JP2655538B2 - Article decoration method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for decorating an article using a heat-transferable sheet, and more particularly, to forming an arbitrary image with a sublimable dye (heat transfer dye). Provided is a method for decorating an article, which is capable of attaching a formed image to an arbitrary article.

(Prior art) Conventionally, thermal transfer (sublimation transfer) of a fabric using a sublimable dye.
The method has been performed for a long time, and this method is a method in which a dye pattern layer carrying a sublimable dye is formed on a sheet-like substrate, and this is overlaid on a fabric and heated to transfer the dye pattern to the fabric. is there. Utilizing this technology, coupled with the recent development of image technology such as precision thermal printers, there is a method of forming a precise image comparable to a photograph on a plastic film from a thermal transfer sheet having a sublimable dye layer on the entire surface. Various proposals have been made. According to this recent method, for example, a camera image, a television image, a graphic image of Pacoson, or the like can be easily copied on a sheet-like substrate such as paper having a polyester layer,
It has reached a level that can sufficiently compete with 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 an arbitrary image can be easily formed, the thermal transfer sheet is limited to a material which can be dyed with a sublimable dye such as polyester. Problem. On the other hand, the shape of the transferred article is limited to a sheet-like material such as a film or a sheet,
For example, an image cannot be formed on wood, metal, glass, ceramics, and the like, and further, even with plastics such as polyester, the image forming surface has a curved surface or an uneven shape. In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult to form an image on a three-dimensional molded article other than a sheet-shaped article even if the sheet is a flat sheet.

In particular, as the types and fields of use of various cards such as cash cards have expanded in recent years, it is necessary to add images and symbols to these cards and give them various functions and decorations. It is difficult to give an image to these cards by the above-described thermal transfer method because they are flat but lack flexibility, or have irregularities such as letters and symbols.

As a method of solving such a drawback, there is a method of attaching a picture sticker having a desired image to a desired place of the article to be decorated. However, in this method, since the seal material is relatively thick, the sticking portion protrudes. , There is no sense of unity between the seal and the item to be decorated,
In addition, there is a disadvantage that it is easily peeled.

Therefore, the development of a technology that can easily give a desired image to the surface of an article made of an arbitrary material, having an arbitrary shape and an arbitrary surface shape, and integrating the image and the article to be decorated. Is required.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The above object is achieved by the present invention described below. That is,
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer sheet having a sublimable dye layer, wherein the dye layer surface is provided on the surface of the protective layer and the protective layer provided releasably on one surface of the sheet-like substrate, and on the surface or in the layer. An image-receiving layer containing a release agent and a heat-receiving sheet having the image-receiving layer are superimposed on each other, and heat is applied in an image-like manner by a thermal head from either side, and the image-receiving layer is formed of a sublimable dye. A step of forming a desired image, and simultaneously peeling off the image-receiving layer on which the image is formed and the protective layer, and sticking the peeled-off protective layer and the image-receiving layer such that the image forming surface thereof faces an arbitrary article; Or, by sticking the image-forming surface of the image-receiving layer on which an image has been formed without peeling the protective layer and the image-receiving layer to an arbitrary article, and peeling the sheet-like substrate after the sticking, The image receiving layer and the protection on any article Preparative a decoration method of the article, which comprises the the step of transferring as stacked.

(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 transfer sheet used in the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 5 are diagrams showing a preferred embodiment of the heat transfer sheet.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat transfer sheet used in the present invention
The basic configuration of the tenth aspect is characterized in that an image receiving layer 2 is provided on one surface of an arbitrary sheet-like substrate 1 via a peelable protective layer 5. With the heat transfer sheet used in the present invention having such a structure, a desired image is formed on the image receiving layer 2 by the heat transfer sheet having a sublimable dye, and then the image receiving layer 2 having the image is transferred to the sheet-like substrate 1. Protective layer 5
The above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art are basically solved by peeling the sheet and attaching the sheet to any article by any means.

That is, the image receiving layer 2 in the above is limited to a material that can be dyed with a sublimable dye, but those that form an image and are peeled from the sheet-like substrate are each bonded by a bonding method according to the material of the article to be decorated. Any material such as glass, metal, wood, or a plastic material that is difficult to dye with a sublimable dye can be freely attached. Further, since the image receiving layer 2 and the protective layer 5 having an image and peeled from the sheet-like base material are very thin and have sufficient flexibility, the surface shape of the article to be decorated is a curved surface or an uneven surface. Can sufficiently follow these surface shapes. Therefore, sticking is not limited by the surface shape of the article to be decorated.

In addition, since the image receiving layer 2 and the protective layer 5 each having an image are very thin, unlike the conventional seal, the image receiving layer 2 and the protective layer 5 can be easily integrated with the article to be decorated. It does not give a feeling.

The protective layer 5 prevents deterioration of the image of the image receiving layer 2 when the image receiving layer 2 from which the image has been formed and peeled is adhered with the surface (image forming surface) of the image receiving layer 2 facing the article to be decorated. is there. The protective layer 5 is formed of a material having various physical properties such as abrasion resistance, light resistance, weather resistance, and chemical resistance. By providing such a protective layer 5, it is possible to improve various fastnesses of an image adhered to the article to be decorated.

FIG. 2 shows a preferred example of the heat transfer sheet 10 used in the present invention, and shows the surface of the image receiving layer 2 or the protective layer 5.
A release layer 3, 3 ′ is provided between the substrate and the sheet-like substrate 1 or both.

The release layer 3 is for transferring a sublimable dye from a thermal transfer sheet (not shown) 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 2. This is unnecessary when such adhesion does not occur or when such a release layer is provided on the surface of the thermal transfer sheet.

The release layer 3 'facilitates peeling of the protective layer 5 after image formation, and is provided when the sheet-like substrate 1 is difficult to peel from the protective layer 5 like paper. If the sheet-like substrate 1 itself has a sufficient releasability from the protective layer 5 as in the case of a polyester film or the like, it is not particularly essential.

3 to 5 correspond to the image receiving layer 2 shown in FIG.
An intermediate layer 4 is provided between the sheet material 1 and the sheet-like substrate 1.

The term “intermediate layer 4” as used herein refers to a layer for sufficiently forming an image when an image is formed by transferring a sublimable dye from a thermal transfer sheet to the image receiving layer 2. It is. 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.

When the intermediate layer 4 is located above the release layer 3 'in the drawing, the intermediate layer 4 is also peeled off at the same time when the image receiving layer 2 is peeled off, while the intermediate layer 4 is separated from the release layer 3' in the drawing. When the intermediate layer 4 exists in the upper and lower layers, the intermediate layer 4 remains on the sheet-like substrate 1 after the image receiving layer 2 is peeled off. Therefore, in the former case,
When the peeled image receiving layer 2 is adhered with the release layer 3 surface facing the article to be decorated, the intermediate layer 4 is desirably substantially transparent.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which the intermediate layer 4 is provided between the protective layer 5 and the image receiving layer 2, and FIG. 4 shows an example in which the intermediate layer 4 is formed of the sheet-like base material 1 and the release material 3 '. In this example, the intermediate layer 4 remains on the sheet-like substrate 1 after the image receiving layer 2 is peeled off. 5 is an example in which the protective layer 5 also serves as the intermediate layer 4. In any case, by providing such a protective layer 5 adjacent to the release layer 3 ', the protective layer 5 becomes the uppermost layer when an image is formed and the peeled image receiving layer 2 is inverted and attached to the article to be decorated. It is provided as follows.

The main configuration of the heat transfer sheet used in the present invention has been described above. Various embodiments other than the preferred examples described above are obvious to those skilled in the art, and these obvious embodiments are naturally included in the present invention.

Next, the decorating method of the present invention will be described. The decorating method of the present invention is mainly characterized by utilizing the above-mentioned heat transfer sheet.

The basic mode will be described by a method schematically shown in FIGS.

The example shown in FIG. 6 utilizes the heat transfer sheet shown in FIG. 1. First, a conventionally known heat transfer sheet 20 using a sublimable dye as a recording agent is first transferred to the heat transfer sheet 10.
The dye transfer layer 21 of the thermal transfer sheet is overlapped so as to face the image receiving layer 2 of the thermal transfer sheet 10, and a thermal head is applied to the thermal head from either the thermal transfer sheet 20 or the thermal transfer sheet 10, preferably from the thermal transfer sheet 20 side. By applying the thermal energy (arrow), a desired image 7 is formed on the image receiving layer 2.

Next, the image receiving layer 2 having the image thus formed is peeled off from the sheet-like substrate 1 together with the protective layer 5, or the image forming surface is opposed to the article to be decorated 30 without peeling off the article. Paste on 30. When the sheet-like substrate 1 is not peeled off in advance, the decoration method of the present invention is completed by peeling off the sheet-like substrate 1 after sticking.

When the image receiving layer and the protective layer are attached to the article to be decorated, an adhesive is applied to either the surface of the article to be decorated 30 or the image surface of the peeled image receiving layer 2 to reverse the image receiving layer 2 each time. Then, it is attached to the article to be decorated 30 (FIG. 7).

Further, since the image receiving layer 2 is generally formed of a thermoplastic resin which can be dyed with a sublimable dye, the image receiving layer 2 is directly heat-fused to a plastic molded product, cloth, metal or the like without any adhesive. It is also possible.

Although the decorating method of the present invention has been described above with reference to a basic example, the decorating method of the present invention can be similarly carried out using a heat transfer sheet exemplified 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.

Examples of the sheet-like base material include (1) synthetic paper (polyolefin-based, polystyrene-based, etc.), (2) high-quality paper, art paper,
Coated paper, cast coated paper, wallpaper, backing paper, synthetic resin or emulsion impregnated paper, synthetic rubber latex impregnated paper, synthetic resin internal paper, paperboard, etc., cellulose fiber paper,
(3) polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polymethacrylate,
Various plastic films or sheets such as polycarbonate can be used.

Among them, the synthetic paper (1) is preferable because it has a microvoid layer having a low thermal conductivity, in other words, a high heat insulating property, on its surface. Also, a laminate formed by any combination of the above (1) to (3) can be used.

As an example of a typical laminated body, there is a synthetic paper composed of cellulose fiber paper and synthetic paper, or a synthetic paper composed of cellulose fiber paper and a plastic film or sheet. Among them, the laminated body of cellulose fiber paper and synthetic paper, cellulose fiber paper compensates for the thermal instability (stretch etc.) of synthetic paper,
High printing thermal sensitivity due to the low thermal conductivity of synthetic paper can be exhibited. Further, in order to balance the front and back of the laminate in this combination, it is preferable to use a three-layer laminate of synthetic paper / cellulose fiber paper / synthetic paper, so that curling due to printing is reduced.

As the synthetic paper used for the laminate as described above, any synthetic paper can be used as long as it can be generally used as a synthetic paper base material for a heat-receiving sheet. Particularly, a paper-like layer containing fine pores can be used. The provided synthetic paper (for example, commercially available synthetic paper Yupo: Oji Yuka synthetic paper) is desirable.

The fine holes in the paper-like layer can be formed, for example, by stretching a synthetic resin in a state containing a fine filler. A heat transfer sheet formed using synthetic paper provided with a paper-like layer containing the fine pores has an effect that, when an image is formed by thermal transfer, the image density is high and the image does not vary.

This is because the fine pores have a heat insulating effect and the thermal energy efficiency is good, and the good cushioning property due to the fine pores is provided on the synthetic paper, which is considered to contribute to the image receiving layer on which an image is formed. . It is also possible to provide the paper-like layer containing the fine pores directly on the surface of a core material such as cellulose fiber paper.

A plastic film can be used in addition to the cellulose fiber paper in the laminate, and a laminate of the cellulose fiber paper and the plastic film can also be used.

Examples of the method of attaching the synthetic paper and the cellulose fiber paper include, for example, pasting using a conventionally known adhesive, pasting using an extrusion laminating method, pasting by thermal bonding, and the like.
As a method of attaching synthetic paper and plastic film,
Lamination, calendaring, and the like, which simultaneously form a plastic film, may also be used. The sticking means is appropriately selected according to the material of the thing to be stuck to the synthetic paper.

Specific examples of the adhesive include an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, an emulsion adhesive such as polyvinyl acetate, a water-soluble adhesive such as a polyester containing a carboxyl group, and the like. And an adhesive of an organic solvent solution type such as polyurethane, acrylic or the like.

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, polyacrylate 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 and the like.

(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 necessarily limited to a copolymer of only a vinyl chloride component and a vinyl acetate component, and includes a vinyl alcohol component, a maleic acid component, and the like within a range not to impair the object of the present invention. It 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.

The protective layer is peeled off from the sheet-like substrate together with the image-receiving layer having an image, and becomes the uppermost layer in the case where the image-receiving layer is inverted and attached to the article to be decorated, and the abrasion resistance of the image-receiving layer having the image And improve light resistance, chemical resistance, and the like. For example, as a material for forming the protective layer, epoxy resin, alkyd resin, phenol-modified alkyd resin, amino alkyd resin, phenol resin, urea resin, melamine resin,
Thermosetting resin such as silicone resin, thermosetting acrylic resin, thermosetting polyurethane resin or room temperature setting resin,
In addition, an active energy ray-curable resin such as an ultraviolet-curable resin and an electron beam-curable resin is useful.

The protective layer made of these resins is formed by dissolving these resins in an appropriate solvent as necessary to prepare a coating liquid or ink, and forming the coating liquid between the release layer and the receiving layer. The thickness of such a protective layer is generally about 0.5 to 20 μm.

Since the protective layer thus formed is a layer crosslinked sufficiently three-dimensionally, it does not soften or melt even when the temperature at the time of transfer increases, and therefore, the sheet-like substrate or the release layer Since the sheet-like substrate after transfer is easily peeled off without being integrated with the substrate, it can also serve as a release layer or an intermediate layer.

Further, in order to further enhance the light fastness of the transferred image, an ultraviolet absorber and / or a light stabilizer can be added to the protective layer and / or 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 transfer sheet used in the present invention has a release layer formed on the image forming surface side of the image receiving layer in order to improve the releasability from the thermal transfer sheet and the releasability between the protective layer and the sheet base. Alternatively, a release agent may be contained in the image receiving layer, or a release layer may be provided between the protective layer and the surface on the sheet-like substrate side. Examples of the release agent include solid waxes such as polyethylene wax, amide wax, and Teflon powder; fluorine-based and phosphate-based surfactants; silicone oil, and the like, with silicone oil being 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.)
And KF100T, KF-101, KF-60-164, and KF-103 (all manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.).

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.

The release layer may be provided on a part of the surface of the image receiving layer by dissolving or decomposing the above release agent in an appropriate solvent and applying the resultant, 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.

If a silicone oil is added when the image receiving layer is formed, the silicone oil bleeds on the surface after the application, so that after the bleeding, the silicone oil is cured to form a release layer.

The image-receiving layer is formed by a known coating or printing method using an image-receiving layer forming composition obtained by dissolving or dispersing a material for forming the image-receiving layer on a sheet-like substrate on which a protective layer is formed. In addition to the above, the method is performed by once forming the image receiving layer on a temporary carrier different from the sheet-like substrate on which the protective layer is formed, and then transferring the image-receiving layer onto the sheet-like substrate on which the protective layer is formed again. You may.

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.

When the image receiving layer is formed on the temporary carrier once and then formed on the sheet-like substrate on which the protective layer is formed by the transfer method, the image receiving layer formed on the sheet-like substrate on which the protective layer is formed is used. The surface of the layer has excellent smoothness because the state of the surface of the temporary carrier is transferred, and the image receiving layer formed directly on the sheet-like substrate on which the protective layer is formed is formed by a transfer method. However, when a clearer and more detailed image is desired to be obtained, a transfer method is preferably used. The intermediate layer is either cushioning or porous depending on the constituent material.

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. The lower limit of the 100% modulus is actually about 0.5 kg / cm ² .

Examples of the resin meeting 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. However, since the above resins have relatively tackiness, when there is a problem during processing, an inorganic additive,
For example, an amide-based substance such as silica, alumina, clay, calcium carbonate, or stearamide 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
It is about 0.5 to 50 μm, more preferably about 2 to 20 μm.
If the thickness is less than 0.5 μm, the surface roughness of the provided sheet-like base material cannot be completely absorbed, and therefore there is no effect. If the thickness exceeds 50 μm, not only the effect is not improved, but also the image receiving layer becomes too thick. It protrudes, hinders winding and stacking, and is not economical.

When such an intermediate layer is formed, the reason why the adhesion between the thermal transfer sheet and the heat transfer target sheet is improved is considered to be that the intermediate layer itself is deformed by pressure during printing due to low rigidity. Such resins 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 obtained by applying a liquid obtained by foaming a synthetic resin emulsion such as a polyurethane or a synthetic rubber latex such as a methyl methacrylate-butadiene system by mechanical stirring on a sheet-like substrate, and drying the liquid. A layer obtained by applying a synthetic resin emulsion, a liquid obtained by mixing a foaming agent to the above synthetic rubber latex on a sheet-like substrate, and drying; 3) a synthetic resin such as vinyl chloride plastisol or polyurethane; or a synthetic rubber such as styrene-butadiene-based rubber A layer obtained by applying a liquid obtained by mixing a foaming agent onto a sheet-like substrate and heating the mixture to form a foam; 4) a solution in which a thermoplastic resin or synthetic rubber is dissolved in an organic solvent; A liquid mixture with a non-solvent (including those containing water as a main component) which is hardly compatible with the organic solvent and has no solubility in the thermoplastic resin or the synthetic rubber. , Microporous layer or the like by forming a film aggregated microscopically shaped by coating and drying on a sheet-like substrate is used.

Since the layers 1) to 3) have a large bubble size, when a solution for forming an image receiving layer is applied to the layer and dried, the surface of the image receiving layer formed by drying may have irregularities. There is. Therefore, in order to obtain the surface of the image receiving layer in which the unevenness is small and an image with high uniformity can be transferred, it is preferable to provide the microporous layer 4) as porous.

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

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. As the antistatic agent to be mixed with the image receiving layer resin, a cationic acrylic polymer can be used.

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 using an aqueous pen or a pencil. The writing layer is
By not providing the image receiving layer partially, the surface of the sheet-shaped substrate may be used as it is, but it may be formed by describing the resin layer containing the extender pigment as the image receiving layer.

The above is the configuration of the heat transfer sheet used in the present invention. A preferable method for forming a desired image on such a heat transfer sheet is a heat transfer method in which a layer having a sublimable dye is provided on a sheet-like substrate. This is a method using a sheet. 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 heat transfer sheet used in the present invention, and any conventionally known transfer device, for example, a device such as a thermal printer (for example, thermal printer TN-5400 manufactured by Toshiba) is used. By 5
By applying heat energy of 100 mJ / mm ^2,
A desired image can be formed in the image receiving layer of the heat transfer sheet used in the present invention.

The image receiving layer on which the image has been formed as described above is easily peeled, and can be peeled into a thin film having a desired image. Further, the film having such an image is reversed after peeling, that is, the image forming surface is opposed to the article to be decorated,
It can be stuck or heat-sealed to any article to be decorated. In this case, before the image receiving layer is peeled off, a heat transfer sheet having an image is attached to the article to be decorated with an adhesive if necessary, with the image side facing the article to be decorated. It is more preferable to remove the material and leave an image receiving layer having an image on the surface of the article to be decorated.

As described above, in the case where the image is inverted and attached to the article to be decorated, the image to be formed is preferably formed in advance as an image having a mirror relationship.

The decorating method of the present invention, as described above, uses a specific heat-transferable sheet, and sticks the image forming surface to the article to be decorated, except that the image forming surface is opposed to the article to be decorated. Each method may be a conventionally known method, and the decoration target object of the above-mentioned decoration method is not particularly limited in its material, shape, etc., and examples thereof include a carton, a container, bags, a cassette case, and a cassette half. , Floppy case, wrapping paper and other packages; stock certificates, checks,
Banknotes, bills, securities, certificates, passbooks, tickets, car horse tickets, stamps, stamps, appreciation tickets, etc .; cards such as cash cards, credit cards, members' cards, greeting cards, postcards, business cards, IC cards, etc .; , Forms, envelopes, tags, shiori, calendars, posters, brochures, passports, POP supplies, coasters, displays, nameplates, keyboards, cosmetics, accessories (clocks, lighters), stationery, building materials, radios, televisions, speakers, Calculators, car instrument panels, emblems,
Any material or shape such as keys, clothing, footwear, devices, OA equipment, etc. may be used.

(Examples) Next, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples.
In the description, parts and% are based on weight unless otherwise specified.

Example 1 As a base material, a synthetic paper (Oji Yuka, YUPO FPG150, thickness 15)
0 μm) and a polyester film (thickness: 6 μm) were prepared. On one side of the polyester film, a release varnish (Hakurinis 45, manufactured by Showa Ink Co., Ltd.) was applied to 2,5-bis (5′-) as an ultraviolet absorber. tert- butyl benzoxazolyl (2)) thiophene the resin component of the varnish, forming a release layer and a protective layer of coating and drying a wire bar weight after drying 1 g / m ² and that the addition of 0.5% did.

Further, an ink for forming an image receiving layer having the following composition was applied onto the release layer / protective layer so that the weight after drying was 7 g / m ² , followed by drying.

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
Heating was performed at a temperature of 0 ° C. for 30 minutes to bleed the silicone on the surface to obtain an image receiving layer having a cured silicone layer (release 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
0 μm white opaque hard vinyl chloride resin sheet on a card substrate consisting of a laminate, pressed with a 200 ° C. hot roller,
After the compression, the polyester film was peeled off at the interface between the release layer and the protective layer to obtain a card to which an image receiving layer having a display image was transferred.

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 the accelerated test held for 3 months in an atmosphere of 40 ° C,
No image distortion or delamination occurred. When a JIS light resistance test was performed using a carbon arc lamp, the result was J
IS Class 4-5, showing good performance. Good durability was also exhibited with respect to surface scratching and the like.

(Effects) According to the present invention as described above, conventionally, it is impossible to form or provide an image, or a three-dimensional molded article, an article having a surface such as a curved surface or a complicated uneven shape, and further, these articles Irrespective of the material, the image formed by the sublimable dye can be freely provided. Further, since a protective layer is formed on the surface of the image formed by the sublimation dye, various fastnesses after sticking to the article to be decorated can be improved.

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

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 5 are diagrams schematically illustrating a cross section of a heat transfer sheet used in the present invention, FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating formation of an image by a heat transfer sheet, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the decoration state of an article schematically. 1: Sheet-like substrate 2: Image receiving layer 3, 3 ': Release layer 4: Intermediate layer 5: Protective layer 6: Adhesive 7: Image 10: Heat transfer sheet 20: Thermal transfer sheet 21: Dye carrying layer 30: Coating Decorative goods

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer sheet having a sublimable dye layer, wherein the surface of the dye layer is provided on one side of a sheet-like substrate, and a protective layer is provided on the surface of the protective layer. The image receiving layer containing a release agent and a heat transfer sheet having an image receiving layer and superimposed on each other, facing the image receiving layer surface, heat is applied in an image form by a thermal head from either side, the image receiving layer from the sublimable dye Forming a desired image,
And the image-receiving layer on which the image is formed and the protective layer are simultaneously peeled off, and the peeled protective layer and the image-receiving layer are adhered with their image forming surfaces facing any articles, or the protective layer and The image forming surface of the image receiving layer on which an image is formed without peeling the image receiving layer is adhered to an arbitrary article so as to face the article, and the sheet-like base material is peeled off after the application, so that the image receiving layer is formed on the arbitrary article. And a step of transferring so that the protective layer and the protective layer are laminated. 2. The method for decorating an article according to claim 1, wherein the article is a card.