JPH0310852A - Recording, recording material, and recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable high speed printing to be performed without using a thin support and to enable good printing to be performed even on low grade smooth paper by a method wherein a thermal softening layer which is covered by an ink layer provided on the support is perforated imagewise by heat and then, matter to be recorded is pressured onto the thermally softening layer. CONSTITUTION:Heat is applied imagewise to a thermally softening layer in a recording material 1 with a thermal head 2 in a recorder, and a perforated part 1b is provided to the thermally softening layer 1a. Then, the recording material 1 having this perforated part 1b is carried, and matter to be recorded 3 is superimposed on the thermally softening layer 1a. The recording material 1 on which the matter 3 to be recorded is superimposed is passed through a pair of heat rollers 4, 4, and the recording material 1 is pressured onto the matter 3 to be recorded while heating. After passing through a pair of heat rollers 4, 4, when the matter 3 to be recorded is separated from the recording material 1, the matter to be recorded wherein an ink component 1d transferred through the perforated part is stuck on the surface, is obtained. Therefore, high speed printing becomes capable to being performed. Further, printing can be performed even on low grade smooth paper and a surface of the matter to be recorded is never stained by an ink component.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a recording method, a recording material, and a recording device. More specifically, this invention...

The present invention relates to a recording method, a recording material, and a recording device that enable high-speed printing without using a thin support and high-quality printing even on low-smooth paper.

[Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventionally, there is a thermal transfer recording medium as a recording material used in OA equipment and the like.

This thermal transfer recording medium usually has an ink layer provided on the surface of a support.

In this thermal transfer recording medium, the ink layer is pressed against a recording medium such as paper, and heat is applied imagewise to the ink layer from the support side using a heating means such as a thermal head to melt or soften the ink layer. This thermal transfer recording medium is then peeled off from the recording medium to transfer the ink to the recording medium and perform printing.

However, in this type of conventional thermal transfer recording media, the support must be extremely thin in order to quickly and reliably transfer heat from the thermal head to the ink layer, and heat resistance must be guaranteed. There are restrictions that say you have to do it. Such restrictions increase the cost of this type of thermal transfer recording media and impede industrial implementation. Furthermore, in conventional thermal transfer recording media, the ink layer is in direct contact with the recording medium, so when printing is performed with high platen pressure,
Another drawback is that the surface of the recording medium is stained with ink.

In addition, in recent years, there has been a demand for thermal transfer recording media capable of high-speed printing, so in this type of thermal transfer recording media,
Adjusting the cohesive force and melting point of the ink layer is extremely complicated.

Furthermore, in recent years, there has been a demand for thermal transfer recording media that can not only print at high speeds but also print on low-smooth paper, but to achieve this, the cohesive force of the ink layer must be finely adjusted. Moreover, high printing pressure must be applied.
However, when high printing pressure is applied, there is a problem in that the surface of the recording medium becomes stained with ink.

The purpose of this invention is as mentioned above! The purpose is to solve a8.

That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording material, a recording method, and a recording device that can perform high-speed printing without using a thin support and can print well even on low-smooth paper. .

[Means for Solving the Problems] This invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is to imagewise image-wise change the heat-softening layer in a recording material formed by covering an ink layer provided on a support with a heat-softening layer. This is a recording method characterized by forming holes with heat, and then pressing a recording medium onto the heat-softening layer.

A recording material characterized in that an ink layer provided on a support is coated with a heat-softening layer, and the recording material is characterized in that the ink layer provided on a support is covered with a heat-softenable layer. It is characterized by comprising a heating means for imagewise applying heat to the thermosoftening layer to perforate it, and a pressure bonding means for stacking and pressing the recording material having the perforated thermosoftening layer and the recorded object. It is a recording device that

[Function] The recording method of the present invention provides a recording material characterized in that an ink layer provided on a support is coated with a heat-softening layer, and a recording material in which the heat-softening layer in the recording material is coated with heat imagewise. A recording apparatus is used, which is characterized by comprising a heating means for perforating the perforated heat-softening layer by applying a pressure thereon, and a pressing means for overlapping and pressing the recording material having the perforated heat-softening layer onto the recording medium.

That is, by heating means in the recording device.

The thermosoftening layer in this recording material is perforated by imagewise heating. Here, the perforation method is not particularly limited as long as it is a method that can partially remove the heat-softening layer; for example, heat shrinking, heat transfer removal, sublimation, or using a heat foaming agent. Examples include a method of containing the compound.

In the recording method of the present invention, first, the recording material and the recording material are superimposed so that the perforated thermosoftening layer and the recording material are in contact with each other.

The pressure bonding means in the recording apparatus of the present invention presses the recording material onto the stacked recording materials.

When pressed, the ink components in the ink layer migrate to the surface of the recording medium from the perforations in the thermosoftening layer.

Then, when the recording medium is peeled off from the recording material, a recording medium on which the ink components are imagewise transferred is obtained, and one image recording is achieved.

[Example] A preferred example of the present invention will be described in detail in the order of recording material, recording device, and recording method.

(Recording Material) The recording material of the present invention is formed by planting an ink layer and a heat-softening layer on a support such that the heat-softening layer is the outermost layer.

This recording material can be in the form of a long sheet or film,
Alternatively, it is used in the form of a sheet or film cut into a predetermined size.

-Support- The support in this recording material is desirably made of a material that has good heat resistance and high dimensional stability.

The materials include, for example, papers such as plain paper, capacitor paper, laminated paper, and coated paper; resin films such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyimide; composites of paper and resin films; and aluminum foil. All metal sheets such as the above are preferably used.

The thickness of the support does not need to be as thick as the support in conventional thermal transfer recording media, and is usually 5,000 mm thick.
p, m or less, preferably 1. It is within the range of OOro to 500 lm.

There is no particular restriction on the shape of the support, and it may be in any shape such as a sheet or a ribbon.

In this thermal transfer recording medium, the structure on the back side of the support may be arbitrary, and for example, a backing layer such as an anti-sticking layer may be provided.

An ink layer described in detail below is laminated on the support.

-Ink layer- The ink layer in this recording material is provided between the support and the heat-softening layer described in detail below.

The ink layer contains a binder and a coloring material. This ink layer is formed by (1) transferring the ink components from the perforated portions of the heat-softening layer to the recording medium by pressure bonding, and (2) increasing the fluidity of the ink components by heating; The ink component is transferred from the perforation part of the heat-softening layer to the recording medium, or (3) the coloring material becomes sublimated or volatile by heating, and combined with the pressure, the coloring material is transferred from the perforation part of the heat-softening layer to the recording medium. A binder and a liquid, semi-solid, or solid coloring material are appropriately selected and combined in combination so that the ink components migrate.

Examples of the binder include thermofusible substances and thermoplastic resins.

Specific examples of the heat-melting substances include vegetable waxes such as carnauba wax, wood wax, auriculie wax, and Nispar wax; animal waxes such as beeswax, konyu wax, shellac wax, and spermaceti wax; paraffin wax, microcrystal wax, and polyethylene. Waxes such as waxes, petroleum waxes such as ester waxes and acid waxes; and mineral waxes such as montan wax, osichelite and ceresin; Acids and higher fatty acids such as behenic acid: Higher alcohols such as palmityl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, marganyl alcohol, myricyl alcohol and eicosanol: Higher fatty acids such as cetyl balmitate, myricyl valmitate, cetyl stearate and myricyl stearate Fatty acid esters; amides such as acetamide, propionic acid amide, valmitic acid amide, stearic acid amide and amide wax; and higher amines such as stearylamine, behenylamine and valmitylamine.

Examples of the thermoplastic resin include ethylene copolymers, polyamide resins, polyester resins, polyurethane resins, polyolefin resins, acrylic resins, and ll! I
Resins such as loin based resins, rosin based resins, ionomer resins and petroleum based resins; Nylstones such as natural rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber and diene copolymers; ester gums, Rosin derivatives such as rosin maleic resin, rosin phenolic resin and hydrogenated rosin; and softening points of 50 to 15 such as phenolic resins, terpene resins, cyclopentadiene resins and aromatic hydrocarbon resins.
Examples include polymeric compounds at 0°C.

As the coloring material, mention may be made, for example, of pigments such as inorganic pigments and organic pigments, and dyes.

Examples of the inorganic pigments include titanium dioxide, carbon black, zinc oxide, Prussian blue, cadmium sulfide, iron oxide, and chromates of lead, zinc, barium, and calcium.

Examples of the organic pigments include azo-based, thioindigo-based, anthraquinone-based, anthanthrone-based, and triphenedioxazine-based pigments, hat dye pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, such as copper phthalocyanine and its derivatives, and quinacridone pigments.

The dyes include acid dyes, direct dyes, disperse dyes, oil-soluble dyes, metal-containing oil-soluble dyes, leuco dyes (soluble vat dyes), basic dyes, acidic mordant dyes, metal lead salt dyes,
Examples include sulfur dyes, vat dyes, azoic dyes, reactive dyes, oxidation dyes, and oil-soluble dyes.

Among the various dyes mentioned above, dyes that diffuse by heat, change to diffusivity by heat, or sublimate or vaporize are preferable.

Since the diffusibility of dye molecules changes depending on their molecular weight, the molecular weight of the dye suitable for the present invention is as follows:
Usually, it is within the range of 80 to 4,000, and particularly preferably within the range of 100 to 1,000.

When the molecular weight of the dye is within the range of 80 to 4.000, the dye has particularly good diffusibility.

Furthermore, since the melting point, sublimation temperature, or vaporization temperature required of the dye differs depending on what kind of device this recording material is loaded into and recorded on, it is not possible to definitively determine the preferable temperature. If this recording material is used in a communication device such as a facsimile, the melting point, sublimation temperature or vaporization temperature of the dye is preferably within the range of 30 to 200°C, and more preferably within the range of 50 to 120°C. Preferably, it is within this range.

In addition, in this invention, one type of the above-mentioned various dyes may be used alone, or two or more types thereof may be used in combination.

When using two or more types of dyes, if two or more types of dyes with different color tones, molecular weights, melting points, sublimation temperatures, vaporization temperatures, etc. and different diffusivities are used, the difference in the amount of thermal energy supplied will cause the image The color tone and shading can be changed. Therefore, for example, by varying the amount of thermal energy supplied by the heating means, such as the heating element, it is possible to print characters, figures, symbols, etc. in multiple colors or with different shadings on the recording medium.

The content of the coloring material in the ink layer is usually 5 to 40
It is within the range of 10 to 30% by weight, preferably 10 to 30% by weight.

The type and amount of the binder and coloring material in this ink layer may be any conventionally known composition.
The thermofusible material and thermoplastic material can be appropriately selected and formed based on the required physical properties.

The ink layer can be formed on the support by, for example, a coating method using a solvent, a hot melt coating method, or the like.

The thickness of this ink layer is usually 1 to 10071 m,
Preferably it is 2 to 30 ILm.

- Heat-softening layer - This heat-softening layer can be perforated by heat applied imagewise by a heating means, and does not become sticky or adhesive due to the application of the heat, and does not form a bond with the recording medium. There is no particular restriction as long as the layer is formed of a material that can be peeled off smoothly.

In addition, when using a dye that becomes sublimable, diffusible, or volatile when heated as a coloring material, it is possible to prevent the transfer of the dye during heating (the dye is transferred from the perforated part of the heat-softening layer to the recording material). However, the dye will not migrate from the perforated area.) It is best to choose the material.

The thermosoftening layer having such properties can be constructed by appropriately selecting a thermoplastic resin from among the thermoplastic resins used in forming the ink layer.

Suitable examples of thermoplastic resins constituting the thermosoftening layer include polyester resins, polyacrylic resins, polyamide resins, polyurethane resins, polysiloxane resins, cellulose resins, acetal resins, polyvinyl alcohol resins, rubber resins, and these. Examples include modified silicone resin.

It is also preferable that this heat-softening layer is made of a stretched synthetic resin sheet or film in order to facilitate perforation by heating means.

Furthermore, the heat-softening layer may be composed of paper impregnated with wax.

Further, this heat-softening layer is provided in order to improve peelability from the recording medium after the ink is transferred from the perforated portion to the recording medium.

A silicone resin may be contained, or a release layer containing a silicone resin may be formed on the surface of the thermosoftening layer.

As the silicon-based resin, silicon-modified resins such as organopolysiloxane, modified polysiloxane resin, silicon-modified acrylic resin, silicon-modified urethane resin, silicon-modified urea resin, and silicon-modified epoxy resin can be suitably used. These silicone modified resins include, for example, acrylic resin, urethane resin,
It is made by modifying urea resin, epoxy resin, etc. with polysiloxane.

In the various silicone-modified resins mentioned above, the content of the silicone portion is usually in the range of 1 to 90% by weight, preferably in the range of 5 to 50% by weight.

These silicone resins may be used alone or
Two or more types may be used in combination.

Among the various silicone resins described above, the various silicone-modified resins described above are preferred.

The silicone resin is preferably cured using a crosslinking agent.

The crosslinking agent is not particularly limited and includes, for example, incyanates, aziridines, 5-epoxies, and the like.

The content of the silicone resin in the heat-softening layer or the wing layer is usually in the range of 1 to 100% by weight,
Preferably it is within the range of 10 to 80% by weight.

The silicone resin can be added in the form of a resin and can be contained uniformly in the cured body of the thermosoftening layer, or can be contained in the thermosoftenable layer in the form of a fine powder.

The thermosoftening layer can be formed on the ink layer by, for example, a coating method using a solvent, a hot melt coating method, etc., and the thermoplastic resin sheet or thermoplastic film can be formed on the ink layer. The thickness of the heat-softening layer formed in this way is usually 0.
．． Within the range of 5 to 50 pm, preferably 1 to 1O#
It is within the range of Lm.

(recording device) An example of the recording apparatus of this invention is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a heating means, for example, a thermal head 2, which imagewise applies heat to the heat-softening layer of the recording material 1 of the present invention, is arranged so that the heat-softening layer and a recording medium, such as paper, come into contact with each other. It further includes a pressure bonding means, for example, a pair of heat rollers 4, 4, which presses the recording material 1 stacked on the recording medium 3 and heats the recording material 1. Note that the recording material 1 is a cut sheet cut into a predetermined standard size. The recording material l is stored in a recording material feeder 5 within the recording apparatus, and is automatically fed into a conveyance path and automatically conveyed along the conveyance path. Further, the recording medium 3 is housed in a recording medium feeder 6 within the recording apparatus, is automatically fed into a conveyance path, and is automatically conveyed along the conveyance path.

In this example device, the pressure bonding means is composed of a pair of heat rollers, but the recording material can be heated without being heated by the perforations provided in the heat-softening layer. As long as the ink layer has an ink layer configured to migrate from one part to the other, the pressing means may be simply a pressing roller.

(Recording Method) The recording method of the present invention uses the above-described recording material and recording apparatus to obtain a recorded object having an image.

As shown in FIG. 1, heat is imagewise applied to the thermosoftening layer of the recording material 1 in the recording apparatus by a thermal head, and as shown in FIG. 2, the thermosoftening layer 1a is perforated. Part ib is provided. It goes without saying that this perforated portion 1b is a through hole.

Next, the recording material l having the perforated portion ib is transported,
As shown in FIG. 3, a recording medium 3 is placed on the thermosoftening layer 1a.
Overlap. A recording material 1 on which a recording medium 3 is stacked is passed between a pair of heat rollers 4, 4, and the recording material 1 is pressed onto the recording medium 3 while being heated. Due to this pressing, as shown in FIG. 3, the ink component in the ink layer lc is transferred to the surface of the recording medium 3 through the perforation 1b. A pair of heat rollers 4
．． 4, when the recording medium 3 is peeled from the recording material 1, a recording medium is obtained on the surface of which the ink component 1d that has migrated through the perforations adheres, as shown in FIG.

In addition, in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, what is shown by 1d is a support body.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the recording method of the present invention, by providing perforations in the heat-softening layer of the recording material, printing is possible, and high-speed printing becomes possible. Since the ink components are transferred to the recording medium through the perforations provided in the softenable layer, a high pressing force can be applied during the transfer of the ink components, making it possible to print even on low-smooth paper. In other words, it is possible to print on a recording medium of any surface smoothness, regardless of whether it is low smooth paper or high smooth paper. Moreover, since the heat-softening layer covers the ink layer, the surface of the recording medium is not stained with ink components during printing.

The recording material of the present invention does not need to be an extremely thin support, nor does it need to select a material with particularly excellent heat resistance, and therefore can be a recording material with low running costs. Furthermore, printing can be performed on the recording medium simply by passing the ink components through the perforations, making it suitable for high-speed printing. There is no need to make any special adjustments to the cohesive force or thermal softening speed of the ink layer.
In this respect as well, it is possible to obtain a recording material with low running cost.

In the recording device of the present invention, since the heating means simply perforates the heat-softening layer, the timing of heating and peeling of the ink layer can be delicately adjusted as in the case of using a conventional heat-sensitive transfer recording medium. There is no need to create a structure, the device configuration becomes simple, and a recording medium having an image can be obtained at high speed using the recording material of the present invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a recording wave a, which is an embodiment of the present invention for carrying out the method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which perforations are formed in the heat-softening layer of the recording material of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which ink components are transferred from the perforations in the recording material, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an image is formed on a recording medium. l...Recording material, la...Thermosoftening layer, lb...
perforation part, lc... ink layer, ld... support body, 2.
... Thermal head (heating means), 3... Recorded object,
4...Heat roller (crimping means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In a recording material formed by covering an ink layer provided on a support with a heat-softening layer, the heat-softening layer is perforated imagewise with heat, and then the heat-softening layer and the recording medium are bonded together. A recording method characterized by crimping. (2) A recording material characterized by comprising an ink layer provided on a support and covered with a heat-softening layer. (3) In a recording material formed by covering an ink layer provided on a support with a heat-softening layer, a heating means for perforating the heat-softening layer by applying heat imagewise to the heat-softening layer; 1. A recording device comprising a pressure bonding means for pressure bonding a sexual layer and a recording medium.