 10% titanium oxide was melt-extruded at a resin temperature of 320°C. Laminated,
A resin coating layer with a thickness of 10 μm was formed, thereby obtaining a glossy support.

[0134] When the moisture content of the inner paper in the four kinds of supports thus obtained was measured using a microwave moisture meter, it was found that each of the four kinds of supports had a moisture content of 4
%, 6%, 9%, and 11%.

[0135] Next, a coating solution for forming an image-receiving layer having the following composition was applied onto the above four types of supports by a gravure coating method, and dried at a temperature of 130°C for 5 minutes to form an image-receiving layer with a thickness of 5 μm. Four types of image receiving sheets for thermal transfer recording: A, B, C, and D.
I got it.

Coating liquid for forming image-receiving layer:
Vinyl chloride-isobutyl ether copolymer...
...9.0 parts (manufactured by BASF, Larofl
ex-MP25) Polyester modified silicone resin
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ 1.0 part [manufactured by Shin-Etsu Silicon Co., Ltd., X-24-8300] Methyl ethyl ketone・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・４０．
0 copies.

[0137] Next, commercially available FJIX VideoGr
Printing was carried out using a FUJIX video graphic printer using the aphic VP-H ink sheet and the above image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording, and the performance was evaluated as follows. The results are shown in Table 1.

Blisters: Examine whether or not blisters occur.

[0139] Conveyance performance: Under the environmental conditions of a temperature of 25°C and a relative humidity of 20%, the occurrence of jam troubles due to the feeding of multiple sheets during printing with the above video printer was examined. White spots: Count the number of white spots in the 76 x 97 mm printing area. Conveyance performance: Under the environmental conditions of a temperature of 25° C. and a relative humidity of 20%, the video printer described above was examined to see if there is any jam trouble caused by feeding multiple sheets during printing. Transfer defects: Store the album for 3 months after printing and check for transfer defects on the back side.

[0140]

[Table 1]

[0141]

[Effect of the invention] The image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording of the present invention is
Since transfer defects, white spots due to charging, and blister phenomena during image formation are prevented, the quality of the image can be improved. Furthermore, transportability is improved and sticking is prevented, making operation and handling easier.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method for thermal transfer recording comprising an image receiving layer provided on a support comprising a paper containing 5 to 10% water by weight based on the weight of the paper and thermoplastic resin layers on both sides. Image receiving sheet.