JPH03190778A - Thermal printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure that the degree of gloss of a recorded image can be freely selected by providing an area formed using a different type of material from a sublimable dye on a transfer sheet and heating a sheet to which the sublimable dye is transferred for image transfer through the area. CONSTITUTION:An area 25 (second undercoat layer) formed using a different type of material (for example, aluminum foil) from a sublimable dye is provided on transfer sheets 9, 30 on which the sublimable dye is applied. At the same time, the entire sheets 9, 30 are of the same thickness for prevention of image quality deterioration. A sheet to which the sublimable dye is transferred 3 is heated to a specified density characteristic through the mentioned area 25 of the sheets 9, 30. Thus a desired record image is obtained. Subsequently, the free choice of a degree of gloss and a high density print are ensured.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a thermal printer device that uses sublimation dye.

(Prior Art) In a still camera or the like that records image information on a magnetic sheet or the like, it is desired to obtain a hard copy from the image signal. In such cases, a thermal printer device as shown in FIG. 8 is used.

Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 8 is a platen roller around which transfer paper such as cut recording paper (hereinafter simply referred to as recording paper) 3 is wound and rotated counterclockwise as shown.

2 is a clamper for clamping the recording paper 3 to the platen roller 1; 4 is a paper feed tray storing the recording paper 3; and 5 is a supply of the recording paper 3 in the paper feed tray 4 to the platen roller 1. A paper feed roller 6 is a guide member for paper feeding.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a thermal head for thermally transferring the sublimation dye onto the recording paper 3, which is a transfer paper.This head includes, for example, a large number of head elements, and these head elements are driven by pulses. That is, the video signal, specifically the Y and MSC chromaticity signals, is pulse width modulated and supplied to each head element.

8 is a holding member for the thermal head 7; 9 is a transfer paper placed between the platen roller 1 and the thermal head 7;
As shown in FIG. 9, for example, heat sublimation Yea ink Y1 magenta ink amount 1
Cyan ink C and black ink B if necessary
are provided repeatedly in order.

Reference numeral 10 designates a supply side roller for the transfer paper 9, 11 a take-up side roller for the transfer paper 9, 12 a separating claw, 13 a guide member for paper ejection, and 14 a paper ejection roller.

Here, the specific configuration of the recording paper 3 and the transfer paper 9 will be explained in the 10th section.
This will be explained using the drawings and FIG. 11.

To start with the recording paper 3, 15 in FIG.
The back coat layer 16 disposed on the platen roller 1 side during recording is a white base material made of synthetic paper containing white dye and an anti-curl material, and the back coat layer 15 is a white base material. It is provided on an example of the white base material 16 to complement the material properties of the white base material 16, and to prevent curling, prevent static electricity, and provide writability.

Reference numeral 17 denotes an ink receiving layer located on the other side of the white base material 16, that is, on the transfer paper side, and this is a colorless and transparent polyester polymer layer. What is important for this ink-receiving layer 17 is that the ink diffusion coefficient is large at high temperatures, and the diffusion coefficient is sufficiently small at room temperature.

In addition, the white base material 16 needs to have appropriate properties such as heat insulation, mechanical conformability, expansion and contraction due to temperature, and texture, in addition to having excellent whiteness.

Next, the transfer paper 9 will be explained using FIG.

In FIG. 11, 18 is a sublimation dye layer (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an ink layer) provided at the farthest position from the thermal head 7 and in direct contact with the recording paper 3 during recording, and 19 is a sublimation dye layer (hereinafter also referred to as an ink layer). , an undercoat layer provided on top of this sublimation dye layer 18, 20 a base material made of thermoplastic polyester resin provided on top of this undercoat layer, 21,
This back coat layer has both heat resistance and lubricity and is provided on the upper part of the base material 20, which is in direct contact with the thermal head 7.

Note that the undercoat layer 19 is provided to improve the adhesion of the sublimation dye layer 18 to the base material 20 and to prevent the sublimation dye from diffusing into the base material during transfer. It is made up of.

In order to print using the printer device as shown in FIG.
The supplied recording paper 3 is clamped by the clamper 2, and the platen roller 1 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. Place head 7 on platen roller 1
Then, a predetermined signal current is passed through the heating resistor of the thermal head 7 to generate heat, thereby sublimating the yellow ink Y on the transfer paper 9 and transferring it to the recording paper 3. After printing,
In the same manner, magenta ink M, cyan ink C, and black ink B are transferred and printed, and the recording paper 3 on which transfer printing has been performed is separated from the platen roller 1 by the separating claw 12, and the printer device Color printed matter can be obtained by discharging it outside.

In printed matter obtained by thermal transfer using such heat sublimation type transfer paper with a thermal printer device as shown in Figure 8, printed dots are formed by combining density gradation and area gradation. Because it is formed by
By controlling the amount of heat generated from the heating resistor of the thermal head, it is easy to adjust the amount of ink that is sublimated.
It has the feature of being able to easily express halftones.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Incidentally, in such a thermal printer device, it is known that the image becomes clearer when the recording paper 3 after transfer is reheated by thermal means.

This is because the amount of transfer is controlled by the amount of heating, that is, the driving pulse width of the thermal head 7, so it is difficult to apply enough heat to the recording paper 3 to diffuse the sublimation dye, and subsequent reheating promotes the diffusion. This is because they are being allowed to do so.

On average, without reheating, about 80% of the dye
% is only diffused, and the remaining 20% is only attached, and color development is inhibited by this 20%.

Therefore, heating by thermal means is intended to promote this 20% diffusion and color development.

As a configuration for reheating the recorded recording paper 3 by a simple means, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-1
A structure as described in Japanese Patent No. 48779 is known. In this conventional printer device, the problem is solved by configuring the transfer paper as shown in FIG.

That is, in addition to heat-sublimable yellow ink Y1 magenta ink amount 1 cyan ink C1 black ink B, a space portion 9a is formed between this black ink B and yellow ink Y, and this 98 The structure is such that no sublimation dye is applied to the parts.

Then, when DC power is supplied to the thermal head 7 corresponding to this space portion 9a, the entire area of the recording portion of the recording paper 3 is heated by the thermal head 7 via the space portion 9a of the transfer paper 9.

Due to this heating, the sublimation dye, which had been merely attached, is diffused and the color is sufficiently developed.

However, in the case of transfer paper having such a conventional structure, since the space portion 9a is simply a portion not coated with sublimation dye, the coated portion and the space portion have different thicknesses, resulting in step differences. Therefore, when reheating, the dye moves backwards from the recording paper 3 toward the transfer paper side, making it impossible to improve the density, and the above-mentioned step causes mechanical distortion in the dye part, which causes deterioration of image quality. There was a drawback.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks.
In a thermal printer device that prints on a transfer paper coated with a sublimation dye by heating it according to image information while pressing the transfer paper coated on the transfer paper, the transfer paper is made of a material different from the sublimation dye. The present invention provides a thermal printer device in which a region formed by the sublimation dye is provided, and the transfer paper onto which the sublimation dye has been transferred is heated through the region.

(Example) Hereinafter, specific details of the thermal printer device of the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, before entering the description of the present invention, parts related to the present invention will be explained.

FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the heating energy and the coloring density of the transfer coloring type thermal recording paper by the thermal head, that is, the coloring density distribution. According to this, the density characteristics of the recorded area are as follows: The temperature gradient is small, and as the concentration increases, the temperature distribution becomes higher in the center than in the periphery.

This figure shows that when the density is high, there is a large difference in temperature between the center and the periphery, and the temperature in the center becomes too high, causing thermal deformation of the recording paper and causing unevenness.

If an attempt is made to record at a high density by increasing the amount of heating to increase the density at the periphery, this tendency will become more pronounced, resulting in a loss of gloss.

The inventor has confirmed this through experiments using the recording paper 3 and transfer paper 9 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the state of the surface quality of the recording paper due to reheating after recording will be explained.

Note that FIG. 2 shows a reheating recording paper that can record, for example, 16 levels of reheating amount in the X-axis direction, and 16 levels of gradation level, for example, in the Y-axis direction.

First, a recording sheet as shown in FIG. 2 is set in the thermal printer device shown in FIG. 8, and 16-gradation recording is performed on it using a transfer sheet having a structure as shown in FIG. 11. Then the 12th
Using a transfer paper 24 as shown in the figure, the same 16-gradation recording energy as above is applied with the recording paper rotated 90 degrees to obtain a recording paper on which a reheated reheating pattern is recorded.

Note that 22 in FIG. 12 is a base material 22 having the same structure as in FIG. 11 and a back coat layer provided on the top of this base material 22. Therefore, the transfer paper is thinned by the thickness of the undercoat layer and the ink layer.

As a result, it is possible to roughly understand the surface properties of the recording paper upon reheating in the recording area of <16×16 as shown in the second figure.

Figure 3 is a reheating density characteristic diagram. This is the measurement data for each density recorded using recording paper whose surface properties at the time of reheating are roughly known. Regarding heating, a state in which reheating is performed at the 6th stage so that the maximum density is the highest is shown as reheating 1, and a state in which reheating is performed at the 166th stage as in the case of recording the maximum density is shown as reheating 2.

The concentration was measured using Macbeth's RD915.

As is clear from this figure, the maximum density of raw heating is 2.1, and the density increases almost linearly.

On the other hand, in reheating 1, the concentration became higher than that in the original heating from the 8th concentration stage, and the highest concentration was obtained at 2.3.

Reheating 2 has a lower concentration than the original heating from the beginning, and the maximum concentration is 1.
It decreased to 9.

Note that if the surface of the recording paper is uneven, density fluctuations occur due to diffuse reflection, and the density usually decreases. Therefore, the concentrations shown here are different from the real concentrations.

Next, a method for obtaining a glossy recorded image or a matte recorded image, which is a desired finished state, will be explained.

Figures 4 and 6 show the density characteristics when the gradation is kept constant and the amount of reheating is varied. From these figures, the density reaches its maximum at about the sixth layer of reheating, and then It can be seen that it decreases when it increases.

By the way, on the surface of the recording paper after recording, (1) gradation is 1.16.
(2) gradation 1.
(3) For the same gradation level 1.16, the experiment was conducted with the reheating amount as the first heating at the 6th step, and (3) for the same gradation of 1.16, the reheating amount was the second heating at the 166th step. However, for cases where the amount of reheating is little (1) and case where the amount of reheating is large (3), the surface is uneven, and for those at the 6th level of reheating, there is almost no unevenness. is appearing.

Figures 5 (A) and 5 (B) show the unevenness of the surface depending on the amount of reheating, and Figure 5 (A) shows that when the amount of reheating, which is the first heating, is set to the 6th stage, This figure shows that the part of the surface that had been uneven until then has become a surface with almost no unevenness, and Figure (B) shows that when the amount of reheating, which is the second heating, is increased to the 166th step, the surface becomes uneven. Each figure shows a state in which a previously smooth portion has become uneven.

Based on these experimental results, if the amount of reheating, which is the first heating, is set to the 6th stage, the surface will have almost no unevenness even after high-density recording.
In other words, it can be seen that a glossy recorded image can be obtained in the case of photographic prints.

This seems to be the result of the recording paper and the ink-receiving layer becoming uniformly soft during reheating with little difference in temperature and being pressed against the smooth surface of the heating resistor of the thermal head.

Furthermore, if the amount of reheating, which is the second heating, is increased to the 8th level or higher, the recording paper and the ink layer will be thermally deformed due to the temperature difference between the central part and the peripheral part of the thermal head heating resistor. With the amount of heating, there is not much difference between the unevenness on the surface of the recording paper and the gradations, and the unevenness is almost the same.

In other words, in the case of photographic prints, a matte recorded image can be obtained.

From this, it can be seen that when gloss is required, the amount of reheating is set to the 6th level, and when gloss is not required, the target surface property is obtained by increasing the amount of reheating to 8 or more levels.

Note that if the reheating amount is 8 or more, the ink will move from the recording paper side to the transfer paper again, causing a decrease in density.

In addition, even with transfer paper having a conventional structure, when reheating, ink moves from the recording paper side to the transfer paper through the stepped portion,
A decrease in concentration occurs.

According to the thermal printer device of the present invention, such defects are eliminated by using the transfer paper 30 as shown in the first diagram.

That is, the transfer paper 30 used in the thermal printer device according to the present invention has a structure as shown in Figure 11, and between the ink layers, for example, in the state as shown in Figure 9, A second undercoat layer 25 is provided in the space between black B and yellow Y, so that the thickness of the entire transfer paper becomes the gap.

The structure shown in FIG. 1 is the same as the structure shown in FIG. 11 except that a second undercoat layer 25 is provided between the ink layers, for example between black 18B and yellow 18Y, so the explanation thereof will be omitted. Omitted.

Further, as the material for the space portion, it is preferable to use a material other than a sublimation dye to which the sublimation dye does not move, such as aluminum foil, or a resin other than thermoplastic polyester resin.

When recording an image using the transfer paper 30 as shown in the first figure and the recording paper 3 as shown in the tenth figure, for example, with a thermal printer device as shown in the eighth figure, the same method as described above may be used.

If you want to select either gloss or matte after image recording, select the amount of reheating according to the reheating density characteristics shown in Figure 6, and then transfer the recording paper using the transfer paper shown in Figure 1. A desired recorded image can be obtained by reheating the entire area or a desired image portion.

Note that even when using a transfer paper without the second undercoat layer 25 shown in the first figure, that is, the transfer paper shown in the eleventh figure, there is no difference in level between the ink layers.
The above-mentioned conventional drawbacks do not occur. However, in this case, if it is desired to select either gloss or matte after the image recording is completed, the reheating portion may be appropriately selected based on the reheating density characteristics shown in FIG.

Furthermore, the recording paper is not limited to the recording paper mainly composed of the synthetic paper described above, as long as it is made of a material that becomes soft when heated.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, the thermal printer device of the present invention heats the transfer paper coated with sublimation dye while pressing it onto the transfer paper in accordance with image information. In a thermal printer device that prints on paper, a region formed of a material different from the sublimation dye is provided on the transfer paper, and the transfer paper to which the sublimation dye has been transferred is heated through the region. Therefore, the glossiness of the recorded image can be freely selected, and high-density printing is possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of transfer paper suitable for use in the thermal printer device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a recording paper for reheating patterns, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are characteristics of reheating density. Figure, 5th
Figures (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams showing the uneven state of the recording paper surface due to reheating, Figure 6 is a characteristic diagram of reheating density, and Figure 7 is a color density distribution diagram of the thermal head. Figure 8 is
A configuration diagram of the thermal printer device, FIG. 9 is a developed view of transfer paper, FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of recording paper, FIG.
Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of the transfer paper. 1... Platen roller, 3... Transfer paper, 7... Thermal head, 25...
Area, 9.30...Transfer paper.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In a thermal printer device that prints on the transfer paper by pressing the transfer paper coated with the sublimation dye onto the transfer paper and heating the transfer paper according to the image information, the transfer paper is coated with the sublimation dye. provides areas formed of different materials,
A thermal printer device characterized in that the transfer paper onto which the sublimation dye has been transferred is heated through the area. (2) The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the transfer paper to which the sublimation dye has been transferred is first heated in an area where the sublimation dye is not transferred so as to obtain the highest density, and this is gloss recorded. printer device. (3) The paper to which the sublimation dye has been transferred is subjected to second heating in an area where the sublimation dye is not transferred so as to obtain the highest density, and this is recorded in a matte manner. Thermal printer equipment.