JP5656168B2 - Printing method, transfer material, and inkjet discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing method, a transfer material, and an inkjet discharge device, and more particularly, to a printing method by transfer, and a transfer material and an inkjet discharge device used in the printing method.

  As one of the methods for printing a pattern or a character directly on the surface of various products, there is a transfer printing method in which a pattern printed in advance on the surface of a substrate film is transferred to the product surface.

  Here, as a conventional example of the transfer printing method, a coating film that hinders the function of the adhesive is printed on the surface of the heat-sealed foil coated with the hot melt adhesive in the form of an inverted mirror image of the pattern to be transferred. A printing method is known in which a pattern to be transferred is transferred and printed by pressure bonding to a transfer medium (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2002-542076

  By the way, in the printing method exemplified in Patent Document 1, for example, when a coating film that inhibits the function of the adhesive (hereinafter referred to as “adhesive layer mask film”) is to be printed at high speed by printing means such as inkjet printing, The ejection amount of the ink jet droplets must be increased, and the coating film of the adhesive layer mask film becomes thick. As a result, the gap formed by the film thickness at the peripheral edge of the adhesive layer mask film hinders the adhesion between the adhesive layer and the transfer medium, resulting in transfer failure of the transfer layer, making it difficult to reproduce a precise pattern. The problem may arise.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, the case where the adhesive layer mask film 108 is formed using an ultraviolet curable ink will be described. In general, when reaching the transfer material 103) on which the peeling layer 105, the transfer layer 106, and the adhesive layer 107 are formed on 104, ultraviolet rays are irradiated and cured immediately to prevent bleeding. For this reason, ink bleeding (spreading) tends to be suppressed. In particular, in the case of an ultraviolet curable ink that does not contain a solvent, the ink is fixed while substantially maintaining the volume reached by the liquid. For this reason, the printed matter using the ultraviolet curable ink has a thickness that is five times or more thicker than other inks (for example, solvent ink and water-based ink). For example, the thickness is about L1 = 10 to 20 [μm]. Become.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, when the transfer medium 102 and the transfer material 103 are pressed and transferred, adhesion between the transfer medium 102 and the transfer material 103 is performed in the vicinity of the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film 108. A gap G is generated between the layer 107 and the layer 107 (FIG. 9 is an example when the transfer medium 102 has flexibility). When the gap G is generated, a region where the adhesive layer 107 does not adhere is generated, and thus a portion where the lower transfer layer 106 in the region cannot be bonded to the transfer medium 102 is generated. As an example, when the film thickness L1 of the adhesive layer mask film 108 is L1 = h, the width (length in the in-plane direction) L2 of the portion that cannot be bonded correlates with h, for example, L2 = about 3h. As described above, when the transfer material 103 is pulled away from the transfer medium 102 due to the occurrence of a portion that cannot be bonded in the region to be transferred, the transfer layer 106 is complicated by the bonded portion and the unbonded portion. It will be torn and the boundary will be indistinctly visible. Therefore, there has been a problem that transfer printing of the transfer layer 106 such as metallic having a clear boundary becomes impossible.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the width L3 between the adhesive layer mask films 108 and 108 is narrow, the gap G is generated, and the transfer layer 106 cannot be adhered to the transfer medium 102 at all. Therefore, it has been impossible to form a high-resolution wiring pattern or the like using a copper foil.

  On the other hand, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, if the coating film of the adhesive layer mask film 108 is made thin, it is necessary to print with a small amount of ink jet droplets, so that it is impossible to print at high speed. Can occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing method capable of speeding up the process and obtaining a high-definition transfer image.

  As an embodiment, the above-described problem is solved by a solution as disclosed below.

  In the disclosed printing method, a transfer material in which an adhesive layer is laminated on a transfer layer provided on a base material is prepared, and an adhesive layer mask film is formed on the adhesive layer other than the region to be transferred in the transfer material by inkjet printing. In the printing method of forming and pressing the transfer material from the adhesive layer side to the transfer medium and transferring the transfer layer in the region to be transferred to the transfer medium, when forming the adhesive layer mask film, The film thickness of a predetermined peripheral edge portion of the adhesive layer mask film is gradually reduced toward the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film. According to this, when the adhesive layer mask film is inkjet-printed, the gap formed by the coating thickness at the peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film is reduced by gradually reducing the boundary film thickness of the adhesive layer mask film. Can be small. As a result, when transferring the transfer material (transfer layer) to the transfer medium, the adhesive layer and the transfer medium can be brought into close contact with each other even at the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film, and a high-definition transfer image can be obtained. It becomes.

  In the present invention, when the adhesive layer mask film is formed, the thickness of the predetermined peripheral edge of the adhesive layer mask film is changed by changing at least one of the ejection amount or the jet distribution of the ink jet droplets. It is preferable to reduce the thickness stepwise toward the boundary of the layer mask film. According to this, when the adhesive layer mask film is formed by ejecting the ink jet droplets, it becomes possible to make the thickness gradually smaller toward the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet curable ink or a solvent-containing ultraviolet curable ink as the ink for forming the adhesive layer mask film. By using an ink that is cured by ultraviolet rays, deformation and melting can be reduced even during pressure transfer.

  In the present invention, when the adhesive layer mask film is formed, it is preferable that a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film is formed with an ultraviolet curable ink containing a solvent. According to this, by evaporating the solvent, the film thickness of the predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film can be reduced.

  The disclosed transfer material is a transfer material used in the printing method, and the film thickness of a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film is gradually reduced toward the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film. It is formed. According to this, when transferring the transfer material (transfer layer) to the transfer medium, the adhesive layer and the transfer medium can be brought into close contact with each other even at the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film, and a high-definition transfer image is obtained. It becomes possible.

  The disclosed inkjet discharge apparatus is an inkjet discharge apparatus used in the printing method, and includes an inkjet head that ejects inkjet droplets, and a control unit that controls the operation of the inkjet head. When forming the adhesive layer mask film, by changing at least one of the ejection amount or the ejection distribution of the ink jet droplets ejected from the ink jet head, the thickness of the predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film is changed to the adhesive layer It is characterized by thinning in steps toward the boundary of the mask film. According to this, when the adhesive layer mask film is inkjet-printed, the boundary film thickness of the adhesive layer mask film can be formed thin in stages.

  According to the disclosed printing method, the speed of the process can be increased, and a high-definition transfer image can be obtained.

It is a top view (schematic diagram) showing an example of an ink jet discharge device concerning an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view (schematic diagram) of the inkjet discharge apparatus of FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the printing method which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the printing method which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the printing method which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the printing method which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the subject in the printing method which concerns on conventional embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the subject in the printing method which concerns on conventional embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the subject in the printing method which concerns on the conventional embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiments, and the repetitive description thereof may be omitted.

  In the printing method according to the present embodiment, a mask film (adhesive layer mask film described later) is formed by inkjet printing in a region other than the region to be transferred in the transfer material, and the transfer material is transferred from the side on which the mask film is formed. This is a printing method for obtaining a reverse mirror image of an area where a mask film is not provided (area to be transferred) after being transferred to a medium.

<Transfer material>
First, the transfer material 3 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer material 3 is formed by laminating an adhesive layer 7 on a transfer layer 6 provided on the substrate 4. In the present embodiment, the release layer 5 is provided between the substrate 4 and the transfer layer 6, but a configuration in which the release layer 5 is omitted is also conceivable.

  The base material 4 is comprised using the resin film etc. which have flexibility. Although the constituent material is not particularly limited, film resin materials such as polyethylene film, polyester film, olefin film, polypropylene film, polycarbonate film, and paper are used as an example.

  The release layer 5 is laminated by a method such as coating using a material having releasability such as fully saponified polyvinyl alcohol, fluorine resin, or silicon resin. For example, the release layer 5 is formed by diluting a silicon resin with a solvent and coating the substrate 4.

  The transfer layer 6 includes a metal foil, a metal vapor deposition film, a hologram film, a pearl tone film, a rainbow film, a white / black film, a color film, a clear film, and the like. As an example, it is laminated on the substrate 4 by vapor deposition of metal material, sputtering, or application of pigment or dye ink (in this embodiment, it is laminated on the substrate 4 via the release layer 5). . The layer such as a metal foil or a metal vapor deposition film of the transfer layer 6 may be configured not as a single layer but as a composite layer with a plastic film in order to increase the strength (not shown). As a forming method by applying ink, an ink receiving layer (not shown) may be provided on the transfer layer 6 and coloring (ink application) may be performed on the ink receiving layer.

  Here, as a modified example, a configuration in which a protective layer (not shown) is provided between the release layer 5 and the transfer layer 6 can be considered. According to this, since the transfer layer 6 after transfer is protected by the protective layer, the surface is hardly damaged, and durability to fingerprints, water, alcohol, ultraviolet rays, etc. can be improved. In particular, if a clear film to which an ultraviolet absorber is added is used as the protective layer, a clear coat having high light sensitivity that is difficult with conventional ultraviolet curable inks can be realized.

  On the other hand, the adhesive layer 7 is prepared by diluting a thermoplastic resin, a thermosetting resin, an ultraviolet curable resin, or the like that can be bonded by pressure bonding in a heating environment of about 80 to 300 [° C.] with water or an organic solvent. It is formed by coating on the transfer layer 6. The constituent materials are not particularly limited, but as an example, epoxy resin, butyral resin, vinyl chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, vinyl chloride resin, low density polyethylene, silicon resin, wax, polyolefin (trade name, manufactured by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.) / CPAO) or the like is used. The adhesive layer 7 acts to adhere to the transfer medium 2 by being thermocompression bonded.

  Here, as a modification, it can be considered that the adhesive layer 7 is laminated on the transfer layer 6 via a protective layer (not shown). According to this, the colored portion of the transfer layer 6 can be protected by the protective layer.

  In the transfer material 3 according to the present embodiment, an adhesive layer mask film 8 is provided on the adhesive layer 7. The adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed by using the printing method according to the present embodiment and has a characteristic configuration (details will be described later).

  The adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed by using an ink having a releasing property that can be printed on the adhesive layer 7 (here, ink jet printing) and does not adhere to the transfer medium 2 even if heat-pressed. Is done. As the ink, an ultraviolet curable ink or an ultraviolet curable ink containing a solvent is used (details will be described later).

<Transfer medium>
Next, the transfer medium 2 according to this embodiment will be described. The transfer medium 2 is, for example, various plastic moldings (including films and plates), metal, glass, stone, cloth, and the like. Thus, as the transfer medium 2, both a flexible medium and a non-transparent medium can be used. In addition, it is preferable that at least one of the transfer medium 2 or the transfer material 3 has flexibility. This is because transfer printing becomes possible.

  By performing transfer printing on the transfer medium 2 using the transfer material 3 described above, the following printing, which has been impossible or difficult in the past, can be suitably performed. Specifically, it is possible to decorate plastic moldings, metals, glass, stones, cloths, and the like. In addition, it is possible to perform printing using a color that is difficult to be converted into ink for inkjet printing, such as high gloss metallic, pearl, rainbow, phosphorescence, phosphorescence, and retroreflective printing. Moreover, it becomes possible to form printed wiring and an antenna using copper foil.

<Inkjet ejection device>
Next, the inkjet discharge apparatus 1 used when forming the adhesive layer mask film 8 of the transfer material 3 will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view (schematic diagram) illustrating an example of an inkjet discharge apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view (schematic diagram) thereof.

  The ink jet ejection apparatus 1 of the present invention includes a platen (support) 12 that supports a medium to be ejected (here, the transfer material 3) and a surface of the transfer material 3 (here, the surface of the adhesive layer 7) if it moves in the X direction. ) Includes an inkjet head 13 that ejects ink from a plurality of ejection openings to land inkjet droplets, and a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of each unit.

  Reference numeral 17 in the figure denotes an ink jet droplet landed on the surface of the transfer material 3 when using an ultraviolet curable ink containing a volatile organic solvent (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “solvent”). 3 is a print heater that heats from the back surface side of 3 and volatilizes and removes the solvent. Reference numeral 16 in the figure indicates that when an ultraviolet curable ink or an ultraviolet curable ink containing a solvent is used, the inkjet droplet landed on the surface of the transfer material 3 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and the inkjet droplet. It is an ultraviolet irradiation means for curing.

  Here, the inkjet head 13 has a structure in which inkjet droplets are ejected from nozzles (not shown) arranged side by side by a piezo method or the like. As a result, the vehicle can travel on the guide rail 15 in the X direction. The traveling means is composed of an electric motor and an electronic circuit.

  As an example, the transfer material 3 (here, the state in which the release layer 5, the transfer layer 6, and the adhesive layer 7 are laminated on the base material 4) is supported by the platen 12 and sandwiched between the transport rollers 18 and 18. When the inkjet head 13 finishes traveling from one end to the other end of the transfer material 3 while ejecting inkjet droplets, the conveyance rollers 18 and 18 are rotated to be conveyed in the Y direction. In this case, a flexible resin material such as PET is preferably used for the base material 4 of the transfer material 3.

  The print heater 17 is disposed inside the platen 12 on the back side of the transfer material 3, and heats the ink jet droplets that land on the surface of the transfer material 3, and the ink jet droplets contain a volatile organic solvent. The solvent is removed by volatilization. As the print heater 17, an electric heater, an infrared heater, or an electromagnetic induction (IH) heater can be used, and the platen is devolatilized so that the solvent contained in the ink is volatilized and removed at the same time as the ink is ejected and landed on the medium surface. The temperature of 12 is kept constant. The lower limit of the heating temperature of the print heater 17 is desirably a temperature at which the solvent is sufficiently volatilized and removed before the transfer material 3 is sent to the ultraviolet irradiation position by the ultraviolet irradiation means 16, for example, about 35 ° C. The upper limit is desirably determined by the heat-resistant temperature of the transfer material 3 and the safety to the human body due to an increase in temperature, and is about 80 ° C., for example.

  The position of the print heater 17 is not limited to the back surface side (lower surface side of the base material 4) of the transfer material 3, and may be on the front surface side (upper surface side of the adhesive layer 7) or both sides of the transfer material 3 (not shown). . When a print heater is provided on the surface side of the transfer material 3, the print heater is fixed on the same guide rail 15 as the inkjet head 13 or in front of the guide rail 15 in the Y direction (platen transport direction) separately and independently. Position.

  In the case where the print heater is provided on the same guide rail as that of the inkjet head 13 and unidirectional printing is performed, the print heater is installed behind the inkjet head 13 in the traveling direction (not shown). More specifically, when ejecting ink while running the inkjet head 13 to the right in the X direction, it is installed on the left side of the inkjet head 13, and when ejecting ink while running to the left in the X direction, the right side of the inkjet head 13 is installed. Install in. Further, in the case of bidirectional printing, the inkjet head 13 is installed on the front and rear in the traveling direction, that is, on both the left and right sides of the inkjet head 13.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a UV LED (Ultra Violet Emitting Diode) is incorporated as the ultraviolet irradiation means 16, and along with the inkjet head 13, the transfer material 3 moving direction (Y (Direction) is arranged on the front side, and can travel in the X direction by a moving means (not shown). The ultraviolet irradiation means 16 irradiates the surface of the transfer material 3 conveyed by the conveyance rollers 18 and 18 with ultraviolet rays by irradiating ultraviolet rays onto the surface of the transfer material 3 after the inkjet droplets have landed from the inkjet head 13. The action of curing and fixing as the adhesive layer mask film 8 is produced.

  The UV irradiation means 16 is not particularly limited, but a UVLED lamp that can freely adjust the amount of irradiation light and control ON / OFF by changing the current and emission pulse width and uses less power is used. Is preferred. However, by providing the shutter, the amount of ultraviolet light can be changed, so that other lamps such as a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, and high-pressure mercury can be used.

  The adhesive layer mask film 8 can be formed as follows using the inkjet apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. First, ink is applied to the surface of the transfer material 3 (here, the release layer 5, the transfer layer 6, and the adhesive layer 7 are laminated on the base material 4) supported on the platen (support) 12. 13 is injected. Next, if necessary, the volatile organic solvent contained in the ink jet droplets is volatilized and removed from the ink jet droplets landed on the surface of the transfer material 3 by the print heater 17 located on the back side of the transfer material 3. Next, ultraviolet rays are irradiated by the ultraviolet irradiation means 16 to cure the ink jet droplets and fix them as the adhesive layer mask film 8 on the adhesive layer 7. In this manner, the transfer material 3 having a desired pre-transfer image can be formed. According to the inkjet discharge apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the adhesive layer mask film 8 can be formed at high speed. That is, it is possible to speed up the process of forming the transfer material 3 having a desired pre-transfer image (details will be described later).

  In the inkjet discharge apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the case where the inkjet head 13 and the ultraviolet irradiation unit 16 are both fixed to the unit base 14 has been described as an example, but the invention is not limited thereto. is not. For example, as a modified example, the ultraviolet irradiation means may be configured to be able to travel in the X direction by being fixed to another guide rail located in front of the Y direction in a state separated and independent from the inkjet head (not suitable). (Illustrated). Or it is good also as a structure which fixes the ultraviolet lamp which exists in the Y direction front and covers the X direction full width of a platen (not shown). Examples of the ultraviolet lamp include discharge tubes such as black lights and germicidal lamps.

<Ink>
Next, the ink used when forming the adhesive layer mask film 8 of the transfer material 3 will be described. As the ink, ultraviolet curable ink or solvent-containing ultraviolet curable ink is used.

  The ultraviolet curable ink according to the present embodiment is configured using a monomer, an oligomer, a photopolymerization initiator, and an additive. Here, examples of the additive include a sensitizer, a colorant (pigment), a dispersant, a leveling agent, and a polymerization inhibitor, which are appropriately selected and selected for use. The constituent material of the ultraviolet curable ink is not particularly limited, and various conventionally known materials can be appropriately used. In addition, the viscosity of the ink is appropriately adjusted.

  On the other hand, the ultraviolet curable ink containing a solvent (volatile organic solvent) according to the present embodiment is obtained by adding a solvent to the constituent material of the ultraviolet curable ink. The said solvent is not specifically limited, The conventionally well-known material illustrated by n-hexane can be used suitably. In addition, the viscosity of the ink is appropriately adjusted.

  Other examples of ink used when forming the adhesive layer mask film 8 of the transfer material 3 include nano silica ink, hybrid nano silica ink with polymer, thermosetting resin ink, latex ink, emulsion ink, aqueous Examples thereof include resin-dispersed ink.

<Printing Method According to First Embodiment>
Next, the printing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, the transfer material 3 is prepared. As shown in FIG. 3, in this step, a transfer material 3 in which a release layer 5, a transfer layer 6, and an adhesive layer 7 are laminated on a substrate 4 is used. The material of each layer, the formation method, and the like are as described above, and repeated description is omitted.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, an adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed on the adhesive layer 7 other than the region to be transferred in the transfer material 3 by ink jet printing. This is because only the area to be transferred is transferred by masking the area other than the area to be transferred. The inkjet printing is performed using the inkjet discharge apparatus 1 described above. The operation of forming the adhesive layer mask film 8 on the transfer material 3 (here, the adhesive layer 7) using the ink jet discharge apparatus 1 is as described above, and repeated description is omitted.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the transfer material 3 is pressed against the transfer medium 2 from the side of the adhesive layer 7 with the adhesive layer mask film 8 provided, and is heated. Various conditions such as heating temperature, pressure bonding force, and pressure bonding time are appropriately set according to the configuration of the transfer material 3 and the like. As an example, the heating temperature is about 80 to 300 [° C.].

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the transfer medium 2 and the transfer material 3 are separated. At this time, since the portion where the adhesive layer mask film 8 is provided inhibits the adhesive layer 7 from adhering to the transfer medium 2, the adhesive layer mask film 8 is not provided as shown in FIG. Only the adhesive layer 7 in the region (region to be transferred) adheres to the transfer medium 2, and the boundary between the transfer layer 6 and the release layer 5 in the region peels off. That is, the transfer layer 6 in the region to be transferred is transferred, and the transfer medium 2 on which a desired pattern is printed (transferred) is obtained.

  In particular, the printing method according to the present embodiment has a characteristic configuration in the step of forming the adhesive layer mask film 8 shown in FIG. More specifically, when the adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed, by changing at least one of the ejection amount or the jet distribution of the ink jet droplets, a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 (in the transfer region) is changed. The film thickness of the adjacent peripheral edge portion is formed so as to gradually decrease toward a predetermined boundary (a boundary with the transfer region) of the adhesive layer mask film 8. For example, the inkjet droplets at a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 are set to have a high resolution (for example, 1200 [dpi]), and the inkjet droplets other than the peripheral portion have a low resolution (for example, 600 [dpi]). ) A method of setting the injection distribution to be set is conceivable. Alternatively, the ejection amount of inkjet droplets at a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 is set small (for example, 6 [pl]), and the ejection amount of inkjet droplets other than the peripheral portion is increased (for example, 24 [pl). Etc.) A method of setting is conceivable. As another setting method, when the diameter of the ink jet droplets at a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 is 1, the jet amount is set with the diameter of the ink jet droplets other than the peripheral portion being about 1.5. May be. Here, it is conceivable that the “thinning stepwise” shape is a plurality of steps, a taper, or a combination thereof.

  According to this, as shown in FIG. 7 (which is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 5), the film thickness L4 of the predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 is changed to the film thickness L1 other than the peripheral portion (= conventional formation). The gap G can be made smaller than that of the conventional printing method. In other words, when L4 = d, the width of the non-adhesive region L5 correlated with d (as an example, about L5 = 3d) can be reduced. As a result, the conventional problem, i.e., the part that cannot be bonded in the region to be transferred is generated, and when the transfer material is separated, the part to which the transfer layer is bonded and the part to which the transfer layer is not bonded are complicated and torn. It is possible to solve the problem that the boundary is in a state of being visually recognized unclearly. More specifically, it is possible to set L5 ≦ 10 [μm] or so, and the effect of eliminating blurring is particularly noticeable because the variation at the boundary exceeds the visual recognition limit by the naked eye. At the same time, the printing speed, that is, the formation speed of the adhesive layer mask film 8 by the ejection of ink jet droplets is relatively reduced at a predetermined peripheral edge of the adhesive layer mask film 8, but it is usually in the region other than the peripheral edge. Since the adhesive layer mask film 8 can be formed by jetting ink jet droplets at a printing speed of 1, the above-mentioned problem, that is, when the coating film of the adhesive layer mask film is made thin, the jet amount of ink jet droplets is reduced. Therefore, the problem that printing cannot be performed at high speed can be solved.

  According to the printing method according to the present embodiment described above, the following printing (transfer printing) that has been impossible or difficult in the past can be performed. Specifically, it is possible to realize high gloss metallic printing, hologram printing, pearl / rainbow / phosphorescence / phosphorescence / regression reflection film printing, ultra-light-resistant clear coat printing, high-precision electrode formation on a printed circuit board by printing, and the like.

<Printing Method According to Second Embodiment>
Next, a printing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The printing method according to the second embodiment has the same basic configuration as the printing method according to the first embodiment described above, but has a difference particularly in the step of forming the adhesive layer mask film 8. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described focusing on the difference.

  In the present embodiment, when the adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed, a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed with an ultraviolet curable ink containing a solvent, and other than the peripheral portion is an ultraviolet curable type containing a solvent. It is configured to be formed of ultraviolet curable ink that is not ink, or ultraviolet curable ink containing a solvent with a relatively small volume reduction rate after evaporation of the solvent. According to this, the volume of ink used for a predetermined peripheral portion (the peripheral portion adjacent to the transfer region) of the adhesive layer mask film 8 is reduced by evaporation of the solvent compared to the ink used for other than the peripheral portion. Since the rate is relatively large, the film thickness after solvent evaporation is relatively thin. That is, similarly to the printing method according to the first embodiment described above, the film thickness of the predetermined peripheral portion (the peripheral portion adjacent to the transfer region) of the adhesive layer mask film 8 is the adhesive layer mask film 8. It is possible to form the film so as to become thinner gradually toward a predetermined boundary (which is a boundary with the transfer region). Also. The effect obtained as a result is the same as that of the first embodiment described above.

  As described above, according to the disclosed printing method, it is possible to speed up the process (particularly, the speed of the adhesive layer mask film forming process) as compared with the conventional printing method, and in particular, the boundary portion is clear and high-definition. A transfer image can be obtained. Furthermore, the following printing, which has been impossible or difficult in the past, can be suitably performed. That is, it is possible to decorate a plastic molded product, metal, glass, stone, cloth or the like. In addition, it is possible to perform printing using a color that is difficult to be converted into ink for inkjet printing, such as high gloss metallic, pearl, rainbow, phosphorescence, phosphorescence, and retroreflective printing. Moreover, it becomes possible to form a fine printed wiring and an antenna with high accuracy using a copper foil.

  In particular, the present embodiment provides the following characteristic operational effects.

  In this printing method, a transfer material 3 in which an adhesive layer 7 is laminated on a transfer layer 6 provided on a substrate 4 is prepared, and an adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed on the adhesive layer 7 other than the region to be transferred in the transfer material 3. In the printing method in which the transfer layer 3 is pressed from the adhesive layer 7 side to the transfer medium 2 to transfer the transfer layer 6 in the region to be transferred to the transfer medium 2, the adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed by inkjet printing. At the time of forming, the film thickness of a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 is gradually reduced toward the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film 8. According to this, when the adhesive layer mask film 8 is inkjet-printed, the boundary film thickness of the adhesive layer mask film 8 is gradually reduced to form the coating thickness of the peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8. The gap G can be made small (thin and narrow). As a result, when the transfer material 3 (transfer layer 6) is transferred to the transfer medium 2, the adhesive layer 7 and the transfer medium 2 can be brought into close contact with each other even at the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film 8, and high definition A transfer image can be obtained.

  Further, when the adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed, the thickness of a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 is changed by changing at least one of the ejection amount or the jet distribution of the ink jet droplets. Decrease in steps toward the boundary. According to this, when forming the adhesive layer mask film 8 by ejecting the ink jet droplets, it becomes possible to make the thickness gradually smaller toward the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film 8.

  Further, as the ink for forming the adhesive layer mask film 8, an ultraviolet curable ink or an ultraviolet curable ink containing a solvent is used. By using an ink that is cured by ultraviolet rays, deformation and melting can be reduced even during pressure transfer.

  Further, when the adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed, it is preferable to form a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 with an ultraviolet curable ink containing a solvent. According to this, by evaporating the solvent, the film thickness of the predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 can be reduced.

  The disclosed transfer material 3 is a transfer material used in the above-described printing method, and the film thickness of a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film 8 is gradually reduced toward the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film 8. It is characterized by being formed. According to this, when the transfer material 3 (transfer layer 6) is transferred to the transfer medium 2, the adhesive layer 7 and the transfer medium 2 can be brought into close contact with each other even at the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film 8. A fine transfer image can be obtained.

  The disclosed inkjet ejection apparatus 1 is an inkjet ejection apparatus used in the printing method, and includes an inkjet head 13 that ejects inkjet droplets, and a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the inkjet head 13. When the adhesive layer mask film 8 is formed, the control unit changes at least one of the ejection amount or the ejection distribution of the inkjet droplets ejected from the inkjet head 13 to change the predetermined peripheral edge of the adhesive layer mask film 8. The film thickness is gradually reduced toward the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film 8. According to this, when the adhesive layer mask film 8 is inkjet-printed, the boundary film thickness of the adhesive layer mask film 8 can be formed thin stepwise.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the present invention. In particular, the ink has been described as an example of a type of ink that is cured by ultraviolet rays. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to other inks.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet discharge apparatus 2 Transfer medium 3 Transfer material 4 Base material 5 Release layer 6 Transfer layer 7 Adhesive layer 8 Adhesive layer Mask film 12 Platen 13 Inkjet head 14 Unit mount 15 Guide rail 16 Ultraviolet irradiation means 17 Print heater 18 Transport roller

Claims (6)

Prepare a transfer material in which an adhesive layer is laminated on the transfer layer provided on the substrate,
An adhesive layer mask film is formed by inkjet printing on the adhesive layer other than the region to be transferred in the transfer material,
In the printing method in which the transfer material is pressed against the transfer medium from the adhesive layer side, and the transfer layer in a region to be transferred is transferred to the transfer medium.
A printing method characterized in that when forming the adhesive layer mask film, the film thickness of a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film is gradually reduced toward the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film. When forming the adhesive layer mask film, by changing at least one of the jetting amount or jetting distribution of the ink jet droplets, the film thickness of the predetermined peripheral edge of the adhesive layer mask film is made the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein the printing is thinned stepwise. 3. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein an ultraviolet curable ink or an ultraviolet curable ink containing a solvent is used as the ink for forming the adhesive layer mask film. 4. The printing method according to claim 3, wherein when the adhesive layer mask film is formed, a predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film is formed with an ultraviolet curable ink containing a solvent. It is a transfer material used for the printing method as described in any one of Claims 1-4,
A transfer material, wherein a film thickness of a predetermined peripheral edge portion of the adhesive layer mask film is formed so as to gradually decrease toward a boundary of the adhesive layer mask film. It is an inkjet discharge apparatus used for the printing method as described in any one of Claims 1-4,
An inkjet head that ejects inkjet droplets, and a controller that controls the operation of the inkjet head,
When the adhesive layer mask film is formed, the control unit changes at least one of the ejection amount or the ejection distribution of the ink jet droplets ejected from the ink jet head, thereby changing the predetermined peripheral portion of the adhesive layer mask film. An ink jet discharge apparatus, wherein the film thickness is reduced stepwise toward the boundary of the adhesive layer mask film.

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