JP2002254834A - Method for forming image and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for forming an image capable of accurately transferring an acceptive layer to a part to be transferred to a material to be transferred by using an intermediate transfer recording medium having a releasable transfer part made of at least the acceptive layer and having accurate and stable transferability of the acceptive layer without transferring the acceptive layer at all to a part to be transferred of the acceptive layer without increasing its cost to manufacture the intermediate transfer recording medium, and a printer. SOLUTION: The method for forming the image comprises the step of transferring the releasable transfer part made of at least the acceptive layer to the material to be transferred by using the intermediate transfer recording medium having at least the transfer part onto the base film. The method further comprises the steps of transferring a masking layer to an arbitrary position on the acceptive layer of the intermediate transfer recording medium, and then setting so that, when the transfer part of the intermediate transfer recording medium is re-transferred onto the material to be transferred, only the part to be transferred of the masking layer may not be transferred to the material. Thus, the transfer part having a bored part or a shape of an outer edge of a complicated case can be simply formed at the material to be transferred.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for transferring an image-formed receiving layer to a transfer-receiving member by using an intermediate transfer recording medium provided with at least a transfer portion composed of a receiving layer in a releasable manner on a base film. The present invention relates to an image forming method and a printing apparatus which are accurate and stable in transferability of a receiving layer, and do not increase the cost in manufacturing an intermediate transfer recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a thermal transfer method has been widely used as a simple printing method. The thermal transfer method is such that a thermal transfer sheet having a color material layer provided on one surface of a base material sheet and a thermal transfer image receiving sheet having an image receiving layer provided as necessary are superimposed, and the thermal transfer sheet is heated by a heating means such as a thermal head. Is heated imagewise to selectively transfer the colorant contained in the colorant layer to form an image on the thermal transfer image receiving sheet.

[0003] Thermal transfer methods are classified into a melt transfer method and a sublimation transfer method. The melt transfer method uses a thermal transfer sheet in which a hot-melt ink layer in which a coloring material such as a pigment is dispersed in a binder such as a hot-melt wax or a resin is supported on a base sheet such as a PET film, and a thermal head or the like is used. This is an image forming method in which energy is applied to the means in accordance with image information, and a color material is transferred together with a binder onto a thermal transfer image receiving sheet such as paper or a plastic sheet. An image formed by the fusion transfer method has high density and excellent sharpness, and is suitable for recording a binary image such as a character.

On the other hand, the sublimation transfer system mainly uses a thermal transfer sheet in which a dye layer in which a dye that transfers heat by sublimation is dissolved or dispersed in a resin binder is supported on a base sheet such as a PET film. This is an image forming method in which energy corresponding to image information is applied to a heating means, and only dye is transferred to a thermal transfer image receiving sheet provided with a dye receiving layer on a base sheet such as paper or plastic as required. In the sublimation transfer method, since the transfer amount of the dye can be controlled in accordance with the amount of energy applied, a gradation image in which the image density is controlled for each dot of the thermal head can be formed. Further, since the coloring material to be used is a dye, the formed image has transparency, and excellent reproducibility of an intermediate color when dyes of different colors are superimposed. Therefore, when thermal transfer sheets of different colors such as yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are used and each color dye is transferred onto the thermal transfer image receiving sheet in a superimposed manner, a high-quality photographic full-color image excellent in reproducibility of intermediate colors can be obtained. Formation is possible.

The specific application of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet by such a thermal transfer method is wide-ranging. Typical examples are print proofs, image output, CAD /
Design and output of CAM, etc., various medical analysis equipment such as CT scan and endoscope camera, output use of measurement equipment and as an alternative to instant photography, as well as identification cards, ID cards, credit cards, other cards It can be used to output a face photo to a kind, a synthetic photo in an amusement facility such as an amusement park, a game center, a museum, an aquarium, and a use as a commemorative photo. With the diversification of applications as described above, the demand for forming a thermal transfer image on an arbitrary object has increased, and as one of the measures, as an intermediate transfer recording medium in which a receiving layer is provided on a base material in a releasable manner. By using a thermal transfer sheet having a dye layer or a heat-fusible ink layer on the receiving layer, a colorant such as a dye or a pigment is transferred to form an image, and then the intermediate transfer recording medium is heated to form a receiving layer. Has been proposed for transferring the image on a transfer target. (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-238791, etc.)

In addition, the use of the above-mentioned intermediate transfer recording medium allows the transfer of the receiving layer to the object to be transferred.
It is preferably used for a transferred body in which a color material is not easily transferred and a high-quality image cannot be directly formed, a transferred body which is easily fused to a color material layer during thermal transfer, and the like. For this reason, the intermediate transfer recording medium is preferably used for producing identification cards such as passports and prints such as credit cards and ID cards.

[0007]

However, when the receiving layer is transferred to the transfer-receiving member using the above-mentioned intermediate transfer recording medium, the transfer is performed in a simple shape such as a square or a round shape and a solid shape over the entire surface. When doing, it does not matter much, but when providing a hollow part in the transfer part, or when the shape of the outer edge is complicated, the edge of the receiving layer transferred to the transfer object is not sharp, There is a problem that the transferability of the receiving layer is unstable because a portion not to be transferred is transferred or a portion to be transferred is not transferred. In particular, when the above-mentioned portion of the receiving layer that should not be transferred is, for example, a column for entering an address or a name, or a sealing column of a writer or issuer, the receiving layer is transferred to that portion at all. In such a case, the written contents and the seal are unclear, which is a major problem that the contents cannot be read.

[0008] With respect to the above-mentioned instability of transferability of the receiving layer, the receiving layer is once transferred in a simple shape such as a square or a circle, and then a layer dedicated for writing or stamping is added thereto, and printing is performed. To be provided. However, in this case, there is a problem that it takes time and effort to add the dedicated layer, and the manufacturing cost becomes extremely high. Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and is capable of being peeled off on a base film, using an intermediate transfer recording medium provided with a transfer portion comprising at least a receiving layer, and transferred to a transfer-receiving body. The receiving layer can be transferred exactly to the part to be transferred, and the receiving layer does not transfer at all to the part of the receiving layer that should not be transferred,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming method and a printing apparatus which are accurate and stable in transferability of a receiving layer and do not increase the cost for manufacturing an intermediate transfer recording medium.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, an intermediate transfer recording medium having at least a transfer portion comprising a receiving layer is provided on a base film so as to be transferred. In the method of forming an image by transferring the transfer portion to a body, a masking layer is transferred to an arbitrary position on a receiving layer of the intermediate transfer recording medium, and then the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium is transferred onto a transfer object. When re-transferring, only the transferred portion of the masking layer is not transferred to the transfer target. After or before forming a sublimation-type and / or fusion-type thermal transfer image on a transfer portion at an arbitrary position on the intermediate transfer recording medium, the masking layer is transferred to the transfer portion, and then the transfer layer is placed on the transfer target. When the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium is retransferred, only the transferred portion of the masking layer is not transferred to the transfer target.

[0010] In the thermal transfer sheet having a dye layer and / or a fusion layer used for forming the above-mentioned sublimation type and / or fusion type thermal transfer image, a masking layer may be formed on the same substrate of the thermal transfer sheet. It is preferable to use the provided one, without having to separately prepare a thermal transfer sheet for forming a thermal transfer image and a thermal transfer sheet having a masking layer, image formation and masking can be performed with one thermal transfer sheet, and a simple configuration become. The printing apparatus of the present invention includes a supply section for an intermediate transfer recording medium having at least a transfer section comprising a receiving layer, which is releasable on a base film, and a sublimation-type and / or fusion-type thermal transfer image in the transfer section. A heating unit for thermally transferring the masking layer, a heating unit for retransferring the thermal transfer image and the transfer portion on which the masking layer has been transferred to an object to be transferred, and a masking layer remaining without being transferred to the object to be transferred. Means for winding up a used intermediate transfer recording medium.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method for forming an image by transferring the transfer portion to a transfer-receiving member using an intermediate transfer recording medium having at least a transfer portion formed of a receiving layer so as to be peelable from a base film. Transferring the masking layer to an arbitrary position on the receiving layer of the intermediate transfer recording medium, and then retransferring the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium onto the object to be transferred; Only to be prevented from being transferred to the recipient. That is, in the transfer portion mainly including the receiving layer on which the masking layer has been transferred, even when the transfer is performed on the transfer target, the masking layer absorbs or blocks the heat at the time of transfer, and is not transferred. On the other hand, the transfer portion where the masking layer has not been transferred can be transferred to the transfer target without any problem, and the transfer portion having a hollow portion or a complicated outer edge can be easily formed.

[0012]

FIG. 1 shows a printing apparatus 1 according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example. The intermediate transfer recording medium 6 in the form of a roll is wound in the direction of the arrow from the supply section 2 of the intermediate transfer recording medium 6 provided with at least a transfer section composed of a receiving layer so as to be peelable on the base film. , Supplied. Next, a sublimation type and / or a sublimation type are applied to the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium 6 by the heating means 3 using a thermal head.
Alternatively, a predetermined thermal transfer image pattern and a pattern of the masking layer are formed by thermally transferring the thermal transfer image and the masking layer to a predetermined pattern by applying a predetermined electric signal and adjusting a heating time, a heating position, and the like. I do. The heating means 3 for transferring the thermal transfer image and the masking layer to the transfer section is not limited to the illustrated thermal head.
Heating means using a light source or a laser light source may be used.

Then, the transfer portion on which the thermal transfer image and the masking layer have been transferred is re-transferred to the transfer member 7 by the heating means 4 using a heat roll, and the transfer member 7 is formed as a print.
Is transported so as to be stored in the discharge tray 9. The heating means 4 for retransferring the above-described transfer portion to the transfer object is not limited to the illustrated heat roll method, but may be a hot stamp method,
A thermal head method or the like is also possible. Note that the discharge tray 9 moves downward each time the transfer target is stored one by one.
Further, the intermediate transfer recording medium 6 after passing through the heating means 4 is wound up by a winding-up means 5 using a winding roll in a used state, including a masking layer remaining without being transferred to the transfer receiving body 7. . The transfer member 7 is supplied from the supply unit 8 to the heating unit 4 one by one from the sheet stack state.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of an intermediate transfer recording medium used in the image forming method and the printing apparatus of the present invention. The intermediate transfer recording medium 6 includes a base film 10
And a transfer portion 13 provided on the base film 10 so as to be releasable. The transfer portion 13 shown in the drawing is composed of a release OP layer 11 and a receiving layer 12. (Base film) As the base film 10 constituting the intermediate transfer recording medium, the same base film as that used in the conventional intermediate transfer recording medium can be used as it is,
There is no particular limitation. Specific examples of preferred base film include thin paper such as glassine paper, condenser paper or paraffin paper, or heat-resistant such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyether ketone or polyether sulfone. High polyester, polypropylene, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, polyethylene derivatives, polyvinyl chloride,
Stretched or unstretched films of plastics such as polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, polyamide, polyimide, polymethylpentene or ionomer.
A composite film in which two or more of these materials are laminated can also be used. The thickness of the substrate film can be appropriately selected depending on the material so that the strength and heat resistance thereof are appropriate, but usually, the thickness of about 1 to 100 μm is preferably used. If necessary, a back layer can be provided on the surface of the base film opposite to the transfer portion side by a conventionally known method. The back layer is conventionally used to prevent the base film from fusing with a heating device such as a thermal head and to improve the slidability when transferring the transfer section to the transfer target using an intermediate transfer recording medium. It can be provided by the same resin as the resin used.

(Receiving Layer) The receiving layer 12 is provided so as to be located on the outermost surface as a part of a transfer portion constituting the intermediate transfer recording medium. On this receiving layer, by thermal transfer
An image is formed from a thermal transfer sheet having a color material layer by a thermal transfer method. Then, the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium on which the image is formed is transferred to the transfer target, and as a result, a print is formed. For this reason, as a material for forming the receiving layer, a conventionally known resin material which easily accepts a heat-transferring coloring material such as a sublimable dye or a hot-melt ink can be used. For example, polyolefin resins such as polypropylene, halogenated resins such as polyvinyl chloride or polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl chloride
Vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl resin such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer or polyacrylate, polyester resin such as polyethylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate, polystyrene resin,
Polyamide resins, copolymer resins of olefins such as ethylene or propylene and other vinyl polymers, cellulose resins such as ionomers or cellulose diastase, polycarbonate and the like, in particular, vinyl chloride resins, acrylic-styrene resins Or a polyester resin is preferred.

When the receiving layer is transferred to the transfer-receiving member via the adhesive layer, the adhesiveness of the receiving layer itself is not always required. However, when the receiving layer is transferred to the transfer receiving member without the interposition of the adhesive layer, it is preferable to form the receiving layer using a resin material having an adhesive property such as a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer. The receiving layer is formed by adding one or more materials selected from the above-mentioned materials and various additives as necessary, dissolving or dispersing in a suitable solvent such as water or an organic solvent, and coating the receiving layer. A solution can be prepared by preparing a solution, applying the solution by a gravure printing method, a screen printing method, a reverse coating method using a gravure plate, or the like, followed by drying. Its thickness is 1 when dry
About 10 g / m ² .

(Release OP Layer) In the intermediate transfer recording medium of the present invention, the receiving layer 12 can be formed on the base film 10 via the release OP layer 11. In this case, the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium is composed of the release OP layer and the receiving layer, and the transfer portion is transferred to the transfer object together with the receiving layer in such a form that the release OP layer is the outermost surface. In other words, peeling O
The P layer has a function of protecting the thermal transfer image on the outermost surface of the print, and a function of a release layer when the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium is released and thermally transferred. The release OP layer includes, for example, microcrystalline wax, carnauba wax, paraffin wax, Fischer-Tropsch wax, various low molecular weight polyethylenes, wood wax, beeswax,
Waxes such as whale wax, wax wax, wool wax, shellac wax, candelilla wax, petrolactam, partially modified wax, fatty acid ester, fatty acid amide,
It can be formed by using a thermoplastic resin such as silicone wax, silicone resin, fluororesin, acrylic resin, polyester resin, polyurethane resin, cellulose resin, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, or nitrified cotton.

It is particularly preferable that the release OP layer is mainly composed of an acrylic resin, a polyester resin, a polyurethane resin or the like having excellent transparency, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance and the like. Can be added. The release OP layer can be formed by applying and drying using conventionally known means such as hot melt coating, hot lacquer coating, gravure coating, gravure reverse coating, and roll coating. The thickness of the release OP layer is preferably about 0.1 to 5 g / m ² when dried. In addition, even in a transfer portion having no release OP layer, it is possible to provide an appropriate adhesion between the receiving layer and the base film by giving the receiving layer releasability from the base film. it can. Also, by giving the base film itself a peeling property, the same peeling property as that of the above-mentioned peeling OP layer can be provided.

A release layer can be provided on the base film instead of the above-mentioned release OP layer, and is usually formed of a binder resin and a release material. This release layer hardly peels off from the substrate film during thermal transfer and remains on the substrate film side. As the binder resin of the release layer, thermoplastic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyethyl methacrylate, acrylic resins such as polybutyl acrylate, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol, Vinyl resins such as polyvinyl butyral, ethyl cellulose, nitrocellulose,
Cellulose derivatives such as cellulose acetate, or unsaturated polyester resins, polyester resins, polyurethane resins, amino alkyd resins, etc., which are thermosetting resins can be used. Further, as the releasing material, waxes, silicone wax, silicone resin, melamine resin, fluorine resin, fine powder of talc or silica, surfactant, lubrication of metal soap and the like can be used. The release layer is prepared by dissolving or dispersing the above resin in an appropriate solvent to prepare a release layer coating liquid, and then applying the gravure printing method, screen printing method or reverse printing using a gravure plate on the base film. It can be formed by applying and drying by means such as a coating method. The thickness after drying is usually 0.1 to 1
0 g / m ² .

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an example of a thermal transfer sheet used in the image forming method and the printing apparatus of the present invention. The thermal transfer sheet 14 has a masking layer 18 and an adhesive layer 19 formed in this order on one surface of the base film 15 and prevents the other surface of the base film 15 from being fused with a heating means such as a thermal head. In order to improve the slidability, a back layer 20 is provided. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another example of the thermal transfer sheet used in the image forming method and the printing apparatus of the present invention. The thermal transfer sheet 14
A yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) dye layers 16 are provided on a base film 15, and a black (Bk) molten layer 17 and a release layer 21 from the base film 15 side are provided. , A masking transfer layer 22 composed of a masking layer 18 and an adhesive layer 19, which are repeatedly provided in a plane-sequential manner.

Hereinafter, each layer constituting the thermal transfer sheet 14 will be described. As the base film 15 of the thermal transfer sheet, the same base film as described for the intermediate transfer recording medium can be used. (Masking layer) Masking layer 18 used in the present invention
Is transferred to the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium, and then, even if it is attempted to transfer to the transfer object, the masking layer absorbs or blocks the heat at the time of transfer, and the transfer portion is transferred to the transfer object. It is something to lose. Examples of the binder resin used for the masking layer include acrylic resin, acrylic cellulose resin, cellulose resin, polystyrene resin, polyurethane resin, polyester resin, polycarbonate resin, polyamide resin, polysulfone resin, and polychlorinated resin. Vinyl resin, polyvinyl acetate resin,
Vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, polyvinyl acetal resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, epoxy resin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, and the like. Of these, those having active hydrogen can be further used as a binder with their crosslinked isocyanates.

A filler can be contained in the masking layer. As the filler, for example, silica,
Inorganic fillers such as alumina, clay, talc, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, etc., white pigments such as titanium oxide, zinc oxide, acrylic resin, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin,
Resin particles (plastic pigment) such as phenolic resin, melamine resin, benzoguanamine resin, fluororesin, and silicone resin or polyethylene wax, paraffin wax, carnauba wax, microcrystalline wax, wood wax, beeswax, whale wax, ibota wax, wool wax, can Various known wax particles such as delila wax, partially modified wax, and fatty acid amide are exemplified. When the above-mentioned masking layer contains bubbles or a foaming agent or a filler, it is added in an amount of about 0.01 to 200% by weight based on the binder resin of the masking layer.

Further, a porous masking layer having the following sea-island structure can be provided. As a porous manufacturing method,
A wet coagulation method is generally used, in which two or more types of porous forming resin components having greatly different solubility parameters are dissolved in a solvent,
After being applied to the base film, the solvent can be mixed with the solvent, but is passed through a solvent that does not dissolve the resin component, thereby performing solvent replacement. As a result, under the substituted solvent, the solubility parameter of the porous forming resin component is significantly different, so that two or more resins form a sea-island structure. Thereafter, by passing through a heat bath, the island portion of the sea-island structure is further thermally contracted, and porosity progresses. At this time, the island portions become organic fine particles. Then, it is desorbed and dried to obtain a porous masking layer. In the case of this porous masking layer, it is necessary to adjust the size and density of the island portion and the thickness of the masking layer in order to provide a heat insulating effect. The masking layer as described above can be dried by a known coating method such as gravure coating, gravure reverse coating, or roll coating, in a dry state of from 0.05 to 0.05.
It is formed with a thickness of about 5.0 g / m ² .

(Adhesive Layer) In the thermal transfer sheet having the above-mentioned masking layer, when the masking layer is transferred from the thermal transfer sheet, the adhesive layer 19 is formed to improve the transferability and the fixability after the transfer. Can be provided.
For the adhesive layer, any of conventionally known pressure-sensitive adhesives and heat-sensitive adhesives can be used, but the glass transition temperature (Tg) is 50 ° C to 80 ° C.
It is more preferable to form from a thermoplastic resin, for example, polyester resin, polyamide resin, vinyl chloride-
Vinyl acetate copolymer resin, acrylic resin, styrene acrylic resin, styrene-vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, butyral resin, epoxy resin, polyamide resin,
From a resin with good adhesiveness when heated, such as vinyl chloride resin,
It is preferable to select one having an appropriate glass transition temperature. If necessary for the resin constituting the adhesive layer as described above, a coating solution to which an additive such as an inorganic or organic filler is added, by a known means such as gravure coating, gravure reverse coating, and roll coating, is applied and By drying, preferably 0.05 to 5.0 g / m ² at the time of drying
It is formed to a thickness of about.

In a thermal transfer sheet having a masking layer,
A release layer 21 can be provided to improve the releasability of the masking layer from the base film during thermal transfer. As the release layer 21, the same release layer as that described in the above-described intermediate transfer recording medium can be used. Also,
The thermal transfer sheet of the present invention is used to form a thermal transfer image,
A dye layer and a melting layer are provided. (Dye layer) The sublimable dye layer 16 is formed from a coating liquid containing a sublimable dye, a binder resin and other optional components. As the sublimable dye, the binder resin and the like, conventionally known ones can be used, and there is no particular limitation. The dye layer can be formed by a conventionally known method in which a coating liquid for a dye layer is prepared, applied to a base film by means such as a gravure printing method, and dried. The thickness of the dye layer is about 0.2 to 3 g / m ^{2 in} a dry state.

(Melting Layer) The melting layer 17 can be formed using the same heat-meltable ink as in the prior art, and various additives are added as necessary. As these materials, conventionally known materials can be used, and there is no particular limitation. The molten layer is formed by applying a hot-melt ink onto a substrate film using a method such as hot melt coating. The thickness of the formed molten layer is determined from the relationship between the required concentration and the thermal sensitivity, and is usually preferably in the range of about 0.2 to 10 μm.

The masking layer alone as described above,
Alternatively, a heat transfer sheet including a masking layer and having only a masking transfer layer formed by laminating an adhesive layer and a release layer formed entirely of solid is used. Alternatively, a masking layer alone or a masking transfer layer and a dye layer and / or a melting layer may be used. It can be repeatedly formed on the same substrate of the thermal transfer sheet in a plane-sequential manner. However, the masking transfer layer, the dye layer and / or
Or the molten layer on the same substrate of the thermal transfer sheet face-to-face,
It is better to repeatedly form the intermediate transfer recording medium
The thermal transfer image formation and the masking layer transfer can be performed by controlling the transport of one thermal transfer sheet, and the thermal transfer sheet transport system of the printing apparatus can be simplified, which is preferable.

(Transferred Object) Next, the transferred object 7 will be described. The transfer portion on which the thermal transfer image of the above-described intermediate transfer recording medium is formed is transferred onto the transfer target. However, the transferred portion of the masking layer is not transferred to the transfer target. The transfer object used in the present invention is not particularly limited, for example, natural pulp paper, coated paper, tracing paper,
Any material such as plastic film, glass, metal, ceramics, wood, cloth, etc., which does not deform due to heat during transfer may be used. However, if the portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium that is not transferred using the masking layer in the transfer receiving body is, for example, a column for entering an address or a name, or a sealing column for a writer or issuer, Is preferably natural pulp paper having writing suitability and sealability. Natural pulp paper is not particularly limited,
For example, high quality paper, art paper, lightweight coated paper, lightly coated paper,
Coated paper, cast coated paper, synthetic resin or emulsion impregnated paper, synthetic rubber latex impregnated paper, synthetic resin internal paper, thermal transfer paper, and the like.

Regarding the shape and use of the transfer object, stock certificates,
Securities, certificates, passbooks, boarding tickets, car horse tickets, stamps, stamps, appreciation tickets, admission tickets, cash vouchers such as tickets, cash cards, credit cards, prepaid cards, members' cards, greeting cards, postcards, business cards, driver's licenses Certificates, IC cards, optical cards and other cards, cartons, containers and other cases, bags, forms, envelopes, tags, OHP sheets, slide films, bookmarks, calendars, posters, brochures, menus, passports, POP supplies , Coasters, displays, nameplates, keyboards, cosmetics, watches, lighters and other accessories, stationery, report paper, stationery, building materials, panels, emblems, keys, cloth, clothing, footwear, radios, televisions, calculators, office automation equipment, etc. Equipment, various sample books, albums, and computer graphs The output of the box, medical image output, etc., do not ask type.

(Image Forming Method) Next, by using the above-mentioned intermediate transfer recording medium and thermal transfer sheet, any object to be transferred may have a hollow portion or an outer edge having a complicated outer edge shape. Forming a partially masked transfer portion,
The image forming method of the present invention will be described. The above-described masking layer 18 is transferred from the thermal transfer sheet 14 to an arbitrary position on the receiving layer 12 of the intermediate transfer recording medium 6 having the transfer portion 13 including at least the receiving layer 12 by the heating means 3 such as a thermal head. Then, the transfer portion 13 of the intermediate transfer recording medium 6 is re-transferred onto the transfer object 7 by the heating means 4 such as a heat roll. At the time of the retransfer, the untransferred portion of the masking layer 18 is transferred to the transfer target 7, and the transferred portion of the masking layer 18 is transferred to the transfer target 7.
Is not transcribed. (See Fig. 5)

As described above, the masking layer can be transferred first, then a thermal transfer image can be formed, and finally the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium can be re-transferred to the transfer target. It is also possible to first form a thermal transfer image on the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium, then transfer the masking layer to the transfer portion, and finally retransfer the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium to the transfer target. . Further, even if the thermal transfer sheet for forming the thermal transfer image and the thermal transfer sheet having the masking layer are separate, a dye layer and / or a fusion layer for forming the thermal transfer image on the same base film. The masking layer may be formed by repeatedly applying the masking layer in the flow direction of the thermal transfer sheet face-to-face. However, the latter thermal transfer sheet formed by applying the same base film separately is preferable because the transport system of the thermal transfer sheet of the printing apparatus can be simplified. In the case of using a thermal transfer sheet in which the dye layer and / or the melt layer and the masking layer are separately applied to the same base film, the positions of the thermal transfer are adjusted at the time of thermal transfer of the thermal transfer image and at the time of transfer of the masking layer. In order to accurately perform, it is preferable to provide a conventionally used detection mark for position detection at the time of each transfer, detect with a detector, and perform alignment of thermal transfer in conjunction with a printing apparatus. .

[0032]

Example 1 First, a transparent polyethylene terephthalate having a thickness of 12 μm was used as a base film,
The following coating liquid for a release OP layer is applied and dried on the surface thereof, and dried to a thickness of 2.0 g / m ² on the base film.
Was formed. The back layer was previously formed on the substrate film. (Coating liquid for release OP layer) Acrylic resin (BR-83, manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.) 88 parts Polyester resin 1 part Polyethylene wax 11 parts Methyl ethyl ketone 50 parts Toluene 50 parts

Next, the following coating liquid for a receiving layer is applied and dried on the release OP layer to a thickness of 2.0 when dried.
A g / m ² receiving layer was formed, and an intermediate transfer recording medium was prepared. (Coating liquid for receiving layer) Vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer 40 parts Acrylic silicone 1.5 parts Methyl ethyl ketone 50 parts Toluene 50 parts

Using polyethylene terephthalate having a thickness of 6 μm as a base film, as shown in FIG. 4, a yellow, magenta, and cyan dye layer, a hot-melt transferable black hue melting layer, A release layer having the composition shown below,
A thermal transfer sheet was prepared in which a masking transfer layer in which a masking layer and an adhesive layer were laminated was repeatedly formed in a plane-sequential manner. still,
0.5 g / m ² dry thickness of release layer, 1.5 g / m ² dry thickness of masking layer, 1.0 g dry thickness of adhesive layer
/ M ² . (Release layer) Acrylic resin (manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., BR-87) 30 parts Methyl ethyl ketone 35 parts Toluene 35 parts

(Masking layer) Acrylic resin 50 parts Polyethylene wax 50 parts Methyl ethyl ketone 25 parts Toluene 25 parts

(Adhesive layer) Polyester resin (manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd., Byron 220) 30 parts Methyl ethyl ketone 35 parts Toluene 35 parts

On the receiving layer of the intermediate transfer recording medium obtained above, the thermal transfer sheet prepared above was used, and the sublimation transfer photographic image was formed by a thermal transfer method, that is, by using a thermal transfer printer equipped with a commercially available thermal head. And a thermal transfer image of the character image of the melt transfer were formed. Next, on the receiving layer on which the image was formed, using the thermal transfer sheet prepared above, the masking transfer layer using the thermal transfer printer described above, the address, the handwritten entry field of the name, and the position corresponding to the seal field. And the pattern was transferred. Then, a 600-μm-thick white PET-G sheet (Mitsubishi Plastics Corporation)
Manufactured by PET-G, Diafix PG-W), and re-transferred the image-formed transfer portion to a designated position using a commercially available laminator having a permanent heat roll.
Prints were obtained. However, the sign panel processing is performed in advance at positions corresponding to the address and name handwritten entry fields on the transfer surface of the PET-G sheet and the seal fields.

The printed matter obtained in the above embodiment is a transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium, and only the transferred portion of the masking layer is not transferred to the transfer object, but the blank portion of the handwritten entry and the stamped portion are hollowed out. The thermal transfer image was formed in the portion excluding the portion. Then, by writing in the handwritten entry field with a ballpoint pen, no unclear portion was generated. Further, when the seal was stamped with vermilion, no unclear portion was formed. The thermal transfer image was clear and of excellent quality.

Comparative Example 1 An intermediate transfer recording medium was produced in the same manner as in Example 1. The thermal transfer sheet uses the same base film used in Example 1, and has a yellow, magenta,
A thermal transfer sheet having a cyan dye layer, a heat-melt transfer property, and a black-colored fused layer having a black hue repeatedly formed in a plane-sequential manner was prepared. On the receiving layer of the intermediate transfer recording medium obtained above, using the thermal transfer sheet prepared above, by a thermal transfer method, that is, using a thermal transfer printer equipped with a commercially available thermal head, a photographic image of sublimation transfer and A thermal transfer image of the character image of the melt transfer was formed. Next, the same PET-G sheet used in the example was superimposed on the above-described image-formed transfer section, and a hot stamp having a predetermined pattern at a position corresponding to a handwritten entry field for an address and a name and a seal section was provided. A heat press was performed using the relief printing plate, and the transfer portion was re-transferred to the transfer-receiving body to obtain a print.

When the printed matter obtained in the above comparative example was filled in with a ballpoint pen at the position of the handwriting box, the ink was partially repelled, and an unclear portion was formed. Further, when the seal was pressed with vermilion on the seal box, a portion where the vermilion was repelled occurred, and it was unclear. In addition, the hot stamp relief plate used in the comparative example had only one pattern, and could not produce a deformed pattern, and was not applicable.

[0041]

As described above, according to the image forming method of the present invention, an intermediate transfer recording medium having at least a transfer portion comprising a receiving layer is provided on a substrate by using an intermediate transfer recording medium which can be peeled off from a base film. When transferring the transfer portion to form an image,
On the receiving layer of the intermediate transfer recording medium, the masking layer is transferred to an arbitrary position, and then, when the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium is re-transferred onto the transfer target, only the transferred portion of the masking layer is transferred. , So as not to be transferred to the transfer object. That is, in the transfer portion mainly including the receiving layer on which the masking layer has been transferred, even when the transfer is performed on the transfer target, the masking layer absorbs or blocks the heat at the time of transfer, and is not transferred. On the other hand, the transfer portion where the masking layer has not been transferred can be transferred to the transfer target without any problem, and the transfer portion can be easily formed when there is a hollow portion or when the shape of the outer edge is complicated. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an intermediate transfer recording medium used in the image forming method and the printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a thermal transfer sheet used in the image forming method and the printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the thermal transfer sheet used in the image forming method and the printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the image forming method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 printing device 2 (intermediate transfer recording medium) supply unit 3 heating unit 4 heating unit 5 winding unit 6 intermediate transfer recording medium 7 transferred object 8 (transferred object) supply unit 9 discharge tray 10 base film 11 release OP layer DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Receiving layer 13 Transfer part 14 Thermal transfer sheet 15 Base film 16 Dye layer 17 Fused layer 18 Masking layer 19 Adhesive layer 20 Back layer 21 Release layer 22 Masking transfer layer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B41M 5/26 Z 101H 101Z F-term (Reference) 2C068 AA06 BD17 2H111 AA17 AA52 AB05 BA01 BA14 CA03 CA04 CA23 CA25 CA30 CA47

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method for forming an image by transferring said transfer portion to a transfer-receiving body using an intermediate transfer recording medium provided with a transfer portion comprising at least a receiving layer so as to be peelable on a base film. When the masking layer is transferred to an arbitrary position on the receiving layer of the intermediate transfer recording medium, and then the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium is re-transferred onto the transfer target, only the transferred portion of the masking layer is transferred. And an image forming method, wherein the image is not transferred to a transfer object. 2. A masking layer is transferred to a transfer portion after or before forming a sublimation type and / or a fusion type thermal transfer image on a transfer portion at an arbitrary position of the intermediate transfer recording medium, and then 2. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein when the transfer portion of the intermediate transfer recording medium is re-transferred onto the transfer target, only the transferred portion of the masking layer is not transferred to the transfer target. 3. A thermal transfer sheet having a dye layer and / or a fusion layer, which is used for forming the sublimation type and / or fusion type thermal transfer image, wherein a masking layer is formed on the same substrate of the thermal transfer sheet. The image forming method according to claim 2, wherein the image forming method is provided. 4. A supply section for an intermediate transfer recording medium having at least a transfer section comprising a receiving layer releasably provided on a base film, and a sublimation type and / or fusion type heat transfer image and a masking layer at the transfer section. Heating means for heat-transferring, a heating means for re-transferring the transfer portion on which the thermal transfer image and the masking layer have been transferred to a transfer-receiving body, and a masking layer remaining without being transferred to the transfer-receiving body. A printing device for winding up a completed intermediate transfer recording medium.