JP2000313166A - Transferable image medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transferable medium with superb transferability, image gloss and optical density for receiving an aqueous ink jet ink. SOLUTION: The transferable image medium comprises a carrier support, a release layer containing a release agent made up of a specific water-soluble polymer and a matting agent, a hydrophobic protecting layer containing a specific hydrophobic polymer and an ink receiving layer containing a specific water-soluble polymer, a carboxylic acid group and a hydrophilic thermoplastic polymer with 6,000 or more molecular weight, laminated in that order.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a transfer medium for transferring an image on a permanent support.

[0002] Ink jet printing is one of the non-impact methods for recording information in response to electronic signals, such as those generated by a computer. In a printer, electronic signals create droplets of ink that are deposited on a medium such as paper or transparencies. Due to their reliability, relatively quiet operation, image performance, print quality and low cost, ink jet printers have found widespread commercial use.

In current ink jet printing applications,
Text and image information is printed on a print medium, typically plain paper, using several types of inks (typically having black, cyan, magenta, and yellow colors). These inks are composed primarily of water and contain a colorant, which may be a dye or pigment dispersion. Similarly, the inks contain a polyhydric alcohol to prevent nozzle clogging and may contain various adjuvants. Those inks and plain paper, as currently practiced, are well suited for desktop publishing, where only a small portion of the paper accepts printed text and image information.

Similarly, in applications such as commercial printing and desktop publishing, ink-jet printing techniques are used to reproduce high quality colored picture information (such as photographs and the like). It is desired. However, in these applications, the print media requires a significant amount of black and tinted to accurately reproduce the various hues, tints, and colors contained in typical colored pictures. Accept ink. For example, in conventional commercial printing applications,
It is expected that the print media will receive a deposit of 200% or more.

[0005] Normally, plain paper stock is not suitable for such high quality applications for a number of reasons. Water disrupts the structure of the paper, causing "wrinkles" that affect the appearance of the paper, and in extreme cases, skews the paper to the extent that it contacts the ink jet pen, interrupting the printing process. Similarly, the paper may not absorb water quickly enough to achieve the desired printing speed, or may cause flooding of the paper surface, which adversely affects image quality . In addition, capillary wicking of the ink into the paper can cause the paper to "see through" through the printed image, which can compromise image quality. Printed text and pictures are more robust, for example, better handling after printing,
There is a need to show water fastness and stain resistance.

[0006] Specialized ink jet media have been developed to achieve high quality images in ink jet printing. In applications such as proofing, the image is printed on an image receptor element and then transferred to a permanent support.

[0007] There remains a need for the development of transfer media that improves the appearance of the final imaged product.

The present invention provides a transfer medium for receiving a printed image with an ink, particularly an aqueous ink jet ink containing a dye or pigment colorant, and more particularly an ink jet ink based on a dye. provide.
The printed image is easily transferred to a permanent support due to the components contained in the ink receiving layer of the medium and the presence of the matting agent in the release layer. Its permanent support is
Paper, thermoplastic resin, glass, aluminum foil and the like may be used. This media has improved gloss properties and therefore exhibits reduced image distortion.

Thus, in one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method comprising: (a) a carrier support; and (b) a release layer, comprising: polyamide polymers and polyamide copolymers and combinations thereof; cellulose ethers; At least one release agent selected from blends of ethylene oxides; and a water-soluble polymer with polyethylene oxide; and at least one matting agent in an amount of about 3 to about 30% by weight, based on the weight of the release layer. And (c) a hydrophobic protective layer having a surface adjacent to the release layer, which may be provided as necessary, comprising an acrylate or methacrylate polymer;
A hydrophobic protective layer comprising at least one compound selected from epoxy resins, diene rubbers, polyolefin elastomers, polyurethane elastomers, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl butyral, polycarbonates, cellulose esters, and combinations thereof; d) providing a transferable image medium comprising, in this order, at least 15% of a water-soluble binder and an ink-receiving layer comprising at least one carboxylic acid group and a hydrophilic thermoplastic polymer having a molecular weight of at least 6000. .

The media and process are particularly useful in applications related to printing picture information, especially in demanding ink jet printing applications that require more ink than is typically used to print text. Provide usefulness.

[0011] In another embodiment of the present invention, the transferable image medium excludes a protective layer.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a process for preparing an inked image by using a transferable image medium as described above.

In a preferred application, the medium has an ink receiving layer, a hydrophobic protective layer, a release layer and a carrier support in that order.

[0014] The carrier support is rigid and dimensional stable enough to support the printed image without distorting or misaligning the image, and can be exposed to aqueous inks without warping or shrinking. A material having sufficient water resistance. Similarly, the material must withstand the heat and pressure applied during the lamination process described below. Typically, the support is about 25 micrometers to about 250 micrometers (1.0 to 10 micrometers).
Mill), preferably from about 50 micrometers to about 20 micrometers.
It has a thickness of 0 micrometers (2 to 8 mils).
Suitable materials include polymer films such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate, polyamides, polycarbonates, fluoropolymers, polyacetals, and polyolefins. In addition to natural and synthetic papers that have been treated to be water resistant, thin metal sheets may be selected. The support may be transparent, translucent or opaque. It may be colored, and may have components such as antihalation dyes incorporated therein to meet the needs of the particular application. Polyethylene terephthalate film is a preferred support material.

If the support is later separated by "peeling" as described below, a conventional antistatic coating may be present on one or both sides of the support to reduce static electricity. In addition, the antistatic film is a coloring agent, an antihalation dye, an optical brightener, a surfactant, a plasticizer,
A material such as a coating aid may be contained.

To reduce curl, a conventional backcoat on the carrier support may be applied to the carrier support of the medium. Further, if the material selected as the first support does not have the desired handling properties, the carrier support may have a backing layer to improve the transport properties of the media in the ink jet printer. May be.
The backing layer may have antistatic agents, matting agents, etc. commonly used in the art. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,942, the carrier support may have an abrasion resistant coating.

A fixed layer may be used to ensure proper adhesion of the release layer to the carrier support. As used in the art, the term "fixed layer" means a layer that is adhesively bonded to layers on both sides of the layer. Adhesive materials for bonding to different types of materials are well known in the art and are described in the Handbook iof Adhesive
s, 2nd ed., Irving Skeist (Van Nostrand Reinhold C
o., New York 1977). Any conventional adhesive material can be used in the fixation layer (s), as long as it does not adversely affect the printing process. Examples include ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymers, vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymers, vinyl chloride / vinylidene chloride copolymers, thermoplastic polyamides, and the like. Selection of the adhesive depends on the composition of the release layer and the support. The fixed layer (s) may contain materials such as antistatic agents, colorants, antihalation dyes, optical brighteners, surfactants, plasticizers, coating aids, and the like. Generally, the pinned layer (s) will have a
01 to 10 micrometers, preferably 0.05 to 5
It has a thickness in the range of micrometers.

The release layer facilitates the removal of the carrier support from the rest of the layers constituting the transfer medium after image formation.

The release layer comprises a blend of cellulose ethers; polyethylene oxides; and a water-soluble polymer with polyethylene oxide; thermoplastic polyamides and
And a release agent selected from those copolymers such as Ultramid® 1C. Examples of water-soluble polymers include polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polysaccharides,
Contains cellulosic compounds such as hydroxymethylcellulose, starches and gums. Examples of cellulose ethers include ethyl cellulose.

The matting agent added to the release layer adjusts the gloss properties of the layer adjacent to the release layer (ie, the image receiving layer or, if the medium contains a protective layer, the protective layer). It has been found that it can be used.

Preferably, a matting agent having a preferred particle size of from about 3 to about 45 micrometers, preferably from about 8 to about 20 micrometers, is used in an amount of about 3 to about 30% by weight, based on the weight of the release layer, preferably About 5 to about 1
It is contained in an amount of 0% by mass.

The matting agent used should be chemically inert and can be either organic or inorganic. Some matting agents suitable for use in the release layer include silica or silicates, zeolites, calcined kaolin, diatomaceous earth, barium sulfate, aluminum hydroxide or calcium carbonate, glass beads, mica,
Inorganic fillers such as tin oxide and titanium dioxide, and organic mats such as polymer particles (eg, homopolymers or copolymers of styrene derivatives such as styrene or divinylbenzene, fluorocarbon polymers and crosslinked polyacrylates). Agents, and other materials that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. A preferred matting agent is silica.

The release layer may contain other components such as an antistatic agent, a colorant, an antihalation dye, a surfactant, a plasticizer, and a coating aid.

The release layer generally has a thickness in the range from about 2 to about 20 micrometers, preferably from about 3 to about 6 micrometers. In other words, the dry coverage of the release layer varies from about 20 to about 200 mg / dm ² , preferably from about 30 to about 60 mg / dm ² .

The hydrophobic protective layer comprises acrylate or methacrylate polymers such as polybutyl methacrylate having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 15 ° C. and 35 ° C .; epoxy resins; polyisoprene, polybutadiene,
It comprises at least one compound selected from diene rubbers such as styrene-butadiene rubber and chloroprene rubber; polyolefin elastomers; polyurethane elastomers; polyvinyl chloride; polyvinyl butyral; polycarbonates; Preferred compounds include polybutyl methacrylate having a Tg of 15 ° C. and polybutyl methacrylate having a Tg of 35 ° C., or mixtures thereof.

Preferably, the hydrophobic protective layer also contains an ultraviolet absorber. Preferred UV absorbers often contain groups such as, for example, benzoates, benzophenones, salicylates, cinnamates, dithiocarbamates, benzotriazoles, propenoates, diphenylacrylates, and combinations thereof. Examples of preferred UV absorbers are: propoxylated ethyl paraaminobenzoate; propoxylated ethyl paraaminobenzoate; dipropylene glycol salicylate; 4-dodecyloxy-2-hydroxybenzophenone; paradimethylaminobenzoic acid 2-ethylhexyl; 2-ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate; 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone;
-Hydroxy-4-n-octoxybenzophenone; hydroxybenzoates; nickel dibutyldithiocarbamate; N- (p-ethoxycarbonylphenyl)-
N'-ethyl-N'-phenylformamidine; a mixture of benzophenone and 1-hydroxycyclohexylphenyl ketone; 2-methyl-1- (4-methylthiophenyl) -2-morpholino-1-propanone; p-methoxycin 2-ethylhexyl namate; 2-hydroxy-4
-Methoxybenzophenone; dihydroxybenzophenone; 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone-5
-Sulfonic acid; 2-hydroxy-4-octoxybenzophenone; 2- (2'-hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl) benzotriazole; 2,2 ', 4,4'-tetrahydroxybenzophenone;2,2'-Dihydroxy-4,4'-dimethoxy-5-sulfobenzophenone sodium salt; 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone; 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone-
5-sulfonic acid; ethyl 2-cyano-3,3-diphenylacrylate; 2-ethylhexyl 2-cyano-3,3-diphenylacrylate; 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone; 2-cyano-3,2-propenoic acid, Including 3-diphenyl-2-ethylhexyl ester.

The hydrophobic protective layer may contain conventional components such as a matting agent. Since the printed image is viewed through a hydrophobic protective layer, the layer is transparent and preferably does not have a yellowness that can alter the color balance of the printed image.

[0028] The hydrophobic protective layer generally comprises from about 3 to about 40.
It has a thickness of micrometers, preferably in the range of about 7 to about 20 micrometers.

The ink receiving layer is composed of a composition having a balance of a plurality of properties. After the image has been formed, the ink receiving layer is easily separated, and preferably the ink receiving layer, if present, is a hydrophobic protective layer or adjacent to transfer the image to a permanent support by lamination. The layer is peelably attached to a release layer which is a layer to be removed.
Since the printed image is seen through the ink receiving layer,
The layer is transparent and preferably has no yellowness that can alter the color balance of the printed image.

It is desirable that the ink receiving layer be not tacky enough to exhibit handling problems at ambient temperature.
However, materials that are too slippery to exhibit registration problems during lamination to a permanent support must be avoided. For many applications, it is desirable to use an ink receiving layer that is resistant to scratching and abrasion when wet or dry, and resistant to cracking or creasing when folded.

The ink receiving layer typically has about 3 to about 4
It has a thickness of 0 micrometers, preferably in the range of about 5 to about 20 micrometers. It comprises at least 15% of a water-soluble binder (preferably polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyhydroxymethylcellulose, polyhydroxyethylcellulose, polyhydroxypropylcellulose, cellulose compounds such as polyhydroxypropylmethylcellulose, starch, gelatin, gum arabic and the like). And at least one carboxylic acid group and at least 6% in an amount of preferably 15% to 85%.
It contains a hydrophilic thermoplastic polymer having a molecular weight of 000.

[0032] Polymers containing carboxylic acid groups are conventionally used in (1) acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and olefinic dicarboxylic acids (eg, maleic or itaconic acid), and olefinic dicarboxylic anhydrides (eg, At least one monomer selected from the group consisting of: maleic anhydride or itaconic anhydride);
(2) at least one selected from the group consisting of acrylate or methacrylate esters containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, dialkylaminoacrylate or methacrylate, styrene, vinyl acetate, vinyl methyl ether or vinyl ethyl ether, vinyl pyrrolidone, ethylene oxide and the like. It is a copolymer with a monomer.
Some copolymers that may be selected are methyl methacrylate (37%) / ethyl acrylate (56%) / acrylic acid (7%) terpolymer (acid number 76-85, molecular weight 260,000); Methyl methacrylate (61.75
%) / Ethyl acrylate (25.75%) / acrylic acid (12.5%) terpolymer (acid value 100, molecular weight 20)
000); styrene / maleic anhydride half ester copolymer and poly (methyl vinyl ether / maleic acid) having a styrene to maleic anhydride ratio of 1.4 / 1 to 1/1 and a molecular weight of 60,000 to 215,000. It is.

Some useful hydrophilic thermoplastic polymers having at least one carboxylic acid group and a molecular weight of at least 6000 are methyl vinyl ether / maleic acid or maleic anhydride; methyl vinyl ether / itaconic acid or itaconic anhydride; Maleic acid or maleic anhydride; styrene / maleic acid or maleic anhydride; including polymethacrylic acid and polyacrylic acid.

When using pigment-based inks,
The ink receiving layer may also contain a neutralizing component to minimize or avoid cracking of the coating.
Neutralizing agents (eg, ammonia; N, N-dimethylethanolamine; triethanolamine and 2-amino-
2-methylpropanol) and the pH of the solution
May be adjusted to about 4.0. The pH has been found to be advantageous in minimizing cracking of images drawn with inks formed by pigment-based inks.

The coating (ink-receiving layer) may be made of an inorganic filler, a humectant, an ultraviolet absorber, a polymer dispersant, an antifoaming agent, a fungicide, an antioxidant, a latex, a mordant, a fluorescent brightener, And other conventional components.

[0036] The ink receiving layer generally has a thickness in the range of 3 to 40 micrometers, preferably 10 to 20 micrometers.

In one embodiment, the ink-receiving layer may be disposed directly on a release layer containing the matting agent having the specified size and present in the specified amount. Good. Accordingly, the present invention provides a transferable image medium comprising (a) a carrier support; (b) a release layer; and (c) an ink-receiving layer in this order.

[0038] The hydrophobic protective layer and the ink-receiving layer are sequentially deposited on a carrier support having a release layer thereon. For high coverage images, the hydrophobic protective layer has a dry coverage of from about 30 mg / dm ² (milligrams per square decimeter) to about 400 mg / dm ² ,
Similarly, the ink receiving layer may have a thickness from about 30 mg / dm ² to about
It has a dry coating weight of 0 mg / dm ² . Appropriate laydowns are required to provide sufficient ink vehicle absorption capacity to prevent ink spreading or puddling, and to minimize wrinkling by polar substances. The layers are deposited on the carrier support by conventional coating methods such as roller coating or knife coating methods (e.g., air knives, trailing blades). All the components can be pre-mixed to form a composition that is applied to the surface of the release layer at the application amounts described above.

In a separate embodiment, a hydrophobic protective layer and an ink receiving layer may be laminated in this order to a release layer applied on a carrier support.

If the medium is to function as a transfer medium, the balance of adhesion between the various media layers is important. The adhesion at the point of separation must be lower than the adhesion between all other layers remaining during separation. Except for the separation point, a fixed layer may be present between the layers to increase the adhesion between those layers.

The permanent support for the colored image can be selected from almost any desired material. For most applications, a permanent paper support is used. Other materials that can be used as permanent supports include cloth; wood; glass; porcelain; polymer films such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, and the like; synthetic paper; thin metal sheets or foils; An adhesive may be used to achieve the desired bond strength between the ink receiving layer and the permanent support.

The transfer medium provided by the present invention accepts ink printed by a conventional ink jet printer, such as a thermal or bubble jet printer, a piezoelectric printer, a continuous flow printer, or a valve jet printer. can do.

A single or multicolor image may be printed on a permanent support using a transfer process. For example, printing on a medium with one or more colored inks,
It may then be transferred to a permanent support. The permanent support is primed or has an adhesive layer,
A durable connection may be ensured. The support and release layer of the medium are then easily removed by peeling or peeling, leaving the ink-receiving layer and the hydrophobic protective layer (if present) on the permanent support. In one variation, this process may be repeated with an ink receiving layer containing ink dispersions of various colors to form a multicolor image. In these applications, it is important that the ink receiving layer have the desired degree of transparency.
This is because the colorant is observed through the layer.

The media and process of the present invention have application for ink jet printing techniques using aqueous ink dispersions and provide high quality printed images on a wide variety of substrates. Both picture information and surface-patterned information can be printed. For multicolor images, yellow, cyan,
Magenta and black inks are advantageously used. Applications include desktop publishing in addition to a wide range of applications, such as printing signs, flags, and the like. Applications further include depositing ink jet images on objects having non-planar contours.

According to the present invention, the gloss reading of the transfer medium can be adjusted to match the gloss reading of the permanent support. The harmonized gloss reading improves the appearance of the final imaged product.

[0046]

EXAMPLES Table 1 below shows the names and chemical descriptions of the components used in this example.

[0047]

[Table 1]

Printing and Lamination Unless otherwise specified, each of the transfer media in the examples was an HP2000C printer (Hewlett-Packard (Palo A
lto, CA) and printed with commercially available inks for this printer (cyan HP-C4841A; yellow HP-C4842A; magenta HP-C4843A; black HP-4844A).
A color image was formed. The printed media is then laminated to a permanent support (Reflection® paper (Co
nslidated Papers Inc (Wisconsin Rapids, WI))). The transfer device is a WaterProof (registered trademark) laminator (EI du Pont de Nemours and Company (Wilmin
gton, DE)). During lamination, the temperature is 110
° C and the pressure is 400 psi (1.758).
× 10 ⁶ Pa).

Gloss and Optical Density Measurements The gloss readings of the images transferred on the permanent support in the examples were measured using a Novo-Gloss ™ meter (Gardco®,
Paul N. Gardner Company, Inc. (Pompano Beach, FL)
Was measured at an angle of 60 degrees.

The optical density of the image transferred on the permanent support in the examples was measured using a Macbeth® RD918 densitometer (Ko
llmorgen Corp (Newburgh, NY)).

Unless otherwise stated, the amounts of components in the various constituent layers are given in parts by weight based on the weight of the constituent layers.

Example 1 Effect of Matting Agent Particle Size on Release Layer Properties Two transfer media (Sample A) each containing the following constituent layers (support, release layer, hydrophobic protective layer, and ink receiving layer): And B) were prepared.

The constituent layers were adjusted as described below.

[0054]Release layer Sample A: 149.6 g of n-propyl alcohol and water
In a solvent mixture with 26.4 g, 24 g of Ultramid (registered)
13% coating solution by adding 1C
Was prepared. Allow the mixture at high RPM for 3 hours
With stirring. 2.4 g of Sy based on the solution
Add loid® ED2, followed by 20 minutes
Stirred across. The coating solution of Sample A was
4 mils (101.16 m) on a 471 sheet
(Micrometer (μm)) using a knife.
58 mg / having a dry mass composition as described in Table 2 below
dm ^TwoA release layer having a dry thickness of

[0055]

[Table 2]

Sample B: A second release layer was prepared using the same procedure for making the release layer of Sample A as described above except that Syloid® ED5 was used. . The dry mass composition of Sample B is shown in Table 3 below.

[0057]

[Table 3]

Hydrophobic protective layer 60 g of Elvacite® in 140 g of acetone
By adding 2044, Elvacite® 2044
A 30% coating solution was prepared. The mixture was stirred for about 3 hours. The coating solution was applied to sample A
And B were applied using a 6 mil (152 micrometer) knife on each of 192 mg / dm ²
Was obtained.

Ink receiving layer Add 7 g of Gantrez® AN119 in 186 g of deionized water, stir at high RPM for 30 minutes, and heat to a maximum of 80 ° C. for 3 hours to obtain a 7% Gantrez. An AN119 coating solution was prepared. Then, 14 g of triethanolamine (Ashland Chemical Co. Indsutrial Chemicals an
d Solvent Div. (Columbus, OH)) was added. 186
Add 14 g of Elvanol® 52-22 in 10 g of cold water, and then heat to a maximum of 85 ° C. over 3 hours until the solution is clear and homogeneous, thereby giving Elvanol
A 7% solution of 52-22 was prepared. Next, Gantrez® AN119 containing triethanolamine
20 g of the solution and 80 g of a solution of Elvanol® 52-22 were mixed. The coating solution was applied to Samples A and B using a 12 mil (0.3 millimeter) thick knife.
190 mg on the dried hydrophobic protective layer in
An ink receiving layer having a dry mass of / dm ² was formed.
The composition of the ink receiving layer is shown in Table 4 below.

[0060]

[Table 4]

Images were printed on each of Samples A and B using an HP2000C printer to form a four color image. Next, the printed medium is the WaterProof
(Registered trademark) Laminator (EI du Pont de Nemours a
Reflection® paper (Conslidated Papers) at a lamination temperature of 110 ° C. and a lamination pressure of 400 psi (2,758 kPa) using a nd Company (Wilmington, DE).
Inc (Wisconsin Rapids, WI)). The results of the gloss and optical density measurements are shown in Table 5 below.

[0062]

[Table 5]

The medium of Sample A was a continuous flow ink jet printer AX4 (E.
I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Wilmington, D
E)) and then transferred to Reflection® paper. The results of the gloss and optical density measurements are shown in Table 6 below.

[0064]

[Table 6]

Example 2 Effect of Amount of Matting Agent on Gloss Five Transfer Media (Samples C, D, E, F, and G)
Was prepared as described below.

A release layer coating was prepared as follows.

A 13% solution (release layer of sample C) was prepared by adding 24 g of Ultramid® 1C to a solvent mixture of 149.6 g of n-propyl alcohol and 26.4 g of water. And then Syloid® ED2 was stirred into the solution. The resulting suspension (release layer of sample C) was applied using a 4 mil (0.1 millimeter) knife on a sheet of Cronar® 471 and had a dry thickness of 61 mg / dm ^2. A release layer was formed. The release layers of Samples D, E, F and G were used to prepare the release layer of Sample C, except that the level of Syloid® ED2 was varied as shown in Table 7 below. Prepared according to the same procedure.

[0068]

[Table 7]

Next, a hydrophobic protective layer and an ink receiving layer were applied on each of the release layers as described in Example 1 above.

An HP2000C printer (Hewlett-Packar)
d Co (Palo Alto, CA)), the images were printed on each of media C through G to form a four color image on each of the samples. Next, the printed medium is WaterP
110 ° C. and 4 using a roof® laminator
At 00 psi (2758 kPa) laminated to Reflection® paper. Measure gloss and optical density,
The results are shown in Table 8 below.

[0071]

[Table 8]

As shown in Table 8 above, the matting agent Sy
As the dosage of loid® ED2 increases, its gloss decreases.

Example 3 Effect of Release Layer Thickness on Gloss Except for the thickness of the release layer, the procedure for preparing the medium of Sample A was repeated to obtain four transfer media (Samples H, I, and J).
And K) were prepared: release layers having the composition of Table 2 above were applied at 3, 6, 8, and 15 mils (76, 152, 203).
And 381 micron) knife
ar® 471 applied on a sheet and
As a result, release layers having different thicknesses were obtained. The gloss measurements for Samples HK are also shown in Table 9.

[0074]

[Table 9]

The optical densities of Samples HK were essentially the same. Example 4 Transfer Media Containing Another Matting Agent As described in Example 2 with the following exceptions:
A three-layer transfer medium (sample L) was prepared: use Zelec® ECP3010 XC instead of Syloid® ED2; dissolve in cold water instead of Elvanol® 52-22 Using PVP-K90; and Elvacite® 204
4 with a 50/50 mass ratio of Elvacite® 2044
And 2046. The medium is shown in Table 1 below.
No. 0 had a constituent layer and composition.

[0076]

[Table 10]

The medium is printed using an HP2000C printer, and the printed medium is a WaterProof
(Registered trademark) laminator at 110 ° C. and 400 ° C.
At psi (2758 kPa), Reflection®
Laminated on paper. Gloss and optical density were measured and the results are shown in Table 11 below.

[0078]

[Table 11]

Example 5 Another hydrophobic protective layer transfer medium (Sample M) was prepared as described below.

A release layer was prepared as follows.

As described in Example 2, Sylo
A 13% Ultramid® 1C solution with id® ED2 was prepared and placed on a 4 mil (101 micrometer) Cronar® 471 (DuPont) sheet at 4 mil (101 micron). M) Knife applied to give a mat release layer having a dry thickness of 55 mg / dm ² .

[0082] A hydrophobic protective layer was prepared as follows.

30 g of Elvacite in 140 g of acetone
(Registered trademark) 2044 and 10 g of Epon (R) 1101 were added. The mixture was stirred for about 3 hours. The solution was overcoated on the top surface of the release layer using a 6 mil (152 micrometer) knife to give a hydrophobic protective layer having the composition shown in Table 12 below and having a coverage of 54 mg / dm ² . .

[0084]

[Table 12]

The ink receiving layer was prepared as follows.

By adding 14 g of the polymer in 186 g of cold water and stirring for about 1 hour, the 7%
Of poly (vinylpyrrolidone) K-90 (ISP (wayne, NJ)) was prepared. 150 g of 7% PVP K-90 solution and 7% Elva
150 g of nol® 52-22 solution and 7% Gantrez® AN119 prepared as described in Example 2.
100 g of the solution and 7 g of triethanolamine were mixed and stirred for 20 minutes. 12 mil (3
The solution was overcoated on top of the hydrophobic layer using a knife (05 micrometers) thick to give a 190 mg / dm ² ink receiving layer with a dry mass composition as shown in Table 13.

[0087]

[Table 13]

The medium is printed and then the image is
It was laminated to flection® paper. Gloss and optical density were measured and the results are shown in Table 14 below.

[0089]

Table 14 Measured values of sample M

Example 6 Another Hydrophobic Protective Layer Three layers were obtained by repeating the steps of Example 5 except that an ink receiving layer and a hydrophobic protective layer prepared as described below were used. Was prepared.

The hydrophobic protective layer had the composition shown in Table 15 below.

[0092]

[Table 15]

The ink receiving layer was prepared according to the following procedure.

In 186 g of water, 14 g of Scripset® and 7 g of dimethanolamine (DMEA) are added and stirred for about 3 hours to give a 13% Scri.
A pset® solution was prepared. The dry mass composition is shown in Table 16 below.

[0095]

[Table 16]

[0096] The transfer media was printed and laminated. Gloss and optical density were measured. The results are shown in Table 1 below.
FIG.

[0097]

[Table 17]

(Example 7) A transfer medium (sample O) having three layers of a transfer medium without a protective layer was prepared as follows.

A release layer was prepared as follows.

20 g of Elva per 180 g of acetone
A 10% Elvacite® 2046 solution was prepared by adding cite® 2046 and stirring for 3 hours until dissolved. Then 2 for the solution
g of Syloid® ED2 was added and the mixture was stirred for 1 hour until the components were well dispersed. This dispersion was then applied using a 4 mil (101 micrometer) knife to Mylar®, a DuPont® gel-subbed, at a coverage of 55 mg / dm ² . The composition is shown in Table 18 below.

[0101]

[Table 18]

An ink receiving layer equivalent to that described in Example 1 was prepared and coated on the release layer using a 12 mil (304 micrometer) knife to give 1
A coating amount of 90 mg / dm ² was obtained.

The transfer media was printed and laminated. Gloss and optical density were measured. The results are shown in Table 1 below.
It is shown in FIG.

[0104]

[Table 19]

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (72) Inventor James Steven Smith United States 18848 Towanda Second Street, Pennsylvania 529

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A water-soluble polymer with (a) a carrier support and (b) a release layer, comprising polyamide polymers and polyamide copolymers and combinations thereof; cellulose ethers; polyethylene oxides; A release layer comprising at least one release agent selected from the formulation of: and a release agent comprising at least one matting agent in an amount of about 3 to about 30% by weight, based on the weight of the release layer; A hydrophobic protective layer which may optionally be provided having a surface adjacent to the layer, comprising acrylate or methacrylate polymers,
(D) a protective layer containing at least one compound selected from epoxy resins, diene rubbers, polyolefin elastomers, polyurethane elastomers, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl butyral, polycarbonates, cellulose esters, and combinations thereof;
Has at least 15% of a water-soluble binder selected from polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polysaccharides, cellulosic compounds, gelatin, starch, gum arabic and combinations thereof, and has at least one carboxylic acid group and a molecular weight of at least 6000 A transferable image medium comprising, in this order, an ink receiving layer containing a hydrophilic thermoplastic polymer.