JPH03248857A - Thermal transfer type picture forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To move fusible ink smoothly from transfer paper to recording paper, obtain a high density and prevent strain by heating the transfer paper from the side of the recording paper under a condition that the transfer paper is adhered to the recording paper to transfer the ink, contained in the transfer paper, onto the recording paper. CONSTITUTION:A platen roller 16 is supported elevatably and is contacted with transfer paper 12 upon forming a picture. The transfer paper 12 is adhered to the recording paper 11 by pinching them between thermal heads 14 and the heat generating element of the thermal head 14 generates heat in accordance with the picture of yellow, for example, to fuse the heat-fusible ink in an ink layer 24 of the transfer paper 12. In this case, heat, generated by the contact of the thermal head 14 with a heat resistant layer 18 of the recording paper 11, is transferred to the ink layer 24 of the transfer paper 12 through the heat resistant layer 18 of the recording paper 11, a base film 17 and an ink receiving layer 19 while the predetermined part H of the ink receiving layer 19 is heated and the part of the ink layer, which is narrower than the part H, is heated whereby fusible ink from the ink layer 24 can be moved smoothly to the ink receiving layer 19 to obtain the picture of high density. The heated part of the fusible ink contained in the ink receiving layer 19 is specified whereby the strain of the picture is reduced.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a thermal transfer type image forming apparatus.

(Prior art) As a conventional thermal transfer type image forming apparatus, for example,
The one described in Japanese Patent No. 2-11370 is known. This thermal transfer image forming device presses a thermal head against the transfer paper with the recording paper and transfer paper in close contact with each other, heats the transfer paper with the thermal head, and heats the transfer paper using heat-melting ink (thermal sublimation) contained in the transfer paper. An image is formed on the recording paper by attaching a coloring matter (coloring pigment) to the recording paper.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in this conventional thermal transfer image forming apparatus, the thermal head is brought into direct contact with the transfer paper to heat the transfer paper, so the temperature between the transfer paper and the recording paper is The difference is large, and the molten ink may not move smoothly from the transfer paper to the recording paper, resulting in problems such as a decrease in density and distortion of the image formed on the recording paper.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer type image forming apparatus that can form clear images.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention is capable of transferring ink contained in the transfer paper to the recording paper by heating the transfer paper from the recording paper side while the transfer paper and the recording paper are in close contact with each other. This is the gist.

(Function) In the thermal transfer type image forming apparatus of the present invention, heat is transmitted to the transfer paper via the recording paper and the recording paper is also heated, so that the molten ink can smoothly move from the transfer paper to the recording paper, resulting in high density. In addition, distortion can be prevented.

Since this thermal transfer image forming device forms a heat-resistant layer and an ink-receiving layer on the recording paper, it is possible to improve the heat resistance of the recording paper, and it is also possible to reliably transfer ink to the recording paper, resulting in clear images. You can get images.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3 show a thermal transfer image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the main parts, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the whole, and FIG. 3 is an explanation of the operation. It is a diagram.

In FIG. 2, 11 is recording paper, 12 is transfer paper,
Above the recording paper 11 is a pair of paper press rollers 13L, 13.
A pair of paper press rollers 15L, 15R and a platen roller 16 are located below the transfer paper 12.
and are provided. Paper press rollers 13L, 13R, 1
5L and 15R are rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) to compress the recording paper 11 and feed it to the right in the figure. The thermal head 14 is disposed such that its lower end can come into contact with the recording paper 11, and a plurality of heat generating elements are arranged and provided at the lower end. As is well known, the thermal head 14 is connected to a control device (not shown), and its heating elements are selectively energized to generate heat depending on the image to be formed. The platen roller 16 is
It is supported to be movable up and down, comes into contact with the transfer paper 12 when forming an image (recording), and separates from the transfer paper 12 when the transfer paper 12 is fed.

The recording paper 11 has a base film 1 as shown in FIG.
A heat-resistant layer 18 is provided on one surface (upper surface) of the base film 17.
An ink receiving layer 19 is laminated on the other surface (lower surface), and the ink receiving layer 19 contacts the transfer paper 12. The base film 17 is made of a transparent material such as polyethylene terephthalate, and the heat-resistant layer 18 is made of a heat-resistant material.
The ink-receiving layer 19 is formed by pasting a material that can be impregnated with ink on the base film 17.

The transfer paper 11 is hung between a supply roller 20 and a take-up roller 21 via the upper part of the platen roller 16, and is fed in the left-right direction in the figure by the rotation of these rollers 20 and 21.

As shown in FIG.
The ink layer 24 contacts the ink receiving layer 19 of the recording paper 11. The base film 22 is made of glassine paper or the like, and the ink penetration prevention layer 23 is made by coating the base film 22 with a material that prevents ink penetration.
The ink layer 24 is made of a pigment dispersed in a binder such as carnauba wax and has heat-melting properties. This ink layer 2
4 is divided into colors such as yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, and black B in the paper feeding direction (horizontal direction in the figure). Note that the ink layer 24 of the transfer paper 12 can also be configured to be thermally sublimable.

In the thermal transfer image forming apparatus of this embodiment, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images are printed on the recording paper 11.
A multicolor image is obtained as a composite image of these images.

For example, when forming a yellow image, the platen roller 16 is lowered to feed the transfer paper 12, and the yellow portion of the ink layer 24 of the transfer paper 12 is positioned on the platen roller 16. Then, the platen roller 16 is raised and the transfer paper 1 is placed between the platen roller 16 and the thermal head 14.
2 and the recording paper 11 are brought into close contact with each other under narrow pressure, and the heating element of the thermal head 14 is selectively energized according to the yellow image to generate heat, thereby melting the heat-fusible ink in the ink layer 24 of the transfer paper 12. Here, the thermal head 14 is connected to the recording paper 1
The heat generated by the heating element in contact with the heat-resistant layer 18 of the recording paper 11 passes through the heat-resistant layer 18 of the recording paper 11, the base film 17, and the ink-receiving layer 19, and is transferred to the ink layer 24 of the transfer paper 12, as shown by the broken line in FIG. The heat conducted from the ink receiving layer 19 heats the ink receiving layer 19 over a predetermined portion (heated portion) H (indicated by diagonal lines in the figure). A portion (heated portion) narrower than the heated portion H corresponding to the central portion of the ink receiving layer 19 is heated, and the temperature difference between the heated portion H of the ink receiving layer 19 and the heated portion of the ink layer 24 is small. Therefore, the molten ink melted from the ink layer 24 can smoothly move to the ink receiving layer 19, and a high density image can be obtained.
Since the molten ink impregnated into the ink receiving layer 9 is defined in the heated portion of the ink receiving layer 19, an image with less distortion can be obtained. Furthermore, since the R heating element of the thermal head 14 does not directly contact the base film 17 of the recording paper 11, heat resistance can be improved.

After this, the platen roller 16 is lowered to move the transfer paper 12 by a predetermined distance IIIts, and images of other colors are sequentially superimposed on the recording paper 1 in the same manner as the formation of the yellow image described above.
1.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the thermal transfer image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the transfer paper is heated by the heat conducted through the recording paper and the ink is transferred to the recording paper, so that distortion is prevented. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, an image with high density can be obtained.
Since the recording paper has a laminated structure including an ink-receiving layer and a heat-resistant layer, the heat resistance of the recording paper can be improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 show a thermal transfer image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the main parts, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the whole, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation It is. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Recording paper, 12... Transfer paper, 14... Thermal head, 17... Base film, 18... Heat resistant layer, 19... Ink receiving layer, 22... Base film, 24... Ink layer. Patent applicant: Victor Japan Co., Ltd. 11...
... 12... 14... 17... 18... 19... 24... Recording paper Transfer paper Thermal head base film Heat resistant layer Ink receiving layer Ink layer Fig. 1 4 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] A thermal transfer image forming apparatus characterized by heating the transfer paper from the recording paper side with the transfer paper and recording paper in close contact with each other to transfer ink contained in the transfer paper to the recording paper.