JP2615759B2 - Image forming method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for forming an image on a recording medium such as a card using a heat sublimable dye, and particularly to an image capable of forming an image having excellent durability. It relates to a forming method.

<Problems to be Solved by the Related Art and the Invention> A heat-sublimation transfer recording medium provided with a heat-sublimation transfer layer made of a heat-sublimation composition containing a heat-sublimation dye depends on a heating amount. The ability to control the transfer amount of the thermosublimable dye onto the recording medium by using the method described above allows not only the recording of binary images such as characters but also the recording of images having gradation such as photographic images. Have. On the other hand, however, the thermal sublimation transfer recording medium generally has lower thermal sensitivity than the heat-fusible transfer recording medium provided with the heat-fusible transfer layer, and the recorded image is formed by re-sublimation, bleeding, fading, etc. of the thermal sublimation dye. Had a problem in that the durability was poor. In particular, the durability of recorded images is at a level that does not hinder practical use when used as a general image printer, but is insufficient for applications where high durability and reliability are required for recorded images. Met. Specifically, such uses include recording images on cards. The cards referred to here are prepaid cards, commuter passes, gift certificates, admission tickets, vouchers such as tickets, ID cards such as credit cards and ID cards, student ID cards, etc. Should not be subject to tampering or reduced visibility.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
In the case of performing image recording on the cards or the like using a thermal sublimation transfer recording medium, there is no risk of tampering, does not cause a decrease in visibility, and furthermore, an image having high durability and reliability is obtained. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming method capable of forming.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention made to achieve the above object provides a heat sublimation method using a heat-generating recording member in a receiving portion of a recording medium having a surface on which a receiving portion for a heat sublimable dye is provided. In the image forming method for transferring an image by transferring a heat sublimable dye of a transfer recording medium provided with a transferable transfer layer, a linear sublimation transfer layer and a linear saturation formed by condensation polymerization of a dicarboxylic acid component and a diol component. A thermoplastic resin consisting of a polyester resin and an acrylic resin having a glass transition point in the range of 50 ° C to 110 ° C, and a transparent hot-melt transfer layer mainly composed of a lubricant and an ultraviolet absorber are alternately arranged along the length of the ribbon. After forming an image with a thermosublimable dye on the receiving portion of the recording medium by a heat-generating recording member as a heating means, using a transfer recording medium repeatedly provided on the heat-fusible transfer layer by a heating means on the formed image. Turn The image forming method characterized by forming an overcoat layer was.

Hereinafter, the image forming method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a transfer ribbon (30), which is one of the transfer recording media, a thermal head (20), which is one of the heat recording members, and a pressing platen roller (for a card-shaped recording medium (10)). 40) shows how color printing is performed according to 40). In the case of performing color recording in FIG. 1, first, the yellow portion (31) of the transfer ribbon (30) is overlaid on the card-shaped recording medium (10), and the thermal portion is moved while moving in the directions of arrows B and A, respectively. The transfer recording of yellow is performed by the head (20), and after the recording, the recording medium (10) is pulled back in the direction of arrow A 'and overlaps the magenta portion (32) of the transfer ribbon (30). I do. Similarly, after recording the cyan portion (33), the heat-fusible transfer layer (34)
The transfer recording is performed by superimposing on the formed image recording to form an overcoat layer.

Here, the thickness of the recording medium (10) is 150 to 300 μm.
Polyester sheet, 500 to 1000 μm rigid PVC sheet or rigid PVC / polycarbonate laminated sheet,
Paperboards of various companies are generally used.

The transfer ribbon (30) is made of a heat-resistant film such as a polyester film, a polyamide film or a cellophane film having a thickness of 3 to 50 μm, or a thin paper such as a capacitor paper as a base material. Use is made of a combination of a transfer layer and a hot-melt transfer layer (34). In the case where the thermal sublimation transfer layer performs color recording, as shown in FIG. 1, the thermal sublimation transfer layer includes a yellow portion (31) containing a yellow heat sublimation dye and a magenta heat sublimation dye. Magenta part (32) containing cyan color, and cyan part (33) containing cyan thermosublimable dye. It is also possible to use a layer provided with a thermal sublimation transfer layer and coated in four colors. Of course, when only monochrome recording is performed, a thermal sublimation transfer layer of one color of black may be used.

The heat-fusible transfer layer (34) is a thermoplastic resin comprising a linear saturated polyester resin formed by the condensation polymerization of a dicarboxylic acid component and a diol component, and an acrylic resin having a glass transition temperature in the range of 50 ° C to 110 ° C. , And a heat-fusible transfer layer containing a lubricant and an ultraviolet absorber as main components. The saturated polyester resin has an effect of improving the adhesiveness of this layer, and a preferable addition amount is 10 to 30% by weight based on the entire thermoplastic resin, and the acrylic resin imparts plasticity to the overcoat layer. The reason why the glass transition point is specified is that if the glass transition point is 50 ° C. or lower, chemical resistance and plasticizer resistance are insufficient, and if the glass transition point is 110 ° C. or higher, the thermal sensitivity becomes too low. The above lubricant is required for improving the friction resistance of the transferred overcoat layer, and specifically, Teflon powder, polyethylene powder, waxes, and metal salts of higher fatty acids such as zinc stearate can be used. . The above-mentioned ultraviolet absorber is for improving the light fastness of recording by the heat sublimable dye.

The composition ratio of the heat-fusible transfer layer is such that the thermoplastic resin is 40 to 80% by weight, the lubricant is 5 to 30% by weight, and the ultraviolet absorber is 5 to 30% by weight.

The thermal head (20), which is one of the heat generating recording members, may be of a normal flat bed type. However, when the recording medium is particularly thick and difficult to bend, an end face type thermal head as shown in FIG. Is more desirable. There is no particular limitation when using a hot stamping board.

FIG. 2 shows an example of recording on a card by the above-described image forming method. FIG. 2 (a) shows a photo photographic image (51) and a character image (52) formed on a card (50) by using a heat sublimation transfer layer of a heat transfer recording medium, and then a heat fusible transfer layer. Is transferred over almost the entire surface of the card to provide an overcoat layer, whereby re-sublimation and fading of image recording due to the heat sublimable dye can be suppressed. Also, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the magnetic recording layer (6
When 4) is provided, if the overcoat layer is provided on the entire surface of the card, magnetic recording will be hindered. In that case, the overcoat layer (63) may be provided only in the portion where the image recording (61) and (62) using the thermal sublimation transfer layer has been performed.

The heat-meltable transfer layer forming the overcoat layers (53) and (63) as described above has almost the same thermal sensitivity as the heat-sublimable transfer layer, and therefore, is not special in the transfer. Therefore, the thermal head or the thermal printing plate used for the sublimation transfer recording can be used as it is without the need for the heating means, so that the convenience is high.

<Effects of the Invention> According to the present invention, it is possible to form an image record on a recording medium using a thermo-sublimable dye without fear of re-sublimation or fading. This has the effect that no special equipment is required in eliminating the possibility of re-sublimation and fading.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an image forming method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a card on which recording has been performed by the image forming method of the present invention. (10) Recording medium (50), (60) Card (20) Thermal head (30) Transfer recording medium (40) Platen roller

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-59-127798 (JP, A) JP-A-61-51391 (JP, A) JP-A-63-1593 (JP, A) JP-A-60-23096 (JP) JP-A-61-57392 (JP, A) JP-A-61-217290 (JP, A) JP-A-58-172192 (JP, A) JP-A-60-204397 (JP, A) 61-162388 (JP, A) JP-A-62-214990 (JP, A)

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method for transferring a heat sublimable dye of a transfer recording medium provided with a heat sublimable transfer layer using a heat-generating recording member at a receiving portion of a recording medium provided with a heat sublimable dye receiving portion on the surface. In an image forming method for obtaining an image, a heat-sublimable transfer layer, a linear saturated polyester resin formed by condensation polymerization of a dicarboxylic acid component and a diol component, and a glass transition point of 50 ° C.
A transfer recording medium in which a transparent heat-fusible transfer layer mainly composed of a thermoplastic resin made of an acrylic resin in a range of 110 ° C. and a lubricant and an ultraviolet absorber is alternately and repeatedly provided in the length direction of the transfer recording medium. After forming an image with a heat-sublimable dye on the receiving portion of the recording medium by using a heat-generating recording member that is a heating means, a heat-fusible transfer layer is transferred onto the formed image by a heating means to form an overcoat layer. An image forming method characterized by forming. 2. The composition ratio of the heat-fusible transfer layer is such that the thermoplastic resin is 40 to 80% by weight, the lubricant is 5 to 30% by weight, and the ultraviolet absorber is 5 to 30% by weight. 2. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the linear saturated polyester resin formed by condensation polymerization of the dicarboxylic acid component and the diol component accounts for 10 to 30% by weight of the whole thermoplastic resin. Item 3. The image forming method according to Item 2. 4. The thermal sublimation transfer layer is sequentially coated with three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan, or four colors of black added thereto in the longitudinal direction of the recording medium. The image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a transfer recording medium is used.