JPH02121848A - Heat transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily smoothen a transfer ink surface by providing an area not coated with ink in one color coating length or more between a series of a plurality of colors of heat-fusible inks repeatedly coating an ink film and the ink at the front and rear of the fusible inks, and heating a recording sheet through the area after transferring. CONSTITUTION:The space 12 of an ink film 1 is of an area not coated with ink to be slightly longer than an ink layer 11. It is heated in response to recording information, and color superposition is finished. In this case, parts 101a, 101b isolated in a boundary to an ink film base material are smooth with high gloss, but parts 101b, 102b broken from the ink of the periphery are uneven with low glass. A recording sheet 3 is returned to its original position, the end of the space 12 is arrived at the narrowing position between a head and a platen, thereby becoming a recording state. When transfer inks 101, 102 are passed through a narrowing position between the head and the platen, it is heated and compressed through the space 12, the broken part becomes smooth to obtain a satisfactory recording quality.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer that obtains multicolor recording by heating an ink film sequentially in accordance with recorded information while pressing an ink film onto recording paper.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in a thermal transfer printer that obtains a multicolor record by pressing an ink film onto a recording paper and heating it in accordance with recorded information in a field-sequential manner, a method is shown in Fig. 5 of JP-A-60-16527. As shown in JP-A-60-1652, an ink film in which three or four colors of ink are applied sequentially is used.
78 or JP-A No. 60-38181, the recording paper is reversed for each color, and the ink film and recording paper are heated in accordance with the recorded information while being pressed between the head and the platen. The colors are layered sequentially. Also,
Figure 53 shows the state of the heat-melting ink transferred in this way, where 3 is the recording paper, 101 is the first color, and 10
2 is the second color, l 03 +*3rd color transfer ink. Subscripts a (101a, 102a, 103a) are smooth and glossy parts separated at the interface with the ink film base (not shown), and subscripts b (101b, 102b, 103
b) is a broken part from the surrounding ink, which is jagged and has low gloss due to diffuse reflection.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional thermal transfer printer, as described above, there are parts 1O1b, 102b, 10 near the outer periphery of the transfer ink 101, 102, 103 that are broken from the surrounding ink.
Since there is 3b, there are the following issues.

Since the overall gloss is reduced and the reflection density is also reduced, the dynamic range of the recorded material is also narrowed and the recording quality is degraded. In addition, since there are high gloss areas and low gloss areas,
The recorded matter becomes rough and the uniformity decreases.

Furthermore, as a method to solve the above-mentioned problem, a method of separately providing a heating device has been proposed, but this increases the size of the entire thermal transfer printer and increases the price.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a uniformly high gloss of recorded matter without requiring any special equipment such as a heating device.

Our objective is to provide a thermal transfer printer with a wide dynamic range.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention solves the above problems, and there is at least a gap between a series of repeatedly applied heat-melting inks of multiple colors and a series of heat-melting inks of multiple colors before and after it. An area not coated with hot-melt ink is provided that is equal to or longer than the coating length of one color of hot-melt ink, and after a series of hot-melt inks of multiple colors is transferred, the area is transferred through the area not coated with hot-melt ink. It is characterized by heating the surface of the recording paper.

[Example] Examples according to the present invention will be described below.

1 and 2 are diagrams showing ink films according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows yellow (Y), magenta (M),
Ink film 1 coated with cyan (C), Figure 2 shows ink film 2 coated with yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bl). 11 and 21 are larger than the recorded size. The ink layer is applied in a slightly longer manner, and the subscripts Y, M, C, and Bl refer to the aforementioned colors, and the recording ranges from yellow 11Y or 21Y to cyan 11C.
or 12 and 22 performed sequentially up to Black 21Bl
is a space provided between yellow 11Y or 21Y and cyan IIc or black 21BI, and is slightly longer than the ink layer 11 or 21.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a recording state, where 3 is a recording paper, 4 is a head, and 5 is a platen.The ink film 1 or 2 and the recording paper 3 are pinched between the head 4 and the platen 5. It is being transported in the directions of arrows A and B.

The main operations of the ink film 1 will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. To cue up the ink film l, use the fourth
By searching the length of the part other than the ink layer 11 with the sensor 6 installed as shown in the figure, the short spaces 13 and 12 between yellow 11Y and magenta 11M, and between magenta IIM and cyan IIC are determined, and m4 As shown in the figure, the sensor 6 is set at a position passing through the space 12.

During this time, the recording paper 3 is also positioned so that the recording start position is the nipping position between the head 4 and the platen 5.
The ink film 1 and the recording paper 3 are pinched between a spatula 4 and a platen 5, and are conveyed in the directions of arrows A and B by an amount equal to the recording size. Each time one color is recorded, the recording paper 3 is conveyed in the direction of arrow C and returns to the original position, and heating is performed in accordance with the recording information in the order of yellow, magenta, and cyan, and the color overlapping is completed. The transfer situation at this time is the same as before.
As shown in the figure, portions 101a, 102a, 102a separated at the interface with the ink film base material (not shown) are smooth and have high gloss, but portions 101b, 102a are broken from the surrounding ink.
02b and 103b are jagged and have low gloss due to diffused reflection. After the 0-color overlap is completed, the recording paper 3 is returned to its original position. On the other hand, the beginning of the space 12 of the ink film 1 is located between the spatula 4 and the platen 5. The clamping position has been reached. continue,
The head 4 and platen 5 are in the recording state shown in FIG. 3, and the ink film 1 and recording paper 3 are pinched by the head 4 and platen 5, and are conveyed in the directions of arrows A and B by the recording size, and transfer ink 101° 102 .103 is heated through the space 12 of the ink film l. At this time, the transfer ink 101, 102, and 103 include the transfer ink 101,
．． Heating sufficient to soften or melt 102 and 103 is uniformly performed in the line direction (direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction). The transfer ink 101, 102, 103 is
When passing through the nipping position between the head 4 and the platen 5, it is softened or melted, heated and compressed through the space 12,
Surrounding ink and broken parts 101b, 102b, 10
The jagged part 3b will be crushed and it will become smooth as shown in Figure 6.

When using the ink film 2, a series of recording operations are similarly performed.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be expected.

During a series of recording operations, the surface of the transfer ink can be easily smoothed, no special equipment such as a heating device is required, the gloss of the recorded material is uniformly high, and the dynamic range is wide. It is possible to provide a small, low-cost thermal transfer printer that provides high recording quality.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are diagrams showing an ink film according to the present invention, FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams schematically showing a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a conventional transfer ink.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the state of the transfer ink according to the present invention. 1.2. - Ink film 3... Recording paper 4... Head 5... Platen 6... Sensor 11.21... Ink layer 12.22... Space 13.23... Short space 101.102.103...Transfer ink Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] A thermal transfer printer that produces multicolor recording by applying heat in a series of multiple colors of heat-melting ink, each with approximately equal length, repeatedly in a plane-sequential manner, and then pressing the ink film onto a recording paper while heating it in a plane-by-plane manner according to the recorded information. In the step, the heat-melting ink is at least a coating length of at least one color of the heat-melting ink between the series of heat-melting inks of a plurality of colors repeatedly applied and the series of heat-melting inks of a plurality of colors before and after it. The method is characterized in that an area where no ink is applied is provided, and after the series of heat-melting inks of a plurality of colors are transferred, the surface of the recording paper is heated through the area where the hot-melting ink is not applied. Thermal transfer printer.