JPH01281984A - Transfer recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain images with high quality, by providing first and second binder layers for fixing image-forming elements, in that order from the side of a support, so that the two binder layers differ in adhesion to the image- forming elements at the time of transferring an image. CONSTITUTION:A transfer recording medium 1 comprises two binder Iayers 1d, 1e sequentially provided on a support 1a, and image-forming elements 1c, 1c' are fixed thereon in the state of making contact with at least the binder layer 1e. The adhesion of the binder layer 1d to the image-forming elements 1c is set to be higher than that of the binder layer 1d. When optical energy is applied uniformly from the side of the image-forming elements 1c while thermal energy is selectively applied from the side of the support 1a by a thermal head, the image-forming elements 1c' the softening point of which is raised are pressed deeper into the binder layer 1d than are the image-forming elements 1c when a recording paper 8 is pressed by a heated roller, resulting in an increase in temperature contrast. Thus, images with high quality can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a transfer recording medium that can be used, for example, in printers, copying machines, facsimile machines, and the like.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, with the rapid development of the information industry, various information processing systems have been developed, and recording methods and devices suitable for each information processing system have also been developed and adopted. One such recording method is the thermal transfer recording method, which uses a lightweight, compact, and noiseless device.
It has excellent operability and maintainability, and has been widely used recently.

This thermal transfer recording method generally uses a sheet-like support.
Second, a heat-sensitive transfer medium coated with a heat-transferable ink made of a colorant dispersed in a heat-melting binder is used, and the heat-sensitive transfer medium is transferred so that the heat-transferable ink layer is in contact with the transfer medium. Forms a transfer ink image on the transfer medium according to the shape of the heat supply by superimposing the ink layer on the medium and transferring the melted ink layer to the transfer medium by supplying heat with a thermal head from the support side of the thermal transfer medium. It is something to do.

According to this method, it is possible to use ordinary -( as a transfer medium.

[Invention or problem to be solved]

However, conventional thermal transfer recording methods are not without drawbacks. This is because in the conventional thermal transfer recording method, the transfer recording performance, that is, the print quality, is greatly affected by the surface smoothness.Good printing is performed on highly smooth transfer media, but on less smooth transfer media. In some cases, the print quality deteriorates significantly. However, even when using paper, which is the most typical transfer medium, highly smooth paper is rather special, and ordinary paper has various degrees of unevenness due to entangled fibers. Therefore, in the case of paper with large surface irregularities, the hot-melted ink cannot penetrate into the paper fibers during printing and adheres only to the convex parts of the surface or the vicinity thereof, resulting in sharp edges of the printed image. The image may be missing, or part of the image may be missing, resulting in a decrease in print quality.

In addition, with conventional thermal transfer recording methods, only one color image can be obtained with one transfer, so to obtain a multicolor image, it is necessary to repeat the transfer multiple times to overlap the colors. It was necessary. However, it is very difficult to accurately superimpose images of different colors, and it is difficult to obtain images without color shift. In particular, when focusing on a single pixel, colors are rarely superimposed in a single pixel, and in the end, in conventional thermal transfer recording methods, multicolor images are created by aggregation of pixels with shifted colors. was forming. For this reason, clear multicolor images cannot be obtained using conventional thermal transfer recording methods.

In addition, when trying to obtain a multicolor image using the conventional thermal transfer recording method, it is necessary to install multiple thermal heads or to make complicated movements such as reverse feeding and stopping of the transfer medium. There were drawbacks such as the overall loading becoming large and complicated and the recording speed decreasing.

[Means to solve the problem]

Therefore, the present applicant used a material with high photothermal sensitivity, and when at least thermal energy and light energy were applied, the reaction of the material I rapidly progressed, the transfer characteristics irreversibly changed, and the image signal was changed. An application was filed for a recording method and a transfer recording medium for forming an image based on the above-mentioned differences in characteristics and transferring it to a recording medium (Japanese Patent Application No. 150597).

According to this recording method, it is possible to record high-quality images even on recording media with low surface smoothness, and when applied to multicolor recording, it is possible to make complex movements on the recording medium. This allows you to obtain multicolor images without any problems.

The present invention has been made with the aim of increasing the quality of images obtained by the above-mentioned invention and increasing the image recording speed, and improves the transfer characteristics by applying at least light and thermal energy. In a transfer recording medium having an image forming element whose governing physical properties change on a base material via a binding layer, the binding layer is in a transferable state when transferring a transfer image to a recording medium. It consists of a transfer recording medium characterized in that it is formed of two or more types of layers having different adhesion forces to the image forming element.

The physical properties governing the transfer characteristics of the image forming element include, for example, the viscosity, glass transition point, softening temperature, etc. of the image forming element.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings, including comparison with the invention previously filed by the applicant.

FIG. 2 is a schematic partial sectional view showing the transfer recording medium described in the patent specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 128814/1982. In this recording medium 201, a binding layer 1b is laminated on a base material 1aJ, and an image forming element IC is fixed to the base material 1a by the binding layer 1b.

This recording medium 201 can be provided with light energy and thermal energy by, for example, uniformly applying light energy from the image forming element 1c side and selectively applying thermal energy from the base material 1a side using a thermal head. The image forming element 1c is cured to selectively change the transfer characteristics to form a transferred image, and the transferred image is transferred to a recording medium (recording paper, etc.) to perform recording. It is. That is, the difference in the transfer characteristics of the image forming element 1c caused by the influence of the optical energy and the thermal energy becomes a transferred image.

Now, the case where the physical property governing the transfer characteristics is, for example, the softening temperature will be explained. FIG. 3 shows that the softening temperature T1°C of the image forming element 1c changes to a softening temperature T2°O (T2>T,) due to the influence of light energy and thermal energy.
It is a diagram showing that there are two layers. Furthermore, in FIG. 4, graph A shows the adhesive force fΔ of the image forming element IC without double layers to the recording medium, and graph B shows the image forming element whose softening temperature has increased to 12°C. Graph C shows the temperature characteristics of the adhesive force fB of the IC to the recording medium, and the adhesive force fc of the image forming element IC to the binding layer 1b. Whether or not the image forming element IC is transferred onto the recording medium is determined by the magnitude relationship between the adhesive force of the image forming element IC to the recording medium and the adhesive force to the binding layer.

In Fig. 4, the temperature T such that f A > f c is "C or higher" -
The image forming element whose softening temperature has not JIJ is transferred onto the recording medium, and furthermore, at the temperature T2°C or higher where fI3〉fC, the image forming element whose softening temperature has increased is also transferred onto the recording medium. do. Therefore, the temperature contrast I of the transferred image in this case is (T2' Tlo).
<T. If the transfer is performed at a temperature of T2°, a desired image can be obtained.

By the way, the variation in the particle size of the image forming element and the binding layer 1b
f^ and fn also have variations in the image forming element 4σ due to variations in the thickness of the transfer recording medium or variations in the manufacturing process of the transfer recording medium. Furthermore, the surface of the recording medium is also uneven, and f
c also has variations. Furthermore, when using a device, a certain amount of margin is required for temperature and pressure during transfer, so temperature contrast (T 2°) is necessary to obtain high-quality images.
-Tlo) needs to be large.

On the other hand, FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing a specific example of the transfer recording medium of the present invention in which a two-layered binding layer is used. In this transfer recording medium 1, two types of binding layers 1d and le are sequentially laminated on a base material 1a, and an image forming element 1c contacts at least the binding layer 1e from above. Fixed by The adhesive force of the binding layer 1d to the image forming element 1c is higher than that of the binding layer 1e to the image forming element 1c.
e is configured.

Now, if the transfer recording medium of the present invention is used, the temperature contrast described above can be achieved. The principle will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a transfer image formed by applying optical energy and ripening energy to the transfer recording medium 1 according to the present invention. In the figure, image forming element 1 with hatching
c' is the increase in the softening temperature. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram when the transferred image is transferred onto the recording paper 8. On the base material 1a side and the recording paper 8 side, rollers (not shown) that are in pressure contact with each other are disposed and configured to press the transfer recording medium 1 and the recording paper 8 with a predetermined force, and the rollers are heated.

By the way, in the above explanation, the -4- rise in the softening temperature is nothing but the fact that the image forming element is undergoing a hardening reaction. Therefore, in FIGS. 5 and 6, the height of the hatched image forming element 1c' is higher than that of the other image forming elements. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, when a predetermined amount of heat and power is applied during transfer, the image forming element 1c' whose softening temperature has increased is more deformed than the image forming element 1c whose softening temperature has not increased. <Binding layer 1d
pushed inside. On the other hand, since the image forming element IC is easily deformed, even if it is pushed into the binding layer 1d, it will not be buried as severely as in the case of the image forming element 1c'. Therefore, at this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the adhesive force of the image forming element body 1c to the binding layers 1d and 1e curve
The binding force of the image forming element 1c' to the binding layers 1d and 1e exhibits a curve. As a result, the temperature contrast becomes (T2''-T1'), which is greater than the temperature contrast (T2'-T1'') explained in FIG.

As explained above, with the transfer recording medium according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a large temperature contrast, and therefore, a high-quality image can be obtained. Furthermore, if the temperature contrast is sufficient, the amount of light energy and thermal energy required to form a transferred image can be reduced, making it possible to record at a higher speed. Furthermore, since a two-layered binding layer is used, if the thickness of the binding layer 1e, which is unrelated to the curve, is set appropriately thick, the contact area between the image forming element 1c and the binding layer increases. Achieves efficient thermal conduction of thermal energy during transfer image formation, resulting in high-speed recording and energy savings.

Therefore, the binding layers 1d and le have physical properties and layer thicknesses that can sufficiently obtain the above-mentioned effects on the adhesion force to the image forming element IC in a transferable state during the transfer process of each of these layers. The material may be selected depending on the type of image forming element IC used, its transfer characteristics, heating temperature for transfer, etc. corresponding thereto.

In addition, by making the binding layer two-layered (ld, le), the adhesive force of the entire binding layer to the image forming element in a transferable state can be freely controlled, and the binding layer can be made thicker. Good transfer effects can be obtained even in cases where the recording medium can be used, and the range of application of the recording medium can be expanded.

Furthermore, the binding layer may be formed of three or more layers so as to obtain the above-mentioned effects.

As the binder used in the binder layer of the transfer recording medium of the present invention, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, acrylic resin, vinyl chloride/vinyl acetate copolymer, polyester resin, di[lyl rubber, etc.] are used. It is not limited to. Further, the above-mentioned binders may be mixed and used as necessary.

Next, an image forming method for obtaining a multicolor image using the transfer recording medium of the present invention will be explained using FIG. 12.

First, the transfer recording medium 1 of the present invention is stacked on the thermal head 20, and light is irradiated so as to cover the heat generating area of the thermal head 20. The irradiated light has a wavelength that the image forming element IC reacts to, and is sequentially irradiated. For example, if the image forming element IC is colored cyan, magenta, or yellow, wavelengths on (C), on (CM) and on (Y
) is sequentially irradiated with light.

That is, first, light having a wavelength (Y) is irradiated from the transfer recording layer side of the transfer recording medium 1, and the heating resistors 20b, 20d, and 20e of the thermal head 20, for example, are caused to generate heat. Then, among the image forming element 1c containing the yellow coloring material, the image forming element 1c to which both heat and wavelength (Y) light are applied (the hatched part in FIG. 12a, below) , the cured image forming element is shown by hatching) is cured.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12b, wavelength input (M
), and the heating resistors 20a, 20
[! When 20f and 20f generate heat, among the image forming element ICs containing the magenta coloring material, the image forming element IC to which the heat and wavelength (M) light have been applied is cured. Furthermore, the 12th
As shown in figure c, when the desired heating resistor is heated while being irradiated with light with a wavelength (C), the image forming element IC to which the light and heat have been applied is cured and finally hardened. A transferred image is formed on the transfer recording layer by the image forming element lc that was not present. This transferred image is transferred to the transfer medium 24 in the next transfer step as shown in FIG. 12d.

Hereinafter, an example of the constituent components of the recording medium of the present invention and a method for manufacturing the recording medium of the present invention will be described.

As the base material used in the present invention, relatively heat-resistant plastic films such as polyester, polycarbonate, triacetyl cellulose, nylon, and polyimide, and papers such as condenser paper and glassine paper can be used.

In the present invention, as a means for providing a binding layer on a substrate, a solution or dispersion of a binding material used for the binding layer 1d is applied using an applicator, a wire bar, a gravure coater, etc., as is conventionally known. A binding layer 1d is formed by heating if necessary.

Furthermore, a solution or dispersion of a binding material used for the binding layer 1e is applied thereon. At this time, a solvent that hardly dissolves the binding layer 1d is selected and used. Alternatively, after hot-melt coating the binding layer 1d, the binding layer 1e may be applied by the method described in 2. Alternatively, after hot-melt coating the binding layer 1d using the above method, hot-melt coating the binding layer 1e at a temperature below its melting point.The thickness of each of the binding layers 1d and 1e is 0.1 to 5 gm. It is preferable to do so.

In the transfer recording medium of the present invention, the image forming element that is cured by the application of light energy and thermal energy includes at least a photopolymerization initiator and a monomer, oligomer, or polymer (hereinafter referred to as a photopolymerization initiator and an unsaturated double bond). component) and a coloring agent, and if necessary, a binder (
Contains additives such as binder), thermal polymerization inhibitor, plasticizer, and surface smoothing agent.

Photopolymerization initiators used in the present invention include carbonyl compounds, halogen compounds, azo compounds, organic sulfur compounds, and examples include acetophenone, hensifhenone,
Coumarin, xanthone, thioxane, chalcone,
Aromatic ketones and their derivatives such as styryl styryl quinone and diketones and their derivatives such as benzyl, acenafrenequinone, and camphorquinone;
Examples include halogen compounds such as laquinonesulfonyl, chloride, quinolinesulfonyl chloride, and 2,4.6-1-lis(trichloromethyl)-S-triazine, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Further, when multicolor recording is performed using the transfer recording medium of the present invention, the image forming element constituting the transfer recording medium needs to have wavelength selectivity due to the coloring material contained therein. In other words, when the image forming element is composed of image forming elements of n types of colors, photopolymerization is initiated such that the reaction rate rapidly changes with light of a different wavelength for each colored color, that is, with n types of different wavelengths. The combination of agents constitutes the distribution layer of the image forming element. As such a combination of photopolymerization initiators, for example, the following combinations can be used.

A photopolymerization initiator that uses s-triazine having a trihalomethyl group in combination with etc. has a maximum sensitivity of approximately 430 to 50
0nm nearby.

A photopolymerization initiator using a combination of tertiary amines and the like has a maximum sensitivity of about 370 to 400 nm.

A photopolymerization initiator using a combination of tertiary amines and the like has a maximum sensitivity of approximately 300 to 350nllll.

As described above, by changing the maximum sensitivity wavelength range of the photopolymerization initiator used, wavelength selectivity can be imparted to the image forming element. Therefore, if the photopolymerization initiator shown in "-" is used, color separation of three colors becomes possible. Furthermore, it becomes possible to develop full-color recording. Furthermore, in the present invention,
It is also possible to narrow the sensitive wavelength range of the photopolymerization initiator and improve the spectral properties of the photopolymerization initiator by using a compound with large absorption from the ultraviolet to the visible spectrum, such as an ultraviolet absorber, in combination with the photopolymerization initiator. be.

A monomer having an unsaturated double bond used in the present invention,
As oligomers or polymers, urethane acrylates or urethanes synthesized by multiple reactions of polyisocyanates and alcohols and amines containing unsaturated double bonds (which may be reacted with polyols as necessary) Examples include methacrylates, epoxy acrylates/or polyester acrylates synthesized by addition reaction of epoxy resin and acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, spinacryla-1, polyether acrylates, etc. is not limited to these.

Also, as a polymer, the main chain is polyalkyl.

It has a backbone of polyether, polyester, polyurethane, etc., and has polymerizable and crosslinkable properties such as acrylic groups, methacrylic groups, cinnamoyl groups, cinnamylidene acetyl groups, furyl acryloyl groups, and silicon-building esters in the side chains. Examples include those into which reactive groups have been introduced, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The monomers, oligomers, and polymers listed above are preferably semi-solid or solid at room temperature, but they may also be liquid as long as they maintain their semi-solid or solid state when mixed with the binder described below. do not have.

The aforementioned monomer, oligomer or polymer having an unsaturated double bond and the photopolymerization initiator may be used in combination with a binder. As the binder, any organic polymer can be used as long as it is compatible with monomers, oligomers, and monomers having unsaturated double bonds. Examples of such organic polymers include polyacrylic alkyl esters such as polymethyl acrylate and polyethyl acrylate, and polymethyl methacrylate-1.
, polyethyl methacrylate, etc. 9 Taacrylic acid alkyl esters, or methacrylic acid copolymers, acrylic buty copolymers, maleic copolymers/,
or chlorinated polyolefins such as chlorinated polyethylene and chlorinated polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyacrylonitrile, or copolymers thereof, as well as polyvinyl alkyl ether, polyethylene,
Examples include polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamide, polyurethane, chlorinated rubber, cellulose derivatives, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinylpyrrolidone, but the present invention is not limited thereto. These binders may be used singly or in combination of two or more in an appropriate ratio.

Furthermore, waxes may be used as binders, regardless of whether they are compatible or incompatible.

The colorant is a component contained in order to form an optically recognizable image, and various pigments and dyes are used as appropriate. Examples of such pigments and dyes include carbon black, yellow lead, molybdenum red, inorganic pigments such as Hengara, Hansa Yellow, Benzidine Yellow, Brillian I/Carmine 6B, Lake Lend C, and Permanent Red F.
Examples include organic pigments such as 5R, phthalocyanine blue, Victoria blue lake, and fast sky blue, and coloring agents such as leuco dyes and phthalocyanine dyes.

The amount of the colorant is preferably 0.1 to 30 parts by weight based on the content of the binder, photopolymerization initiator, monomer, oligomer, and polymer having unsaturated double bonds.

Furthermore, additives such as a thermal polymerization inhibitor and a plasticizer may be added to the image forming element of the present invention as required.

The recording medium of the present invention is produced by mixing and melting the components constituting the image forming element, and applying the mixed and molten mixture as a minute image forming element onto a base material by a spray drying method, an emulsion granulation method, or the like. You can gain something by doing this. Further, in order to prevent a decrease in sensitivity and further improve image resolution, the image forming element may be microencapsulated.

When using microcapsules in the image forming element,
The core portion contains the material described in -. Materials used for the wall materials of microcapsules include cellulose-based urea-formalin such as ceratin and gum arahia, ethyl cellulose and nitrocellulose, nylon, tetron, polyurethane, polycarbonate, maleic anhydride copolymers, vinylidene chloride, polyvinyl chloride, Polyethylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
) and other polymer systems.

The number average particle size of the image forming element constituting the recording medium of the present invention is preferably from 1 to 20 squares, particularly preferably from 3 to 10 squares.

In addition, when the image forming element is composed of microcapsules, the number average particle size of the microcapsules is 1 to 20.
is preferred, particularly 3 to 1 opL. In addition, the particle size distribution of microcapsules is ±50% of the number average diameter.
It is preferably below, particularly preferably ±20% or below. The thickness of the wall material of the microcapsule is 0.1-2.011. The angle is preferably 0.1 to 0.5, particularly 0.1 to 0.5.

Any conventionally known method can be applied as the microencapsulation method, such as the simple corecellation method,
Complex coacervation method, interfacial polymerization method, 1
The n-situ polymerization method, interfacial precipitation method, phase separation method, spray drying method, air suspension coating method, mechanochemical method, etc. are used.

The image forming element may be placed on the binding layer 1e by simply sprinkling it on the binding layer 1e, by overlaying the binding layer on a separately prepared support, or by placing the image forming element on the binding layer 1e in advance. There is a method in which a base material provided with a binding layer is conveyed in contact with a container containing the container. If the image-forming elements arranged by any of the above methods that are not in contact with the binding layer are removed by brushing off, the image-forming elements are more uniformly bound on the binding layer Ie. It is possible to obtain a transfer recording medium. Possible methods for removing it include turning it upside down, blowing it off, or removing it by sticking it to another member. The transfer recording medium in which the image forming elements are more uniformly arranged on the binding layer 1e may be heated and pressurized as necessary. In this case, the process is carried out under conditions such that the image forming element is not significantly deformed.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to Examples.

Example 1 Table 1 f32 Table 3 The components shown in Tables 1, 2, and 3 were individually microencapsulated according to the following method.

That is, first, 10 g of each composition was individually mixed with 20 parts by weight of methylene chloride, mixed with 200 mJ of water in which a cationic or nonionic HLB value of at least 10, a surfactant, and gelatin Ig were dissolved, and the mixture was heated at 60°C. 8,000~10,000 by homomixer under heating
Stir at rpm to emulsify and obtain oil droplets with an average particle size of 26 pm.

Stirring was continued at 60° C. for 30 minutes, and methylene chloride was distilled off to give an average particle size of 10 JLm. Add 20 nl of water in which 1 g of gum arabic was dissolved, cool slowly, and then add NH, OH (ammonia) water.
By making the microcapsule slurry H11 or more, (I) is added with 1 part of a 20% glutaraldehyde aqueous solution.
．． The capsule wall was cured by slowly adding 0m.

Next, solid-liquid separation was performed using a Nunche filter, and the
After drying at 510°C for 10 hours, a total of three types of image forming elements in the form of microcapsules were obtained.

The particle size ζ of the resulting image-forming element was within the range of 8 to 12 m.The photopolymerization initiator in the image-forming element shown in Table 1 had the light absorption characteristics shown in The photopolymerization initiator in the image forming element shown in Table 2 absorbs the light in the band of graph B to start the reaction, and The photopolymerization initiator in the image forming element shown in the table starts a reaction by absorbing light in the band of graph C. The colors of each image forming element were magenta, cyan, and yellow.

A recording medium of the present invention was prepared by the method described below using a mixture of equal amounts of the three types of image forming elements described above.

First, a PET film with a thickness of 6 mm was used as a base material, and MEK (MEK) of polyester adhesive Polyester LP-220 manufactured by Nippon Gosei Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. was used on this PET film.
Methyl ethyl ketone) solution was applied using an applicator so that the thickness after drying was approximately 0.05 mm. Further, an aqueous dispersion of polyurethane resin (Superflex 200, manufactured by Daiichi T-Gyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.) was applied to this 1-1 using an applicator to form a layer of 1 gm of I-Tal. Coating Aj The PET film side of the dried PET film was brought into close contact with a photo plate I heated to about 90°C, and after sprinkling an excess amount of the three types of image forming elements obtained above on the adhesive, The film was peeled off from the front plate. After removing the image forming element not in contact with the adhesive with an air gun, the PET films provided with the image forming element are placed one to the other.
It was passed between two wooden rollers pressed together at kgf/crrf.

The surface temperature of the roller was maintained at 130°C.

The recording medium thus obtained was wound and incorporated into the apparatus shown in FIG. 9 so that the PET film side became the heating surface.

In this example, the light source is a 20W health line fluorescent lamp FL20SE manufactured by Toshiba Jin whose peak wavelength is 335 nm.
and the peak wavelength is 390nm ■ Toshiba 20 fluorescent lamp FLIOA70E3922 and the peak wavelength is 450nm
A 20W companion light FLIOA7OB 23 made by Toshiba was used. The thermal head 20 has a power pulse of 0.5W/dot at a duty of 33.3% and 15m5e when generating heat.
It was applied for a time of c.

In FIG. 9, 11 is a supply roll for the transfer recording medium 1;
112 is a winding roll of the transfer recording medium 1, 24 is a recording paper (
30 is a recording paper cassette, 25 is a transfer roll,
26 is a pressure roll. Further, 32 is a control section that drives and controls the device.

An image was formed using the above apparatus as follows.

First, the thermal head 20 was energized in response to a cyan image signal, and at the same time, the fluorescent lamp 21 was irradiated in a negative direction. As shown in the timing chart in Figure 10, the irradiation time is 25
It was set as m5ec. After 10 m5 ec has elapsed after the end of the irradiation, as shown in FIG. 10, the thermal head 20 is energized in response to the magenta image signal, and the fluorescent lamp 22 performs a "--like foresight" 1. The current application time and irradiation time at this time were the same as in the case of cyan. Furthermore, the same process was carried out for the yellow image signal, and the recording medium 1 was conveyed by a stepping motor (not shown) and a transfer roller 25 in synchronization with a repetition period of 105 m5ec/1ine. Then, the recording medium 1 is transferred from the recording paper strength center 30 to the paper feed roller 29 and the conveyance roller 3.
The recording paper 24 sent out by the transfer roller 25 and the pressure roller 26 are overlapped with each other and sent to the pressure contact portion of the transfer roller 25 and the pressure roller 26 . The transfer roller 25 is made of an aluminum roller and has a built-in heater 3.
4, heating is controlled so that the surface temperature is 120°C. The pressure roller 26 was an aluminum roller coated with silicone rubber. The pressure contact force between the transfer roller 25 and the pressure roller 2B is 25 kg f/cm
'.

Now, when the recording medium and the recording paper are superimposed and passed between the two rollers, the multicolor image on the recording medium will appear on the recording paper 24.
2, and was discharged onto the paper discharge I/ray 31. The thus obtained multicolor image on the recording paper was a high-quality image with no color shift, high searchability, clearness, and good fixability.

Example 2 A MEK solution of the polyester adhesive Polyester-LP-220 manufactured by Nihon Gosei Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. was dried with an applicator as the bonding M layer 1d, and the thickness was 0.3 m. B) The thickness was 6 m. On PET film! D.I.

Furthermore, a toluene solution of Polyester LP-011 manufactured by the same company was applied onto this using an applicator so that the total thickness after drying was 0.77 Lm.

An image forming element was placed on the thus obtained binding layer in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a transfer recording medium. When this was further drawn in the same procedure as in Example 1, a high-quality image similar to that in Example 1 was obtained.

Comparative Example 1 A toluene solution of polyester LP-011 manufactured by Nippon Gosei Kagaku Co., Ltd. was applied onto a PET film having a thickness of 6 pLm so that the thickness after drying was approximately 1 pm. Thereafter, a transfer recording medium was produced in the same manner as in the example. Furthermore, when this was drawn using the same apparatus as in the example, an image with slightly different colors from the image obtained in the example was obtained. For example, when an area that should be green was observed under a microscope, magenta microcapsules were found mixed in.

Therefore, by using the same apparatus as in the example and drawing an image according to the timing chart shown in FIG. 1I, it was possible to obtain an image similar to that in the example.

〔Effect of the invention〕

In the transfer recording medium of the present invention, the binding layer for fixing the image forming element is constituted of the first layer and the second layer from the base material side, and the binding layer for fixing the image forming element is formed as a first layer and a second layer from the base material side. By forming two or more layers with different adhesive strengths, such as making the adhesive strength to the first binding layer greater than the adhesive strength to the second binding layer, the temperature contrast of the transferred image can be improved. can be made larger. Therefore, even if there are variations in the particle size of the image forming element, variations in the thickness of the binding layer, or variations in the manufacturing process of the transfer recording medium, it is possible to always stably obtain high-quality images.

In addition, if the temperature contrast is large, the temperature and pressure applied during transfer can be somewhat rough, making equipment design easier.
Furthermore, cost reduction can be achieved.

Furthermore, the time required for light energy and thermal energy to form a temperature contrast image can be shortened to the minimum necessary amount of temperature contrast, and a high recording speed can be achieved.

Furthermore, since the second binding layer can be made thicker to some extent, the contact area between the image forming element and the binding layer can be increased.
It is also possible to quickly apply thermal energy from the base material to the image forming element during transfer image formation, allowing for even higher speed recording.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of the recording medium of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional recording medium, and Fig. 3 is a change in softening temperature as a function of the application time of light and thermal energy. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the temperature characteristics of the adhesion of the image forming element to the recording medium, FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic cross-sectional views of the transferred image, and FIG. 7 is the image forming element. Figure 8 is a diagram showing the light absorption characteristics of the photopolymerization initiator used in Example 1.2. 10 is a diagram showing a drive timing chart of Examples 1 and 2, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a drive timing chart 1 of a comparative example, and FIGS. 12a to 12d are diagrams showing a drive timing chart of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the process of image formation using the medium of FIG. Engineering, 21...Transfer recording medium, Ia...Base material, Ib,
ld, le...Binding layer, IC...Image forming element, 20...Thermal bond, 21.22.23
...Fluorescent light, 24...Recording paper, 25...
- Transfer roller, 26...pressure roller. Patent applicant Canon Co., Ltd. Representative Patent attorney Tadashi Wakabayashi F+
r groan r-'-1,
r-heh) r-
'-1, afu-to/''-10 -to, -no0 white

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a transfer recording medium having an image-forming element whose physical properties governing its transfer characteristics change upon application of at least light and thermal energy, on a base material via a binding layer, the binding layer is 1. A transfer recording medium comprising two or more layers having different adhesion forces to an image forming element in a transferable state when a transfer image is transferred to a recording medium. (2) The transfer recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive force of the two or more types of binding layers to the image forming element in a transferable state is greater for the layer closer to the base material side. .