JP2002187647A - Thermal transfer printer, thermal transfer recording method, and thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll in which a thermal transfer image receiving sheet can be prepared at a low cost with little labor and without using a feeding core when mounting the thermal transfer image receiving sheet of roll type to a thermal transfer printer for use, and in which a thermal transfer printed matter having an excellent image quality can be obtained, and to provide a thermal transfer recording method and thermal transfer printer using the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll. SOLUTION: This thermal transfer printer comprises: a storing part for the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll wound without using a core such that a winding starting part of a roll is fixed to the roll at a part spaced from a tip and wound; a jig inserted into a hollow part of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll and holding the winding starting part; and a thermal transfer recording part in which the jig and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll are integrally interlocked and rotated to carry out thermal transfer recording. The thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll can be prepared at a low cost with little labor and without using the feeding core as a member, and the thermal transfer printed matter having the excellent image quality can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat transfer image receiving sheet which is used in a roll form and is mounted on a heat transfer printer without using a supply core, at low cost and without any trouble. The present invention relates to a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll capable of obtaining a thermal transfer print having excellent image quality, a thermal transfer recording method and a thermal transfer printer using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various thermal transfer methods are known. In this method, a thermal transfer sheet having a colored transfer layer formed on a base material is used. Is heated in the form of an image for each color such as yellow, magenta, and cyan, and the colored transfer layer is thermally transferred to the surface of the material to be transferred.
This thermal transfer method is roughly classified into two types, a sublimation transfer type and a hot-melt transfer type, depending on the configuration of the colored transfer layer. The sublimation transfer type uses a thermal transfer sheet in which a dye that sublimates or migrates by heat with a suitable binder, and is supported as a colored transfer layer on a base material, and is heated from the back by heating.
The dye in the colored transfer layer is transferred to the surface of the transfer material by heat. However, the receiving material surface is provided with a receiving layer on which dye is easily dyed. On the other hand, the heat-melt transfer type uses a heat-transfer sheet that has a colored transfer layer that can be easily softened and melted and transferred by heating on a substrate, and the surface of the material to be transferred is colored by heating from the back. This is for transferring the transfer layer. Both types are capable of forming mono-color and multi-color images, and in the case of multi-color images, for example, yellow, magenta, cyan and, if necessary, a three- or four-color thermal transfer sheet of black. A color image can be formed by preparing and thermally transferring each color (various types) to the surface of the same material to be transferred.

In such a thermal transfer method, a large number of thermal transfer image receiving sheets, which are transfer materials, are stacked and supplied to a printer, or a continuous continuous image receiving sheet is wound up. It is supplied to the printer in the form of a roll. In particular, recently, there are many uses for performing thermal transfer recording in a large amount, and a roll-type thermal transfer image-receiving sheet is used. The roll-shaped thermal transfer image-receiving sheet is generally wound on a supply core (bobbin), and the end of the wound image-receiving sheet is adhered to a winding core (bobbin) to be rolled up or thermally transferred. After recording, it is cut into sheets and discharged.

[0004]

The roll-shaped thermal transfer image-receiving sheet as described above requires a supply core. After the image-receiving sheet is used up, the core is discarded or the core is reused. Or However, in order to uniformly wind the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet without wrinkles, a core having high dimensional accuracy is required, and the cost of the core is accordingly high. In order to reduce the cost of the above-mentioned core, if the material is made of paper pulp instead of plastic, so-called "paper tube", when rotating the image receiving sheet roll in the printer, the paper tube and the printer side To the drive unit. However, due to friction between the paper tube and the drive unit during rotation of the image receiving sheet roll, paper dust is generated from the paper tube and scatters in the printer, which also leads to deterioration of image quality such as pinholes in thermal transfer prints. . In addition to purchasing the supply core, when storing the core and winding up the image receiving sheet, it takes time to attach the core to the winding machine, store the core member, and take up the work of winding up. It is a problem.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet in the form of a roll is mounted on a thermal transfer printer and used, a supply core is not used and the cost is reduced. In addition, a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll that can prepare a thermal transfer image receiving sheet without taking time and obtains a thermal transfer print having excellent image quality,
An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer recording method and a thermal transfer printer using the same.

[0006]

According to the thermal transfer printer of the present invention, the winding start portion of the winding is fixed to the winding at a portion spaced from the leading end without using the winding core. The accommodating portion of the taken thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll, a jig inserted into the hollow portion of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll to sandwich the winding start portion, and the jig and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll are integrally formed. This is a configuration provided with a thermal transfer recording section that rotates in conjunction with it to perform thermal transfer recording. It is preferable that the jig use a shaft provided with a groove for fixing a winding start portion of winding. Further, it is preferable that the jig is constituted by two shafts so as to hook a winding start portion of winding. Further, it is preferable that the jig is a shaft having a concave portion corresponding to a shape of a winding start portion of winding and having an outer diameter equivalent to the inner diameter of the hollow portion of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll.

Further, in the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention, the winding start portion of the winding is fixed to the winding at a portion spaced from the leading end without using the core, and the winding is performed. Thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll, inserted into the hollow portion of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll, sandwiching the winding start portion, using a jig provided on the thermal transfer printer side, the jig and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll and Are rotated integrally with each other to perform thermal transfer recording. The thermal transfer image-receiving sheet roll of the present invention is a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet roll that is fixed to the winding at a portion where the winding start portion is spaced from the leading end without using a core, and is wound. In, inserted into the hollow portion of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll, sandwiching the above winding start portion, using a jig provided on the thermal transfer printer side, integrally and cooperated with the jig and rotated, It is characterized by thermal transfer recording.

In the thermal transfer printer of the present invention, the rolled thermal transfer image receiving sheet is fixed to the roll at the portion where the winding start portion is spaced from the leading end without using the roll core. The roll storage portion, inserted into the hollow portion of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll, a jig for clamping the winding start portion, and the jig and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll rotate integrally and interlocked, A thermal transfer printing material having a thermal transfer recording unit for performing thermal transfer recording, and without using a supply core as a member, a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll can be prepared inexpensively and without trouble, and has excellent image quality. Is obtained.

[0009]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention. The thermal transfer printer 1 includes an image receiving sheet roll storage unit 3 in which an image receiving sheet roll 2 is installed, and a roll without using a core. A jig 4 which is fixed to the take-up winding portion at a distance from the leading end portion of the take-up winding start portion, is inserted into the hollow portion of the rolled-up thermal transfer image receiving sheet, and clamps the above-described winding start portion. And a thermal transfer recording section 5 and a thermal transfer image receiving sheet cutting section 9. The thermal transfer image receiving sheet starts with the image receiving sheet roll storage unit 3 as a starting point, and the image receiving sheet is rolled by a roll 17 (referred to as a transport roll, an upper roll is referred to as a pinch roll, and a lower roll is referred to as a grip roll). The printing is performed while the image receiving sheet roll 2 is rewound (in the direction opposite to the arrow) by reversing the rotation of the roll 17 by pulling in the direction shown in FIG. A tension is applied to the thermal transfer image receiving sheet between the jig 4 and the roll 17, and the conveyance control of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet is mainly performed by the forward and reverse rotation of the roll 17, and the jig 4 rotates the roll 17. In conjunction with the movement, the image receiving sheet roll 2 is rotated to assist the transfer of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet. Therefore, it is preferable that the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet roll 2 and the jig 4 are not slipped, but there is no problem as long as the image-receiving sheet is not broken or wrinkled even if it slightly slips. The printing is performed such that the back side of the thermal transfer sheet 16 contacts the thermal head 14,
The transfer layer side of the thermal transfer sheet (the side opposite to the back side) and the image receiving surface of the image receiving sheet are arranged so as to overlap, and the platen roll 1 is located at a position in contact with the back side of the image receiving sheet (the side opposite to the image receiving surface).
5 during thermal transfer recording.
Descends in the direction of the arrow, and the color material is transferred from the thermal transfer sheet 16 in an image form onto the image receiving sheet.

Although not shown, a guide member is attached between the image receiving sheet roll storage section 3 and the thermal transfer recording section 5 along both sides of the image receiving sheet width to prevent the image receiving sheet from meandering in the width direction. Is preferred. Further, it is desirable that the guide member can change the distance between the two guide members according to the width of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet. For example, in the part where each guide member on the printer side is attached,
A pin and a die that mesh with each other are attached, a plurality of dies are attached to one member in advance, and the member provided with the pin and the member provided with the die can slide freely in the image receiving sheet width direction. A pin may be fitted into a die at a position corresponding to the dimensions of the die. Thus, the end of the image receiving sheet being conveyed comes into contact with the guide member, and the guide member regulates the movement of the image receiving sheet in the width direction, thereby preventing the image receiving sheet from meandering. Although the illustrated thermal transfer printer cuts the sheet at the cutting section 9, it is also possible to supply a wound thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll and wind it to finish after thermal transfer recording.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing one embodiment of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll of the present invention, and FIG.
As shown in (1), the winding start portion 6 of the winding of the image receiving sheet roll 2 is fixed to the peripheral surface of the hollow portion 8 of the image receiving sheet roll 2 at the portion 7 spaced from the leading end portion 18 without using the core. Is done. As a fixing method, they are fixed with one side adhesive tape or double side adhesive tape, or both are bonded using a liquid or solid adhesive, or both are stapled, so that both are not shifted Let it.
As a result, the central portion of the image receiving sheet roll is
And winding without a core is obtained.

FIG. 2B shows a state in which the winding start portion of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll as shown in FIG. 2A is sandwiched by a jig provided on the thermal transfer printer side. The jig 4 is inserted into the hollow portion 8 of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll, and the winding start portion 6 is sandwiched and fixed by the jig 4. The jig 4 provided on the thermal transfer printer side includes
An image receiving sheet fixing concave portion 19 is provided, and the image receiving sheet fixing concave portion 19 is formed obliquely with respect to a circumferential portion along the peripheral surface of the hollow portion 8 of the image receiving sheet roll 2. The winding start portion 6 of the image receiving sheet roll 2 with the image receiving sheet leading end portion 18 at the top enters. A pressing piece 20 extends outside the image receiving sheet fixing concave portion 19, and the pressing piece 20 presses the winding start portion 6 of the image receiving sheet toward the center of the image receiving sheet roll, and the winding start portion 6 is fixed to the jig 4. Fixed to.

A locking hole 21 is formed in the winding start portion 6, and the locking hole 21 is formed in the image receiving sheet fixing recess 1.
9 is engaged with an engaging claw 22 formed to protrude forward.
Therefore, when the winding start portion 6 of the image receiving sheet is clamped by the jig 4, the winding start portion 6 is fixed to the image receiving sheet fixing recess 1.
9 and wound in the direction of the arrow in FIG. At the time of this winding, the locking hole 21 of the image receiving sheet is locked by the locking claw 22, so that the jig 4 and the image receiving sheet roll 2 rotate integrally and rotate, and during thermal transfer recording, the image receiving sheet is rotated. It is possible to prevent the winding start portion 6 from coming off the jig 4.

However, when the heat transfer image receiving sheet roll 2 is replaced with another image receiving sheet roll without using it to the end in the thermal transfer recording, the image receiving sheet roll 2 once attached to the jig 4 of the printer is used. When detaching from the jig 4, the jig 4 is moved in the axial direction of the image receiving sheet roll 2.
When the image receiving sheet roll 2 is slid, the image receiving sheet roll 2 can be easily removed from the jig 4. The jig 4 as described above has a shaft-like shape provided with a concave portion 19 (groove) for fixing the winding start portion 6 of winding, and the jig 4 is provided between the concave portion 19 and the holding piece 20. The jig 4 and the image receiving sheet roll 2 are fixed by sandwiching the winding start portion 6 of the image receiving sheet. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. The jig to be used is provided with a groove for fixing the winding start portion of winding. In the case of the shaft, the groove can be provided inside the shaft of the jig without using the holding piece, and the image receiving sheet can be sandwiched between the barriers of the groove to fix them.

FIG. 3 shows one embodiment in which an image receiving sheet is sandwiched between the barriers of the grooves. The winding start portion 6 of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet is inserted from the groove entrance 23 on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 11 of the jig 4 into the groove 10 toward the center of the shaft inside the shaft 11, and the leading end of the winding start portion 6. A locking hole 21 is formed in the image receiving sheet at a position slightly in the middle from the portion 18, and the locking hole 21 is engaged with a locking claw 22 provided in the depth of the groove 10 and locked. Accordingly, the jig 4 and the winding start portion 6 of the image receiving sheet are fixed, and the rotational driving force is transmitted from the thermal transfer printer to the jig 4 during thermal transfer recording, so that the jig 4 and the image receiving sheet roll 2 are integrally formed. , The thermal transfer recording is performed, and the winding start portion 6 of the image receiving sheet does not come off the jig 4. When the jig 4 and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet shown in FIG. 3 are fixed, the image receiving sheet is easy to adhere along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 11 of the jig 4 near the groove entrance 23 of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet. In addition, it is preferable that a perforation or a streak pressing process is performed in advance at the position indicated by 24 on the image receiving sheet so that the portion is easily broken.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of a jig for holding the winding start portion of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll of the present invention. FIG. 4A shows perforations 251 and 2 at positions symmetric to the winding start portion 6 of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet.
52, and through holes 261 and 262 are also formed at symmetrical positions. And the perforations 251 and 25
2 and folded along the same side so that the sides B and D are in contact with each other and the corners E and F are in contact with each other, into the image receiving sheet roll hollow portion 8 as shown in FIG. Is side A
A triangle surrounded by (C), side B (D), and perforations (251, 252) is formed, and through holes 261 and 262 are located at the center of the triangle. In addition, the winding start portion 6 of the image receiving sheet roll 2 is fixed at the position indicated by 7 with the winding thereof. At this time, in the vicinity of the position 7 of the winding start portion 6 from the outer peripheral portion of the winding hollow portion 8 toward the winding center, the triangle shown above is easily positioned as shown in FIG. And perforation 2 as shown in FIG.
53 can be provided in the winding start part 6.

Next, in the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll 2 in the state shown in FIG.
And two holes 252 and 252 are positioned such that they overlap each other when viewed from the side, and the shaft 1
Pass 11 (See FIG. 4 (c).) Then, at the position where the shaft 112 is located in the hollow portion 8 as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the winding start portion 6 is sandwiched between the shaft 111 and the shaft 112 to form the shaft 11
1, 112 and the image receiving sheet roll 2 rotate integrally and integrally. The shafts 111 and 112 are connected at the roots of two shafts, and rotate from the roots by a gear or the like interlocked with the rotational driving force on the printer side.
12 is an integrated movement.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet roll of the present invention. As shown in FIG.
5. A perforation 25 is formed at a position on the middle side from the tip end portion 18 by bending at the position of the perforation 25, and FIG.
As shown in (b), the image receiving sheet is wound and fixed at a position 7 which is directed toward the center from the outer peripheral surface of the hollow portion 8 of the image receiving sheet roll. As a fixing method, they are fixed with one side adhesive tape or double side adhesive tape, or both are bonded using a liquid or solid adhesive, or both are stapled, so that both are not shifted Let it. As a result, the center portion of the image receiving sheet roll has the hollow portion 8 and winding without a core is obtained.

Further, the winding start portion 6 of the image receiving sheet is a hollow portion 8, the tip 18 of which is curved, having a closed curved shape as shown in FIG. It is adhered to the portion of the image receiving sheet that is in contact by a suitable fixing method. Thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll 2 thus prepared
When the is mounted on the image receiving sheet roll storage portion of the thermal transfer printer, the distance between the shaft 111 and the shaft 112 constituting the jig provided on the thermal transfer printer side is a closed end portion 1 of the closed curve.
The shafts 111 and 112 are passed through so as to be near the position corresponding to No. 8. The shaft 111 and the shaft 112 are in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the hollow portion 8, sandwich the winding start portion 6, and
The image receiving sheet roll 2 rotates integrally with the image receiving sheet rolls 11 and 112. The shafts 111 and 112 are connected at the roots of two shafts, and are rotated from the roots by gears or the like linked to the rotational driving force on the printer side.
2 is an integrated movement.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll of the present invention. As in the case of FIG. 5, the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll 2 starts from the leading end 18 at the winding start portion 6. A perforation 25 is formed in the middle position, and the perforation 25 is bent at the position of the perforation 25, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the image receiving sheet is wound and fixed at a position 7 which is directed toward the center from the outer peripheral surface of the hollow portion 8 of the image receiving sheet roll. Start of winding of image receiving sheet 6
In the hollow portion 8, the front end portion 18 is drawn in a curved line so as to have a closed curved shape as shown in the figure, and the front end portion 18 is adhered to the portion of the image receiving sheet that comes into contact with the same fixing method as described above. Let it.

The prepared thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll 2
When the is mounted on the image receiving sheet roll accommodating portion of the thermal transfer printer, the position between the shaft 111 and the shaft 112 constituting the jig provided on the thermal transfer printer side is as shown in FIG. 6C. Through the shafts 111 and 112 as shown. The shaft 111 and the shaft 112 are in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the hollow portion 8, sandwiching the winding start portion 6, and
The image receiving sheet roll 2 and the image receiving sheet roll 2 integrally rotate and rotate. The shafts 111 and 112 are connected at the bases of the two shafts, and rotate from the bases by gears or the like linked to the rotational driving force on the printer side. The shafts 111 and 112 are integrated. Movement. The difference between FIG. 6 and FIG. 5 is that the shape of the closed curve formed in the hollow portion of the winding start portion 6 is different.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet roll of the present invention. As shown in FIG.
At the middle position from the distal end portion 18 with the perforations 251 and 25
2, perforations 253 are formed at the positions of the perforations 251 and 252 so that the front end portion 18 is in contact with the image receiving sheet between the perforations 252 and 253. As shown in FIG. 7B, a triangle is formed in the hollow portion 8 of the image receiving sheet roll. In order to fix the position 18 which is one corner of the triangle, the same fixing method as described above can be used. Also, perforations 25
The image receiving sheet is folded at the position 3 and is wound and fixed at a position 7 as shown in FIG. 7B from the outer peripheral surface of the hollow portion 8 of the image receiving sheet roll toward the center.
The fixing method is the same as described above. As a result, the center portion of the image receiving sheet roll has the hollow portion 8 and winding without a core is obtained.

When the thus prepared thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll 2 is mounted on the image receiving sheet roll storage portion of the thermal transfer printer, the position between the shafts 111 and 112 constituting the jig provided on the thermal transfer printer side is reduced. Pass through the axes 111, 112 so that one corner 18 of the triangle is located at the end. The shaft 111 and the shaft 112 are in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the hollow portion 8, sandwiching the winding start portion 6, and
1, 112 and the image receiving sheet roll 2 rotate integrally and integrally. The shafts 111 and 112 are connected at the roots of two shafts, and rotate from the roots by a gear or the like interlocked with the rotational driving force on the printer side.
12 is an integrated movement.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the shape of the closed curve or polygon formed by the winding start portion 6 in the hollow portion 8 of the image receiving sheet roll can be arbitrarily selected. Further, in each of the figures, two shafts are used as an example of a jig for rotating and driving the image receiving sheet roll. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. The portion 6 has a concave portion 12 corresponding to the shape of a closed curve or a polygon formed in the hollow portion 8 of the image receiving sheet roll, and the hollow portion 8 of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll.
Using a shaft 13 having an outer diameter equivalent to the inner diameter of
3 and the image receiving sheet roll 2 can be rotated integrally with each other. The shaft 13 is the hollow portion 8 of the image receiving sheet roll.
The concave portion 12 corresponding to the shape of a closed curve or a polygon formed in the inside, and the outer peripheral portion (inner diameter) of the hollow portion 8 of the image receiving sheet roll
A groove 27 connecting the position 7 toward the center from the concave portion 12 and the other portion is formed along the outer peripheral portion of the hollow portion 8. (The cross section of the shaft shape is shown by a halftone dot.)

FIG. 9 is a schematic view for explaining that a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll is mounted in the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll storage section of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention. First, the shaft 13 is inserted into the hollow portion of the rolled thermal transfer image-receiving sheet without using the core. At this time, the image receiving sheet roll 2 and the jig 4 having the shaft 13 are fixed by using the jig 4 that holds the winding start portion according to the shape of the winding start portion of the winding. Since the shaft 13 to be inserted into the hollow portion of the image receiving sheet roll has the flange 30 attached to the root thereof, the width direction of the image receiving sheet roll on the shaft 13 can be adjusted by applying the end surface 31 of the image receiving sheet roll to the flange 30. Can be easier. Next, a flange 29 with a gear 28 is attached to the end 33 of the shaft 13 into which the image receiving sheet roll 2 is inserted.
Is fitted. At this time, the end surface 32 of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll 2 comes into contact with the flange 29, and the position of the image receiving sheet roll is regulated between the two flanges 29 and 30, thereby preventing a winding deviation during rotation or the like.

The above-described method of fitting the flange 29 to the shaft 13 can be slid in the direction of the shaft 13 (moving in the horizontal direction in the figure), and the fitting is performed in the rotation direction of the gear 28 and the image receiving sheet roll 2. Any one may be used as long as it cannot be solved. Pins and dies that mesh with each other can be attached to the flange 29 and the shaft 13. In this way, the image receiving sheet roll is fixed to the jig 4 and placed in the storage section of the printer, and the rotational driving force accompanying the thermal transfer recording from the printer side is transmitted to the gear 28, and is integrated with the gear 28. The jig 4 and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll 2 rotate in conjunction with each other.

In the jig 4 used in the present invention, the length of the shaft 13 to be inserted into the hollow portion 8 of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll can be made variable according to the width of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll 2 to be mounted. . The width of the image receiving sheet roll is set to the length of the corresponding finished size so that the sheet size after cutting the thermal transfer image receiving sheet becomes A3, B3, A4, B4, A5, B5, or the like. Cutting is often performed with the length limited to the length in the sheet flow direction.
Therefore, for example, in the case of A4 size finishing, the length of the finishing width is the size of the width of the image receiving sheet roll, and only the flow direction is cut by the cutting unit 9 to finish. In order to change the length of the shaft 13, although not shown, the shaft 13 is formed by combining two members so that the members can slide freely in the axial direction, and is provided on one shaft member. A pin provided on the other shaft member is fitted into a certain die position. At this time, a plurality of dies may be provided in advance in accordance with the obtained width dimension, and pins may be fitted into the dies at positions corresponding to the width dimension.

According to the present invention, the printed matter is not slipped or slightly slipped due to contact between the roll-shaped thermal transfer image-receiving sheet and the jig holding the winding start portion of the image-receiving sheet roll. It is important not to affect the material, and the material of the contacting portion between them is described. The thermal transfer image-receiving sheet used in the present invention is preferably provided with a receptor layer conventionally used for receiving and fixing a color material from a transfer layer of the thermal transfer sheet on a substrate. As the base material used for the thermal transfer image receiving sheet, various papers, synthetic papers, plastic sheets and the like may be used, and the receiving layer may be formed directly or via a primer layer. In order to obtain high image quality without white spots, it is preferable to provide a layer having fine voids. As the layer having fine voids, a plastic sheet or synthetic paper having fine voids inside can be used. Further, a layer having fine voids can be formed on various supports by various coating methods. As a plastic sheet or synthetic paper having fine voids, a polyolefin, particularly polypropylene, is mainly used, and a polymer incompatible with an inorganic facial and / or polypropylene is blended, and these are used as a void formation initiator, and a mixture thereof is used. Is preferably a plastic sheet or a synthetic paper formed by stretching.

The above-mentioned plastic sheet or synthetic paper may itself be a single layer including a fine void, or may have a multilayer structure. In the case of a multi-layer configuration, all of the constituent layers may contain fine voids, or a layer having no fine voids may exist. Then, a white pigment may be mixed into this plastic sheet or synthetic paper as a concealing agent, if necessary. In order to increase whiteness, an additive such as a fluorescent whitening agent may be provided. As the layer having fine voids, it is also possible to form a layer having fine voids on a support by a coating method. As plastic resin to be used, polyester, urethane resin, polycarbonate,
Known resins such as acrylic resin, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate and the like can be used alone or in combination of two or more. The support may be a conventionally known one, and is a high quality paper,
Various types of paper, such as coated paper, art paper, cast-coated paper, and glassine paper, synthetic paper, nonwoven fabric, and plastic sheets such as polyethylene terephthalate, acrylic, polyethylene, and polypropylene can be used.

As the substrate, various papers, synthetic papers, plastic sheets and the like may be used, but it is preferable to provide a fine void layer on the support as described above. In this case, when the fine void layer is a plastic sheet or synthetic paper, it can be bonded to a support with an adhesive layer. As a bonding method, for example, a known laminating method such as dry lamination, non-solvent (hot melt) lamination, and EC lamination method can be used.

Next, the jig for holding the winding start portion of the image receiving sheet roll, which constitutes the thermal transfer printer of the present invention, can be made of a durable metal such as aluminum, iron or stainless steel, or can be made of polystyrene or vinyl chloride. Or an injection-molded resin such as polycarbonate and polyester. Then, the part directly in contact with the winding start part of the jig for holding the winding start part of the image receiving sheet roll is subjected to embossing having an irregular pattern on the surface with an arbitrary pattern such as a diamond cut shape or a satin finish. Is preferred. It is preferable to adjust the depth of the embossing (the height difference between the concave portion and the convex portion) so as to increase the frictional resistance between the contacting jig and the winding start portion so that the contact portion does not slip easily. . For example, the depth of embossing is 5μ
About m to 500 μm is sufficient.

According to the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention, without using a core, the winding start portion of the winding is fixed to the winding at a portion spaced from the leading end, and the rolled thermal transfer image receiving device is used. The jig and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll are integrated by using a jig provided on the thermal transfer printer side, which is inserted into the hollow portion of the sheet roll and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll and sandwiches the winding start portion. The heat transfer recording is performed in conjunction with the rotation. That is, the conveyance control of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet is mainly performed by the rotational movement of the transport roll 17, and the jig 4 rotates the image receiving sheet roll 2 in conjunction with the rotational movement of the roll 17 to rotate the thermal transfer image receiving sheet. Assists transportation. Therefore, it is preferable that the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll 2 and the jig 4 are not slipped, but there is no problem even if the image receiving sheet has a play that does not affect the image receiving sheet even if it slightly slips. . At the time of thermal transfer recording, for example, when forming a full-color image using three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan, the color material is transferred from the yellow transfer layer of the thermal transfer sheet to the image receiving sheet by heating the thermal head from the end of the printing area to the other end. It is transferred according to the image. At that time, the thermal transfer sheet and the image receiving sheet are integrated and advance by the length of the print size in the flow direction.
(The return direction may be used.) Then, the thermal transfer sheet is fed so that the next magenta transfer layer to be transferred is located at a position corresponding to the thermal head. The image receiving sheet advances in the direction opposite to the printing direction so that the printing start point of the yellow printed portion is located at a position corresponding to the thermal head.

Next, the color material is transferred from the magenta transfer layer of the thermal transfer sheet to the image receiving sheet according to the image by heating the thermal head from the end of the printing area to the other end. And
Through the same steps as above, the color material is transferred from the cyan transfer layer of the thermal transfer sheet to the image receiving sheet according to the image by heating the thermal head from the end of the print area to the other end, and a print of a full-color image is obtained. It is discharged in the discharge direction, and when finishing with single wafer, it is cut and discharged.

As described above, in the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention, the thermal transfer image receiving sheet is placed under the thermal head.
A reciprocating motion is performed, in other words, when viewed from the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll, thermal transfer recording is performed by a motion in a forward rotation direction and a reverse rotation direction. In a case where a multicolor image such as a full-color image is transferred in a superimposed manner, if a transfer position of each color is shifted, a so-called printing register shift occurs, and the image quality is deteriorated. Therefore, by using the recording method and the recording apparatus of the present invention, and further using the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet roll, the winding start portion of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet roll and the jig for sandwiching the winding start portion are hardly displaced, and the thermal transfer image receiving It is possible to control the rotation of the sheet roll.

[0035]

As described above, in the thermal transfer printer of the present invention, the winding start portion of the winding is fixed to the winding at a portion spaced from the leading end without using the winding core. A storage section for the rolled-up thermal transfer image-receiving sheet,
A jig inserted into the hollow portion of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll to hold the winding start portion, and the jig and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll rotate integrally and rotate to perform thermal transfer recording. The heat transfer image receiving sheet roll can be prepared inexpensively and without any trouble without using a supply core as a member, and a thermal transfer print having excellent image quality can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of a thermal transfer printer of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing one embodiment of a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing one embodiment in which an image receiving sheet is sandwiched between barriers of grooves in a jig for sandwiching a winding start portion of a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll used in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of a jig for holding a winding start portion of a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of a jig for holding a winding start portion of a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating that a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll is mounted in a thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll storage section of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal transfer printer 2 Thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll 3 Storage part 4 Jig 5 Thermal transfer recording part 6 Winding start part 7 Fixed part 8 Thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll hollow part 9 Cutting part 10 Groove 11, 111, 112 axis 12 Recess 13 axis 14 Thermal head Reference Signs List 15 platen roll 16 thermal transfer sheet 17 roll 18 leading end 19 image receiving sheet fixing recess 20 holding piece 21 locking hole 22 locking claw 23 entrance (groove) 24 position (fold) 25, 251, 252, 253 perforation 261, 262 penetration Hole 27 Groove 28 Gear 29, 30 Flange 31, 32 End face 33 End

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Kuki Ota, 1-1-1, Ichigaya-Kagacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Inside Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (72) Junichi Hiroi 1-1-1, Ichigaga-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo No. 1 Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2C060 AA04 BA04 BA05 BC03 BC04 BC13 BC14 BC47 BC84 3F052 AA01 AB05 BA02 BA15 CA02 DA01

Claims (6)

[Claims] An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a winding start portion of the winding is spaced from a leading end portion without using a winding core. ,
A jig inserted into the hollow portion of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll to hold the winding start portion, and the jig and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll rotate integrally and rotate to perform thermal transfer recording. A thermal transfer printer, comprising: 2. The thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the jig is a shaft provided with a groove for fixing a winding start portion of winding. 3. The thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the jig is configured with two shafts so as to hook a winding start portion of winding. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the jig is a shaft having a concave portion corresponding to the shape of a winding start portion of winding and having an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the hollow portion of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll. The thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein 5. A thermal transfer image-receiving sheet roll which is fixed to the winding at a portion where a winding start portion of the winding is spaced apart from a leading end portion without using a core, and Using a jig provided on the thermal transfer printer side to insert into the hollow portion of the image receiving sheet roll and pinch the above winding start portion, the jig and the thermal transfer image receiving sheet roll are integrally linked and rotated. A thermal transfer recording method. 6. A thermal transfer image-receiving sheet roll, wherein a winding start portion of the winding is fixed to the winding at a portion spaced apart from a leading end portion without using a winding core. Inserting into the hollow portion of the image receiving sheet roll, and using the jig provided on the thermal transfer printer side to sandwich the winding start portion, the jig is rotated integrally with the jig, and the thermal transfer recording is performed. A heat transfer image-receiving sheet roll, characterized in that: