JP2551408B2 - How to decorate items - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for decorating an article, and more specifically, it can and can form an arbitrary image with a sublimation dye (heat transfer dye). Provided is a method of decorating an article, which can attach the image to an arbitrary article.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, thermal transfer of fabric by sublimation dye (sublimation transfer)
The method has been used for a long time, and this method forms a dye pattern layer carrying a sublimable dye on a transparent film, superimposes this on a cloth and heats it to transfer the dye to the cloth to form an image on the cloth. Is the way to do it. Utilizing this technology, in combination with the recent development of image technology such as precision thermal printers, various kinds of precise image forming methods have been proposed on a plastic film from a thermal transfer sheet having a sublimable dye so as not to be inferior to a photograph. . According to this recent method, for example, on a transparent film such as paper having a polyester layer,
It can easily make a hard copy of a camera, an image, a television image, or a graphic image of a personal computer, and has reached a level that can sufficiently oppose conventional photographic technology and precision printing technology.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Although the thermal transfer technique as described above has an advantage that any image can be easily formed, the thermal transfer sheet is limited to a material that can be dyed with a sublimable dye such as polyester. On the other hand, on the other hand, the transferred article is limited to a sheet-like material such as a film or a sheet,
For example, it is not possible to form an image on wood, metal, glass, ceramics, etc., and even if plastics such as polyester are used, their image forming surface may have a curved surface or an uneven shape. Further, there is a problem that it is difficult to form an image on a three-dimensional molded article other than the sheet-shaped article even if it is flat.

In particular, with the expansion of the types and fields of use of various cards such as cash cards in recent years, it is necessary to add images and symbols to these cards to give them various functions and decorations. It is difficult to apply an image to these cards by the above-mentioned thermal transfer method because they are flat but have no flexibility or have irregularities such as characters and symbols.

Therefore, it is possible to easily provide a desired image on the surface of an article made of an arbitrary material and having an arbitrary shape and an arbitrary surface shape, and to integrate the image with the article to be decorated. Development is required.

(Means for Solving the Problem) That is, the present invention provides an image-receiving material for a heat-transferable sheet, which comprises a transparent image-receiving layer provided on one surface of a transparent film, the dye layer surface of the thermal transfer sheet having a sublimable dye layer on the entire surface. A step of forming a desired image composed of a sublimable dye on the image receiving layer by applying thermal energy according to an image signal from either side by superimposing the layers facing each other and a thermal head, and forming the image. And a step of adhering the entire heat-transferable sheet with the image surface of the heat-transferable sheet facing the article to be decorated.

(Embodiments of the Invention) Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which schematically show embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a basic form of a heat-transferable sheet used in the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 3 are diagrams showing a preferred embodiment of the heat-transferable sheet.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat transfer sheet used in the present invention
The basic constitution of 10 is characterized in that an image receiving layer 2 is provided on one surface of an arbitrary transparent film 1. By configuring the heat transferable sheet as described above, a desired image is formed on the image receiving layer 2 by using a thermal transfer sheet having a sublimable dye, and then the heat transferable sheet having the image is used as an arbitrary decorated article. The above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art are basically solved by adhering to any of these articles by any means so as to oppose the adhering surface.

That is, the image receiving layer 2 in the above is limited to a material which can be dyed with a sublimable dye, but the image-formed heat-transferable sheet is turned over and is subjected to an adhesion method according to the material of the article to be decorated. Also, glass, metal, wood, or plastic material that is difficult to dye with sublimable dyes can be attached freely. Further, since such an image has sufficient flexibility, it is possible to sufficiently follow the surface shape of the article to be decorated even if the surface shape of the article is a curved surface or an uneven surface. Attachment is not limited by the surface shape of the article.

In addition, since the surface of the image adhered in this way is covered with a transparent film, it has sufficient abrasion resistance, water resistance, chemical resistance, etc. without requiring any further means. Becomes

FIG. 2 shows a preferred example of the heat transferable sheet 10, in which a release layer 3 is provided on the surface of the image receiving layer 2.

The release layer 3 transfers the sublimable dye from a thermal transfer sheet (not shown) using a thermal head to prevent the thermal transfer sheet and the image receiving layer 2 from sticking to each other when an image is formed on the image receiving layer 3. It is not necessary when such adhesion does not occur or when such a release layer is provided on the surface of the thermal transfer sheet.

The example shown in FIG. 3 shows another preferable example of the heat transferable sheet 10, in which an intermediate layer 4 is provided between the image receiving layer 2 and the transparent film 1.

The intermediate layer 4 referred to here is a layer for sufficiently forming an image when an image is formed by transferring a sublimable dye from the thermal transfer sheet to the image receiving layer 2 using a thermal head,
For example, a cushion layer or a heat insulating layer. For example, by providing a layer having a cushioning property as the intermediate layer 4, the adhesiveness between the thermal transfer sheet and the image receiving layer 2 is improved, and the transfer of the sublimable dye at the time of image formation by the thermal head is made uniform, so that an image signal is obtained. A sufficiently compatible image can be formed.

Further, by forming the intermediate layer 4 from a heat-insulating material as a heat-insulating layer, when transferring the sublimable dye from the thermal transfer sheet to the image-receiving layer 2, it is possible to prevent the heat radiation of the applied heat and to improve the heat utilization efficiency. And the formation of a sufficient image is promoted. Of course, these cushion layers or heat insulating layers may be separately provided simultaneously in any order.

Such an intermediate layer is necessary to be substantially transparent because it is placed on the article to be decorated after being inverted after the image is formed on the heat-transferable sheet, so that it comes outside the image-receiving layer having the image. Is.

The above is the main constitution of the heat transferable sheet used in the present invention, and various modes other than the above preferable examples are obvious to those skilled in the art, and these obvious modes are naturally included in the present invention.

Next, the method of decorating an article of the present invention will be described. The method of the present invention is mainly characterized in that an image is formed using a thermal head using the above-mentioned thermal transfer sheet.

As a basic mode, a method illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 5 will be described.

The example shown in FIG. 4 utilizes the heat-transferable sheet shown in FIG. 1. First, a conventionally known heat-transfer sheet 20 containing a sublimable dye as a recording material is first used as the heat-transferable sheet 10.
The dye-carrying layer 21 of the thermal transfer sheet is superposed so as to face the image receiving layer 2 of the thermal transfer sheet 10, and either side of the thermal transfer sheet 20 or the thermal transfer sheet 10, preferably the thermal transfer sheet 20 side, according to an image signal by a thermal head. A desired image 5 is formed on the image receiving layer 2 by applying thermal energy (arrow). Next, the heat-transferred sheet having the image thus formed is placed so as to face the article 30 to be decorated, and adhered to the article 30 to be decorated by an appropriate adhesive means (FIG. 5). The method is complete.

Further, since the image receiving layer 2 is generally formed of a thermoplastic resin that can be dyed with a sublimable dye, it does not require any adhesive agent and can be directly used as a plastic molded product, cloth, metal,
Alternatively, heat fusion can be performed.

Although the decorative method of the present invention has been described above with reference to a basic example, the same applies to the case of carrying out the decorative method of the present invention using the heat-transferable sheets illustrated in FIG.

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail in terms of the materials and the method of forming the heat transfer sheet as described above.

The transparent film, which is transparent to the extent that it does not hide the image formed in the image receiving layer, and has excellent surface properties such as abrasion resistance, for example, polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, Films of various plastics such as polymethacrylate and polycarbonate, or those whose surface is variously treated can be used. If such a transparent film is too thick, the image will rise when attached to an article and the sense of unity with the article will be lost.
A thickness of about 50 μm is preferable.

The material constituting the image receiving layer is for receiving a sublimable dye transferred from the thermal transfer sheet, for example, a sublimable disperse dye, and for maintaining an image formed by the reception. For example, the synthetic resins (a) to (e) are used alone or in combination of two or more.

(A) Those having an ester bond.

Polyester resin, polyacrylic ester resin, polycarbonate resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, styrene acrylate resin, vinyl toluene acrylate resin, etc.

(B) Those having a urethane bond.

 Polyurethane resin and the like.

(C) Those having an amide bond.

 Polyamide resin (nylon).

(D) Those having a urea bond.

 Urea resin etc.

(E) Others having a highly polar bond.

Polycaprolactone resin, polystyrene resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyacrylonitrile resin, etc.

The image receiving layer is composed of a mixed resin of a saturated polyester and a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer. As the saturated polyester, for example, Byron 200, Byron 29
0, Byron 600, etc. (manufactured by Toyobo), KA-1038C (manufactured by Arakawa Chemical), TP220, TP235 (manufactured by Nippon Gosei) and the like are used. The vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer preferably has a vinyl chloride component content of 85 to 97% by weight and a degree of polymerization of about 200 to 800. The vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer is not limited to the case where it is a copolymer of only a vinyl chloride component and a vinyl acetate component, and contains a vinyl alcohol component, a maleic acid component, etc. within a range not hindering the object of the present invention. May be

The image receiving layer may be composed of a polystyrene resin, for example, a styrene monomer, for example, styrene, α-methylstyrene, a polystyrene resin composed of a homo- or copolymer of vinyltoluene, or the styrene-based resin. A styrene copolymer resin which is a copolymer of a monomer and another monomer, for example, an acrylic or methacrylic monomer such as acrylate, methacrylate, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, or maleic anhydride is exemplified.

Among the above synthetic resins, polyester resins are particularly preferred.

In any of the above embodiments, for the purpose of improving the whiteness of the image-receiving layer to further improve the clarity of the transferred image, imparting writability to the surface of the heat-transferred sheet, and preventing retransfer of the transferred image. A white pigment can be added to the image receiving layer. As the white pigment, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, kaolin clay, calcium carbonate, fine powder silica and the like are used, and as described above, two or more kinds can be mixed and used. Further, in order to further enhance the light resistance of the transferred image, an ultraviolet absorber and / or a light stabilizer can be added to the image receiving layer.

The amounts of these ultraviolet absorbers and light stabilizers are preferably 0.05 to 10 parts by weight and 0.5 to 3 parts by weight, respectively, based on 100 parts by weight of the resin constituting the image receiving layer.

The heat-transferable sheet used in the present invention has a release layer formed on one surface or both surfaces of the image-receiving layer in order to improve releasability between the heat-transfer sheet and the image-receiving layer and the transparent film. Alternatively, or in place of this, a release agent can be contained in the image receiving layer. Examples of the release agent include solid waxes such as polyethylene wax, amide wax, and Teflon powder; fluorine-based and phosphoric acid ester-based surfactants; silicone oil; and silicone oil is preferred.

As the silicone oil, an oily one can be used, but a curable type is preferred. Examples of the curable silicone oil include a reaction curable type, a photocurable type, and a catalyst curable type, and a reaction curable type silicone oil is particularly preferable.

As the reaction-curable silicone oil, those obtained by reacting and curing an amino-modified silicone oil and an epoxy-modified silicone oil are preferable, and as the amino-modified silicone oil, KF-393, KF-857, KF-858, X-22
-3680, X-22-3810C (Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.)
Examples of the epoxy-modified silicone oil include KF-100T, KF-101, KF-60-164, KF-103 (all manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) and the like.

Examples of the catalyst-curable or photocurable silicone oil include KS-705F and KS-770 (these are the catalyst-curable silicone oils manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.), KS-720 and KS-774.
(Above, a photo-curable silicone oil: manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.). The addition amount of these curable silicone oils is preferably 0.5 to 30% by weight of the resin constituting the image receiving layer.

Further, a release layer may be provided on a part of the surface of the image receiving layer by dissolving or dispersing the release agent in an appropriate solvent and applying the solution, followed by drying. As the release agent constituting the release layer, a reaction curing type of the above-mentioned amino-modified silicone oil and epoxy-modified silicone oil is particularly preferable. The thickness of the release layer is 0.01 to 5 μm, particularly 0.05 to 2 μm.
m is preferred.

When silicone oil is added again to form the image receiving layer, the silicone oil bleeds to the surface after application, so the release layer can be formed by bleeding and curing.

The image-receiving layer is formed by a known coating or printing method using a composition for forming an image-receiving layer obtained by dissolving or dispersing a material for forming the image-receiving layer on a transparent film. It may be carried out by a method in which it is once formed on a temporary carrier different from the transparent film and then transferred again onto the transparent film.

A sheet whose surface is releasable is used as the temporary carrier. For example, (1) an undercoat layer on a surface of cellulose fiber paper or synthetic paper followed by a release silicone layer, and (2) a polyolefin resin or polyester resin on the surface of the cellulose fiber paper by extrusion. It is coated or (3) a plastic film such as a polyester film having a release silicone layer on the surface.

An image-receiving layer is formed on the temporary carrier in the same manner as on a transparent film, and then an adhesive layer is formed if necessary. This adhesive layer is for ensuring the adhesive force between the transparent film and the image receiving layer when the image receiving layer is transferred onto the transparent film. In this method, another layer, for example, an intermediate layer for imparting cushioning properties or the like may be formed on the temporary carrier, and the intermediate layer and the image receiving layer may be transferred at one time on the transparent film. . When the intermediate layer also serves as the adhesive layer, the adhesive layer may not be formed on the temporary carrier. In any case, since the adhesive layer may be interposed between the transparent film and the uppermost layer on the temporary carrier, the adhesive layer is formed on the transparent film and the temporary carrier is not formed on the temporary carrier. The image receiving layer alone or the image receiving layer and the intermediate layer may be sequentially formed and transferred.

When the method of forming the image receiving layer on the temporary carrier and then forming it on the transparent film by the transfer method is adopted, the surface state of the temporary carrier is transferred to the surface of the image receiving layer formed on the transparent film. Therefore, the smoothness is very excellent, and the image-receiving layer formed directly on the transparent film is inferior in smoothness to that obtained by the transfer method.
When a clearer and more detailed image is desired, the transfer method should be adopted.

Any adhesive can be used as long as it can bond the image-receiving layer and the transparent film, and is polyester-based, polyacrylic ester-based, polyurethane-based, polyvinyl chloride-based, polyolefin-based, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, synthetic rubber-based Organic solvent solutions or emulsions such as The adhesive may be a heat bonding type or a room temperature adhesive type. In the case of the heat-bonding type, heat-bonding with a hot-melt type adhesive such as wax, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, polyolefin, or petroleum resin, or sandwich lamination using an extrusion film such as a polyolefin film may be used.

A double-sided tape may be used as an adhesive layer that also serves as an intermediate layer. The double-sided tape is obtained by impregnating and drying an acrylic adhesive or the like in rayon paper. The dried double-sided tape has fine pores and is considered to play a role equivalent to a foamed layer.

The intermediate layer may be either cushioning or porous depending on the constituent material, or may also serve as an adhesive layer in some cases.

The cushioning layer is mainly made of a resin having a 100% modulus specified in JIS-K-6301 of 100 kg / cm ² or less. If the 100% modulus exceeds 100 kg / cm ² , the rigidity is reduced. Even if the intermediate layer is formed using such a resin, the adhesion between the thermal transfer sheet and the image receiving layer at the time of printing cannot be maintained sufficiently. Further, the lower limit of the 100 modulus is actually about 0.5 kg / cm ² .

Resins that meet the above conditions include the following: polyurethane resin, polyester resin, polybutadiene resin, polyacrylate resin, epoxy resin,
Polyamide resin, rosin-modified phenol resin, terpene phenol resin, ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer resin, etc.

The above resins can be used alone or in combination of two or more, but since the above resins are relatively tacky, if there is a problem during processing, an inorganic additive,
For example, silica, alumina, clay, calcium carbonate, or an amide-based substance such as stearic acid amide may be added.

The cushioning layer can be formed by kneading the above-mentioned resin with a solvent and a diluent together with other additives as necessary to form a paint or ink, and drying it as a coating film by a known coating method or printing method. , Its thickness is
The thickness is 0.5 to 50 μm, more preferably 2 to 20 μm.
If the thickness is less than 0.5 μm, the roughness of the surface of the provided transparent film cannot be absorbed, and therefore it is not effective. On the contrary, if the thickness exceeds 50 μm, the effect is not improved and the image receiving layer becomes too thick to project. , It becomes a hindrance when winding or stacking, and it is not economical.

When such an intermediate layer is formed, it is considered that the adhesion between the thermal transfer sheet and the thermal transfer sheet is improved because the intermediate layer itself has low rigidity and therefore is deformed by pressure during printing. Resins such as those usually have a low glass transition point and softening point, and due to the thermal energy given during printing,
It is presumed that this also contributes to the fact that the rigidity is further reduced and deformation is more likely than at room temperature.

The porous layer is 1) a layer in which a synthetic resin emulsion such as polyurethane or a synthetic rubber latex such as methyl methacrylate-butadiene system is foamed by mechanical stirring and applied on a transparent film and dried, and 2) the above synthetic resin. A layer obtained by coating an emulsion, a liquid obtained by mixing a foaming agent with the above synthetic rubber latex on a transparent film and drying it. 3) A foaming agent for a synthetic resin such as vinyl chloride plastic sol or polyurethane, or a synthetic rubber such as styrene-butadiene system. A layer obtained by applying a mixed liquid on a transparent film and foaming it by heating, 4) a solution in which a thermoplastic resin or synthetic rubber is dissolved in an organic solvent, and an organic solvent which is less likely to evaporate than the organic solvent. With non-solvents (including those containing water as the main component) that are compatible with each other and that are insoluble in thermoplastic resins or synthetic rubbers Interleaf solution, the microporous layer or the like by forming a flocculated film microscopically form is used by coating and drying on a transparent film.

Since the layers 1) to 3) have a large amount of foaming, when the solution for forming the image receiving layer is applied on the layer and dried, the surface of the image receiving layer formed by drying is uneven. There is a fear. Therefore, in order to obtain a surface of the image receiving layer which has a small unevenness and is capable of transferring a highly uniform image, it is preferable to provide the microporous layer of 4) as a porous chamber.

Examples of the thermoplastic resin used in the formation of the microporous layer include saturated polyester, polyurethane, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, cellulose acetopropionate, and the like. Styrene-butadiene-based, isoprene-based, urethane-based and the like. Further, various organic solvents and non-solvents can be used for forming the microporous layer, and as the organic solvent, a hydrophilic solvent such as methyl ethyl ketone and alcohol is usually used. Is water.

The thickness of the porous layer in the present invention is preferably 3 μm or more, particularly preferably 5 to 20 μm. When the thickness of the porous layer is less than 3 μm, the cushioning and heat insulating effects are not exhibited.

As described above in the description of the method for forming the image-receiving layer, the intermediate layer may also serve as the adhesive layer, although the description was changed.

The above intermediate layer may be provided on the back surface of the heat transferable sheet or on one surface thereof.

An antistatic agent can be contained in at least one of the image receiving layers or on the surface of the image receiving layer in order to suppress the generation of static electricity during the processing of the heat transfer sheet or during traveling in the printer. Examples of the antistatic agent include surfactants, for example, cationic surfactants (for example, quaternary ammonium salts, polyamine derivatives, etc.), anionic surfactants (for example, alkyl sulfonates, etc.), amphoteric surfactants Surfactants or nonionic surfactants.
The antistatic agent may be applied to the surface of the image receiving layer by gravure coating, bar coating, or the like, or may be kneaded into the resin of the image receiving layer and transferred to the surface of the image receiving layer during coating and drying of the image receiving layer. A cationic acrylic polymer can be used as the antistatic agent mixed with the image-receiving layer resin.

The heat transfer sheet used in the present invention may be configured to be able to record on at least one part or at least one part by another method. A typical example is to provide a writable layer with a horizontal pen or pencil. The writable layer is
By not providing the image receiving layer partially, the transparent film surface may be used as it is, but it may be formed by arranging a resin layer containing an extender pigment side by side with the image receiving layer or by providing it on the image receiving layer. .

The above is the constitution of the heat transferable sheet used in the present invention. A preferable method for forming a desired image on such a heat transferable sheet is a heat transfer sheet comprising a layer having a sublimable dye on a transparent film. Is the method to use. Both the thermal transfer sheet itself and the transfer method used in this method are known, and these known thermal transfer sheets and transfer methods are all useful in the present invention. or,
With such a transfer method, both a monochrome image and a full-color image can be easily formed.

For example, a conventionally known thermal transfer sheet is overlaid on the thermal transfer sheet, and any conventionally known transfer device, for example,
A desired image can be formed in the image receiving layer of the heat transferable sheet by applying thermal energy of 5 to 100 mJ / mm ² with an apparatus such as a thermal printer (for example, Toshiba thermal printer TN-5400). .

The decorative method of the present invention using a film on which an image as described above is applied is such that the image surface of the film is pasted to the article to be decorated, and the transparent film as the base material remains as it is by such a method. It can be used as a protective layer for images. In the present invention, it is preferable that the image formed for the above-mentioned reason is formed as an image having a mirror surface relationship in advance.

As described above, the decoration method of the present invention uses the specific heat-transferable sheet, and inverts the image and attaches it.
The image forming method and the sticking method for the article to be decorated may be any conventionally known method, and the article to be decorated which is a target of the decoration method of the present invention is not particularly limited in its material, shape, etc., for example, Packages such as cartons, containers, bags, cassette cases, cassette halves, floppy cases, wrapping paper; stock certificates, checks, bills, securities, certificates, passbooks,
Tickets, wagon tickets, stamps, stamps, appreciation tickets, etc .; cash cards, credit cards, members' cards,
Cards such as greeting cards, postcards, business cards, IC cards; other forms, envelopes, tags, Shiori, calendars, posters, brochures, passports, POP supplies,
Coasters, displays, name plates, keyboards, cosmetics, accessories (clocks, lighters), stationery, building materials, radios, TVs, speakers, calculators, car instrument panels, emblems, keys, clothing, footwear, devices,
Any material or shape such as OA equipment may be used.

(Example) Next, an Example is given and this invention is demonstrated still more concretely.
In the text, "part" or "%" is based on weight unless otherwise specified.

Example 1 A polyester film (thickness 6 μm) was used as a substrate, a polyester resin-based primer was applied to one side of the substrate and dried, and an image-receiving layer-forming ink having the following composition was further applied thereon, and the weight after drying was 7 g / m 2. ^It was applied and dried so as to be ² .

Ink for forming image receiving layer: 100 parts polyester resin (manufactured by Toyobo, Byron 200) Amino-modified silicone (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., KF-393) 5
Part Epoxy modified silicone (X-22-34 manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
3) 5 parts Solvent (methyl ethyl ketone / toluene / cyclohexanone = 4/2/2) 900 parts After applying and drying the above ink, let it stand for 1 day, then 10
It was heated at a temperature of 0 ° C. for 30 minutes to cause silicone to bleed on the surface to form an image receiving layer having a cured silicone layer on the surface.

A sublimation transfer film carrying a cyan sublimable dye (having a molecular weight of 250 or more) with a binder resin is superposed on the obtained image receiving layer, and connected to an electrical signal of a cyan component obtained by color separation of a face photograph. Thermal energy was applied by a thermal head to obtain a cyan image. Next, sublimation transfer is performed in the same manner using a sublimation transfer film using a magenta sublimation dye (molecular weight is 250 or more) and a sublimation transfer film using a yellow sublimation dye (molecular weight is 250 or more), and a full-color face photograph is obtained. And a display image composed of other characters and figures.

The image receiving layer side of the film on which the display image is formed is
Overlaid on a card substrate consisting of a 0 μm white opaque hard vinyl chloride resin sheet and pressure-bonded with a 200 ° C. heat roller,
A card to which an image receiving layer having a display image was attached was obtained.

The surface of this card was entirely smooth and there was no bulge in the image portion. Furthermore, the image of this card
Even in an accelerated test that was kept in an atmosphere of 40 ° C for 3 months,
No image distortion or delamination occurred. Also, a JIS light resistance test using a carbon arc lamp showed that the suspension was J
The grade was IS 4 to 5, and showed good performance. It also showed good durability against scratches on the surface.

Example 2 In Example 1, a polyester-based adhesive was applied to the image surface of the heat transfer sheet on which a facial photograph image was formed, and the polyester adhesive was attached to the curved surface of the telephone. The image sufficiently follows the curved surface of the telephone. It was integrated with a curved surface and gave a feeling as if an image was printed directly without giving a sticking feeling like a sticker.

Example 3 A polyamide-based pressure-sensitive adhesive layer having a thickness of 1 μm was formed on the image side of the heat-transferred sheet on which the image was formed in Example 1.
When this was stuck to the outer surface of a glass cup, it did not give a feeling of sticking and gave a feeling as if it was printed directly.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the method for decorating an article of the present invention as described above, it has a surface such as a three-dimensional molded article, a curved surface or a complicated uneven shape, which has heretofore been impossible or difficult to form and impart an image. An image formed by a sublimable dye can be freely imparted regardless of the article and the material of the article.

Further, according to the present invention, unlike the conventional so-called picture stickers, the film having the image according to the present invention is thin, so that even when the film is stuck to the article to be decorated, they are sufficiently integrated and stuck. It does not give a feeling and has excellent aesthetics, function and durability.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 3 are diagrams schematically showing a cross section of a heat transfer sheet used in the present invention, FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing formation of an image by the heat transfer sheet, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the decoration state of an article typically. 1: Transparent film 2: Image-receiving layer 3: Release layer 4: Intermediate layer 5: Image 6: Adhesive 10: Thermal transfer sheet 20: Thermal transfer sheet 21: Dye carrying layer 30: Decorative article

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A thermal transfer sheet having a sublimable dye layer over its entire surface, the dye layer surface of which is opposed to and superposed on an image receiving layer surface of a heat transferable sheet comprising a transparent image receiving layer provided on one surface of a transparent film. A step of forming a desired image of a sublimable dye on the image receiving layer by applying heat energy according to an image signal from the side of the thermal head, and the image surface of the image-formed heat-transferred sheet is decorated. A step of adhering the entire heat-transferable sheet so as to face the article, and a method for decorating the article. 2. The method for decorating an article according to claim 1, wherein the article to be decorated is a card or the like. 3. The method for decorating an article according to claim 1, wherein the article to be decorated is a container.