JP3372837B2 - Transfer medium for ink jet recording and method for producing image transfer using the same - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer medium used for forming an image on a transfer material such as a cloth or a film by transfer. More specifically, the present invention relates to a transfer medium for inkjet recording, which uses an inkjet recording method when forming an image on a transfer layer, and a method for producing an image transfer product using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet recording methods include various ink ejection methods, for example, an electrostatic suction method, a method in which a piezoelectric element is used to mechanically vibrate or displace the ink, the ink is heated to foam, and its pressure is changed. Depending on the method used, minute droplets of ink are generated and ejected, and some or all of them are attached to a recording material such as paper to record images and characters, and noise is generated. It is attracting attention as a recording method that can perform high-speed printing and color printing with few.

In recent years, with the widespread use of ink jet printers capable of such full-color printing easily,
Utilizing this, it is required to perform color printing on various media. In response to such demands, the printing technology using the transfer method is notable for any form on the medium side, that is, it can form an image even on a medium that cannot be printed directly by a printer. Has been done.

Several transfer media using the ink jet recording system have been proposed so far (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 8-207426 and 8-207450).
No. 5,501,902, etc.).
In the transfer method using the conventional transfer medium as described above, first, a desired image is formed on the transfer layer of the transfer medium by an inkjet method, and then the surface of the transfer layer on which the image is formed is a transfer target material such as cloth. On the surface of the transfer medium, and in this state, the transfer layer is heated from the back surface of the transfer medium to transfer the transfer layer to the surface of the transfer material to form an image. Such a transfer method is not only industrially performed, but is often performed in a general household using a general-purpose household iron.

At this time, in order to perform good transfer, it is necessary to heat the entire surface of the transfer layer appropriately. At that time, if the support is peeled off while leaving the portion where the transfer layer is not heated or the portion where the transfer layer is insufficiently heated, the adhesion between the transfer layer and the fabric becomes insufficient in these portions. Alternatively, there arises a problem that a part of the transfer layer remains on the support (for example, release paper) holding the transfer layer without performing the entire surface transfer. When such incomplete transfer is performed, if the cloth having the incomplete transfer layer is washed, or if other friction is applied, part or all of the transfer layer is easily peeled off, A large number of cracks or the like may occur in the transfer layer, and the image quality may be impaired.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned transfer method, when the transfer using the transfer medium is industrially carried out, there is no particular problem in the heating step for the transfer, but at home, with a household iron. When the transfer layer is transferred, the area of the transfer layer is usually much larger than the area of the heating surface of the iron, and it is necessary to heat from the back side of the support opposite to the transfer layer. Even if careful heating is performed, it is difficult to heat the entire back surface of the support corresponding to the area of the transfer layer, and unheated portions may remain. Furthermore, it is hard to say that the temperature of the heating surface is uniform in all places in household irons, and there is temperature segregation on the heating surface, so even if the entire surface is ironed, uniform heating will occur. There is a case where the heating is not performed, and the insufficiently heated portion may remain. When the support is peeled off in this state, the transfer layer is easily peeled off due to washing or other friction as described above, or many cracks are generated in the transfer layer.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the object of the present invention is not only industrially, but also for household use such as a household iron whose heating surface is much smaller than the area of the transfer layer, in a general household. Even when the transfer layer transfer step is performed on the transfer target material, the transfer layer of the transfer medium can be heated over the entire surface in an appropriate state and easily transferred to a cloth or the like, and a high-quality image can be obtained. An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer medium for inkjet recording which can be easily prepared and a transfer method using the same. Further, the object of the present invention is to
An image can be easily formed on a recording material such as cloth, which is difficult to directly perform inkjet recording, by using a general-purpose inkjet recording device and a household iron without requiring a special device. (EN) Provided are a transfer medium for ink-jet recording which can be obtained, and which has excellent image characteristics and shows high fastness to washing and the like, and a method for producing an image transfer using the same. is there.

[0008]

The above object can be achieved by the present invention described below. That is, the present invention provides an inkjet recording in which a release layer and a transfer layer are provided on a support, and after forming an image on the transfer layer, the transfer layer is heated from the back surface of the support with an iron to transfer the transfer layer to a transfer material. Transfer medium for transfer
Layer is made of water-insoluble thermoplastic resin particles and water-insoluble thermoplastic resin
A rule for heating the transfer layer on the back surface of the support , which has a fat binder and is porous.
There is a linear index lined up with characteristics , and
The inkjet recording transfer medium is characterized in that the interval between the indexes is narrower than the lateral width of the heating surface of the iron , and a method for producing an image transfer product using the transfer medium.

According to the present invention, since the index indicating the heating position is provided on the back surface of the support of the transfer medium, the area of the heating surface is smaller than that of the transfer layer, and the heating surface is small. Despite the temperature segregation observed in
Even when the transfer process is performed in a general household using a household iron, heat can be sufficiently and completely applied to the entire surface of the transfer layer of the transfer medium. It is possible to transfer the transfer layer onto the transfer material in a simple and satisfactory manner. In particular, when the index provided on the back surface of the support is a linear index having a width of 1/2 or less of the heating surface of the iron, the problem that unheated portions and underheated portions remain is solved, and the transfer medium The transfer layer can be transferred onto a cloth or the like in a sufficiently satisfactory state. That is, if the transfer layer of the transfer medium is heated by ironing along the index, the transfer layer is reliably heated twice by the iron, and the first and second steps are performed.
At the second time, heating is done on another part of the heating surface, so
Even if the area is small and the heated surface has temperature segregation, an unheated portion does not remain in the transfer layer and an underheated portion does not occur. In addition, 1 of the heating surface of the iron here
As shown in FIG. 2 (b), "/ 2 or less" means 1/2 or less of the maximum width of the heating surface of the iron in the lateral direction.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the preferred embodiments. The cross section of the transfer medium for inkjet recording of the present invention is schematically shown in FIG. 1. A release layer and a transfer layer are provided on a support, and the transfer layer is provided on the back surface of the support with respect to the transfer layer. An index (for its form, see FIGS. 3 and 4) is provided to enable proper heating. The transfer medium of the present invention having such a configuration, after forming a desired image on the transfer layer by an inkjet recording method,
A material to be transferred such as cloth is laid on the surface of the transfer layer, and as shown in FIG. 2, the transfer layer is transferred from the back surface of the support to the cloth by heating and pressing with a household iron etc. to form a transfer image. It is used when At this time, in the transfer medium for inkjet recording of the present invention, since an index for enabling appropriate heating of the transfer layer is provided on the back surface of the support, ironing is performed along this index. Only by doing so, it is possible to surely and uniformly heat the transfer layer of the transfer medium, no matter who does it. As a result, in a general household, even when the transfer process is performed using various household irons or the like having a heating surface smaller than the entire area of the transfer layer and having temperature segregation, the transfer layer of the transfer medium is It becomes possible to easily and surely transfer the material to be transferred. Although FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example in which a transparent coating layer is provided between the release layer and the transfer layer, it is not essential to provide such a coating layer in the present invention. Absent. However, it is more preferable to provide such a coating layer because this coating layer functions as a protective layer for the transferred image after transfer.

An example of the form of an index provided on the back surface of the transfer medium support, which characterizes the transfer medium for ink jet recording of the present invention, in order to enable proper heating of the back surface of the support, is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Shown in. For example, the example shown in FIG. 3A is an example in which a grid-like linear index is provided on the back surface of the support by printing or the like. In this example, heating by an iron forms a grid. Vertically and / or laterally along a plurality of lines. The interval between the vertical lines or the horizontal lines provided at this time is preferably narrower than the maximum horizontal width of the heating surface of the iron to be used (hereinafter, simply referred to as the horizontal width). If the gap is wider than the width of the iron used, unheated parts may remain during heating. Figure 3
The example shown in (a) is a preferred example in which the interval at which the line as the index is provided is set to about 1/2 of the width of the iron. That is, FIG.
If ironing is performed along the grid-like linear index line as shown in (a), no matter which person does it, the same portion of the transfer layer on the opposite side of the heating surface is naturally repeated twice. Since it is heated, no non-heated area remains. Further, even if there is temperature segregation on the heating surface, heating will be performed at different portions of the heating surface between the first and second times, so that an insufficiently heated region does not remain. As a result, the transfer of the transfer layer onto the material to be transferred such as cloth is performed in a good condition, and a high-quality transferred image having high fastness is formed.

The interval between the index lines may be 1/2 of the width of the iron as shown in FIG. 3 (a), but the interval is narrower than 1/2 and the iron is placed on the adjacent index. In order to ensure that some of the heating surfaces of the iron overlap when the iron is used, for example, if indexes are provided at intervals of 1 / 2.2 or less, when the iron is heated along this index,
It is possible to reliably ensure repeated heating of two or more times in all regions. However, the narrower the interval, the better, and if the interval at which the index is provided is too small, the time required for transfer becomes long. In the transfer medium of the present invention, the most preferable interval for providing the index is about 1/3 to 1 / 2.2 of the width of the iron. 3 (b) -FIG. 3 (d) and FIG. 4 (e)-
The example shown in (g) is a modification of the example shown in FIG. 3 (a), and it has the same effects as those of FIG. 3 (a), and ironing is performed along these indexes. It is possible to reliably heat the entire surface of the transfer layer of the transfer medium of the present invention.

In the present invention, the index having the above-mentioned shape may be formed by printing on the back surface of the support with ordinary printing ink. At this time, the ink that can be used is limited to one that does not melt at the transfer temperature or stick to a heating means such as an iron. Therefore, it is preferable to use an ink prepared by using as a vehicle a resin having heat resistance and preferably having excellent lubricity.

In the present invention, as a method for forming an index on the back surface of the support, for example, a coloring material such as a dye or a pigment, a vehicle resin as a film forming material, and other necessary additives are used in an appropriate solvent. There is a method in which an ink is prepared by dissolving or dispersing, and the ink is printed with an index pattern on the back surface of a support. As a printing method, there are methods such as planographic printing, planographic offset printing, letterpress printing, gravure printing and screen printing.

Another preferred embodiment of the transfer medium for ink jet recording of the present invention is shown in FIGS. In the transfer medium illustrated here, an index having the same pattern as that described above is provided on the back surface of the support, and a transparent protective layer is provided on the surface of the index. The protective layer provided at this time is transparent to the naked eye, has sufficient heat resistance when transferring the transfer layer, and can protect the index surface when the transfer medium is stored or transported. It is preferably one. As the material for forming the heat-resistant protective film, it melts when heated with an iron or does not cause stickiness, for example, acrylic resin such as polymethylmethacrylate, polycarbonate resin, aromatic polyester resin,
It is preferable to use an aromatic polyamide resin, a polyimide resin, a silicone resin, a fluorine resin, or the like. Particularly preferred resins in the present invention include silicone resins, fluororesins, and block copolymers of silicone or another resin having a fluororesin segment with other resins. Further, the coating amount is not particularly limited, but normally, about 0.1 to 2.0 g / m ² is sufficient. Further, in the above, an example in which the protective layer is formed in a uniform film shape on the surface of the index is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, after forming the index by a means such as printing,
The support may be impregnated with the above resin to form a protective layer on the surface of the index.

Regarding the other constitutions of the support, the release layer and the transfer layer of the other constitution of the transfer medium for ink jet recording of the present invention having the index on the back surface of the above-mentioned support, the concrete constitution such as the shape or the forming material, etc. There is no particular limitation, and any known configuration may be used. For example, JP-A-8-20
7426, the transfer layer of the transfer medium,
A transfer medium composed of a thermoplastic resin, a crystalline plasticizer and a tackifier may be used. As described in JP-A-8-207450, the transfer layer may be a granular thermoplastic polymer resin,
Inkjet recording may be performed using porous inorganic fine particles and a binder. Further, as described in US Pat. No. 5,501,902,
In addition to the above configuration, the transfer layer may have a configuration in which a cationic resin, an ink viscosity modifier, or the like is added, but in the present invention, in particular, the transfer layer may include the water-insoluble thermoplastic resin fine particles and the water-insoluble water-soluble resin. Thermoplastic resin binder, more preferably, a resin composed of these resins and at least one of these resins, or inorganic fine particles, or a cationic resin, and a porous structure Is preferred. Hereinafter, each material for forming a preferable transfer layer of the transfer medium for inkjet recording of the present invention will be specifically described.

In the present invention, as the water-insoluble thermoplastic resin used when forming the transfer layer, porous thermoplastic resin fine particles are preferably used. That is, such a thermoplastic resin fine particle is contained in the transfer layer, and in the state before the transfer image is formed, these thermoplastic resin fine particles are not formed into a film but remain in the shape as fine particles. When present in the transfer layer, the transfer layer becomes a porous layer, and when ink is supplied to the transfer layer by an inkjet recording method, the ink can be favorably absorbed and retained in the voids between the fine particles. In particular, in this case, if porous thermoplastic resin fine particles are used, the ink is also absorbed in the voids of the fine particles, and the ink absorbency of the transfer layer is further improved. Further, when the image is transferred to the transfer material by heating and pressing from the support side of the transfer material, the thermoplastic resin fine particles in the transfer layer are melted and transferred to the transfer material. Since these fine particles are also formed into a film, the coloring material can be fixed in good condition on the material to be transferred such as cloth or film. The amount of the thermoplastic fine particles as described above is about 30% by weight based on the entire constituent materials of the transfer layer.
It is preferably in the range of 90% by weight.

In the present invention, as the thermoplastic resin fine particle material preferably used as a material for forming the transfer layer, any fine particle made of a water-insoluble thermoplastic resin can be used. Specifically, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl acetate, water-insoluble polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetal, poly (meth) acrylic acid copolymer, poly (meth) acrylic acid ester, polyacrylic acid derivative, Polyacrylic acid amide, polyether, polyester, polycarbonate, cellulosic resin, polyacrylonitrile, polyimide, polyamide (nylon), polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, thiochol, polysulfone, polyurethane, polystyrene and other resins Examples thereof include copolymers of monomers. Among them, polyethylene, polypropylene, poly (meth) acrylic acid copolymer, poly (meth) acrylic acid ester, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, polyamide (nylon), and copolymers of these monomers And the like are more preferably used.

The particle size of the thermoplastic resin fine particles used in the present invention is 0.
It is preferably in the range of 05 μm to 100 μm,
More preferably, 0.2 to 50 μm, even more preferably 5
Those having a range of up to 20 μm are preferable. Particle size is 0.05
When resin particles smaller than μm are used, the voids between the particles become too small when the transfer layer is formed,
Sufficient ink absorption cannot be obtained. Further, if the particles are too small, the smoothness of the transfer layer surface becomes high and it becomes difficult for the particles to enter between the fibers of the cloth, so that the transferred image is easily formed as a uniform continuous film on the surface of the cloth, and the transferred image is easily peeled off. It is difficult to obtain a good transferred image because the transfer layer is cracked and the underlying fibers are visible when the cloth expands and contracts. On the other hand, when the thermoplastic resin fine particles having a particle size larger than 100 μm are used, the resolution of the image becomes low and it is difficult to obtain a clear image.

As described above, in the present invention, in particular, when the porous thermoplastic resin fine particles are used in the transfer layer, the ink absorbability of the transfer layer is further improved, and the thin layer thickness increases the amount. It is possible to absorb the ink and obtain a thin transfer layer capable of forming a clear image. Furthermore, if the transfer layer is made thinner, not only the image transfer becomes easier, but the texture of the image after transfer becomes softer when it is transferred to a cloth or the like. The thing is obtained. For example, when thermoplastic resin fine particles made of a copolymer of a monomer of nylon 6 and a monomer of nylon 12 are used as a material for forming the transfer layer, the coloring of the dye becomes good and a clearer image can be obtained.

Further, as the thermoplastic resin fine particles used in the present invention, a household iron or the like is sufficient so that the transfer process can be easily performed at home after forming an image with a general-purpose ink jet printer. It is preferable to use a material that can be melted and transferred onto a fabric. From this point, the melting point of the thermoplastic resin fine particles used in the present invention is preferably 70 ° C to 200 ° C, more preferably 80 ° C to 180 ° C, and further preferably 100 ° C to 150 ° C. Those in the range are preferred. That is, if the melting point is lower than 70 ° C., the fine particles may form a continuous film depending on the conditions during distribution or storage. Since the drying temperature after coating needs to be below the melting point of the fine particles, it is preferable to use a resin having a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher from the viewpoint of production efficiency. On the other hand, the melting point is 200
If the temperature is higher than 0 ° C, high energy is required for transfer, and it becomes difficult to easily form a transferred image on a recording material such as a cloth or a film.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to use thermoplastic resin fine particles having a low hot melt viscosity in consideration of the adhesion of the transfer layer to the cloth. When a resin having a high hot melt viscosity is used, the adhesion between the transfer layer and the fabric is deteriorated, and the transfer layer formed into a film is easily peeled off. On the other hand, when a material having a low heat melt viscosity is used, the transfer layer easily enters between the fibers of the cloth, and even if the cloth expands or contracts, the color of the underlying fibers is not visible and a good transferred image can be obtained. .

In the present invention, the thermoplastic resin binder used as the material for forming the transfer layer together with the above-mentioned thermoplastic resin fine particles constitutes the transfer layer by binding the above-mentioned thermoplastic resin fine particles to each other to form a film. In addition, for the purpose of further adhering the image-formed transfer layer to the cloth at the time of transfer. In the present invention, a conventionally known water-insoluble thermoplastic resin can be used as the thermoplastic resin binder. Specifically, as the material for the thermoplastic resin fine particles, the same thermoplastic resins as those listed above can be used as the binder. The amount of the thermoplastic resin binder used as described above is about 1 with respect to the entire constituent material of the transfer layer.
The range of 0% to 70% by weight is preferable.

In the present invention, the weight ratio of the thermoplastic resin fine particles forming the transfer layer and the thermoplastic resin binder is
It is preferably in the range of 1/2 to 50/1, more preferably in the range of 1/2 to 20/1, and further preferably
The range is 1/2 to 15/1. That is, if the proportion of the thermoplastic resin fine particles is too high, the adhesion between the fine particles or between the fine particles and the release layer becomes insufficient, and it becomes impossible to form a transfer layer having sufficient strength before transfer. On the other hand, when the proportion of the thermoplastic resin fine particles is too small, it is difficult to obtain a transfer layer capable of forming an image having excellent ink absorbency and image sharpness.

When the transfer layer of the transfer medium for ink jet recording of the present invention is formed by only the above-mentioned two kinds of materials, there is a problem when the melting point or softening point of the thermoplastic resin fine particles or the thermoplastic resin binder is relatively low. However, if the melting point or softening point is high, the transfer of the transfer layer may be insufficient. Therefore, in the present invention,
As the material for forming the transfer layer, it is preferable to add the plasticizer of the thermoplastic resin fine particles or the plasticizer of the thermoplastic resin binder.

By adding these plasticizers, the melt viscosity of the transfer layer can be lowered at the time of transferring the formed image, that is, at the time of heating, and at the same time, the adhesion to the cloth is further improved and the transferability is improved. it can. Furthermore, by using a plasticizer, it is possible to impart strength and flexibility to the transferred image,
It is possible to form a transferred image having an excellent texture on a recording material such as cloth or film. The amount of the plasticizer used as described above is about 1% by weight based on the entire constituent materials of the transfer layer.
A range of 20% by weight is preferred.

Preferred plasticizers used in this case are, for example, diethyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate,
Phthalates such as dimethyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate, tributyl phosphate, phosphates such as triphenyl phosphate, octyl adipate, adipates such as isononyl adipate, dibutyl sebacate, sebacates such as dioctyl sebacate, Acetyl tributyl citrate, acetyl triethyl citrate, dibutyl maleate, diethylhexyl maleate, dibutyl fumarate, trimellitic acid plasticizer, polyester plasticizer, epoxy plasticizer, stearin plasticizer, chlorinated paraffin, toluene sulfone Amide and its derivatives, p-
Examples thereof include oxybenzoic acid-2-ethylhexyl ester.

Furthermore, when the transfer medium for ink jet recording of the present invention is used to transfer to a porous material to be transferred, such as cloth, it is preferable that inorganic particles are further added to the transfer layer. Is preferred. When the image-formed transfer layer is transferred to a fabric by the addition of the inorganic particles,
Due to the problem that the transfer layer excessively penetrates into the cloth and the coloring material sinks, the image density decreases, and due to the same factor, when the cloth having the transfer image is washed, the surface of the cloth becomes fluffy and the image density decreases. The problem of doing can be prevented in advance. That is, by adding inorganic particles having no meltability to heat to the transfer layer, it is possible to prevent the thermoplastic resin forming the transfer layer from penetrating too much into the cloth during transfer, A film can be formed on the surface of the cloth to obtain a clear image with high density. Further, in this way, the fibers are adhered to the surface of the cloth, and the cloth does not fluff even after washing, and a cloth or the like having a transferred image with high fastness is provided. The amount of the inorganic particles used as described above is preferably in the range of about 0.1% by weight to 20% by weight based on the entire constituent materials of the transfer layer.

The inorganic particles used in the present invention may be porous particles having ink absorbability, and specifically, silica, aluminum silicate, magnesium silicate,
Examples thereof include hydrotalcite, calcium carbonate, titanium oxide, clay, talc and (basic) magnesium carbonate.

Of these materials, it is preferable to use a material having a particularly high dyeing property because the dye is fixed on the surface of the cloth. Further, at this time, if a material having a higher porosity is used,
The ink absorbency of the transfer layer is also increased, and a clearer image can be obtained. The particle size of the inorganic particles used in the present invention, the particle size of the thermoplastic resin particles described above,
It is preferable to use those which are as close as possible. This is because when particles having different particle diameters are added, the smaller particles are filled between the larger particles, resulting in a decrease in the porosity in the transfer layer.

Further, in the present invention, a cationic resin may be added to the material for forming the transfer layer. The addition of this cationic resin makes it possible to obtain a transferred image having higher fastness. That is, the coloring material generally used in the ink jet printer is an anionic dye, and the coloring material is taken in together with the thermoplastic resin particles and the binder when they are melted by the heat at the time of transfer. , Is fixed on a material to be transferred such as cloth or film. However, the film thus formed may not be completely uniform, and in such a case, for example, when the cloth is immersed in water at the time of washing or the like, the dye exudes. On the other hand, if a cationic resin is added to the transfer layer, the cationic resin reacts with the dye to insolubilize the dye, so that the elution of the dye can be prevented. The amount of the above cationic resin used is preferably in the range of approximately 1% by weight to 20% by weight in the entire transfer layer.

The cationic resin preferably used in this case is, for example, a cationized modified product of polyvinyl alcohol, hydroxyethyl cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone or the like, allylamine, diallylamine,
Amine monomers such as allyl sulfone, dimethyl allyl sulfone, diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride,
Dimethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate, diethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate, methylethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate, dimethylaminostyrene, diethylaminostyrene, methylethylaminostyrene, N-methylacrylamide, N-dimethylacrylamide, N, N- Dimethylaminoethyl methacrylamide, its quaternized compounds, etc., such as polymers and copolymers of acrylic monomers having side-chain primary to tertiary amines or quaternary ammonium bases, dicyanamide, etc. Examples thereof include resins having an amine or a quaternary ammonium salt group.

In the present invention, the film thickness of the transfer layer formed of the above-mentioned forming material is preferably 10 to 1.
The thickness is 50 μm, more preferably 30 to 120 μm, still more preferably 40 to 100 μm. If the film thickness is too large, a transfer image having flexibility cannot be obtained when transferred to a transfer material such as a cloth. On the other hand, if the film thickness is too thin, the transferred image formed is inferior in image quality or in fastness, which is not preferable.

In the transfer layer of the thermal transfer medium for inkjet of the present invention, for the purpose of improving the ink permeability,
A surfactant can also be included. That is, when a surfactant is added to the transfer layer, the wettability of the particle surface is improved and the permeability of the water-based ink is increased. As the surfactant used in the present invention, a generally used nonionic surfactant can be used, and more specifically,
An ether type, an ester type, an ether / ester type, a nitrogen-containing type surfactant or the like can be used.

Further, the transfer medium for ink jet recording of the present invention has a release layer together with the transfer layer formed as described above. Due to the presence of the release layer, a transfer layer having excellent characteristics, It is possible to easily transfer to a transfer material such as cloth or film. For example, it is possible to prevent the transfer layer from being peeled off from the fabric or part of the transfer layer remaining on the support and damaging the image when the support is peeled and removed after transfer by heating and pressing onto the fabric. To be done. As the material for forming the release layer formed on the support in order to enhance the releasability between the transfer layer and the support at the time of transferring the transfer layer onto a recording material such as cloth or film, A heat-meltable material is preferable, and specific examples include the following. For example, waxes such as carnauba wax, paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, and castor wax, stearic acid, palmitic acid, lauric acid, aluminum stearate, lead stearate, barium stearate, zinc stearate, zinc barmitate, methyl. Hydroxy stearate, glycerol monohydroxy stearate, higher fatty acid such as glycerol monohydroxy stearate or its metal salt, derivatives such as ester, polyamide resin, petroleum resin, rosin derivative, coumarone-indene resin, terpene resin,
Examples thereof include novolac resins, styrene resins, olefin resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, and oxidized polyolefin, and vinyl ether resins. In addition to these, silicone resins, fluorosilicone resins, fluoroolefin vinyl ether terpolymers, perfluoroepoxy resins, thermosetting acrylic resins having a perfluoroalkyl group in the side chain, vinylidene fluoride-based curing resins, etc. are also used. .

Further, as another embodiment, the transfer medium for ink jet recording of the present invention has a film layer between the transfer layer and the release layer described above as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. The transfer layer may be provided and the transfer layer may have a two-layer structure. The following two points can be cited as advantages of providing this coating layer. First of all, the formation of the transfer layer on the release layer becomes easier. In the inkjet recording transfer medium of the present invention, as described above, it is preferable to provide a porous transfer layer in order to improve the ink absorbability, but a layer having low adhesion such as a release layer. When a porous layer is provided on the above, the adhesion between the layers is poor and the transfer layer may peel off during handling. Therefore, if the transfer layer has a two-layer structure and a film layer made of a material different from the resin fine particles of the transfer layer is provided on the release layer side of the transfer layer, the adhesion between the layers is improved. Such problems are less likely to occur.

Secondly, if a coating layer is provided between the transfer layer and the release layer, the washing fastness transferred to the cloth or the like can be improved. That is, when the transfer layer has a two-layer structure, the film layer becomes the outermost layer after transfer and covers the image surface, so that the coloring material is adhered to the cloth in a state of being more concealed in the transfer layer. Therefore, it is more robust.

As the material for forming the film layer, it is preferable to use the same kind as the thermoplastic resin binder used in the material for forming the transfer layer described above. That is, by using the same material for forming these two layers,
The adhesion between the two layers can be increased, the robustness can be increased, and the difference in the refractive index between the two layers can be reduced, so that the transfer layer after transfer becomes transparent and a clear image can be obtained. Becomes Also, the thickness of the coating layer should be thinner than that of the transfer layer,
It is preferably about 50 μm.

The transfer medium for inkjet recording of the present invention having the above-described structure forms an image on the transfer layer by the inkjet recording method, and the formed image is directly imaged by the inkjet recording method by means such as heating. It is used for the purpose of forming an image on a cloth or the like by transferring it to a transfer target material (recording material) such as a cloth or a film which is difficult to form. As the inkjet printer, a commercially available general-purpose printer can be used as it is. Further, the color material of the ink used is not particularly limited, and conventionally known anion color materials can be used, and it is not particularly necessary to change the color material according to the material of the cloth. Further, as a material for forming an image by using the transfer medium for inkjet recording of the present invention, cloth, film and the like can be mentioned, and especially cloth is preferably used. At that time, the material constituting the cloth is not particularly limited, and cotton,
Examples thereof include hemp, silk, wool, rayon, polyester, nylon, acrylic, acetate, triacetate, polyurethane, and the like, and fibers of a mixture thereof. Further, this cloth can be used in any form such as woven fabric, knitted fabric and non-woven fabric.

The transfer method of the present invention comprises the steps of forming a desired image on the transfer layer of the transfer medium by the ink jet method, the step of overlaying the surface of the image-formed transfer layer on the surface of the transfer material, and the transfer. And a transfer method having a step of transferring the transfer layer to the surface of the transfer material by heating from the back surface of the medium,
It is characterized in that the above-mentioned heating is performed along an index for enabling the transfer layer of the support to be heated. The method of the present invention is particularly effective when a household iron whose heating surface is smaller than the entire area of the transfer layer of the transfer medium is used as the heating means.

[0041]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples and Reference Examples of the present invention. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this exemplary configuration. Example 1 A release paper (part number ST-60, one side of which has been subjected to a release treatment.
OKT, manufactured by Lintec Co., Ltd. is used as a support, and the back surface (the surface on the side where the release layer is not provided) has a line thickness as shown in FIG. 3A by offset printing. 0.5
mm, the line spacing was 45 mm, and a grid pattern was printed to form an index.

The following coating liquid was applied to the surface of the release paper provided with this index on the release layer side (the side opposite to the printing surface of the index) by a bar coater method so that the thickness would be 50 μm when dried. Then, it was dried at 70 ° C. for 10 minutes in a drying oven to form a transfer layer, and a transfer medium of this example was manufactured. (Transfer layer coating liquid composition) -Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer emulsion (Chemipearl V-300, manufactured by Mitsui Petrochemical Co., Ltd., solid content 40% by weight, particle size 6 μm) 137.5 parts by weight (solid content 55 Parts by weight) -Ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer emulsion (Hitec E-8778, manufactured by Toho Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., solid content 25% by weight) 180 parts by weight (solid content 45 parts by weight) -Silica particles (Mizukasil P-78A) , Mizusawa Chemical Co., Ltd., particle size 3 μm) 0.6 parts by weight Acrylic cation resin (EL polymer NWS-16, Shin Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., solid content 35% by weight) 6.8 parts by weight ( Solid content 2.4 parts by weight)

Example 2 In the same manner as in Example 1, after grid-like printing was performed on the back surface of the support to provide an index, a coating liquid having the following composition was further dried on the printed surface by a bar coater method. Coating amount is 3g / m
^The coating was performed so that it would be ^2, and the coating was dried in a drying oven at 80 ° C. for 1 minute to provide an index surface protective layer. (Composition of coating liquid for protective layer) Polydimethylsiloxane (TPR-6711, manufactured by Toshiba Silicone Co., Ltd., solid content 30% by weight) 333 parts by weight (solid content 100 parts by weight) Catalyst (CM670, manufactured by Toshiba Silicone Co., Ltd.) ) Trace amount / Toluene 200 parts by weight

The following coating solution was applied to the surface of the release paper provided with the index on the release layer side (the side opposite to the printing surface of the index) by a bar coater method so that the thickness would be 50 μm when dried. Then, the transfer medium was dried in a drying oven at 70 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a transfer layer, and a transfer medium of this example was manufactured. (Transfer layer coating liquid composition) -Porous nylon particles (Olgasol 3501EXD NAT, manufactured by Elf At Chem Co., Ltd., particle size 10 μm) 55 parts by weight-Ethylene-acrylic acid emulsion (Hitec E-8778, Toho Kagaku) Industry Co., Ltd., solid content 25% by weight 180 parts by weight (solids content 45 parts by weight) N-ethyl-o, p-toluenesulfonamide (Topsizer No. 3, Fuji Amide Chemical Co., Ltd., solid content) 30 parts by weight) 33 parts by weight (solid content 10 parts by weight) Silica particles (Mizukasil P-78A, manufactured by Mizusawa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., particle size 3 μm) 2 parts by weight Cationic resin (EL polymer NWS-16, new Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., solid content 35% by weight 23 parts by weight (solid content 8 parts by weight) -Fluorosurfactant (Surflon S-131, Seimi Chemical Co., Ltd. Ltd., solid content 30 wt%) 3 parts by weight (solid content 1 part by weight) Isopropyl alcohol 40 parts by weight

Example 3 On the release layer side surface (the side opposite to the printed surface of the index) of the release paper provided with the grid-shaped index produced in the same manner as in Example 2,
A coating solution having the following composition was applied by a bar coater method so that the film thickness when dried was 20 μm, and the temperature was 70 ° C. in a drying oven.
And dried for 10 minutes to form a film layer. (Film layer coating liquid composition) Porous nylon particles (Orgall 3501 EXD NAT, manufactured by Elf At Chem Co., Ltd., particle size 10 μm) 0.1 parts by weight Ethylene-acrylic acid emulsion (Hitec E-8778, Toho Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., solid content 25% by weight) 400 parts by weight (solid content 100 parts by weight) -Isopropyl alcohol 5 parts by weight Next, the coating layer of the release paper on which the coating layer obtained above is formed. A transfer layer was provided thereon in the same manner as in Example 2 to prepare a transfer medium of this example.

Example 4 PPC paper having a basis weight of 64 g / m ² was used as a support, and a back surface of a release layer (release layer) formed by laminating a 20 μm thick vinyl monofluoride resin film on the support. 3), the line thickness is 0.5 mm and the line interval is 45 m as shown in FIG. 3 (a).
A grid pattern of m was printed to form an index. The surface of the release paper provided with this index on the release layer side (the side opposite to the printed surface of the index) was coated with a coating solution having the following composition by a bar coater method so that the thickness would be 40 μm when dried. Then, the transfer medium was dried in a drying oven at 60 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a transfer layer, thus producing a transfer medium of this example. (Transfer layer coating liquid composition) -Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer emulsion (Chemipearl V-300, manufactured by Mitsui Petrochemical Co., Ltd., solid content 40% by weight, particle size 6 μm) 250 parts by weight (solid content 100 parts by weight) ) Polyvinyl alcohol (trade name: PVA-217, manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd., 20% by weight aqueous solution) 50 parts by weight (solid content: 10 parts by weight)

Example 5 Similar to Example 4, PPC paper was used as a support, a release layer was provided thereon, and the back surface of the release layer was subjected to offset printing as shown in FIG. 3 (a). , The thickness of the wire is 0.5 mm,
A grid pattern having a line spacing of 45 mm was printed to form an index. The following coating liquid is dried on the surface of the release paper on which the index is provided on the release layer side (the side opposite to the print side of the index) when dried.
coated by the bar coater method to a thickness of μm,
A transfer layer was formed by drying in a drying oven at 60 ° C. for 10 minutes to prepare a transfer medium of this example. (Transfer layer coating liquid composition) -Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer emulsion (Chemipearl V-300, manufactured by Mitsui Petrochemical Co., Ltd., solid content 40% by weight, particle size 6 μm) 250 parts by weight (solid content 100 parts by weight) ) Polyvinyl alcohol (trade name: PVA-217, manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd., 20 wt% aqueous solution) 50 parts by weight (solid content: 10 parts by weight) Polyallylamine hydrochloride (trade name: PAA-HCl-10L, Nitto Boseki) Co., Ltd., solid content 40 wt%) 12 parts by weight (solid content 4.8 parts by weight) Benzalkonium chloride (trade name: G50, Sanyo Kasei Co., Ltd., solid content 50 wt%) 6 parts by weight Parts (solid content 3 parts by weight)

Reference Example 1 Release paper similar to that used in Example 1 (product number ST-60OK
T, manufactured by Lintec Co., Ltd.) was used as a support, a transfer layer was provided on the side provided with the release layer in the same manner as in Example 1, and a transfer medium of Reference Example having no index was produced.

[Evaluation] An ink jet color printer BJC-600 (trade name, manufactured by Canon Inc.) was used for back printing on the transfer media of Examples 1 to 5 and Reference Example 1 produced as described above. Printing was performed in the film mode (mirror image printing mode) to form an image on the transfer layer. The transfer medium on which the image was formed was transferred to a T-shirt by using 10 sheets each, and the following evaluation was performed.

(1) Evaluation of Transferability Using the transfer medium on which the image was formed, 10 men and women of different age groups transferred the image to a T-shirt made of 100% cotton with a household iron. For the transfer medium of the example,
I was instructed to iron according to the indicators. Then, the obtained image transfer product was visually observed, and its transferability was evaluated according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 1. The iron used at that time is an iron made by Toshiba.
It was TA-FZ2 (iron width 110 mm), and the temperature was adjusted according to the part where cotton was displayed, and the ironing time (transfer time) was about 2 minutes per A4 size. ◯: All 10 persons were able to cleanly transfer the entire transfer layer. X: The transfer was insufficient in some cases because the edges and the like were not adhered to the T-shirt.

Table 1: Evaluation results

[0052]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since an index for heating the transfer layer is provided on the back surface of the support of the transfer medium for ink jet recording, the user can use it for household use with a small heating area and temperature segregation in general households. Even when the transfer process is performed using an iron or the like, appropriate heating can be surely performed on the entire surface of the transfer layer by a simple means, and as a result, the problem of unheated parts and underheated parts remaining is solved, It is possible to transfer the transfer layer of the medium to the cloth or the like in a good state. According to the present invention as described above, it is possible to easily form a high-quality image having high robustness even on a medium on which it is difficult to directly perform inkjet recording.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of a transfer medium of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a method of manufacturing a transfer product using the transfer medium of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a design of an index provided on the back surface of the transfer medium of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of another design of the index provided on the back surface of the transfer medium of the reference example of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another example of the transfer medium of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the transfer medium and the transfer method of FIG.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Masato Katayama 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (56) Reference JP-A-63-128977 (JP, A) JP-A-61 -233589 (JP, A) JP 63-251299 (JP, A) JP 8-207450 (JP, A) JP 8-207426 (JP, A) Actual development Sho 62-71676 (JP, U) ) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B44C 1/165-1/17 B41M 5/00

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A release layer and a transfer layer are provided on a support, and after forming an image on the transfer layer, the iron is applied from the back surface of the support.
In a transfer medium for inkjet recording, in which the transfer layer is heated to transfer the transfer layer to a transfer material, the transfer layer is a water-insoluble thermoplastic
Having water-soluble resin fine particles and a water-insoluble thermoplastic resin binder,
And, the line which is made of a porous material and is regularly arranged on the back surface of the support for heating the transfer layer .
-Shaped indicators are provided , and the intervals between the indicators are the above.
A transfer medium for inkjet recording, which is narrower than the width of the heating surface of the iron . 2. The transfer medium for inkjet recording according to claim 1, wherein the index provided on the back surface of the support is a linear index having an interval of a width of 1/2 or less of the heating surface of the iron. 3. The contract in which the index is provided in a grid pattern.
The transfer medium for inkjet recording according to claim 1. 4. A transparent protective layer is provided on the surface of the index.
The ink jet recording transfer according to claim 1,
Photo media. 5. A coating layer which is transparent between the release layer and the transfer layer.
The transfer medium for inkjet recording according to claim 1, further comprising:
body. Forming a 6. desired image by an ink jet method in the transfer layer of the transfer medium for inkjet recording according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the surface of the imaged transfer layer the In order to apply the above heating to the back surface of the support, there is a step of stacking on the surface of the transfer material and heating from the back surface of the transfer medium with an iron to transfer the transfer layer to the surface of the transfer material. A method for producing an image transfer product, characterized in that the image transfer product is obtained by carrying out along the provided index.