JP2957196B2 - Thermal transfer material - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a thermal transfer material used for thermal transfer recording, and more specifically, it has become possible to lift off an image recorded by the thermal transfer material using the thermal transfer material. A so-called self-collectable thermal transfer material.

BACKGROUND ART In addition to the general features of thermal recording that the thermal transfer recording used is lightweight and compact, has no noise, is excellent in operability and maintainability, it does not require color-formed processed paper,
Further, it has a feature that the durability of a recorded image is excellent, and it is widely used recently.

This thermal transfer recording generally uses a thermal transfer material in which a thermal transfer ink layer formed by dispersing a colorant in a heat-fusible material is coated on a sheet-like support, and the thermal transfer material is used as the thermal transfer material. The thermal transfer ink layer is superimposed on the recording medium so as to contact the recording medium such as paper, and the heat is supplied from the support side of the thermal transfer material by the thermal head to transfer the melted ink layer to the recording medium. A transfer recording image is formed on a recording medium in accordance with the shape of heat supply.

However, there are still some points to be improved in such a thermal transfer recording method.

One of the drawbacks is that a transfer recording image obtained by the thermal transfer recording method cannot be easily erased even if it is due to erroneous printing.

As a general means of erasing erroneous recording, there is use of a concealing paint that has been widely used in recent years, and even in a thermal transfer recording method, a concealing colorant having substantially the same color as the color of the recording medium is contained. A method of using a thermal transfer material having a thermal transferable ink layer and covering an erroneously recorded portion with the transfer ink layer has already been proposed. However, in the method of coating with the transfer ink layer, the colors of the recording medium and the concealing colorant are not completely the same, and the erased portion is raised by the coating of the ink layer, so that the erased portion can be easily distinguished, which is preferable in appearance. Not something. Further, as another erasing means, there has been proposed a method in which an erroneously recorded image formed on a recording medium is peeled off with a heat-sensitive adhesive tape, that is, a lift-off erasing method.

However, these erasing methods require both a thermal transfer material for providing a transfer recording image on a recording medium and an erasing sheet for erasing the transfer recording image. However, there is a disadvantage that the structure of the printer device is complicated and large-sized.

As a method for improving the above-mentioned drawbacks, there has been proposed a heat-sensitive transfer material capable of performing lift-off erasing by using a heat-sensitive transfer material that gives a transfer recording image to a recording sheet (self-collectable). For example, JP-A-58-74368 discloses a heat-sensitive laminate in which both recording and erasing can be performed by an active layer containing a dye on a resistive support. That is, the active layer is configured to exhibit an adhesive force when heated to a temperature lower than the heating temperature at the time of recording, and can be erased by peeling off the transferred recorded image.

JP-A-61-23992 proposes a heat-sensitive transfer material comprising a colorant, a binder, and a heat-adhesive material having a higher softening point than the binder on a support. It is disclosed that recording is performed with low thermal energy using a head, and peeling and erasing of an erroneously recorded image is performed by applying higher thermal energy than during recording.

However, in the self-collectable thermal transfer material, the erroneous recorded image should be peeled off on the thermal transfer material side when the recorded image is erased, whereas the ink of the thermal transfer material is peeled off on the recorded image side. "Reverse transfer" often occurs, the self-correct function cannot be sufficiently exhibited, and the erasure is incomplete.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages and to provide a self-collectable heat-sensitive transfer material free of reverse transfer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that three ink layers (first, second, and third ink layers) sequentially provided on a support require good first self-collectable characteristics.
It has been found that it is essential that the third ink layer contains a common thermoplastic resin component.

The heat-sensitive transfer material of the present invention is based on the above findings, and more specifically, a heat-sensitive transfer having at least a first ink layer, a second ink layer, and a third ink layer on a support in order from the support side. The first ink layer is a substantially non-transferable layer containing a thermoplastic resin and is firmly adhered to the support even when heated, and the second ink layer is heated for recording. Sometimes, the third ink layer is a layer containing at least one thermoplastic resin constituting the first ink, and the third ink layer is a layer containing at least one third resin at the interface or inside of the second ink layer. The ink layer contains a coloring agent.

In the present invention, the thermal transfer material having the above-described configuration is used to superimpose the third ink layer on the recording body so that the third ink layer contacts the recording body, and the thermal transfer material is heated by a thermal recording head into a pattern to be recorded. Immediately after the recording (before the strength of the second ink layer becomes sufficiently strong), the thermal transfer material is peeled off from the recording medium, so that the recording can be performed by separating at the inside or at the interface of the second ink layer. After the thermal transfer material is brought into contact with the recorded print pattern and heated by the thermal recording head, the thermal transfer material is peeled off from the recording medium after the strength of the second ink layer is sufficiently strong, so that the recording is performed. This makes it possible to erase the pattern.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings as necessary. In the following description, “%” and “parts” representing the quantitative ratios are based on weight unless otherwise specified.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view in the thickness direction showing a basic mode of a thermal transfer material of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a thermal transfer material 1 of the present invention comprises a first ink layer 3 and a second
An ink layer 4 and a third ink layer 5 are sequentially provided.

Hereinafter, the configuration of each part of the thermal transfer material 1 of the present invention having the above characteristics will be described.

As the support 2, a conventionally known film or paper can be used as it is, for example, polyester, polycarbonate, triacetyl cellulose, polyamide,
A plastic film having relatively high heat resistance such as polyimide, cellophane, sulfuric acid paper, or condenser paper can be preferably used.

Also, when using a thermal head as a means for applying heat to the thermal transfer material, the surface of the support contacting the thermal head,
By providing a heat-resistant protective layer made of silicone resin, fluororesin, polyimide resin, epoxy resin, phenol resin, melamine resin, nitrocellulose, etc., the heat resistance of the support can be improved, or it cannot be used conventionally. Support materials can also be used.

The thickness of the support 2 is desirably about 1 to 15 μm when a thermal head is considered as a heat source at the time of thermal transfer. However, for example, a heat source that can selectively heat a thermal transferable ink layer such as a laser beam is used. There is no particular limitation in the case.

Next, the first to third ink layers provided on the support 2 will be described. First, the first ink layer 3 on the support 2 is a layer containing a thermoplastic resin as a main component. However, even when printing by heating, the first ink layer 3 may be separated at the interface with the support 2 or inside the ink layer. No, support 2
And firmly adhere.

On the other hand, the second ink layer 4 has a function of separating at the interface with the first ink layer 3 or inside the second ink layer 4 during printing by heating, so that the third ink layer 5 is easily transferred to the recording medium. It is preferable to have However, the second
It is preferable that the non-heated portion of the ink layer 4 is firmly adhered to the first ink layer 3 and the third ink 5 to prevent the transfer of the third ink layer 5 to the recording medium. The contrast between the heated portion and the non-heated portion of the second ink layer 4 particularly greatly affects the "cut" of the transferred recorded image.

On the other hand, the third ink layer 5 is a layer that contains a thermoplastic resin as a main component and also contains a colorant, and has a function of giving a transfer image capable of lift-off erasure to a recording medium.

Hereinafter, regarding the configuration of the first to third ink layers,
This will be described in more detail.

The first ink layer 3 is a layer provided between the support 2 and the second ink layer 4, and is preferably formed by coating. The reason why the first ink layer 3 is provided in the thermal transfer material 1 of the present invention is as follows. That is,
The support 2 used for the heat-sensitive transfer material 1 is required to have various properties such as heat resistance, tensile strength, elongation, and tear strength, which are not less than a certain level, and a plastic film is generally used. The plastic film is subjected to a uniaxial or biaxial stretching treatment to satisfy the above-mentioned properties, and the molecular chains of the film are oriented in a certain direction. As a result, even if the above-mentioned various properties are improved to a satisfactory level, other properties required for the support of the thermal transfer material may be reduced. For example, there is a decrease in the adhesiveness of the support surface to the ink layer. For example, when a polyester film is used as the support 2, since the polyester film usually has poor adhesion, for example, the second ink layer 4 using a component mainly composed of a material having a low melt viscosity with a sharp melt property is supported. When formed directly on the body 2, defects such as ink peeling are very likely to occur. In such a case,
If the first ink layer 3 is formed on the plastic film by coating, since the molecular chains in the coating film are randomly present, the adhesion between the second ink layer 4 and the support 2 (for example, a plastic film) The performance is improved, and defects such as ink peeling can be avoided.

As the first ink layer 3, it is preferable to use a material that does not completely melt even if softened by heating and does not reduce the adhesion to the support 2.
If the first ink layer 3 is completely melted, it does not matter if the separation is not hindered. The viscosity at the time of melting the first ink layer 3, particularly at 150 ° C., is 5000 cps or more,
It is preferably 10,000 cps or more. Further, it is preferable that the first ink layer 3 has a certain degree of flexibility so that the third ink layer 5 can sufficiently follow the irregularities of the erroneously recorded image and make sufficient contact therewith.

For this reason, it is preferable that the first ink layer 3 be made of a thermoplastic resin having a high cohesive force when heated and a high adhesive force.

The thermoplastic resin contained in the first ink layer 3 is preferably a thermoplastic resin having a glass transition temperature of -40C to 15C, more preferably -30C to 0C. When this thermoplastic resin is composed of a mixture of plural kinds of thermoplastic resins, the glass transition temperature TgM of the mixture of such thermoplastic resins is as follows: When TgM is defined, the above temperature range is also preferable.
In the above formula (A), Tgi is the glass transition temperature of one (i-th) thermoplastic resin constituting the thermoplastic resin mixture, and W is the total weight of the thermoplastic resin mixture. w _i is the weight of one (i-th) thermoplastic resin constituting the thermoplastic resin mixture.

That is, even when the thermoplastic resin is a mixture of a plurality of types of resins, if the glass transition temperature of the mixture is defined as in the above formula (A), the mixture of the thermoplastic resins is formed of a single resin. It can be considered as a constituted thermoplastic resin.

When the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic resin is higher than 15 ° C., the flexibility is lost, and the adhesion between the first ink layer 3 and the support 2 is reduced. On the other hand, if the glass transition temperature is lower than -40 ° C., the viscosity becomes excessive and the handling of the thermal transfer material is hindered.

Further, when the thermal recording material is separated from the recording medium at the time of erasing the erroneously recorded image, cohesive failure occurs in the first ink layer 3.
In addition to not being able to peel and erase the erroneously recorded image, a transfer image is further formed (reverse transfer) at a site to be erased.
For this reason, the first ink layer 3 needs to have a high cohesive force when heated.

In order to increase the cohesive force of the first ink layer 3, the weight average molecular weight of the thermoplastic resin contained in the first ink layer 3 is 1
It is preferably at least 10,000, more preferably at least 50,000. Here, the weight average molecular weight is a value measured by GPC (gel permeation chromatography). When the thermoplastic resin is a mixture of a plurality of resins, the weight average molecular weight refers to the weight average molecular weight of the entire mixture.

Examples of the thermoplastic resin used for the first ink layer 3 include polyvinyl acetate resins such as vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer, epoxy resins, polyurethane resins, acrylic resins, styrene-butadiene rubber, and isoprene rubber. And the like. Further, petroleum resins, phenol resins, melamine resins, urea resins, and polystyrene resins may be appropriately mixed and used. In addition, fillers such as titanium oxide, clay, zinc white, and alumina hydrate, plasticizers, stabilizers, and the like can be appropriately mixed and used with the above materials, if necessary.

The first ink layer 3 can be obtained by appropriately adjusting the molecular weight and the crystallinity of the above-described materials, or by mixing a plurality of materials.

The content of the thermoplastic resin in the first ink layer 3 is preferably 70% or more and 100% or less, more preferably 90% or more and 100% or less based on the entire first ink layer. The thickness of the first ink layer 3 is preferably 0.5 μm or more, and more preferably 10 μm or less in consideration of thermal conductivity.

In the thermal transfer material 1 of the present invention, the same resin as at least one of the thermoplastic resins constituting the first ink layer 3 is also included in the third ink layer 5. Here, the “same thermoplastic resin” refers to a resin having the same type of monomers constituting the thermoplastic resin. Therefore, regarding the difference in the molecular weight of the resin and the monomer composition ratio, it is not necessary that the resin has the same composition and molecular weight as long as the molecular weight, the glass transition temperature and the melt viscosity are within the preferable ranges described above.

Further, the content of the thermoplastic resin that is contained in the third ink layer and that constitutes the first ink layer is the third resin.
It is preferable to contain 10 to 50% of the entire binder component of the ink layer. If the content is less than 10%, reverse transcription occurs at the time of correction, which is not preferable. The content is 50
%, The glass transition temperature of the contained thermoplastic resin is lower than the ambient temperature at which the heat-sensitive transfer material is used, that is, normal temperature, which hinders handling.

As described above, by including the “same thermoplastic resin” in the first ink layer 3 and the third ink layer 5, “reverse transfer” at the time of lift-off correction can be more effectively suppressed. Although the reason is not necessarily clear, the viscosity of the second ink layer 4 is reduced by heating, and the first ink layer 3
And when the third ink layer 5 partially contacts,
It is considered that the adhesive strength between the third ink layer and the third ink layer is improved.

Next, the configuration of the second ink layer 4 formed on the first ink layer 3 will be described in detail.

It is preferable that the second ink layer 4 be sharply melted by heating or have a reduced adhesive strength at the interface with the first ink layer 3 or the third ink layer 5. First ink layer 3
The third ink layer 5 generally has a high heat cohesive force, and further contains a relatively large amount of a thermoplastic resin as described later. Therefore, the second ink layer 4 has a melting point of 50 ° C. or more and a melt viscosity at 150 ° C. of 500 cp from the above-described sharp melt property or adhesiveness at the ink layer interface.
It is preferable to be composed of a material having a density of s (centipoise) or less, especially a wax. Examples of the above waxes include natural waxes such as carnauba wax, candelilla wax, rice wax, and waxes; mineral waxes such as ceresin wax and montan wax; and derivatives thereof, for example, derivatives of montan wax. Examples thereof include acid wax, ester wax, partially saponified ester wax and the like. Examples of petroleum wax include paraffin wax and microcrystalline wax. On the other hand, as the synthetic wax, polyethylene wax, Fischer-Tropsch wax and the like can be used. These waxes are preferably used alone or as a mixture of two or more kinds so as to satisfy the above melting point and melt viscosity.

Next, the third ink layer 4 provided on the second ink layer 4 described above is used.
The configuration of the ink layer 5 will be described.

The third ink layer 5 has a function of giving a transfer image capable of lift-off erasure to a recording medium, and includes a heat-fusible material and a coloring agent.
Plasticizers, oils, fillers and the like may be contained as components.

As the heat-fusible material, 70% or more (based on the entire binder of the third ink layer) is made of a resin-based heat-fusible material, that is, a thermoplastic resin. A transferred recorded image having excellent scratch resistance of printing can be obtained.

The melting temperature of the third ink layer 5 measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) is not particularly limited, but is desirably 50 ° C. or more and 200 ° C. or less. If the melting temperature exceeds 200 ° C., it is not preferable because the type of the support is significantly restricted and the durability of the thermal head is deteriorated due to the problem of heat resistance to the support. On the other hand, the melting temperature is 50 ° C
When the value is less than that, even if a resin-based heat-fusible material is used, inconveniences such as staining of the non-printed portion of the recording medium are likely to occur, which is not preferable.

Examples of the heat-fusible material contained in the third ink layer 5 include polyolefin-based resins, polyamide-based resins, polyester-based resins, epoxy-based resins, polyurethane-based resins, polyacryl-based resins, polyvinyl chloride-based resins, and cellulose-based resins. Resins, polyvinyl alcohol resins, petroleum resins, phenol resins, polystyrene resins, vinyl acetate resins, natural rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, elastomers such as chloroprene rubber, polyisobutylene, polybutene, etc. are preferably used. . These resins are preferably used in an amount of 70% or more. Other natural waxes such as whale wax, beeswax, lanolin, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, montan wax, and ceresin wax, which may be other than resin;
Petroleum waxes such as paraffin wax and microcrystalline wax; oxidized waxes, ester waxes,
Synthetic waxes such as Fischer-Tropsch wax;
Higher fatty acids such as lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and behenic acid; higher alcohols such as stearyl alcohol and behenyl alcohol; esters such as fatty acid esters of sucrose and fatty acid esters of sorbitan; amides such as oleylamide; Alternatively, an oil agent such as a plasticizer, a mineral oil, or a vegetable oil may be appropriately mixed, but it is preferable to adjust the melting temperature of the third ink layer 5 to 50 ° C. or more and less than 200 ° C. before use.

As the colorant, various dyes and pigments widely used in the fields of printing and recording are used. The content of the colorant is suitably in the range of 3 to 60% based on the whole of the first, second and third ink layers. Further, the third ink layer 5 may optionally further contain an additive such as a dispersant or a filler made of metal fine powder, inorganic fine powder, metal oxide, or the like.

The layer configuration of the third ink layer 5 is not particularly limited to a single-layer configuration containing the above-described hot-melt material, colorant, dispersant, plasticizer, filler, and the like. More specifically,
The function of the third ink layer 5 may be divided into a layer having a function of expressing an adhesive force to a recording medium when heated by a thermal head and a layer having a coloring function. If added, it may have a layer configuration of three or more layers, but in any case, at least one thermoplastic resin component constituting the first ink layer is contained as a component of the third ink layer. You.

When the third ink layer 5 has a two-layer structure as shown in FIG. 2 (the first ink layer 3, the second ink layer 4, the third ink layer 51, and the fourth ink layer 52 are arranged in this order from the support 2 side). The third ink layer 51 preferably has a coloring function and a function of affecting the film strength immediately after the application of heat and the subsequent change of the film strength with time. It is preferable to have a function of controlling the film strength immediately after the application of heat and the temporal change of the film strength, similarly to the third ink layer 51.

The control of the film strength immediately after the application of heat (that is, at the time of printing) is performed by selecting the material composition, cohesive force,
This can be achieved by appropriately changing the molecular weight and the like, but in order to obtain good lift-off erasability, the higher the cohesive force and the higher the molecular weight, the better. Further, the temporal change of the film strength after the application of heat can be controlled by appropriately changing the composition, crystallinity, cohesive force, molecular weight, and the like of the material from the above-described material group. In particular, it is desirable to use a delay time for recrystallization using a material having a high crystallinity. Particularly, the third ink layer 51 and the fourth ink layer 52 are made of a polymer material containing an olefin as a main component, for example, low molecular weight oxidized polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer, ethylene-acrylic acid. It is preferable to use a copolymer, an ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, an ethylene-acrylate copolymer, or the like, or a polyamide, a polyester, or the like as a main component.

Specific examples of the colorant that can be used in the thermal transfer material of the present invention include, for example, carbon black, nigrosine dye, lamp black, Sudan black SM, First Yellow G,
Benzidine Yellow, Pigment Yellow, India First Orange, Irgazine Red, Paranitroaniline Red, Toluidine Red, Carmin FB, Permanent Bordeaux FRR, Pigment Orange R,
Lisor Red 2G, Rake Red C, Rhodamine F
B, Rhodamine B Lake, Methyl Violet B Lake, Phthalocyanin Blue, Pigment Blue, Brilliant Green B, Phthalocyanine Green, Oil Yellow GG, Pomelo First Yellow CGC, Kayaset Y
963, Kayaset YG, Sumiplast Yellow GG, Pomelo First Orange RR, Oil Scarlet, Sumiplast Orange G, Orazol Brown G, Pomelo First Scarlet CG, Aizen Spiron Red BEH, Oil Pink OP, Victoria Blue One or more known dyes and pigments such as F4R, Fastgen Blue 5007, Sudan Blue, and Oil Peacock Blue can be used.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the third ink layer 5 has a two-layer structure, the colorant is preferably contained in the third ink layer 51, but is contained in the second ink layer 4 or the fourth ink layer 52. You may.

Also in the case where the third ink layer 5 has a two-layer structure, the content of the colorant is 3 with respect to the entire first, second, third and fourth ink layers.
A range of ~ 60% is preferred. If the content is less than 3%, the density of the transferred recording image is low, and if it is more than 60%, the transferability of the ink layer is reduced.

The third ink layer 51 is composed of a heat-fusible material containing at least one thermoplastic resin component constituting the first ink layer 3 and a colorant, and a dispersant, a plasticizer, a filler, and the like, if necessary. Although it may be contained, the material of the third ink layer 5 having the single-layer structure described above can be used as it is.

The fourth ink layer 52 is made of a material having a large adhesive force with the recording medium, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyisobutylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer Homo- or copolymers of olefins or derivatives thereof; polyamide, polyester, polyurethane or acrylic heat-sensitive adhesives; and styrene-based block copolymers such as styrene-isobutylene, styrene-butadiene, styrene-ethylene-butylene, etc. Or a mixture of two or more substances. Further, tackifiers such as alicyclic hydrocarbons, terpenes and rosins, fillers such as talc and calcium carbonate, and stabilizers such as antioxidants may be blended.

In order to obtain the heat-sensitive transfer material 1 of the present invention, for example, melt-kneading is performed using a dispersing device such as an attritor together with the above-mentioned heat-fusible material and a coloring agent and an additive added as necessary, or Kneading with a suitable solvent to obtain a hot-melt ink or a solution or dispersed ink corresponding to each ink layer. Next, these inks are sequentially coated on the support 2 using an applicator or a Meyer bar, and dried as needed, whereby the thermal transfer material 1 is obtained.

The total thickness of the thermal transfer material of the present invention is 10 to 30 μm,
2525 μm is preferred. The thickness of the support is preferably 3 to 15 μm, more preferably 4.5 to 15 μm, and particularly preferably 6 to 12 μm. As described above, the thickness of the first ink layer is 0.5 to 10 μm,
3 μm, particularly preferably 1 to 2.5 μm, is preferred. The thickness of the second ink layer is 0.5 to 10 μm similarly to the first ink layer,
To 3 μm, particularly preferably 1 to 2.5 μm. Further, the thickness of the third ink layer is preferably 3 to 10 μm, more preferably 4 to 8 μm. When the third ink layer is functionally separated into two or more layers, the total thickness of the third ink layer or more is preferably equal to the thickness of the third ink layer. For example, when the third ink layer is functionally separated into two layers, a third ink layer 51 and a fourth ink layer 52 as shown in FIG. 2, the total thickness of the third ink layer 51 and the fourth ink layer 52 is 3 1010 μm, more preferably 4-8 μm.

Next, one embodiment of a recording and erasing method using the thermal transfer material of the present invention will be described with reference to an example in which the thermal transfer material 1 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is used.

Referring to FIG. 3, the third ink layer 5 of the thermal transfer material 1 is brought into contact with a recording medium 7 made of paper or the like, and the thermal transfer material 1
Heat energy is applied in a pattern from the heating element 9 of the thermal recording head 8 from the support 2 side. Thus, the third ink layer 5 develops an adhesive force to the recording medium 7 and transfers the recording medium 7 to the recording medium 7 with an appropriate film strength. At this time, the heat application portion of the second ink layer 4 is sharply melted and becomes a semi-liquid state or a liquid state,
The melt viscosity also decreases, and cohesive failure is very likely to occur.

However, since the non-heat applying portion of the second ink layer 4 does not melt, the high cohesive force is maintained and the first ink layer 3
And the third ink layer 5 is maintained firmly. As a result, the contrast of the adhesive force between the heat-applied portion and the non-heat-applied portion of the second ink layer 4 becomes extremely clear, and the resulting transferred image 6
"Cut" is improved. The sharp melting property of the second ink layer 4 is preferable from the viewpoint that the applied heat energy can be reduced.

Next, an erasing method will be described. Referring to FIG. 4, a transfer recording image 6 formed on recording medium 7 is brought into contact with third ink layer 5 of thermal transfer material 1, and an area corresponding to transfer recording image 6 of thermal transfer material 1. Alternatively, heat energy is applied from the heating element 9 of the thermal recording head 8 to the more enlarged area from the support 2 side. As a result, the third ink layer 5 of the thermal transfer material 1 develops an adhesive force in the same manner as during recording, and adheres to the transfer recording image 6 on the recording medium 7. In this case, the cohesive force of the second ink layer 4 of the thermal transfer material 1 is reduced. At this time, since the constituent material of the second ink layer 4 is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point by applying heat, the cohesive force is reduced by coagulation. It is estimated that there is some time delay before laparotomy. Further in this case,
Although it is not always clear, it is considered that the components of the second ink layer 4 partially penetrate into the first ink layer 3 or the third ink layer 5, and the first and third ink layers come into contact with each other.

When erasing the recorded image 6, as shown in FIG.
For example, the peeling position may be changed using the peeling control member 10. More specifically, after the cohesive force of the second ink layer 4 (that is, the adhesive force between the first ink layer 3 and the third ink layer 5) is restored using the member 10, the recording medium 7 is sensed. What is necessary is just to peel off the thermal transfer material 1. When the strength of the second ink layer 4 is recovered in this manner, the adhesive force between the first and third ink layers also increases with the increase in the cohesive force of these ink layers. When the thermal transfer material 1 is separated from the thermal transfer material 1, the transfer recording image 6 on the recording medium 7 is favorably lifted off to the thermal transfer material 1 side without causing “reverse transfer”.

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples.

Example 1 Emulsion using a vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer resin having a glass transition temperature of 0 ° C. and a weight average molecular weight of 77,000 (containing 20% of ethylene) as a base resin (nonvolatile content: 40%)
Was coated on a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 6 μm using an applicator, and dried in a hot-air dryer at 80 ° C. for 1 minute to form a first ink layer having a thickness of 2.0 μm.

<Prescription 1> The aqueous dispersion obtained by mixing the components of Formula 1 above was diluted twice with water, and was applied on the first ink layer formed above using an applicator. 1 in
After drying for 2 minutes, a second ink layer having a thickness of 1.5 μm was formed.

<Prescription 2> (In the above description and the following description, the amount of the dispersion, the composition of the resin, and the melt index (MI) all indicate the value of the solid content.) The components of the above formulation are uniformly mixed by a propeller-type stirrer. Thus, a coating liquid 2 was obtained. This coating liquid 2 was applied on the second ink layer using an applicator, and dried with hot air at 60 ° C. for 1 minute to form a third ink layer having a thickness of 3.5 μm. A heat-sensitive transfer material (I) having the structure shown was obtained.

Example 2 <Formulation 3> In the same manner as in Example 1, first and second ink layers were formed on a 6 μm-thick polyethylene terephthalate film.

The components of Formula 3 were uniformly mixed with a propeller-type stirrer to obtain Coating Liquid 3. This coating liquid 3 was applied on the second ink layer using an applicator, and dried with hot air at 60 ° C. for 1 minute to form a third ink layer having a layer thickness of 2.0 μm.

<Prescription 4> The components of Formula 4 were uniformly mixed with a propeller-type stirrer to obtain Coating Liquid 4. This coating liquid 4 was applied on the third ink layer using an applicator, and dried with hot air at 60 ° C. for 1 minute to provide a fourth ink layer having a layer thickness of 2.0 μm. A thermal transfer material (II) was obtained.

Example 3 Vinyl acetate used for forming the first ink layer of Example 1
A polyurethane resin emulsion (manufactured by Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd .; Superflex 300) was used in place of the ethylene copolymer resin emulsion, and a thickness of 2.0 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.
A first ink layer having a thickness of μm was formed. A 1.0 μm-thick second ink layer was formed on the first ink layer in the same manner as in Example 1 using the aqueous dispersion of Formulation 1.

<Prescription 5> The components of Formula 5 were uniformly mixed to obtain Coating Liquid 5. The coating liquid 5 was used in place of the coating liquid 2 of the prescription 2 used in Example 1, and the coating liquid 5 was coated on the second ink layer in the same manner as in Example 1 and dried to obtain a third liquid. Forming an ink layer, the first
A thermal transfer material (III) having the configuration shown in the figure was obtained.

Next, the thermal transfer materials (I) to (II) obtained in Examples 1 to 3 above were used.
I) was cut into 8 mm widths, and each was mounted on an electronic typewriter SP400X manufactured by Canon Inc., and a low-smooth bond paper (Beck smoothness of 2-3 seconds) was used as a recording medium and a high-smooth thermal transfer. Recording and lift-off erasure were evaluated using special paper (Beck smoothness: 200 seconds). In the typewriter SP400X, a heating heater is incorporated in the base portion of the thermal recording head for the purpose of heating the thermal transfer material to room temperature or higher prior to the recording operation.However, in the present evaluation, the heater is not operated. did.

In the lift-off erasure, the correction function was evaluated by loading the same heat-sensitive transfer material as that used in the recording section into the heat-sensitive correction tape storage section of the SP400X.

In the above evaluation, regarding the printing, the thermal transfer materials (I), (II) and (III) gave clear printing on both the bond paper and the smooth paper. In lift-off erasing, the thermal transfer materials (I) and (II) are bonded paper,
Lift-off erasure without reverse transfer was possible for any of the smooth papers. When the thermal transfer material (III) was used, erasing without reverse transfer was possible on smooth paper and slight erasing residue was observed on bond paper, but this transfer residue was at a level that would not hinder practical use. Met.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, a substantially non-transferable first ink layer, a second ink layer having a function of separating at an interface or inside during printing, and According to the present invention, there is provided a thermal transfer material provided with a third ink layer having a selective printing / correcting function according to the order. By using the heat-sensitive transfer material of the present invention, a transfer-recorded image with good print quality can be obtained not only for a recording medium having a high smoothness but also for a recording medium having a low smoothness. Erasure without erasure remains.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 and 2 are schematic sectional views in the thickness direction showing examples of the layer structure of the thermal transfer material of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of a thermal transfer recording method using the thermal transfer material of the present invention. Sectional view,
4 and 5 are schematic cross-sectional views showing one embodiment of a lift-off disappearance method using the thermal transfer material of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Thermal transfer material 2 ... Support 3 ... 1st ink layer 4 ... 2nd ink layer 5, 51 ... 3rd ink layer 52 ... 4th ink layer 6 ... Transfer recording image 7 ... ... Recording medium 8... Thermal recording head 9... Heating element Representative figure: FIG.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-309493 (JP, A) JP-A-60-230893 (JP, A) JP-A-62-189191 (JP, A) JP-A-63-189191 312183 (JP, A) JP-A-64-1577 (JP, A) JP-A-2-167796 (JP, A) JP-A-2-20389 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41M 5/38-5/40

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A thermal transfer material having at least a first ink layer, a second ink layer, and a third ink layer on a support in order from the support, wherein the first ink layer comprises a thermoplastic resin. A substantially non-transferable layer, which is firmly adhered to the support even when heated, and the second ink layer is separated at the interface or inside of the second ink layer when recording is performed by heating Wherein the third ink layer is a layer containing at least one thermoplastic resin constituting the first ink layer, and further, at least the third ink layer contains a colorant. Thermal transfer material for collect system. 2. The thermal transfer material according to claim 1, wherein the first ink layer and the third ink layer contain the same thermoplastic resin. 3. A thermal transfer material having at least a first ink layer, a second ink layer and a third ink layer on a support in order from the support, wherein the first ink layer is made of a thermoplastic resin. A substantially non-transferable layer, which is firmly adhered to the support even when heated, and the second ink layer is separated at the interface or inside of the second ink layer when recording is performed by heating Wherein the third ink layer is a layer containing at least one thermoplastic resin constituting the first ink layer, and at least the third ink layer is formed using a thermal transfer material containing a colorant. After the thermal transfer material is brought into contact with the recorded print pattern and heated by the thermal recording head, the thermal transfer material is peeled off from the recording medium after the strength of the second ink layer becomes sufficiently strong. Characterized by the fact that the erased pattern is erased. Pattern erasing how to. 4. The pattern erasing method according to claim 3, wherein the first ink layer and the third ink layer contain the same thermoplastic resin.