JPH02212195A - Laminate film - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a laminate film imparting excellent image durability to a thermal transfer image and also imparting still more excellent aesthetic appearance, specificity and design effect by providing a hologram image to a part of a film and providing an adhesive layer to one surface of said film. CONSTITUTION:An adhesive layer 3 is formed to the surface of a transparent laminate film 1 having a hologram image 2 and said film 1 is laminated to the image surface of a thermal transfer image receiving sheet 7 having a thermal transfer image 8. By this method, the durability of a printed image is enhanced and the image observed from the laminate surface is also enhanced in aesthetic appearance, design effect and specificity as a whole because the hologram image 2 is simultaneously observed other than the thermal transfer image 8. As the hologram image 2 to be used, any one of conventionally known transparent, translucent or opaque (reflective type) hologram images may be used and there is no special limit. As the adhesive layer 3 formed to the surface of the hologram image 2, any one of a heat-sensitive adhesive softened by heating to develop adhesiveness and a pressure-sensitive adhesive formed from a sticking agent and exhibiting adhesiveness by pressure may be used.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a laminate film, and more specifically, a laminate film that provides thermal transfer images with excellent image durability, as well as - excellent layer aesthetics and specificity or design. Regarding film.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, methods of forming various prints and images by thermal transfer methods have been widely used.

These thermal transfer methods include the so-called wax type (thermal melting type) thermal transfer method in which the thermal transfer layer is softened by heating and thermally transferred to the thermal transfer material, and the other is the so-called wax type (thermal melt type) thermal transfer method in which the thermal transfer layer is softened by heating and is thermally transferred to the thermal transfer material. It is broadly classified into a so-called sublimation type thermal transfer method in which only the dye is thermally transferred onto the thermal transfer material.

In either type, the printed image formed is simply attached or dyed to the surface of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, so the image durability such as abrasion resistance and solvent resistance of the printed image is poor. Furthermore, when it comes into contact with other articles, there is a problem that color transfer occurs to the other articles and contaminates the other articles.

As a method to solve such problems, a method of laminating a transparent film on the surface of the thermal transfer printed image has been considered.

(The problem that the invention is trying to solve) However,
A mere lamination method only improves image durability, and is unsatisfactory when, for example, a thermal transfer method is used to create ID cards such as ID cards and passports. , it is desirable to be able to impart design or uniqueness. Particularly in the production of ID cards and the like, it is required to improve the forgery-proofing properties, tamper-proofing properties, etc. of these cards.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, provide excellent image durability to thermal transfer images, and -
It is an object of the present invention to provide a laminate film that provides excellent appearance, specificity, or design.

(Means for solving problems) The above objects are achieved by the present invention as described below.

That is, the present invention is a laminate film for protecting the surface of a thermally transferred image, characterized in that the film has a hologram image on at least a portion thereof and an adhesive layer on one surface.

(Function) By forming a hologram image on at least a portion of the laminate film, providing an adhesive layer on one side, and laminating this on the thermal transfer image surface, excellent image durability is imparted to the transferred printed image. At the same time, it is possible to provide an excellent aesthetic appearance and uniqueness or design. Particularly when this laminate film is used to create ID cards and the like, it has excellent anti-counterfeiting properties and anti-tampering properties since hologram images are difficult to produce with simple equipment or small businesses.

(Preferred Embodiments) The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a cross section of an example of the laminate film of the present invention, and this example is characterized by forming an adhesive layer 3 on the surface of a transparent laminate film 1 having a hologram image 2.

By laminating such a laminate film of the present invention onto the image surface of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet 7 having the thermal transfer image 8 as shown in the second figure using the adhesive layer 3, the durability of the printed image can be increased. In addition, the image observed from the laminate surface, as shown in the plane shown in FIG. and specificity is improved.

The hologram image 2 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 above is provided on a part of the laminate film 1, and the hologram image 2 in this case may be of a transparent type or a reflective type, and is not particularly limited. However, when using a reflective hologram image, if the hologram image and the underlying thermal transfer image overlap, the underlying thermal transfer image becomes unobservable, so it is important to avoid overlapping the thermal transfer image 8 and the hologram image. It is necessary to do so.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating another preferred embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of this example is basically the same as the examples shown in FIGS. ing. By laminating such a laminate film onto the surface of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet 7 on which the thermal transfer image 8 has been formed using the adhesive layer 3 in the same manner as in the previous embodiment, an image observed from the laminated surface in the same manner as described above can be obtained. Since the hologram image 2 is observed in addition to the thermal transfer image 8 at the same time, the overall appearance, design, and uniqueness are improved. Particularly in this case, since the hologram image 2 is transparent or semi-transparent, it may overlap with the underlying thermal transfer image 8, which is preferable since the aesthetic appearance, design, uniqueness, etc. are further improved. Further, a surface protective layer 9 may be formed on the surface of the laminate film 1 using a resin with high hardness.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating still another embodiment. In this example, a peeling layer 10 is formed between the laminate film 1 and the hologram image 2, and as in the second embodiment, the release layer 10 is removed after lamination. This is to peel off the laminate film 1. Therefore, in this case, the hologram image 2 also serves as a laminate film.

As for the laminate film 1 used in the present invention as described above, it is sufficient that the thermal transfer image 8 serving as the base has transparency at least to the extent that it can be observed through the film 1, and even if it is colored or has been subjected to matte treatment. good. Particularly preferred films are polyethylene terephthalate film, polycarbonate film, polyamide film, etc., and polyethylene terephthalate film is most suitable in consideration of transparency, mechanical strength, heat resistance, etc.

Further, the hologram image 2 used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be any conventionally known transparent, translucent, or opaque (reflection) hologram image.

Such hologram images themselves are well known, and have been explained in detail in numerous prior application specifications or [Printed Information, March 1986 issue, pp. 17-24] by the applicant regarding the manufacture and use of holograms. There is.

A particularly preferred hologram in the present invention is a relief hologram.

A relief hologram is a hologram image that is reproduced three-dimensionally by white light such as daylight or illumination light, or specific reproduction light such as laser light.In particular, the image is reproduced by white light such as daylight or illumination light. Holograms have excellent decorative properties because the hologram image can be observed even under normal conditions.

Those of the type in which the image is reproduced using laser light are excellent in detecting forgery or tampering.

The relief hologram will be explained using FIG. The relief hologram has a structure in which a support layer 2 (corresponding to the laminate film 2 in the present invention), a hologram forming layer 5, and a hologram effect layer 4 are laminated in this order.

Such a hologram sheet is, for example, formed on the surface of a support film 2 such as a polyethylene terephthalate film.
A resin layer that is solid at room temperature and has thermoformability, for example, an ionizing radiation curable resin layer 5 (hologram forming layer) that is solid at room temperature and thermoplastic is formed, and a hologram interference pattern is formed in an uneven shape on this surface. The uneven shape 6 is transferred to the resin layer 5 by pressure contact with a hologram original plate (not shown), which is cured, and the surface of the uneven shape 6 is given a large reflectivity at an angle that is sufficiently transparent. This can be obtained by forming the hologram effect layer 4, which is a thin film made of a material (for example, an aluminum vapor-deposited thin film) that has the same characteristics and has a refractive index different from that of the hologram forming layer 5.

As described above, the materials and methods for forming these may be conventionally known materials and methods.

In such a hologram sheet, a hologram image can be observed with reflected light due to the hologram effect layer 4, and since the hologram effect layer 4 is nearly transparent, it can also be observed with transmitted light, and the sheet is transparent or semi-transparent as a whole. Of course, if the hologram effect layer is not formed, a completely transparent hologram sheet will be obtained, and if the hologram effect layer is formed of, for example, an opaque and reflective metal, an opaque (reflective) type relief hologram will be obtained.

The thickness of these hologram sheets may be arbitrary, and typically has a thickness of about 10 to 300 μm, for example.

The adhesive layer 3 formed on the surface of the hologram image 2 is
It may be a heat-sensitive adhesive that exhibits adhesive properties by being softened by heating, or a pressure-sensitive adhesive that is formed from an adhesive and exhibits adhesive properties by being applied pressure. Both such heat-sensitive adhesives and pressure-sensitive adhesives are known, and any known adhesive can be used as is in the present invention.

The H depth of the adhesive layer may be, for example, about 5 to 50 μm. Further, when the adhesive layer is formed from a pressure-sensitive adhesive, it is also preferable to attach a release paper (not shown) to the surface thereof. ) On the other hand, the object on which the laminate film of the present invention is laminated has a thermal transfer image, and a thermal transfer method for forming a thermal transfer image is also known. Any thermal transfer method using a formed melt-type thermal transfer sheet or a sublimation-type thermal transfer sheet provided with a dye layer in which a dye that transfers by heat is supported by a binder on the surface of a base film can be used in the present invention and is not particularly limited. .

As an example of the dye used in the sublimation type thermal transfer sheet, any dye used in conventionally known thermal transfer sheets can be effectively used in the present invention, and is not particularly limited. for example,
Some preferred dyes include MS as a red dye;
Lele G, Macrolex Red Violet R, Ceres Red 7B, Samaron Red HBSL, S and Lupine 5
Examples of yellow dyes include EGL1 Bimicron SN vP 2670 and Resolin Red F3BS, and examples of yellow dyes include Holon Brilliant Yellow S-6OL and PTY-5.
2, Macrolex Yellow 6G, Teradyl Gortin Yellow 2R3, etc., and blue dyes include:
Kayaset Blue 14, Watasorin Blue AP-FW
, Holon Brilliant Blue S-R, MS Blue 100
, Daito Blue No. 1, etc.

The thermal transfer image-receiving sheet for forming the thermal transfer image may also be a known one, and any of paper, plastic sheets, card base materials, etc. can be used.

To explain an example of a sublimation type thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, this image-receiving sheet has a dye-receiving layer formed on a suitable base film, and has conventionally been used as the receptor layer of this type of thermal transfer sheet. Anything can be used as long as it is available. Examples of such materials include the following synthetic resins (a) to (e) alone or in a mixture of two or more.

(a) Those having an ester bond.

Polyester, polyacrylic ester, polycarbonate, polyvinyl acetate, styrene acrylate resin, vinyl toluene acrylate resin, etc.

(b) Those with urethane bonds.

polyurethane etc.

(C) Those having an amide bond.

Polyamide (nylon etc.).

(d) Those having a urea bond.

Urea resin etc.

(e) Other substances with highly polar bonds.

polycaprolactone, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride,
Polyacrylonitrile etc.

Further, the dye-receiving layer can also be composed of a mixed resin of saturated polyester and vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer. In this case, the vinyl chloride macro-vinyl acetate copolymer has a vinyl chloride component content of 85 to 97% by weight and a polymerization degree of 200.
A value of about 800 to 800 is preferable. Further, the copolymer is not limited to a copolymer of only vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, but may also contain a vinyl alcohol component or a maleic acid component.

Furthermore, the dye-receiving layer can also be composed of a styrene resin other than the polystyrene. Examples of the styrenic resin include homopolymers or copolymers of styrene monomers such as styrene, α-methylstyrene, and vinyltoluene, or combinations of these styrene monomers with other polymers such as acrylic esters, Examples include methacrylic acid ester, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile and other acrylic or methacrylic yarn yarns, maleic anhydride, and copolymers with vinyl chloride-acrylic acid monomers.

In the present invention, an ultraviolet absorber may be added to the dye-receiving layer if necessary. By adding an ultraviolet absorber, the weather resistance of the dye transferred from the thermal transfer sheet and dyed onto the receptor layer is improved. Examples of ultraviolet absorbers include benzophenone, hindered amine, and benzotriazole absorbers. The amount added is about 0.05 to 5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the resin constituting the dye-receiving layer.

If necessary, the dye-receiving layer may contain a release agent for the purpose of improving releasability from the thermal transfer sheet. Examples of the mold release agent include solid waxes such as polyethylene wax, amide wax, and Teflon powder, fluorine-based or phosphoric acid ester-based surfactants, and silicone oil, with silicone oil being preferred. Although oily silicone oils can be used, hardened silicone oils are preferred. Examples of the curable silicone oil include reaction curable, photocurable, and catalytic curable silicone oils, with reaction curable silicone oils being particularly preferred. The reaction-curable silicone oil is preferably one obtained by reaction-curing an amino-modified silicone oil and an epoxy-modified silicone oil. The amount of these curing silicone oils added is 100ffi of the resin constituting the dye-receiving layer.
It is preferably 0.5 to 30 parts by weight. The release agent is not limited to the case where it is added to the receptor layer 3, but the release agent layer can also be formed by dissolving or dispersing the mold release agent in a suitable solvent and coating it on the surface of the receptor layer 3 and drying it. good. As the mold release agent constituting the mold release agent layer, a reaction cured product of the above-mentioned amino-modified silicone oil and epoxy-modified silicone oil is particularly preferred. The mold release agent layer has a thickness of 0.01 to 5 μm, particularly 0.01 to 5 μm.
It is preferable to form the layer with a thickness of 0.5 to 2 μm. The release agent layer may be provided on a part of the surface of the dye-receiving layer 3 or the entire surface, but when the release agent layer is provided on a part of the surface of the dye-receiving layer, the release agent layer is not provided. Dot impact recording, heat-sensitive melt transfer recording, or recording with a pencil, etc. can be performed on the areas that are not covered, and sublimation transfer recording can be performed on the areas that have a release agent layer, and the areas that are not provided with a release agent layer can be recorded with sublimation transfer. It is possible to use the sublimation transfer recording method and other recording methods together, such as by performing recording on some parts using other recording methods.

Although the present invention has been explained above using preferred examples, the present invention is useful for laminating materials having various thermal transfer images.
For example, the nationality, address, date of birth, company name, government agency name, job responsibilities, etc. of the person holding the student ID card, company employee ID card, government office ID card, membership card of various clubs, cash card, etc. The laminate film of the present invention can be applied to any of the production of various conventionally known identification documents such as cards for proving rights and the like. Of course, the application of the present invention is not limited to identification cards and the like, but is also useful for forming various printed matter with excellent portability, for example.

(Effects) According to the present invention as described above, a hologram image is formed on at least a portion of a laminate film, an adhesive layer is provided on one surface, and this is laminated on the thermal transfer image surface, thereby making it possible to perform transfer printing. In addition to providing an image with excellent image durability, it is also possible to provide an excellent aesthetic appearance and uniqueness or design. Especially this laminated film
When used to create D-cards, etc., hologram images are difficult to create with simple equipment or small businesses, so they are excellent in preventing forgery and tampering.

(Example) Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples. In the text, parts or percentages are based on weight unless otherwise specified.

Example 1 A solution of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer was applied and dried on the surface of a transparent rainbow hologram sheet (A3 size, thickness 50 μm) manufactured by Dainippon Printing Co., Ltd. to form an adhesive layer with a thickness of about 20 μm. A laminate film of the present invention was obtained by forming.

On the other hand, three-color sublimation thermal transfer sheets of yellow, magenta, and cyan and a hard vinyl chloride resin card base material with a dye-receiving layer formed on the surface are stacked with the respective dye layers and dye-receiving surfaces facing each other. Combined with thermal dye sublimation transfer printer (V
Y-50, 90mJ/mm using Hitachi manufactured rupture)
A thermal head sequentially performs thermal transfer from the back side of the thermal transfer sheet using printing energy of ``, recording full-color facial photographs of 6 people in 3 colors of yellow, cyan, and magenta, signatures, dates of birth, addresses, names of organizations to which they belong, etc. did.

The above-mentioned laminate film was attached to the above-mentioned image surface by heat and cut into 6 pieces to create ID cards for 6 people.

When the above-mentioned identification card is viewed from the front, no hologram image is observed, and the thermal transfer image is clearly recognized.

When this was observed at an angle of about 45° C., a clear holographic three-dimensional image was observed.

Next, when the hologram sheet was forcibly peeled off, the dye-receiving layer on which the image was recorded was partially destroyed, with some remaining on the base sheet and the rest on the hologram sheet.
It was virtually impossible to falsify facial photographs.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 6 are diagrams schematically showing the laminate film of the present invention and the mode of use thereof. 1: Laminate film 2: Hologram image 3: Adhesive layer 4: Hologram effect layer 5: Hologram forming layer 6: Uneven shape 7: Thermal transfer image receiving sheet 8: Thermal transfer image 9: Protective layer 10: Peeling layer Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A laminate film for protecting the surface of a thermally transferred image, characterized in that the film has a hologram image on at least a portion thereof and an adhesive layer on one surface. (2) The laminate film according to claim 1, wherein the hologram is a reflective hologram or a transparent hologram. (3) The laminate film according to claim 1, wherein the thermal transfer image is an image formed by a sublimation type thermal transfer method or a hot melt type thermal transfer method. (4) The laminate film according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer comprises a heat-sensitive adhesive or a pressure-sensitive adhesive.