JP2000108512A - Heat-sensitive transfer method and adhesive layer transfer medium used for this method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the reliable adhesion between a heat-sensitive transfer ink layer to be transferred to the image receiving layer of an intermediate transfer medium and an image receiving body to be obtained, even without previously treating the image receiving body intended for forming an image finally, in a heat-sensitive transfer recording method using the intermediate transfer medium. SOLUTION: An image is printed on an image receiving layer 23 formed on the surface of an intermediate transfer medium 21 using a heat-sensitive transfer recording medium with a heat-sensitive transfer ink layer 3 to be transferred to the surface of a base material after being melted or softened. An adhesive layer 13 is transferred to the surface of an image receiving body 41 from an adhesive layer transfer medium structured of the adhesive layer 13 formed on the base material. After that, the image receiving layer 23 and the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer 3 are transferred to the face where the adhesive layer 13 of the image receiving body 41 is transferred from the intermediate transfer medium 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is provided on the surface of an intermediate transfer medium when an image is formed on a target image receiving body using a thermal transfer recording medium having a thermal transfer ink layer on a substrate. After once printing on the image receiving layer, in the method of transferring this image receiving layer to the target image receiving body, by providing an adhesive layer on the image receiving body in advance using an adhesive layer transfer medium,
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording method capable of improving the adhesion between an image receiving layer and an image receiving body and an adhesive layer transfer medium used in the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a thermal transfer recording method using a thermal transfer recording medium provided with a thermal transfer ink layer on a base material, an image is not directly transferred from the thermal transfer recording medium to a target image receiving body, but an intermediate transfer medium is used. A method is known in which an image composed of a thermal transfer ink layer is temporarily formed on an image receiving layer, and then this image (thermal transfer ink layer) is re-transferred to an intended image receptor together with the image receiving layer.

[0003]

By the way, when retransferring from the intermediate transfer medium to the target image receiving body, the adhesion between the image receiving layer of the intermediate transfer medium and the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer printed thereon and the surface of the image receiving body. Was not sufficient, it was necessary to provide a primer layer on the surface of the image receiving body as a pretreatment.
However, this pre-processing is often very troublesome, and such pre-processing may not be possible depending on the image receiving body. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in a thermal transfer recording method using an intermediate transfer medium, intermediate transfer can be performed without performing a so-called pre-process on an image receiving object to finally form an image. It is an object of the present invention to obtain good adhesion between an image receiving layer of a medium and a thermal transfer ink layer printed on the image receiving layer and an image receiving body.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a thermal transfer recording method of the present invention has a thermal transfer ink layer which is melted or softened by heat and transferred on at least one surface of a substrate. After performing printing on the image receiving layer provided on the surface of the intermediate transfer medium using the thermal transfer recording medium, in the method of transferring the image receiving layer of the printed intermediate transfer medium to a target image receiving body, Before transferring the image receiving layer of the intermediate transfer medium to the target image receiving body, the adhesive layer is transferred onto the image receiving body from an adhesive layer transfer medium having an adhesive layer provided on at least one surface of the substrate, Thereafter, the printed image receiving layer of the intermediate transfer medium is transferred to the surface of the image receiving body on which the adhesive layer has been transferred.

Further, the adhesive layer transfer medium of the present invention is used in the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention, and has a substrate and an adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer is pressed against the above-mentioned image receiving member. When the predetermined portion is heated, it is separated from the substrate and transferred onto the image receiving body, and the printed image receiving layer is adhered onto the transferred adhesive layer. The adhesive layer of the adhesive layer transfer medium is made of cellulose derivatives such as nitrocellulose, ethylcellulose and cellulose acetate propionate; styrene resins such as polystyrene and poly-α-methylstyrene; and acrylics such as polymethyl methacrylate and polyethyl acrylate. Resin,
Polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl resins such as polyvinyl butyral and polyvinyl acetal, polyester resin, polyamide resin, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, petroleum resin, ionomer, ethylene acrylic acid Polymers, and synthetic resins such as ethylene-acrylate copolymers, and rosin, rosin-modified maleic resin, ester gum, polyisobutylene rubber, butyl rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, butadiene acrylonitrile rubber,
It is preferable that at least one type of thermoplastic resin selected from the group consisting of polyamide resins, natural resins such as polychlorinated olefins, and synthetic rubber derivatives is used as a main component.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows an example of a thermal transfer recording medium. In the thermal transfer recording medium 1 of this example, a thermal transfer ink layer 3 is provided on one surface of a substrate 2 and a back coat layer 4 is provided on the other surface. The heat-sensitive transfer ink layer 3 is melted or softened by heat and transferred from the heat-sensitive transfer recording medium 1 onto an image receiving layer 23 of an intermediate transfer medium 21 described later, in which a pigment having a desired color tone is dispersed in a binder resin. Thus, a dye ink is prepared, applied to the substrate 2 and dried to form a dye ink.
The thermal transfer ink layer 3 may be composed of a single color such as black, or may be composed of three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan, or four colors obtained by adding black to the three colors according to an arbitrary pattern. As the pigment, various known pigments can be used, and examples thereof include carbon black, azo-based, phthalocyanine-based, quinacridone-based, thioindigo-based, anthraquinone-based, and isoindolinone-based pigments. These can be used in combination of two or more kinds, and other known dyes may be added for adjusting the hue. Examples of the binder resin include butyral resin, polyamide resin, polyethyleneimine resin, sulfonamide resin, polyester polyol resin, petroleum resin, styrene, α-methylstyrene,
-Methylstyrene, chlorostyrene, vinylbenzoic acid,
Sodium vinylbenzene sulfonate, styrene such as aminostyrene, derivatives thereof, homopolymers and copolymers of substituted methacrylates such as methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid, methyl acrylate, ethyl Acrylates such as acrylate, butyl acrylate, α-ethylhexyl acrylate, and dienes such as acrylic acid, butadiene, isodiene, isoprene, acrylonitrile, vinyl ethers, maleic acid and maleic esters, maleic anhydride, cinnamic acid, chloride A vinyl monomer such as vinyl or vinyl acetate alone or a copolymer of another monomer can be used. These resins can be used as a mixture of two or more kinds.

[0007] A release agent, a softening agent, a surfactant and the like are preferably added to the thermal transfer ink layer 3. Examples of the releasing agent and the softening agent include higher fatty acids such as palmitic acid and stearic acid, metal salts of fatty acids such as zinc stearate, fatty acid esters or partially saponified products thereof, fatty acid derivatives such as fatty acid amides, higher alcohols, Ether derivatives such as polyhydric alcohols, paraffin wax, carnauba wax, montan wax, beeswax, wood wax, candelilla wax, etc., low molecular weight polyethylene having a viscosity average molecular weight of about 1,000 to 10,000, and polypropylene. , Polyolefins such as polybutylene, or low molecular weight copolymers of olefins, α-olefins with organic acids such as maleic anhydride, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, vinyl acetate, etc., low molecular weight oxidized polyolefins, halogenated polyolefins, lauryl Metaclilay Esters of methacrylic acid and methacrylic acid esters having long alkyl side chains such as styrene and stearyl methacrylate, copolymers with vinyl monomers such as styrenes, and low molecular weight silicone resins such as polydimethylsiloxane and polydiphenylsiloxane And a silicone-modified organic substance. One or more of these can be selected and used.

The surfactant is not particularly limited as long as it is compatible with the composition in the ink layer. Examples of the surfactant include fatty acid salts, higher alcohol sulfate salts, aliphatic amine or aliphatic amide sulfates, and fatty acids. Anionic surfactants such as aliphatic alcohol phosphates, sulfonates of dibasic fatty acid esters, aliphatic amide sulfonates, alkylallyl sulfonates, and naphthalene sulfonates of formalin condensation; aliphatic amine salts; Cationic surfactants such as quaternary ammonium salts, alkylpyridinium salts, polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene alkyl phenol ethers, polyoxyethylene alkyl esters, sorbitan alkyl esters, polyoxyethylene sorbitan alkyl esters Carboxylic acid derivatives, amphoteric surfactants such as imidazoline derivatives, etc., perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, fluoroaliphatic group-containing acrylates or fluoroaliphatic group-containing methacrylates and polyoxyalkylene acrylates or the like. Copolymers with polyoxyalkylene methacrylate, perfluoroalkylsulfonamides and the like can be mentioned.

The base material 2 of the thermal transfer recording medium 1 is made of paper such as a condenser paper or a polyester film, a polystyrene film, a polypropylene, or the like, from the viewpoint of easy formation and handling of the thermal transfer ink layer 3 and mechanical strength. A film or a cellophane may be mentioned, and a polyester film (specifically, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) is particularly preferable because of its high heat resistance.
Etc.). The thickness of the substrate 2 is preferably 2 to 50 μm from the viewpoint of mechanical strength, ease of handling or availability.
In consideration of thermal characteristics such as thermal conductivity, heat transfer coefficient, and heat storage performance, 2 to 16 μm is more preferable.

The back coat layer 4 of the thermal transfer recording medium 1
Is formed using an appropriate material having good adhesion to the material of the base material 2. In the present invention, the back coat layer 4 may not be provided, but the back coat layer 4 made of an appropriate material may be provided on the surface of the substrate 2 on which the thermal transfer ink layer 3 is not provided. It is possible to improve heat resistance and slipperiness. Therefore, the back coat layer 4 is preferably provided in the thermal transfer recording medium 1 which is applied particularly to thermal transfer under severe conditions such as high-speed thermal transfer. The thermal transfer recording medium 1 having such a configuration can be manufactured by a conventional method. For example, a dye ink is coated on one surface of the substrate 2 by a coating method such as gravure, a Meyer bar, or a roll coat. After drying, the thermal transfer ink layer 3 can be formed. When the back coat layer 4 is provided, a composition for forming a back coat layer may be applied to the other side of the substrate 2 by a conventional method and dried.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the adhesive layer transfer medium. The adhesive layer transfer medium 11 of this example has an adhesive layer 13 provided on one surface of a base material 12 and a back coat layer 14 provided on the other surface. The adhesive layer 13 is separated from the base material 12 and transferred onto the image receiving member 41 by being pressed against the target image receiving member 41 and heated at a predetermined portion, and is printed on the transferred adhesive layer 13 as described later. The image receiving layer 23 is adhered, and is formed using a composition that can be transferred from the adhesive layer transfer medium 11 to the image receiving body 41 and has good adhesiveness after thermal transfer. For example, nitrocellulose, ethyl cellulose, cellulose derivatives such as cellulose acetate propionate, polystyrene, poly α
Styrene resins such as methylstyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, acrylic resins such as polyethyl acrylate,
Polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl acetal and other vinyl resins, polyester resin, polyamide resin, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, petroleum resin,
Ionomer, ethylene acrylic acid copolymer, synthetic resin such as ethylene-acrylate copolymer, rosin,
Rosin-modified maleic resin, ester gum, polyisobutylene rubber, butyl rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, butadiene acrylonitrile rubber, polyamide resin, derivatives of natural resins such as polychlorinated olefins, and synthetic rubber derivatives. Mixtures of more than one species are used.

As the base material 12 of the adhesive layer transfer medium 11,
The same material as the substrate 2 of the thermal transfer recording medium 1 can be used. For example, paper or polyester film such as condenser paper, polystyrene film, polypropylene film, or cellophane, and the like,
Particularly preferred is a polyester film having high heat resistance (specific examples include PET [polyethylene terephthalate] and PEN [polyethylene naphthalate]). The thickness of the substrate 12 is also preferably 2 to 50 μm from the viewpoint of mechanical strength, ease of handling, or availability, but in consideration of thermal characteristics such as thermal conductivity, heat transfer coefficient, and heat storage performance, the thickness is 2 to 50 μm.
16 μm is more preferred.

The back coat layer 14 of the adhesive layer transfer medium 11
Is formed using an appropriate material having good adhesion to the material of the base material 12. In the present invention, the back coat layer 14 may not be provided on the adhesive transfer medium 11, but the back coat layer 14 made of an appropriate material may be formed on the surface of the substrate 12 on which the adhesive layer 13 is not provided. It is possible to improve the heat resistance and the slipperiness by providing. Therefore, the back coat layer 14 is preferably provided in the adhesive layer transfer medium 11, which is particularly applied to thermal transfer under severe conditions such as high-speed thermal transfer. The adhesive layer transfer medium 11 having such a configuration can be manufactured by an ordinary method. For example, a coating method such as gravure, a Meyer bar, or a roll coat is applied onto one surface of the substrate 12 with the adhesive layer forming composition. By applying and drying, the adhesive layer 13 can be formed. When the back coat layer 14 is provided, the substrate 12
On the other side, the composition for forming a back coat layer may be applied by a conventional method and dried.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the intermediate transfer medium. The intermediate transfer medium 21 of this example has an image receiving layer 23 provided on one surface of a substrate 22. Intermediate transfer medium 21
As the base material 22, various known base materials can be used as long as the base material 22 has heat resistance so as not to be softened and deformed by heat and pressure during thermal transfer. For example, a polyethylene terephthalate film is preferably used. The thickness of the substrate 22 is not particularly limited, but is generally 9 to 300 μm, preferably 75 to 200 μm in consideration of the transportability of the printer.

The image receiving layer 23 of the intermediate transfer medium 21 is formed on the adhesive layer 13 transferred to the image receiving member 41 after the thermal transfer ink layer 3 is transferred from the thermal transfer recording medium 1 to form an image pattern. It is to be thermally transferred. Therefore, the image receiving layer 23 is made of a thermoplastic resin having good adhesiveness to the thermal transfer ink layer 3 and the adhesive layer 13, for example, cellulose derivatives such as nitrocellulose, ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate propionate, polystyrene, poly α-methylstyrene. Styrene resins such as styrene resins, acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate and polyethyl acrylate, polyvinyl resins such as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl butyral, and polyvinyl acetal, and polyesters Resin, polyamide resin, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, petroleum resin, ionomer, synthetic resin such as ethylene acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-acrylate copolymer, rosin, rosin-modified maleic resin, ester gum, polyisobuty Ngomu, butyl rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, butadiene acrylonitrile rubber, polyamide resins, either individually or in combination of two or more thermoplastic resins of natural resins and synthetic rubber derivatives of poly chlorinated olefins or the like is used as a main component. The thickness of the image receiving layer 23 is generally 1 to 10 μm. Various fillers such as silicone oil, silicone powder, and silica may be appropriately added to the image receiving layer 23. The intermediate transfer medium 21 having such a configuration can be manufactured by an ordinary method. For example, a composition for forming an image receiving layer is formed on one surface of the substrate 22 by gravure, a Meyer bar, or the like.
The image receiving layer 23 can be formed by coating and drying by a coating method such as roll coating. Further, the intermediate transfer medium 2
1 between the base material 22 and the image receiving layer 23
There is no problem even if an anchor layer is provided for assisting the adhesion with No. 2.

Image receiving body 4 on which an image is finally formed
As 1, for example, a paper material such as a commercially available copy paper can be used, but not limited to this, any material can be used as long as the adhesive layer 13 having the above composition can be transferred onto the surface. The shape is also arbitrary.

FIGS. 4 to 9 show the thermal transfer recording method of this embodiment in the order of steps. First, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, only a predetermined portion of the thermal transfer ink layer 3 of the thermal transfer recording medium 1 is thermally transferred onto the image receiving layer 23 of the intermediate transfer medium 21, and an image pattern is printed on the image receiving layer 23. I do. This step can be performed, for example, by using a thermal transfer device equipped with a thermal head. The thermal transfer recording medium 1 and the intermediate transfer medium 21 are separated from each other by the thermal transfer ink layer 3 and the image receiving layer 2.
3 and the thermal transfer recording medium 1
And the intermediate transfer medium 21 are selectively heated based on the image data, so that the image receiving layer 23 of the intermediate transfer medium 21 is heated.
A desired image pattern can be formed thereon.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the adhesive layer 13 of the adhesive layer transfer medium 11 is transferred onto the surface of the image receiving body 41 on which an image is to be finally formed. Adhesive layer 13
May be provided at least in the area of the surface of the image receiving body 41 where the image is formed, but it is preferable to provide the adhesive layer 13 on the entire area of the surface of the image receiving body 41 where the image receiving layer 23 is finally transferred. This step can be performed by using, for example, a thermal transfer device or a heat roller provided with a thermal head, and the adhesive layer transfer medium 11 and the image receiving body 41 are attached to the adhesive layer 13.
The adhesive layer 13 can be transferred onto the image receiving member 41 by heating the adhesive layer transfer medium 11 and a predetermined portion of the image receiving member 41 in a state where the adhesive layer 13 and the image receiving member 41 are superimposed on each other.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the thermal transfer ink layer 3 and the image receiving layer 23 are transferred from the intermediate transfer medium 21 to the surface of the image receiving body 41 on which the adhesive layer 13 is provided. Since the image receiving layer 23 functions as a protective film for protecting the image formed of the thermal transfer ink layer 3 in the final product after the transfer, at least the image receiving layer 23 in the area where the image pattern is formed may be transferred. It is preferable to transfer the image receiving layer 23 to almost the entire surface of the substrate 13. This step can be performed by a well-known thermal transfer method. For example, using a heat roller, the surface of the intermediate transfer medium 21 on which the image pattern is formed and the adhesive layer 13 of the image receiving body 41 are appropriately overlapped with each other. The image pattern (thermal transfer ink layer 3) can be transferred together with the image receiving layer 23 onto the adhesive layer 13 of the image receiving body 41 by applying heat and pressure at the heating temperature.

According to this embodiment, the intermediate transfer medium 21
When the thermal transfer is performed by using the adhesive, the adhesive layer 13 is provided on the image receiving body 41 in advance, and the image pattern is formed from the intermediate transfer medium 21 on the surface of the image receiving body 41 where the adhesive layer 13 is provided. Since the image receiving layer 23 is transferred, good adhesion between the image receiving layer 23 and the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer 3 printed on the image receiving layer 23 and the image receiving member 41 can be obtained via the adhesive layer 13. Therefore, without pre-processing the image receiving body 41 in advance,
An image can be formed on the surface of the image receiving body 41 by using the intermediate transfer medium 21. When the adhesive layer 13 is provided on the image receiving body 41, the adhesive layer transfer medium 11 having the adhesive layer 13 provided on the base material 12 is used, and the adhesive layer 13 of the adhesive layer transferring medium 11 is provided on the image receiving body 41. Since the transfer is performed, the adhesive layer 13 can be quickly provided on the image receiving body 41 by a simple operation. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to the case where the thermal transfer is continuously performed, and the adhesive layer 13 can be provided only in a desired area of the image receiving body 41.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that an image printing layer 24 is provided between the base material 22 and the image receiving layer 23 of the intermediate transfer medium 21a. The image printing layer 24 is formed by printing a desired image on a transparent resin layer or performing an appropriate processing, and has a main purpose of decorativeness and / or an effect of preventing forgery. This image printing layer 24 is formed on the intermediate transfer medium 21a.
Has good adhesion to the image receiving layer 23, and the intermediate transfer medium 21a
Is formed of a material that can be peeled off from the base material 22 of the intermediate transfer medium 21a when the image pattern is transferred from the substrate to the image receiving body 41. Examples of the resin used for the image printing layer 24 include a cellulose derivative, a styrene resin, a styrene copolymer resin, an acrylic resin, a methacryl resin, a rosin ester resin, a polyvinyl acetate resin, a polyvinyl chloride, and a vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer. One or more of thermoplastic resins such as coalesce, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyester resin, polyurethane resin, butyral resin, polyamide resin, petroleum resin, chlorinated rubber, chlorinated polyolefin resin, epoxy resin, and silicone resin Resin and those obtained by curing these resins can be used. In addition, to prevent counterfeiting, the use of additives that absorb electromagnetic waves of a specific wavelength, such as ultraviolet absorbing dyes or infrared absorbing dyes, or special inks, such as magnetic pigments, are secretly used to prevent counterfeit products. Can be easily distinguished. Furthermore, a swap agent may be added to control the adhesive strength of the intermediate transfer medium 21a to the base material 22 and to improve the abrasion resistance of the transferred image. As the swap agent, wax, particularly polyethylene wax, silicone oil, silicone resin powder, fluororesin powder, and the like can be suitably used.

The image printing layer 24 may be provided so as to overlap the entire surface of the image receiving layer 23, but the image printing layer 24 having a desired shape can be provided at a desired position on the image receiving layer 23.
If the thickness of the image printing layer 24 is too thick, the image formed by the thermal transfer ink layer 3 may be unclear in the final product, and if it is too thin, a preferable strength cannot be obtained. preferable. The image printing layer 24 is used when the intermediate transfer medium 21a is manufactured.
2 can be formed by a known printing method such as gravure printing or screen printing. Further, it can be formed by a non-contact method such as ink jet. Further, for example, a resin layer for processing may be applied on the base material by a gravure coater, a Meyer bar, or the like, and embossing may be performed thereon. Then, the composition for forming an image receiving layer is applied and dried on the image printing layer 24 in the same manner as in the first embodiment to form the image receiving layer 23.

The thermal transfer recording method of the present embodiment using the intermediate transfer medium 21a having such an image print layer 24 is similar to the thermal transfer recording method of the thermal transfer recording medium 1 in the first embodiment. Only a predetermined portion of the thermal transfer ink layer 3 is thermally transferred onto the image receiving layer 23 of the intermediate transfer medium 21a, and an image pattern is printed on the image receiving layer 23. On the other hand, the adhesive layer 13 of the adhesive layer transfer medium 11 is transferred onto the surface of the target image receiving body 41 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. After this, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, the thermal transfer ink layer 3, the image receiving layer 23, and the image printing layer 24 on which the image patterns are formed are transferred from the intermediate transfer medium 21a to the image receiving body 41. This step can be performed using, for example, a well-known thermal transfer device provided with a heat roller or a thermal head, and the surface of the intermediate transfer medium 21a on which the image pattern is formed and the image receiving member 4
In the state where the first adhesive layer 13 and the first adhesive layer 13 are superimposed on each other, an image pattern (thermosensitive transfer ink layer 3), an image receiving layer 23 and an image printing layer 24 Can be transcribed. As a result, an image in which the image formed on the image printing layer 24 and the image formed by the thermal transfer ink layer 3 are superimposed on the image receiving body 41 is obtained.

According to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, the image formed on the image printing layer 24 and the image formed by the heat-sensitive transfer ink layer 3 can be obtained. Since a superimposed image can be obtained, for example, a fixed design pattern such as a background or a mark is formed on the image printing layer 24, and an image pattern that changes for each product is formed by the thermal transfer ink layer 3. An image in which these are combined can be efficiently produced.

[0025]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the effects of the present invention will be clarified by showing specific examples. <Production of thermal transfer recording medium> 5.5 μm thick as base material
Using a polyester film of the above, a dye ink (yellow, magenta, cyan) having the following composition was pattern-coated on a surface of the substrate at a drying temperature of 90 ° C. by a gravure printing machine to form a thermal transfer ink layer, A thermal transfer recording medium was obtained. The dry thickness of the thermal transfer ink layer of each color was 1 μm. (Yellow dye ink composition)-Disazo yellow pigment 7.0 parts by weight-Butyral resin 10.0 parts by weight-Acrylic resin 5.0 parts by weight-Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin 3.0 parts by weight-Carnauba wax 5. 0 parts by weight-Toluene 60.0 parts by weight-Isopropyl alcohol 10.0 parts by weight (magenta dye ink composition)-Monoazo red pigment 8.0 parts by weight-Butyral resin 10.0 parts by weight-Acrylic resin 5.0 parts by weight 7. parts by weight ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin 3.0 parts by weight carnauba wax 5.0 parts by weight toluene 60.0 parts by weight isopropyl alcohol 10.0 parts by weight (cyan dye ink composition) phthalocyanine blue pigment 0 parts by weight-Butyral resin 10.0 parts by weight-Acrylic resin 5.0 parts by weight-Ethylene acetic acid Vinyl copolymer resin 3.0 parts by weight ・ Carnauba wax 5.0 parts by weight ・ Toluene 60.0 parts by weight ・ Isopropyl alcohol 10.0 parts by weight

<Production of Transfer Media for Adhesive Layer> A polyester film having a thickness of 5.5 μm was used as a substrate, and a composition for forming an adhesive layer having the following composition was dried on one surface of the substrate by a gravure printing machine. An adhesive layer was formed by coating at a temperature of 100 ° C. to obtain an adhesive layer transfer medium. The dry thickness of the adhesive layer is 1 μm
And (Composition for forming adhesive layer)-18.0 parts by weight of polyester resin-2.0 parts by weight of acrylic resin-40.0 parts by weight of methyl ethyl ketone-40.0 parts by weight of toluene

<Manufacture of Intermediate Transfer Medium>
Using a 6 μm polyethylene terephthalate film,
On one surface of this substrate, a composition for forming an image receiving layer having the following composition was applied by a Mayer bar coater and dried to form an image receiving layer having a dry thickness of 4 μm, thereby obtaining an intermediate transfer medium. (Composition for forming an image receiving layer)-Vinyl chloride vinyl acetate-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin 8.0 parts by weight-Butyral resin 7.0 parts by weight-Polyester resin 3.0 parts by weight-Silicone powder 0.3 parts by weight-MEK 45.0 parts by weight ・ Toluene 36.7 parts by weight

Using the heat-sensitive transfer recording medium, adhesive layer transfer medium, and intermediate transfer medium obtained as described above, an image was formed on a commercially available copy sheet as an intended image receiving body. That is, first, the thermal transfer recording medium and the intermediate transfer medium were set in a commercially available thermal transfer printer, and an image pattern was formed on the image receiving layer of the intermediate transfer medium by thermal transfer. On the other hand, the adhesive layer transfer medium and a commercially available copy paper (image receiver) were set in a commercially available thermal transfer printer, and solid printing was performed by thermal transfer to transfer the adhesive layer of the adhesive layer transfer medium to a commercially available copy paper. Then, the intermediate transfer medium on which the image pattern has been transferred to the image receiving layer and the copy paper on which the adhesive layer has been transferred are superimposed, and the image receiving layer is transferred onto the copy paper by a 160 ° C. heat roller to obtain a final image transfer product. I got

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a thermal transfer recording method using an intermediate transfer medium, an image is adhered on an image receiver prior to transferring an image from the intermediate transfer medium to a target image receiver. By providing the layer, good adhesion between the image receiving layer of the intermediate transfer medium and the thermal transfer ink layer printed on the image receiving layer and the image receiving body can be obtained. Therefore, an image can be preferably formed by a method using an intermediate transfer medium on the surface of the image receiving member without pre-processing the image receiving member in advance. Further, since the adhesiveness between the image receiving layer and the thermal transfer ink layer and the image receiving body is improved by interposing the adhesive layer, good strength and durability can be obtained, and the resolution of the image can be improved. Printing on a non-smooth image receiving body can be performed well. Further, in order to provide an adhesive layer on the image receiving body, using an adhesive layer transfer medium having an adhesive layer provided on at least one surface of the substrate, and transferring the adhesive layer of the adhesive layer transfer medium onto the image receiving body. Accordingly, the adhesive layer can be quickly provided on the image receiving body by a simple operation.
Therefore, the present invention can be applied to a case where thermal transfer is continuously performed, and it is also possible to provide an adhesive layer only on a desired region of an image receiving body.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of a thermal transfer recording medium according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of an adhesive layer transfer medium according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an example of an intermediate transfer medium according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of performing printing in an embodiment of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of performing printing in the embodiment of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of transferring an adhesive layer in the embodiment of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of transferring an adhesive layer in the embodiment of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of retransferring an image in the embodiment of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of retransferring an image in the embodiment of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a step of retransferring an image in another embodiment of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a step of retransferring an image in another embodiment of the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal transfer recording medium 2 Base material 3 Thermal transfer ink layer 11 Adhesive layer transfer medium 12 Base material 13 Adhesive layer 21 Intermediate transfer medium 22 Base material 23 Image receiving layer 41 Image receiving body

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image receiving layer provided on the surface of an intermediate transfer medium using a heat-sensitive transfer recording medium having a heat-sensitive transfer ink layer transferred by melting or softening by heat on at least one surface of a substrate. After printing, in the method of transferring the image receiving layer of the printed intermediate transfer medium to a target image receiving body, before transferring the image receiving layer of the printed intermediate transfer medium to the target image receiving body, Transferring the adhesive layer onto the image receiving member from an adhesive layer transfer medium having an adhesive layer provided on at least one surface of the image receiving member, and then transferring the image receiving layer of the printed intermediate transfer medium to the adhesive layer of the image receiving member. A thermal transfer recording method, wherein the image is transferred onto a surface to which the image has been transferred. 2. An adhesive layer transfer medium used in the thermal transfer recording method according to claim 1, comprising a base material and an adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer is pressed against the target image receiving body and a predetermined portion is formed. Is transferred from the base material to the image receiving body by being heated, and the printed image receiving layer is bonded to the transferred adhesive layer. 3. The adhesive layer according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive layer comprises cellulose derivatives such as nitrocellulose, ethyl cellulose, and cellulose acetate propionate;
-Styrene resins such as methylstyrene, acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate and polyethyl acrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl butyral, and vinyl such as polyvinyl acetal -Based resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, petroleum resin, ionomer, ethylene acrylic acid copolymer, and synthetic resin such as ethylene-acrylate copolymer, and rosin, rosin-modified maleic resin, At least one heat selected from the group consisting of natural resins and synthetic rubber derivatives such as ester gum, polyisobutylene rubber, butyl rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, butadiene acrylonitrile rubber, polyamide resin, and polychlorinated olefin; Adhesive layer transfer medium according to claim 2, characterized in that the main component plastic resin.