JPH05224427A - Image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an image forming method possible to easily and stably form a high quality image excellent in resolution and in dot reproducibility in dry method. CONSTITUTION:The image forming method consists of (A) a process to form a latent image by exposing a photosensitive layer composed of a photosensitive element, having a photosensitive layer exhibiting self-adhesivity when non- exposed and non-self-adhesivity when exposed to activated beam on a supporting body (a) 12, to activated beam, (B) a process to laminate by allowing the photosensitive layer in contact face to face with a toner layer of a toner element, having a toner layer containing a coloring material and a binder on a supporting body (b) 22, (C) a process to expose whole surface of the laminated material to activated beam and (D) a process to form the image corresponding to the exposed part of the photosensitive layer on the toner element by separating the toner element from the photosensitive element.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multicolor image forming method by a dry developing method. The method of the present invention is a method of directly obtaining a color proof from a digital image signal by laser recording (Direct Digital C).
(color Proof: DDCP), particularly useful for producing a multicolor display.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of graphic arts, printing plates are printed using a set of color separation films from a color original. Generally, an error check in the disassembly process and a necessity check of color correction are performed. As a material for this color proof,
It is said that it is preferable to use a pigment as a coloring material together with the image formation on the actual printing paper because of its high similarity to the printed matter.
Further, in addition to a high resolving power that enables a high reproducibility of a halftone image and a high process stability, a dry proof production method that does not use a developing solution is required in recent years.

As a conventional color printing proofing method,
There is a method of proof-printing using a printing proofing machine to perform color proofing. However, this method requires time and labor, requires a high degree of skill, and has a limited reliability.

On the other hand, in place of these printing methods, various proofreading methods by photographic methods have been developed as a more convenient and simple method. A color proofing method using a photopolymer (prepress proof) is a widely used color proofing method based on these photographic methods.

In the case of a photopolymerization system, which is a typical system of photopolymers, many methods described below are put to practical use for the conventional process of exposing by using a photographic intermediate film as a mask. In order to obtain a high-quality color proof, it is generally necessary to reproduce a halftone dot image of 150 lines / inch or more, but with this method, the resolution is basically high enough. Also, many of the conventional photopolymerization initiators are sensitive to the near-ultraviolet region.
As shown in JP-A-54-155292, a large number of spectral sensitizers have been developed to date, which extend the photosensitive wavelength range to the visible range. Therefore, an argon ion laser,
It is becoming relatively easy to realize high recording sensitivity for a laser having a visible light wavelength such as a helium cadmium laser.

Here, due to the recent popularization of computerized systems in the pre-printing process (prepress field), shortening of the process, and reduction of the amount of consumption of consumables such as films, it is not necessary to use intermediate materials such as lith films. There is an increasing demand for materials and recording systems that produce color proofs directly from digital image signals. Therefore, in order to record a high-quality proof from a digital signal, it is preferable to use a laser beam that can be modulated by the digital signal and can narrow down the recording light as a recording head. Therefore, the recording material is required to have high resolving power capable of reproducing halftone dots and high recording sensitivity to laser light. However, an essential problem is that a material capable of directly recording a digital signal and having a quality for practical use has not been developed yet.

The above-mentioned photopolymerization system has high potential for digital image recording in terms of resolution and laser recording sensitivity, but it has not yet been put to practical use. The following is an overview of the prior art of photographic multicolor image recording using a photopolymerizable material, and presents the problems in light of the object of the present invention.

As a conventional proofing method for color printing by a photographic method, there are an overlay method and a surprint method. The overlay method is a method of calibrating by preparing multiple color proofing sheets with separated images of each color on a transparent support and stacking these sheets (the obtained one is called a color test sheet). Is.

This overlay method is simple and inexpensive,
It has the advantage that it can be used for continuous inspection by overlapping only 2 or 3 colors each time, but the overlapped synthetic resin sheet makes the color test sheet slightly dark,
In addition, incident light is reflected from some sheets to give gloss,
Therefore, the impression received from the color test sheet is very different from that of the printed matter produced by the printing machine.

The surprint method, on the other hand, is the superposition of colored images of several colors on a single support for which the various colored layers are brought on a sheet of opaque base or the corresponding toner. Are sequentially provided on the opaque base. This superposition method has the advantage that the color density is not affected by the synthetic resin base, and has the unique advantage that it is easy to use pigments that are the same or have similar hues as the pigments used in printing inks as coloring materials. There is also
It has become widely used.

As an example of this method, a photosensitive transfer material in which a release layer made of an organic polymer, a color material layer and a photosensitive layer are sequentially laminated on a temporary support is imagewise exposed and then wet-developed. Thus, a method of forming a colored image on the release layer and then transferring the colored image together with the release layer to an arbitrary support (permanent support) using an adhesive is already known (Japanese Patent Publication No. 46-46). No. 15326, Japanese Patent Publication Sho 49-44
No. 1). This method has an advantage that it can be used in various operations such as overlay proofing and surprinting as a color proof, but in order to sequentially transfer each color onto a paper support having poor dimensional stability, It is difficult to maintain the registration accuracy of each color, and the mechanical strength of the finished image is weak.

As a method of improving the above-mentioned drawbacks, a method of temporarily transferring an image onto a temporary image-receiving sheet (image-receiving element) before transferring the image onto a permanent support is applied to the applicant of the present invention. 59-97140. That is, in this method, a temporary image receiving element having an image receiving layer made of a photopolymerizable material provided on a support is prepared, and the image of each color is temporarily transferred onto the temporary image receiving element before being transferred onto the permanent support. Transfer the image of each color to. Then, a step of re-transferring onto the permanent support and then performing overall exposure to cure the transferred photopolymerizable image-receiving layer is included. According to this method, alignment and transfer of each color image can be performed on a support such as polyethylene terephthalate, which has high dimensional stability, so that both alignment accuracy and quality stability are improved, and hardness is improved. Since the final image is protected by the large photo-curable layer, it also has an advantage that the mechanical strength of the image is excellent.

However, this method has the essential problem of the wet development method in principle. Further, from the viewpoint of laser recording suitability, if a dye sensitizer that spectrally sensitizes in the visible to infrared region is used, recording is possible in principle, but the photosensitive layer and the color material layer are Since they are the same or in contact with each other and both are transferred to the image receiving layer, the hue of the obtained image is greatly changed due to the coloring sensitizer, and there is a problem that it cannot be put to practical use.

Many multicolor image forming methods have been proposed in the past, which have solved the drawbacks of the wet development method found in the above-mentioned methods, and some of them have been widely put into practical use. Examples thereof are known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,060,024, 3,582,327, 3,620,726, and the like. In these methods, a support layer and at least one addition polymerization are used. A tacky photopolymerizable replication material consisting of a photopolymerizable layer containing a possible monomer and a photopolymerization initiator is cured by imagewise exposure and loses its tackiness. This latent image is then visualized by applying a suitable powdered toner material. The toner adheres only to the unexposed tacky areas, but can be removed from the exposed non-tacky image areas after application. This method is a dry developing method that does not require a developing solution, and is also widely used for proof printing using a color separation film because of its simplicity. However, since the powdery toner is handled, the area around the work is easily soiled, and the method of applying / removing the toner tends to vary from person to person, and improvement is strongly desired.

As a method for improving the method using the adhesive photopolymerizable photosensitive layer, a method of forming a toner into a film is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-63-41847 and JP-A-2.
-14985. In these methods, as in the above-mentioned method, the photosensitive layer that exhibits tackiness in the unexposed state and loses tackiness by exposure / curing is composed of a photopolymerizable monomer and a photoinitiator, and the photosensitive layer together with the support is used. , It is used by being laminated on the receiver base such as paper. The latent image exposed by imagewise exposure and peeling of the photosensitive layer support is brought into contact with a film-shaped toner provided on another support, and the toner is transferred by being heated and / or pressurized, It is developed. Of the two publications mentioned above, the former is characterized by mixing polymers which are incompatible with each other as a binder of the toner layer, and the latter is also selected the thermal and mechanical properties of the binder polymer of the toner layer. To improve the obtained image quality. These two methods all improve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the method using the powder toner, are excellent in the printed matter approximation (pigment image formation on the printing paper), are dry developable, and have stable quality. Therefore, it can be said that the method is remarkably preferable as compared with the conventional method.

However, there are still problems to be solved in the methods using these film-formed toners. First of all, on a paper support having inferior dimensional stability, the alignment of the image exposure of the photosensitive layer is repeated, so that the misalignment of each hue image is likely to occur. Also, the final image has low mechanical strength, so if you try to give it scratch resistance, adhesion resistance, etc.,
It was necessary to add complicated steps such as laminating a protective layer on the final image.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a dry image forming method capable of easily and stably forming a high quality image having excellent resolution and halftone dot reproducibility. is there. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming method for directly forming a high-quality color proof having a high degree of approximation to a printed matter by using laser light modulated by a digital image signal.

[0018]

The first aspect of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the first aspect of the invention) exhibits (A) tackiness when exposed to actinic rays and non-tackiness after exposure. A step of imagewise exposing an actinic ray to a photosensitive layer of a photosensitive element having a photosensitive layer on a support (a) to form a latent image, and (B) the photosensitive layer on which the latent image is formed, a coloring material and The toner layer of a toner element having a toner layer containing a binder on a support (b) is surface-coated.
A step of contacting and laminating in a face-to-face relationship, a step of (C) exposing the entire surface of the laminate of the photosensitive element and the toner element with actinic light, and (D) separating the toner element from the photosensitive element,
A portion of the toner layer corresponding to the non-exposed portion of the photosensitive layer is transferred onto the photosensitive layer, and a portion of the toner layer corresponding to the exposed portion of the photosensitive layer is left on the support (b) to form the support (b). The image forming method is characterized by comprising a step of forming an image having a toner layer thereon.

The second aspect of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the second aspect of the invention) comprises a support (A) which has a photosensitive layer which exhibits tackiness when exposed to actinic rays and which does not after exposure. a) a step of forming a latent image by imagewise exposing actinic rays to a photosensitive layer of the above-described photosensitive element; (B) a toner layer containing a coloring material and a binder in the photosensitive layer on which the latent image is formed. Laminating the toner layer of the toner element having the above-mentioned support (b) in a surface-to-face relationship, and exposing the entire surface of the laminate of the photosensitive element and the toner element with actinic rays. , (D) The toner element is separated from the photosensitive element, the portion of the toner layer corresponding to the unexposed portion of the photosensitive layer is transferred onto the photosensitive layer, and the portion of the toner layer corresponding to the exposed portion of the photosensitive layer is transferred to the support ( b) to form an image of a toner layer on the support (b), and ) Support (forming the toner layer images on b), using the image-receiving layer surface is adhesive support (c)
A step of contacting the image-receiving layer of the image-receiving element above in a surface-to-face relationship, separating the toner element from the image-receiving element, and transferring the image-formed toner layer to the image-receiving element. Image forming method.

In the third aspect of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the third aspect of the invention), a photosensitive layer (A) which exhibits tackiness when exposed to actinic rays and which exhibits non-adhesiveness after exposure to a support ( a) a step of forming a latent image by imagewise exposing actinic rays to a photosensitive layer of the above-described photosensitive element; (B) a toner layer containing a coloring material and a binder in the photosensitive layer on which the latent image is formed. Laminating the toner layer of the toner element having the above-mentioned support (b) in a surface-to-face relationship, and exposing the entire surface of the laminate of the photosensitive element and the toner element with actinic rays. , (D) The toner element is separated from the photosensitive element, the portion of the toner layer corresponding to the unexposed portion of the photosensitive layer is transferred onto the photosensitive layer, and the portion of the toner layer corresponding to the exposed portion of the photosensitive layer is transferred to the support ( b) to form an image of a toner layer on the support (b), and ) Support (forming the toner layer images on b), using the image-receiving layer surface is adhesive support (c)
After bringing the toner element into contact with the image receiving layer of the image receiving element in a surface-to-face relationship, the toner element is separated from the image receiving element, and the image-formed toner layer is transferred to the image receiving element. An image forming method is characterized in that a multicolor image is formed by sequentially repeating one or more types of toner elements and one image receiving element.

Preferred embodiments of the image forming method of the present invention are as follows. (1) After the step (E), the toner layer of the image-receiving element to which the image-formed toner layer has been transferred is brought into contact with the final image support face to face while heating and / or pressurizing. The second invention described above, which further comprises a step (F) of transferring the toner layer on the image receiving element onto the final image support by separating the image receiving element and the final image support from each other. Alternatively, the image forming method of the third invention.

(2) The image forming method as described above, wherein the imagewise exposure of the actinic ray to the photosensitive layer in the step (A) is performed by condensing and scanning the laser beam on the photosensitive layer. ..

(3) The laser light is emitted from an argon ion laser, a helium neon laser, a helium cadmium laser, a dye laser, a semiconductor laser, a YAG laser, an excimer laser, or these emitted lights are second harmonics. The image forming method described above, wherein the light is converted into a half wavelength by an element.

(4) The above-mentioned image forming method, characterized in that the entire surface of the laminate in step (C) is exposed to actinic rays by irradiating with ultraviolet light.

(5) The image forming method described above, wherein the toner layer further contains a plasticizer.

(6) The plasticizer contained in the toner layer comprises one or more plasticizers selected from phosphoric acid esters, acrylic acid esters, polyol esters and epoxy compounds. Image forming method.

(7) The photosensitive layer contains a photopolymerizable monomer and /
Alternatively, the above-mentioned image forming method containing at least an oligomer, an organic polymer binder, and a photopolymerization initiator.

(8) The above image forming method, wherein when the photosensitive layer exposed to actinic rays is brought into contact with the toner layer in a face-to-face relationship, the photosensitive layer is heated and / or pressurized.

(9) When the toner layer remaining on the toner element corresponding to the imagewise pattern by actinic ray exposure is brought into surface-to-face contact with the image receiving element, the toner layer and / or the image receiving element is The method for forming a multicolor image, which comprises heating, pressurizing, and / or pressing.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the first invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing a section of an example of a photosensitive element used in the first invention. In FIG. 1, the photosensitive element 11 includes a support (a) 12 and a photosensitive layer 13 provided on the support (a) 12.

The support (a) 12 is not particularly limited as long as it is a film or plate, and may be made of any substance. Examples of the material of the support (a) 12 can generally include polymer compounds such as polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, and styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer. In particular, biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate is preferable in terms of mechanical strength and dimensional stability against heat. The thickness of the support (a) 12 is preferably 10 to 400 μm, and particularly preferably 25 to 200 μm in the case of a film. Depending on the application, the support (a) 1
It is also possible to use glass, a metal plate or the like as 2. Further, either the support (a) 12 or the cover sheet described later needs to be in the form of a film, and is preferably transparent to actinic rays.

The surface of the support (a) 12 on the side of the photosensitive layer 13 may be laminated with an intermediate layer or subjected to a physical surface treatment in order to improve the adhesion to the photosensitive layer 13. As the intermediate layer, the adhesion between the support (a) 12 and the photosensitive layer 13 and the solubility in the solvent in the composition for forming the photosensitive layer when the photosensitive layer 13 is applied are selected from a polymer material having a coating property. It is selected as appropriate in consideration. The thickness is not particularly limited, but usually 0.01 μm to 2 μm is preferable. As a means for increasing the adhesiveness, physical treatment such as glow discharge treatment or corona discharge treatment on the surface of the support (a) 12 is also possible.
Particularly preferred.

The photosensitive layer 13 may be made of any of various materials as long as it exhibits tackiness to actinic rays in the unexposed state and exhibits a non-adhesive state in the exposed state. As an example of such a material, a system in which a photosensitive compound such as vinyl cinnamate or a photosensitive azide compound is blended with a polymer can be used, but the most suitable system in terms of photosensitivity is a photopolymerizable photosensitive material. Is.

Suitable photopolymerizable photosensitive materials used in the photosensitive layer 13 are i) at least one photopolymerizable monomer and / or oligomer capable of forming a photopolymer by addition polymerization, ii) at least one organic polymer. A coalescing binder (polymer binder), and iii) at least one photopolymerization initiator activated by actinic rays, and if necessary, further containing additives such as a thermal polymerization inhibitor and a surfactant. To do.

The above-mentioned photopolymerizable monomers and oligomers (hereinafter, including oligomers are simply referred to as "photopolymerizable monomers").
Is not particularly limited as long as it can form a photopolymer by addition polymerization, but a polyfunctional vinyl or vinylidene compound is preferable. Suitable polyfunctional vinyl or vinylidene compounds are
For example, unsaturated esters of polyols, especially esters of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, such as ethylene glycol diacrylate, glycerine triacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 1,3-propanediol dimethacrylate, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 1,2,4. Butanetriol trimethacrylate, trimethylolethane triacrylate, pentaerythritol dimethacrylate, pentaerythritol trimethacrylate, pentaerythritol tetramethacrylate, pentaerythritol diacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, pentaerythritol tetraacrylate, dipenta Erythritol-polyacrylate, 1,3-propanediol-diacrylate, 1,5-penta Diol over dimethacrylate, 2
Bisacrylates and bis-methacrylates of polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight of 00-400 and similar compounds, unsaturated amides, in particular of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid having α, ω-diamines whose alkylene chain may be opened by carbon atoms. Examples include unsaturated amides and ethylene bis-methacrylamide. Furthermore, for example, polyester acrylate obtained by condensation of an ester of a polyhydric alcohol and a polyvalent organic acid and acrylic acid or methacrylic acid may be used, but the polyester acrylate is not limited thereto.

The above organic polymer binder is one of the major factors not only determining the hardness of the photosensitive layer 13 but also its tackiness. Suitable materials for the binder are thermoplastic resins or mixtures thereof, examples of which are homopolymers or copolymers of acrylic monomers such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid esters, methacrylic acid esters and the like. Cellulosic polymers such as coalesce, methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, cellulose acetate, vinyl polymers such as polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl alcohol, etc. Examples thereof include coalesce polymers, condensation polymers such as polyesters and polyamides, chlorinated rubbers, rubber polymers such as butadiene-styrene copolymers, polyolefin polymers such as chlorinated polyethylenes and chlorinated polypropylenes. Of these, copolymers of various acrylic monomers are preferable because it is easy to control the thermal properties such as the softening point in a wide range and the compatibility with the photopolymerizable monomer is good. It is preferable that these polymers have an average molecular weight of 10,000 to 2,000,000. Here, the mixing ratio of the photopolymerizable monomer and the organic polymer binder is different depending on the combination of the photopolymerizable monomer and the binder used, but generally, the photopolymerizable monomer: binder ratio is It is preferably 0.1: 1.0 to 2.0: 1.0 (weight ratio).

Further, as the above-mentioned photopolymerization initiator, it is particularly preferable to use a photopolymerization initiator having absorption and activity in the longer wavelength region than the visible region and having high photosensitivity to laser. As such a photopolymerization initiator, many systems in which a radical generator and various dyes as a spectral sensitizer are combined are known. For example, an imidazole dimer is used as a radical generator, and an acridine dye is used as a dye (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 5 (1999) -58242)
4-155292), triazine dye (TAGA
Proceedings, 1985, p232), N-phenylglycine is used as a radical generator, and a ketocoumarin-based dye (Polymer Eng. Sc) is used as a pigment.
i. , 23, 1022 (1983)), a system in which various dyes are combined using an iodonium salt as a radical generator (JP-A-60-76740, 60-78443, 60-88005, etc.), and a triazine-based radical initiator. Aromatic ketone derivatives (Journal of the Chemical Society of Japan, 1984, p. 192) and the like are known as compounds and dyes. Alkyl borates of dyes such as cyanine, rhodamine and safranine are also known as effective visible light initiators (JP-A-62-143044 and JP-A-62-150242).
In the first invention, these known photopolymerization initiator systems can be used.

In the light-sensitive layer 13, when ultraviolet rays are used as the actinic rays for irradiating the entire surface of the laminate in the step (C) of the present invention, it is possible to start absorption and activity in the near ultraviolet region. It is preferable to use the agent alone or in combination with the above initiator. As an initiator having absorption and activity in the near ultraviolet region, benzophenone, Michler's ketone [4,4'-bis- (dimethylamino) benzophenone], 4,4'-bis- (dimeramino) benzophenone, 4-methoxy-4'-dimethylaminobenzophenone Aromatic ketones such as 2-ethylanthraquinone, phenonetraquinone and other aromatic ketones, benzoin, benzoin methyl ether, benzoin ethyl ether, benzoin ethers such as benzoin phenyl ether, methylbenzoin, ethylbenzoin and Other benzoins and 2- (o-chlorophenyl) -4,5-diphenylimidazole dimer, 2- (o-chlorophenyl) -4,5- (m-methoxyphenyl) imidazole dimer, 2- ( o Fluo Phenyl) over 4,5 over diphenyl imidazole dimer, 2-(o over-methoxyphenyl) over 4,5 over diphenyl imidazole dimer, 2-(p over-methoxyphenyl)
-4,5 diphenylimidazole dimer, 2,4-di (p-methoxyphenyl) -4,5 diphenylimidazole dimer, 2- (p-methylmercaptophenyl) -4,5 diphenylimidazole dimer, And U.S. Pat. No. 3,476,185, British Patent No. 1,047,569.
2,4,5-triacrylyl imidazole dimers and the like, such as the similar dimers of US Pat. No. 3,784,557 and the like.

The addition amount of the photopolymerization initiator is preferably 0.01 to 30% by weight based on the photopolymerizable monomer.

A thermal polymerization inhibitor may be added to the photosensitive layer 13. Examples of this include p-methoxyphenol, hydroquinone, alkyl- or aryl-substituted hydroquinone, tert-butyl catechol, pyrogallol, naphthylamine, β-naphthol, phenothiazine, pyridine, nitrobenzene, φ-tortinone, aryl phosphite, and the like, but are not limited thereto. Not something.

Further, in the photosensitive layer 13, it is also possible to add a printing-out agent which is photo-colored to form a visible image at the time of imagewise exposure to actinic rays.
It is used by selecting from known ones.

Other components that can be added to the photosensitive layer 13 include a plasticizer, a residual solvent, a surfactant and an inert filler.

The photosensitive layer 13 is formed by applying a coating solution for forming the photosensitive layer 13 containing the above components onto the support (a) 12 (or the intermediate layer) according to a method for forming a coating film known per se. It can be formed by drying. The thickness of the photosensitive layer 13 is preferably about 0.1 μm to 100 μm, more preferably about 1 μm to 50 μm.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, on the surface of the photosensitive layer 13 opposite to the support (a) 12, the photosensitive layer 13 before recording is protected and oxygen in the air is exposed at the time of exposure. It is preferable to provide a cover film in order to reduce the effect of suppressing the polymerization due to. The material of the cover film is generally, for example, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, a high molecular compound such as styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer can be mentioned, in particular, Polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate are preferred. The thickness of the cover film is generally 5 to 400 μm, especially 10 to 200 μm.
It is preferably m.

On the surface of the cover film which is in contact with the photosensitive layer 13, a release layer made of a silicone resin or the like may be provided in order to reduce the adhesion to the photosensitive layer 13. The thickness is not particularly limited, but usually 0.01 μm to 2 μm is preferable.

In the first invention, first, in step (A), the photosensitive layer 13 of the photosensitive element 11 constructed as described above is imagewise exposed to actinic rays to form a latent image. As the actinic rays, it is possible to use ultraviolet rays such as mercury lamps and xenon lamps, laser light and the like. When ultraviolet rays are used, the entire surface is irradiated through an image mask, and when laser light is used, the laser beam modulated by the image signal is focused on the photosensitive layer 13 to have an appropriate beam diameter, and the image is scanned. Can be exposed in the same manner.
It is preferable to use a laser beam as the actinic ray from the viewpoint that imagewise exposure can be performed directly using digital data from the image processing system.

As laser light, light emitted directly from a gas laser such as an argon ion laser, a helium neon laser, a helium cadmium laser, a solid-state laser such as a YAG laser, a semiconductor laser, a dye laser, an excimer laser, or the like. Alternatively, it is possible to use the light obtained by converting the emitted light into a half wavelength through a second harmonic element. The laser is appropriately selected from these lasers according to the photosensitive wavelength of the photosensitive layer 13, the sensitivity, and the required recording speed. The modulation of the laser light by the image signal is known, for example, in the case of an argon ion laser, the beam is passed through an external modulator, and in the case of a semiconductor laser, the current injected into the laser is controlled (directly modulated) by a signal. Method. Also,
Focusing and scanning the modulated laser beam on the photosensitive layer is also performed by a known method. Laser light can be incident from either the support (a) side or the cover film side. To scan the laser light,
Generally, while rotating the photosensitive element at a high speed on the rotating drum, a method of moving (sub-scanning) the laser beam while synchronizing in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction (drum scanning method) There is a method (planar scanning method) of moving (sub-scanning) the photosensitive element in the orthogonal direction while scanning the laser beam on the photosensitive element at high speed. In the first invention, any of these methods or their modified methods can be used.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view schematically showing the state of the photosensitive layer of the first invention when the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive element is imagewise exposed to actinic rays. In FIG. 2, the photosensitive layer 13 on the support (a) 12 of the photosensitive element 11 after being imagewise exposed by the actinic ray AL adheres to the unexposed region 13Y which is not exposed by the actinic ray AL. Exposed area 13X exposed by actinic ray AL
Has changed to show non-adhesiveness (loss of adhesiveness). By thus exposing with the actinic ray LA, the photosensitive layer 1 is exposed in the exposed region 13X and the unexposed region 13Y.
A latent image is formed at 3.

In the first invention, next, in the step (B), the toner layer of the toner element used in the first invention is formed on the photosensitive layer on which the latent image obtained in the step (A) is formed. Face-
Contact in a face-to-face relationship.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing a state in which an example of the photosensitive element having a latent image formed on the photosensitive layer in the step (B) of the first invention and an example of the toner element are contacted and laminated. is there. In FIG. 3, the photosensitive element 11 is the same as the photosensitive element 11 shown in FIG.
An exposed region 13X and an unexposed region 13Y are formed on the photosensitive layer 13 formed on the surface 12. Further, the toner element 21 is configured such that the toner layer 23 is provided on the support (b) 22. The photosensitive layer 13 and the toner layer 23 are in contact with each other in a face-to-face relationship.

The toner element 21 will be described in detail.
The support (b) 22 is not particularly limited as long as it is a film, and may be made of any substance. Examples of the material of the support (b) 22 generally include polymer compounds such as polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, and styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer. In particular, biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate is preferable in terms of mechanical strength and dimensional stability against heat. The thickness of the support (b) 22 is generally 5 to 400 μm, particularly 10 to 100 μm.
Is preferred.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, the support (b)
If necessary, the surface of the toner layer 22 on the side of the toner layer 23 may be laminated with an intermediate layer or subjected to a physical surface treatment for the purpose of lowering or increasing the adhesion to the toner layer 23. As the intermediate layer, in consideration of the adhesiveness with the toner layer 23 and the solubility in a solvent when the toner layer 23 is applied,
It is appropriately selected from materials having a film-forming property. In order to reduce the adhesiveness to the toner layer 23, a silicone resin such as poly (dimethylsiloxane), gelatin, a water-soluble polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol, or the like is used. The thickness is not particularly limited, but usually 0.01 μm to 5 μm is preferable. As a means for increasing the adhesion to the toner layer 23, physical treatment such as glow discharge treatment or corona discharge treatment on the surface of the support (b) 22 is particularly preferable.

The toner layer 23 contains at least one coloring material and a binder. The toner layer 23 generally comprises a toner layer-forming composition in which a coloring material and a binder, and optionally a toner layer-forming component as described below, are dissolved and / or dispersed in a solvent by a method known per se. It is formed by coating and drying on the surface of the support (b) 22.

As the color material contained in the toner layer 23, a pigment or a dye is used. Pigments are generally roughly classified into organic pigments and inorganic pigments. The former has characteristics of transparency of a coating film and the latter generally has characteristics of excellent hiding power. When used for printing color proofing, an organic pigment having a color tone matching or close to that of yellow, magenta, cyan and black used in printing ink is preferably used. In addition to these, metal powder, fluorescent pigment, etc. are also used according to the purpose. Suitable pigments include azo-based, phthalocyanine-based, and anthraquinone-based slene-based pigments, dioxazine-based pigments, quinacridone-based pigments, isoindolinone-based pigments, and the like.

The pigment is typically dispersed in an organic solvent or an aqueous dispersion medium together with an organic binder. This pigment is ground to the extent that it reproduces the color and quality of the corresponding image. Generally, an average particle size of 1 micron or less is preferable.

The following are just some of the many pigments and dyes known in the art (C.I. stands for Color Index). Victoria Pure Blue (CI.42593) Auramin O (CI.41000) Catillon Brilliant Flavin (CI Basic 1)
3) Rhodamine 6GCP (C.I.45160) Rhodamine B (C.I.45170) Safranine OK 70: 100 (C.I. 50240) Erioglaucin X (C.I. 42080) First Black HB (C.I. 26150) No. 1201 Lionol Yellow (C.I. 2109
0) Lionol Yellow GRO (CI 21090) Shimla First Yellow 8GF (CI 2110)
5) Benzidine Yellow 4T-564D (C.I. 2109
5) Shimura Fast Red 4015 (C.I. 1235
5) Lionol Red 7B4401 (C.I.15850) Fastgen Blue-TGR-L (C.I.7416)
0) Lionol Blue SM (CI.26150) Mitsubishi Carbon Black MA-100 Mitsubishi Carbon Black # 40

In addition to these pigments, Ciba Geigy Co., Ltd.
Processed pigments in which fine particle pigments are dispersed in a polymer carrier manufactured and sold by, for example, Microlith Yellow 4GA, Microlith Yellow 2RA (C.I.2).
1108), Microlith Yellow MX-A (C.I.2).
1100), Microlith Blue 4G-A (CI.74.
160), Micro-Res Red 3R-A, Micro-Res Red 2C-A, Micro-Res Red 2B-A, Microlith Black CA, etc. are also used.

The toner layer 23 contains at least one binder in order to control its coating property and brittleness. The binder is also used for controlling the rheological properties of the coating film and stabilizing the colorant (pigment) of the dispersion system. Typically, the pigment and binder or part of the binder,
Grind in a mill until the desired particle size and color is obtained.
The milled paste is diluted with a solvent or solvent mixture to obtain a dispersion of the desired viscosity.

Further, if the molecular weight of the binder polymer is small, when the toner layer 23 is laminated (laminated) on the recorded photosensitive layer under pressure and heating, the binder is apt to soften or melt, so that it is originally adhered. Adhesiveness to the exposed photosensitive layer, which is not desired, is increased, and resolution is likely to be lowered. Therefore, the binder polymer preferably has a molecular weight of 10,000 or more.

A suitable binder for this layer is a thermoplastic resin or a mixture thereof, in which case two or more resins may be compatible or incompatible. Examples of specifically preferred polymers are cellulose derivatives such as methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose and cellulose triacetate, homopolymers or copolymers of acrylic monomers such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid ester, methacrylic acid ester and the like. , Styrene / maleic anhydride resin and its half ester, polyvinyl butyral and the like.

In a preferred embodiment, the mixing ratio of the colorant and the binder varies depending on the combination of the colorant and the binder, but generally the colorant: binder ratio is 100: 20 to 10.
It is preferably 0: 300 (weight ratio).

The toner layer 23 thus formed
The pigment and the binder are both brittle and have sufficient performance for obtaining a high image quality of only one color, but it is difficult to adhere the toner layers to each other to make them multicolored. If the binder of the toner layer uses a polymer that is softened by pressure and heat,
It is considered that the adhesive force between the toner layers is increased, but as described above, the image quality is likely to be deteriorated, which is not preferable. It is preferable to add a plasticizer to the toner layer 23 in order to satisfy both requirements of high quality and multicolor of the formed image.

Although the mechanism of action of the plasticizer in the toner layer in the first invention is not always clear, in the composite system of the coloring material and the polymer binder, the adhesiveness to the exposed photosensitive layer and the toner layer. It is presumed that this is because the adhesion between the toner layers is strengthened without significantly increasing the shear breaking force of the toner. Further, the plasticizer is used as the toner layer 23 and the support (b).
It also has the effect of lowering the adhesiveness with the toner layer 22, and in the step (E) of the second and third inventions described below, transfer of the toner layer on which an image is formed from the toner element to the image receiving layer is performed. The fact that it is accelerating significantly is also considered important.

The plasticizer used is appropriately selected depending on the combination with the coloring material and the binder. Examples of plasticizers include
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), Di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), Di- (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
(DOP), dinonyl phthalate (DNP), dilauryl phthalate (DLP), butyl lauryl phthalate (BL
P), phthalic acid esters such as butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), di (2-ethylhexyl) adipate (D
OA), di (2-ethylhexyl) sebacate (DO
S) and other aliphatic dibasic acid esters, tricresyl phosphate (TCP), tri (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TO
Examples thereof include, but are not limited to, phosphoric acid triesters such as P), polyol esters such as polyethylene glycol ester, and epoxy compounds such as epoxy fatty acid ester.

In addition to the above-mentioned general plasticizers, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 1,2,4-butanetriol trimethacrylate, trimethylolethane triacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, pentaerythritol tetraacrylate, dipenta Acrylic acid esters such as erythritol-polyacrylate are also preferably used depending on the kind of the binder.
These plasticizers may be used alone or in admixture of two or more. A secondary plasticizer (auxiliary plasticizer) such as polychlorinated paraffin may be blended with these plasticizers for use.

The amount of the plasticizer added varies depending on the combination of the coloring material and the binder, but generally the (total amount of the coloring material and the binder): plasticizer weight ratio is from 100: 1 to 10: 1.
It is preferably 0: 200, particularly preferably 100: 2 to 100: 100.

In addition to the components described above, the toner layer 23
In addition, a surfactant, a thickener, a dispersion stabilizer, an adhesion promoter, and other additives can be included.

The toner layer 23 is obtained in accordance with a known method for forming a coating film by using the above-mentioned coloring material, binder and, if necessary, other components such as a plasticizer to obtain a desired particle size and color. The resulting paste is diluted with a solvent or a solvent mixture, and the resulting coating liquid for forming a toner layer 23 is obtained as a dispersion having a desired viscosity on a support (b) 22. It can be formed by applying and drying. The dry film thickness of the toner layer 23 depends on the intended use, but generally does not exceed 10 μm, and is preferably 0.1 μm to 4 μm.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, the toner layer 23
If necessary, a cover film may be provided on the surface of the product in order to prevent scratches during handling and prevent adhesion between the film surfaces during storage. Materials for cover films for these purposes are generally, for example, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene,
Examples thereof include polymer compounds such as polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, and styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, with polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate being particularly preferred. The thickness of the cover film is generally 5
It is preferably 400 μm, and particularly preferably 10 to 100 μm. The surface of the cover film that contacts the toner layer 23 may be subjected to the same treatment as the surface treatment of the cover film of the photosensitive layer 13 in order to control the adhesiveness of the cover film.

In the first invention, in the step (B), the toner element is formed on the photosensitive layer 13 of the photosensitive element 11 on which the latent image obtained in the step (A) is formed as shown in FIG. The toner layer 23 of No. 21 is brought into contact in a face-to-face relationship, and the photosensitive layer 1
3 and the toner element 21 are laminated. This lamination is preferably performed under heating and / or pressure. The temperature is generally room temperature to 160 ° C, particularly preferably room temperature to 130 ° C, and the pressure is generally 0.5 to 100 kg / c.
m ² (gauge pressure), particularly preferably 1 to 10 kg / cm ² (gauge pressure). Photosensitive layer 13 and toner layer 23
The contact with and the lamination with can be generally performed by passing the photosensitive element 11 and the toner element 21 through a laminator.

By the processing in the step (A), the photosensitive element 11
The unexposed region 13Y of the photosensitive layer 13 which is not exposed by the actinic ray AL remains unchanged and remains tacky, and the exposed region 13X which is exposed by the actinic ray AL appears to be non-tacky (lost tackiness). Since it has changed to
The corresponding area 23Y of the toner layer 23 which is in contact with the unexposed area 13Y is adhered to the unexposed area 13Y, and the corresponding area 23X of the toner layer 23 which is in contact with the exposed area 13X of the photosensitive layer 13 is in the exposed area 13X. Not glued.

According to the first invention, in the subsequent step (C), as shown in FIG. 3, the photosensitive element 11 and the toner element 2 are used.
The entire surface of the laminate with 1 is exposed to the actinic ray AL. The overall exposure of the actinic ray AL to the laminate in the step (C) is
Although it can be performed from the side of the toner element 21, it can be performed from the side of the support (a) 12 of the photosensitive element 11 as shown in FIG. 3 in order to avoid the influence of the coloring material contained in the toner layer 23. preferable.

In step (C), the entire surface of the photosensitive layer 13 of the photosensitive element 11 is exposed to actinic rays AL,
In the step (A), the unexposed region 13Y of the photosensitive layer 13 which was not exposed to the actinic ray AL and remained tacky is also cured.
At that time, in the step (B), the unexposed region 13 of the photosensitive layer 13 is
The corresponding region 23Y of the toner layer 23 adhered to Y is more firmly bonded to the unexposed region 13Y as the unexposed region 13Y of the photosensitive layer 13 is cured.

On the other hand, the corresponding area 23X of the toner layer 23 which is in contact with the exposed area 13X of the photosensitive layer 13 is the exposed area 1
Since it is not adhered to 3X, in the step (C) the photosensitive layer 13
Even when the exposed area 13X of the toner layer 23 is irradiated with the actinic ray AL, the non-adhesiveness of the exposed area 13X hardly changes, and the toner layer 23
The corresponding area 23X is not bonded or bonded to the exposed area 13X of the photosensitive layer 13. If the exposed area 13X of the photosensitive layer 13 is irradiated with the actinic ray AL in the step (C),
Even if the non-adhesiveness of the exposed area 13X is increased, the binding force of the corresponding area 23X of the toner layer 23 to the exposed area 13X is not increased.

Accordingly, the exposure area 13X of the photosensitive layer 13 and the corresponding area 23 of the toner layer 23 are processed by the process (C).
The difference between the bonding force with X and the bonding force between the non-exposed region 13Y of the photosensitive layer 13 and the corresponding region 23Y of the toner layer 23 is greater than that obtained in step (B). become.

As the actinic ray that can be used in the step (C), the same actinic ray as that used for the imagewise exposure in the step (A) can be used.
In the first invention, the actinic ray used in the step (A) and the actinic ray used in the step (C) may be the same or different in type and / or wavelength of the ray. Good.

Generally, in the step (A), it is preferable to use a laser beam from the viewpoint that imagewise exposure can be performed by using a digital image signal as described above, and the step (C)
In this case, it is preferable to use ultraviolet rays from a mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, etc., since it is sufficient to simply expose the entire surface.

When the actinic ray used in the step (A) and the actinic ray used in the step (C) are the same, one kind of photopolymerization initiator may be contained in the photosensitive layer 13, but Actinic rays used in step (A) and step (C)
In the case where the active light ray used in step 1 is different from the photoinitiator used in the photosensitive layer 13, the photopolymerization initiator contained in the photosensitive layer 13 is one type of photopolymerization initiator having absorption or activity in both active light rays, or each photoinitiator. It is necessary to use a mixture of photopolymerization initiators that absorb and act on light.

In the first invention, the toner element 21 is separated from the photosensitive element 11 in the subsequent step (D). FIG. 4 is a sectional view schematically showing a state where the toner element 21 is separated from the photosensitive element 11 in the step (D). In FIG. 4, an unexposed region 13Y of the photosensitive layer 13 of the photosensitive element 11
Of the toner layer 23 which is in contact with the unexposed area 13Y by the process in the step (C) is strongly bonded to the corresponding area 23Y of the toner layer 23 and which is in contact with the exposed area 13X of the photosensitive layer 13. The corresponding area 23X does not bond to the exposed area 13X and therefore remains on the support (b) 22. As a result, an image of the toner layer portion 23Y corresponding to the unexposed area 13Y is formed on the photosensitive layer 13, while the support (b) is formed.
An image of the toner layer portion 23X corresponding to the exposed area 13X of the photosensitive layer 13 is formed on the surface 22.

In the first invention, since the step (C) as described above is performed, an image obtained when the photosensitive element 11 and the toner element 21 are separated from the laminate of the photosensitive element 11 and the toner element 21. Of the toner remaining on the support (b) of the toner element, since the separation of the toner layer from the exposed area of the similarly exposed photosensitive layer and the adhesion of the toner layer to the unexposed area of the photosensitive layer are reliably performed. The layer faithfully corresponds to the exposed area of the photosensitive layer, and as a result, a high-quality image excellent in resolution and halftone dot reproducibility is stably formed on the support (b). As is apparent from the above description, the image corresponding to the unexposed area formed on the photosensitive element at the same time has high image quality.

Next, the second invention will be described. A second invention is the same as the first invention, except that the image-forming toner layer on the support (b) obtained in the step (D) of the first invention and the image-receiving layer having an adhesive surface are provided on the support (c). ) Contacting the image-receiving layer of the image-receiving element on the surface-to-face relationship, separating the toner element from the image-receiving element, and transferring the image-formed toner layer to the image-receiving layer of the image-receiving element (E ) Is added.

Therefore, the step (A), the step (B), the step (C) and the step (D) in the second invention are respectively the step (A), the step (B) and the step in the first invention. As in (C) and step (D), in step (D), an image consisting of a portion of the toner layer corresponding to the exposed area of the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive element by actinic rays is formed on the support (b). A toner element is obtained. Hereinafter, the step (E) of the second invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view schematically showing a state in which an example of the toner element on which the image obtained in the step (D) of the second invention is formed and an example of the image receiving element are in contact with each other. In FIG. 5, the toner element 21 is the toner element 21 shown in FIG.
And the support (b) 22 of the toner element 21.
An image of the toner layer portion 23X corresponding to the exposed area 13X of the photosensitive layer 13 shown in FIG. 4 is formed on the top. Further, the image receiving element 31 has the image receiving layer 3 on the support (c) 32.
3 is provided and configured. Then, the toner layer 23
And the image receiving layer 33 are in contact with each other in a face-to-face relationship.

The support (c) 32 is not particularly limited as long as it is a film or plate, and may be made of any substance. Examples of the material of the support (c) 32 generally include polymer compounds such as polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, and styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer. In particular, biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate is preferable in terms of dimensional stability against water and heat. Further, the thickness of the support (c) 32 is preferably 10 to 400 μm, particularly 25 to 200 μm in the case of a film form. Further, depending on the application, it is possible to use glass, a metal plate or the like as the support (c) 32.

Although not shown in FIG. 5, the surface of the support (c) 32 may be laminated with an intermediate layer or subjected to a physical surface treatment in order to improve the adhesion to the image receiving layer 33. Good. The intermediate layer is appropriately selected from a polymer material having a film-forming property in consideration of adhesion to both the support and the image receiving layer. The thickness is not particularly limited, but usually 0.01 μm to 2 μm is preferable. Physical treatment such as glow discharge treatment or corona discharge treatment on the surface of the support is particularly preferable as a means for increasing the adhesion.

The image receiving layer 33 has a softening temperature of about 8 by the Vicat method in order to receive the toner layer.
Polymer layers below 0 ° C are preferred. Further, since it is transferred to the actual printing paper as required, a material for forming the image receiving layer 33 is disclosed in JP-A-59-97 in order to obtain an appropriate release property.
It is preferably made of a photopolymerizable material as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 140.

Particularly preferred as the image receiving layer 33 are iv) at least one photopolymerizable monomer or oligomer capable of forming a photopolymer by addition polymerization, v) at least one organic polymer binder (polymer binder), vi ) At least one photopolymerization initiator, and vii) an additive such as a thermal polymerization inhibitor, which is optionally added. Examples of the photopolymerizable monomer or oligomer include the same substances as the photopolymerizable monomer or oligomer used in the photosensitive layer 13, and examples of the organic polymer binder include:
The same material as the organic polymer binder used in the photosensitive layer 13 may be used.

The above-mentioned photopolymerization initiator must be a compound that has absorption and activity in the near-ultraviolet region and no absorption in the visible region, or a small compound. Examples thereof include benzophenone, Michler's ketone [4,4'-bis- (dimethylamino) benzophenone], 4,4'-bis- (dimeramino) benzophenone, 4-methoxy-4'-dimethylaminobenzophenone, 2-ethylanthraquinone, phenonetraquinone. , And other aromatic ketones such as aromatic ketones, benzoin, benzoin methyl ether, benzoin ethyl ether, benzoin ethers such as benzoin phenethyl ether, methylbenzoin, ethylbenzoin and other benzoins, and 2- ( O-chlorophenyl) -4,5-diphenylimidazole dimer, 2- (O-chlorophenyl) -4,5- (m-methoxyphenyl) imidazole dimer, etc. are illustrated as the above-mentioned photoinitiator for the photosensitive layer 13. And include photoinitiator having activity in the near ultraviolet.

Here, the mixing ratio of the photopolymerizable monomer and the organic polymer binder varies depending on the combination of the monomer compound and the binder used, but generally, the monomer: binder ratio is 0. It is preferably 1: 1.0 to 2.0: 1.0 (weight ratio). The addition amount of the photopolymerization initiator is preferably 0.01 to 20% by weight with respect to the monomer compound.

The image-receiving layer 33 is formed by applying a coating liquid for forming an image-receiving layer containing the above-mentioned components onto the support (c) 32 and drying it according to a method for forming a coating film known per se. can do. The film thickness of the image receiving layer 33 needs to be deformed in order to receive the toner layer portion 23X, but it is sufficient that the thickness is sufficient for receiving the toner layer portion 23X. Generally, 2 g / m ^{2 to} 50 g / m ² is suitable, though it depends on the film thickness of the portion 23X.

Although not shown in FIG. 5, the image receiving layer 33
May have a two-layer structure, if necessary. In particular, when the image on the image receiving layer 33 is transferred to a permanent support such as printing original paper in a later step, a method of transferring the upper layer of the two layers together with the image and leaving the lower layer (support side) on the image receiving element is special. Kaisho 61
-189535, JP-A-2-244146, 2-2
No. 44147 and No. 2-244148 are described in detail. The methods described in these publications are preferable from the viewpoint of closeness to printed matter and other points, and the image receiving layer 33
Is preferably a two-layer structure.

In the step (E) of the second invention, the contact between the toner layer 23 and the image receiving layer 33 is preferably performed under heating and / or pressure. The temperature is generally room temperature to 160
° C., preferably in particular at room temperature to 130 DEG ° C., the pressure is generally 0.5~100kg / cm ² (gauge pressure), particularly preferably 1 to 10 kg / cm ² (gauge pressure). The contact between the toner layer 23 and the image receiving layer 33 is
Generally, it can be carried out by passing the image-formed support (b) 22 and the image receiving element 31 through a laminator.

In the step (E) of the second invention, the toner element support (b) 22 is then separated from the image receiving element 31. FIG. 6 is a sectional view schematically showing a state in which the support body (b) 22 is separated from the image receiving element 31 in the step (E). In FIG. 6, a support (b) 2 is provided on the image receiving layer 33.
The image of the toner layer portion 23X formed on the second layer 2 is transferred, and the image is formed on the image receiving layer 33. Toner layer 23
The toner layer portion 23X partially or wholly receives the image receiving layer 33 by contact between the image receiving layer 33 and the image receiving layer 33 by heating and / or pressure.
It will be embedded inside.

In the second invention, since the step (C) as described above is performed, an image when the photosensitive element 11 and the toner element 21 are separated from the laminate of the photosensitive element 11 and the toner element 21 is obtained. Of the toner remaining on the support (b) of the toner element, since the separation of the toner layer from the exposed area of the similarly exposed photosensitive layer and the adhesion of the toner layer to the unexposed area of the photosensitive layer are reliably performed. The layer closely corresponds to the exposed areas of the photosensitive layer and ensures that the image formed on the support (b) of the toner element is transferred to the image receiving layer. As a result, a high-quality image having excellent resolution and halftone dot reproducibility is stably formed on the image receiving element.

Next, the third invention will be described. The third invention is the step (A), the step (B), and the step (C) of the second invention.
And step (D) were performed for each of two or more toner elements having different hues, and step (E) of the second invention was obtained in step (E) for each of two or more toner elements having different hues. An image forming method for forming a multicolor image by sequentially repeating a support (b) having a toner layer on which an image is formed and one image receiving element.

That is, the step (A), the step (B), the step (C) and the step (D) in the third invention are respectively the step (A), the step (B) and the step in the first invention. As in (C) and step (D), in step (D), an image consisting of a portion of the toner layer corresponding to the exposed area of the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive element by actinic rays is formed on the support (b). A toner element is obtained. In the third invention, two or more kinds of toner elements having different hues of toner layers are used, and the step (A), the step (B), the step (C) and the step (D) are performed for each toner element, For each hue of toner element, an image consisting of a portion of the toner layer is obtained on the support (b). Then, the step (E) of the second invention in which the toner layer of the toner element having an image formed on the support (b) is transferred to the image receiving layer of the same image receiving element is performed by using two or more kinds of toners having different hues. The multi-color image is formed by sequentially performing the processes on the elements and superposing the images having different hues on the image receiving layer. The step (E) in the third invention is the same as the step (E) in the second invention for each individual toner element.

In the third invention, the two or more kinds of hues of the toner element are not particularly limited, but when forming a full color multicolor image, generally four kinds of hues, that is, yellow,
Magenta, cyan, and black colors are used. The hue of the toner element can be set to a desired hue by adjusting the kind and content of the coloring material contained in the toner layer.

In the third invention, first, an image of a specific hue AA (for example, yellow) obtained by color separation is exposed on the photosensitive layer in step (A). Steps (B), (C) and (D) are then carried out using a toner element having a hue AA corresponding to the color separation image. In this way, the toner element AA on which the image of the hue AA is formed is obtained. Step (E) is carried out using toner element AA to form an image of hue AA on the image receiving layer of the image receiving element.

Next, for a hue BB different from the hue AA, a toner element BB on which an image of the hue BB is formed is obtained in the same manner as described above except that the toner element having the hue BB is used. The step (E) is performed using the image receiving element on which the image of hue AA obtained as described above is formed and the toner element BB to form an image of hue BB on the image receiving layer of the image receiving element. ..

Next, the same procedure is performed for the hue CC different from the hue AA and the hue BB, and the hue C is formed on the image receiving layer of the image receiving element on which the image of the hue AA and the image of the hue BB are formed.
The image of C is overlaid and formed.

In the same manner as described above, a multicolor image can be formed on the image receiving layer of the image receiving element by performing other hues. A full-color image can be formed by selecting yellow, magenta, cyan, and black as the hue.

Forming a separated image of each hue (development)
The conditions to perform and the conditions to transfer reduce the error in work,
From the viewpoint of improving the processing efficiency, it is preferable that they are set to be the same.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view schematically showing a state in which an image of hue AA and an image of hue BB are formed on the image receiving layer of the image receiving element according to the third invention. Image-receiving layer 32 of image-receiving element 31
A toner layer portion 23AA having a hue AA and a toner layer portion 23BB having a hue BB are formed on the sheet.

In the second and third inventions, after the step (E), the toner layer portion of the image-receiving element to which the image-forming toner layer is transferred is changed to a final image support (for example, white paper). ) In face-to-face contact with heat and / or pressure and then separating the image-receiving element and the final image support from each other so that the portion of the toner layer on the image-receiving element is placed on the final image support. The step (F) of transferring can be performed. When the image-receiving layer is photopolymerizable, it is exposed to UV light through the transparent support of the image-receiving element to photocure the image-receiving layer. By peeling off the transparent support,
A multicolor registered image is obtained that is transferred onto white paper.

When the final image is transferred and formed on paper and used, when the laser beam is scanned and recorded on the photosensitive layer in the step (A), when the image is viewed from the photosensitive layer (or cover film) side, the original Left and right opposite images (reverse image)
It is necessary to scan and record so that

The image forming method of the present invention includes various color displays, color mosaic patterns of color filters for liquid crystal displays, as well as the production of color proofs.
It is useful for making wiring patterns for electronic circuits (using metal powder as a coloring material), medical images by computer output, mask films such as lith films.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1 A coating solution for the intermediate layer having the following composition was prepared. Polymer: ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer 20 parts by weight (Mitsui Petrochemical Co., Ltd., trade name Eva Frex A-709) Solvent (toluene) 100 parts by weight Polyethylene terephthalate (PE) having a thickness of 100 μm
T) Using the film as a support (a) and using a spin coater (whaler), the above coating solution for the intermediate layer was coated at 200 rp.
m for 1 minute and dried in an oven at 100 ° C. for 2 minutes. The thickness of the obtained intermediate layer was 20 μm.

A coating solution for photosensitive layer having the following composition was prepared. Binder (Benzyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer methyl cellosolve acetate 33% solution, copolymerization composition ratio = 67/33) 45.5 parts by weight Photopolymerizable monomer tetraethylene glycol diacrylate 3.0 parts by weight Pentaerythritol tetra Acrylate 5.0 parts by weight Initiator A (Structural formula A) 0.6 parts by weight

[0111]

[Chemical 1]

Surfactant (Sumitomo 3M Limited, trade name Florard FC-430) 0.1 part by weight Methyl ethyl ketone 110 parts by weight Propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate 55 parts by weight On the above intermediate layer, the above photosensitive layer is provided. Using a spin coater for 1 minute at 100 rpm,
Dry in an oven at 0 ° C for 2 minutes. The film thickness of the obtained photosensitive layer was 5 μm. A polypropylene film (12 μm thick) was nominated on the photosensitive layer using a laminator to prepare a photosensitive element.

Next, the following toner layer coating liquid was prepared. (1) Preparation of color material mother liquor Color material (manufactured by Toyo Ink Co., Ltd., Lionol Red LX-235) 12 parts by weight Binder (benzyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer, copolymer composition ratio = 67/33, Molecular weight 43,000) 18 parts by weight Solvent: Methyl cellosolve acetate 37 parts by weight Solvent: Methoxypropyl acetate 33 parts by weight The above components are dispersed for 2 hours using a disperser (Toyo Seiki Co., Ltd., paint shaker). A color material mother liquor was prepared by processing.

(2) Preparation of coating liquid Color material mother liquor 7.2 parts by weight Additive: pentaerythritol tetraacrylate 1 part by weight Solvent: n-propyl alcohol 15 parts by weight Surfactant (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Co., Ltd., product Name Megafac F-176PF) 0.3 parts by weight Solvent: Methyl ethyl ketone 80 parts by weight Solvent: Propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate 40 parts by weight The above components were mixed with a stirrer to prepare a toner layer coating solution.

The surface of the support (b) of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film having a thickness of 75 μm was coated with the above coating solution using a rotary coating machine (Whaler) for 120 r.
A toner element was prepared by applying pm for 1 minute and drying in an oven at 100 ° C. for 2 minutes to form a magenta toner layer. The thickness of the obtained toner layer was 0.4 μm.

Using the photosensitive element and the toner element obtained by the above procedure, an image was formed and the image was evaluated by the following procedure.

On the cover film side of the photosensitive element, a printing plate printing test chart (photomask) was vacuum-adsorbed and brought into close contact. Ultraviolet rays from a 1 kW ultra-high pressure mercury lamp were irradiated through a photomask from a distance of 100 cm for 60 seconds [step (A)]. The cover film of the photosensitive element was peeled off, the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive element and the toner layer of the toner element were brought into close contact with each other, and passed through a laminator set at 80 ° C. and a pressure of 1 kg / cm ² at a speed of 450 mm / minute to laminate them. [Step (B)]. Next, 100 cm of ultraviolet rays from a 1 kW ultra-high pressure mercury lamp were applied to the entire surface of the laminate from the photosensitive element side.
Was irradiated for 60 seconds from the distance of [Step (C)]. When the toner element is peeled off from the photosensitive element after returning to room temperature [step (D)], a toner image corresponding to the exposed region of the photosensitive element is formed on the support of the toner element, and the toner image is formed on the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive element. A toner image was formed corresponding to the unexposed areas on the photosensitive layer.

When the image formed on the toner element was measured by a method of observing with a microscope, the resolution line width was 12
was μm.

Comparative Example 1 Using the photosensitive element and the toner element prepared in the same manner as those used in Example 1, and irradiating the entire surface of the laminate of the photosensitive element and the toner element with ultraviolet rays (C A toner image corresponding to the exposed area of the photosensitive layer was formed on the support of the toner element in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the step (1) was omitted.

The image formed on the toner element was measured by the same method as in Example 1 to find that it was 20
The line width of μm could be resolved, but the line width of 15 μm or less could not be resolved.

Example 2 A coating solution for the intermediate layer having the following composition was prepared. Polymer: ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer 20 parts by weight (Mitsui Petrochemical Co., Ltd., trade name Eva Frex A-709) Solvent (toluene) 100 parts by weight Polyethylene terephthalate (PE) having a thickness of 100 μm
Using the T) film as a support, the above coating solution was applied at 200 rpm for 1 minute using a spin coater, and dried in an oven at 100 ° C. for 2 minutes. The thickness of the obtained intermediate layer was 20 μm.

A coating solution for photosensitive layer having the following composition was prepared. Here, the photoinitiators B and C are chloroform 1 ml.
What was melt | dissolved in 0.45g was used.

Binder 9.0 parts by weight (allyl methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer, copolymer composition ratio = 80/20 (molar ratio), molecular weight = 36,000) Dipentaerythritto hexaacrylate 1 .2 parts by weight (photopolymerizable monomer, abbreviation DPHA) Photoinitiator B (structural formula B) 0.045 parts by weight (solid content)

[0124]

[Chemical 2]

Photoinitiator C (Structural Formula C) 0.045 parts by weight (solid content)

[0126]

[Chemical 3]

Hydroquinone monomethyl ether 0.01 part by weight (thermal polymerization inhibitor) 1-methoxy-2-propanol 21 parts by weight

The above-mentioned coating solution for photosensitive layer was applied onto the above intermediate layer at 100 rpm for 1 minute using a spin coater, and dried in an oven at 100 ° C. for 2 minutes. The film thickness of the obtained photosensitive layer was 5 μm. A polypropylene film (thickness 1
2 μm) to prepare a light-sensitive element.

Next, the following toner layer coating liquid was prepared. Coloring material: Microlith Black CA 4.5 parts by weight (Ciba-Geigy Co., Ltd .: Note 1) Additive: Pentaerythritol tetraacrylate 0.18 parts by weight (abbreviation: PET-4A) Solvent: Methyl ethyl ketone 200 parts by weight Solvent: Propylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate 100 parts by weight Surfactant: Dainippon Ink and Co., Ltd., trade name Magahu Fuku F-176PF 0.5 parts by weight (Note 1) Microlith Black CA: Carbon black pigment and ethyl cellulose Processed pigment consisting of (binder).

Using a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film having a thickness of 75 μm as a support and using a spin coater (Whaler), the above coating solution was applied at 120 rpm at 1 rpm.
It was coated for 1 minute and dried in an oven at 100 ° C. for 2 minutes to prepare a toner element having a black toner layer. The thickness of the obtained toner layer was 0.2 μm.

Using the photosensitive element and the toner element obtained by the above procedure, an image was formed and the image was evaluated by the following procedure.

First, a photosensitive element was attached on a rotary drum so that the laser incident surface served as a cover film. Next, the rotary drum was rotated under the condition of a linear velocity of 5 m / sec, and an argon ion laser (wavelength 488 nm) light was scanned and exposed under the conditions of a power of 1.5 mW on the sample surface and a beam diameter of 10 μm. At this time, the recording pattern has a line pitch of 20 μm.
Laser scanning was performed so as to form a straight line. After peeling off the cover film of the photosensitive element, a laminator set at 110 ° C. and a pressure of 4.5 kg / cm ² was set at 450 m while contacting the toner layer of the toner element and the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive element.
A laminate was made by passing through at a speed of m / min. After returning to room temperature, the entire surface of the laminate was irradiated with ultraviolet rays from a 1 kW ultra-high pressure mercury lamp for 60 seconds from a distance of 100 cm from the photosensitive element side. When the toner element is peeled off from the photosensitive element after returning to room temperature, a toner image corresponding to the exposed area of the photosensitive layer is formed on the support of the toner element, and the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive element is not exposed to the photosensitive layer. A toner image corresponding to the area was formed.

The obtained image has excellent resolution and sensitivity,
Very few defects were visually observed.

Example 3 Cyan having the following composition,
Coating solutions for magenta, yellow, and black toner layers were prepared.

<Cyan toner layer coating solution> (1) Preparation of mother liquor Polyvinyl butyral A (Denka Butyral # 2000-L, manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo KK, number average degree of polymerization: about 300, degree of butyralization 73 weight) %) Solution (solvent: n-propyl alcohol) 63 parts by weight Coloring material (cyan pigment, Toyo Ink Co., Ltd., No700-Blue 10FG CY-Blue) 12 parts by weight Glass beads 100 parts by weight Dispersion aid Agent (ICI Corporation, Solspers S-20000) 0.8 parts by weight Dispersion aid (ICI Corporation, Solspers S-12000) 0.2 parts by weight Solvent: n-propyl alcohol 60 parts by weight Paint shaker (Toyo Seiki Co., Ltd.)
Was used for 2 hours to prepare a mother liquor.

(2) Preparation of coating liquid Mother liquor 24 parts by weight Solvent: n-propyl alcohol 100 parts by weight Surfactant (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc., trade name Megafac F-176PF) 0.36 parts by weight The components were mixed with stirring with a stirrer to prepare a coating liquid for toner layer.

<Toner Layer Coating Liquid for Magenta> (1) Preparation of Mother Liquid 63 parts by weight of a 20% by weight solution of polyvinyl butyral A (Denka Butyral # 2000-L manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo KK) (solvent: methyl ethyl ketone) Coloring material (magenta pigment, Toyo Ink Co., Ltd., Lionol Red LX-235) 12 parts by weight Glass beads 100 parts by weight Dispersion aid (ICI Co., Ltd., Solspers S-24000) 0.6 parts by weight Dispersion aid Agent (ICI Co., Ltd., Solspers S-22000) 0.2 parts by weight Solvent: Methyl ethyl ketone 60 parts by weight Paint shaker (Toyo Seiki Co., Ltd.)
Was used for 2 hours to prepare a mother liquor.

(2) Preparation of coating liquid Mother liquor 24 parts by weight Solvent: methyl ethyl ketone 24 parts by weight Solvent: propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate 98 parts by weight Surfactant (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, trade name Megafac F-176PF) 0.3 parts by weight The above components were mixed with stirring with a stirrer to prepare a toner layer coating solution.

<Toner Layer Coating Liquid for Yellow> (1) Preparation of Mother Liquid 63 parts by weight of a 20% by weight solution of polyvinyl butyral A (Denka Butyral # 2000-L manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo KK) (solvent: methyl ethyl ketone) Coloring material (yellow pigment, No. 1401-G-Lionol Yellow, manufactured by Toyo Ink Co., Ltd.) 12 parts by weight Glass beads 100 parts by weight Dispersion aid (ICI Co., Solspers S-24000) 0.6 parts by weight Dispersion auxiliary (ICI Co., Ltd., Solspers S-22000) 0.2 parts by weight Solvent: Methyl ethyl ketone 60 parts by weight The above components were mixed with a paint shaker (Toyo Seiki Co., Ltd.).
Was used for 2 hours to prepare a mother liquor.

(2) Preparation of coating liquid Mother liquor 31 parts by weight Solvent: Methyl ethyl ketone 78 parts by weight Solvent: Propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate 29 parts by weight Surfactant (Dainippon Ink and Co., trade name Megafac F-176PF) 0.2 parts by weight The above components were mixed with a stirrer under stirring to prepare a toner layer coating solution.

<Black toner layer coating solution> (1) Preparation of mother liquor 20% by weight solution of polyvinyl butyral A (Denka Butyral # 2000-L, manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo KK) (solvent: n-propyl alcohol) 63 parts by weight Coloring material (black pigment, manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei Kogyo KK, type MA-100) 12 parts by weight Glass beads 100 parts by weight Dispersion aid (Disparlon KS-860 manufactured by Kusumoto Kasei Co., Ltd.) 18 parts by weight Solvent : Methyl ethyl ketone 42 parts by weight Paint shaker (Toyo Seiki Co., Ltd.)
Was used for 2 hours to prepare a mother liquor.

(2) Preparation of coating liquid Mother liquor 10 parts by weight Solvent: n-Propyl alcohol 50 parts by weight Solvent: Methanol 30 parts by weight Surfactant (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, trade name Megafac F-176PF) 0 0.15 parts by weight The above components were mixed with a stirrer under stirring to prepare a toner layer coating liquid.

Using a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film having a thickness of 75 μm as a support, one color per one support was used to apply the toner layer coating solution for each color at 120 rpm for 1 minute using a spin coater (Whorer). Then 10
Drying in an oven at 0 ° C. for 2 minutes produced the four color hue toner element. The thickness of the obtained toner layer is 0.2 μm for black, 0.4 μm for cyan, 0.4 μm for magenta,
And yellow 0.2 μm.

Next, an image receiving layer coating solution having the following composition was prepared. <Image receiving first layer> Polyvinyl chloride 9 parts by weight (Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd., trade name Zeon 25) Surfactant 0.1 parts by weight (Dainippon Ink & Co., trade name MegaFac F-177P) ) Methyl ethyl ketone 130 parts by weight Toluene 35 parts by weight Cyclohexanone 20 parts by weight Dimethylformamide 20 parts by weight

<Image-Receiving Second Layer> Methyl methacrylate / ethyl acrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer (manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., trade name Dianal BR-77) 17 parts by weight Alkyl acrylate / alkyl methacrylate copolymer 17 parts by weight (Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., trade name Dianal BR-64) Pentaerythritol tetraacrylate 22 parts by weight (Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., trade name A-TMMT) Surfactant 0.4 parts by weight (Dainippon Ink Co., Ltd.) Co., Ltd., trade name Megafac F-177P) Methyl ethyl ketone 100 parts by weight Hydroquinone monomethyl ether 0.05 parts by weight 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (photopolymerization initiator) 1.5 parts by weight

Using the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film having a thickness of 100 μm as a support, the coating solution for the first image receiving layer was applied using a spin coater (Whorer) and dried in an oven at 100 ° C. for 2 minutes. The thickness of the obtained first layer was 1 μm. An image-receiving element was prepared by applying the coating solution for the second image-receiving layer on the first layer in the same manner as above, and laminating the second image-receiving layer having a dry film thickness of 26 μm.

A photosensitive element prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, a four color toner element prepared as described above,
And the image receiving element was used to form a multicolor image on the image receiving element by the following procedure.

First, in the same manner as in Example 1, the step (A), the step (B), the step (C) and the step (D) are performed using the photosensitive element and the black toner element. To form a black toner image on the black toner element. The resulting toner layer of the imaged black toner element is overlaid with the image-receiving layer of the image-receiving element in a face-to-face relationship, 125 ° C., pressure 4.5 kg / cm ² , speed 450 mm / min. Laminated under the conditions. After cooling to room temperature, the image receiving element and the toner element were separated from each other [step (E)]. As a result, a black toner image (toner layer) on the toner layer support was transferred onto the image receiving layer.

A cyan toner image was formed on a cyan toner element in the same manner as above using the new light sensitive element and the cyan toner element. The toner layer of the obtained toner element on which the cyan image is formed is superposed on the image receiving layer on which the black toner image is formed in a plane-to-plane relationship so that the recording line directions are orthogonal to each other. After laminating and separating under the same conditions, on the image receiving layer,
The orthogonal black and cyan lines were well transferred.

Then, the same operation is performed for the magenta toner element and the yellow toner element to form a multicolor image composed of four toner layers of black, cyan, magenta and yellow on the image receiving layer of the image receiving element. Formed.

An image receiving element having an image receiving layer on which a multicolor image is formed by transferring the above four color toner layers is superposed so that the art paper used for printing and the image receiving layer are in a face-to-face relationship. Together, they were laminated under the conditions of 125 ° C., pressure of 4.5 kg / cm ² , and speed of 450 mm / min. From the image receiving element side of this laminate, 1kW ultra high pressure mercury lamp, 100c
When the entire surface was irradiated with light at a distance of m, and then the image receiving element was peeled off [step (F)], it was confirmed that the four color toner image layers were transferred onto the art paper while being well adhered to each other. The obtained image was excellent in resolution, had no change in hue, and had few defects visually observed.

[0152]

According to the image forming method of the present invention, a color image can be obtained by the dry developing method. In particular, the image forming method of the present invention has a remarkable effect that the color proof can be directly obtained by the laser light digitally modulated by the image signal.

By the image forming method of the present invention, an image having a pigment as a coloring material can be formed on a printing actual paper, so that a proof having a high similarity to a printed matter can be obtained. The resulting image is free from discoloration due to the sensitizing dye.

Further, since the color matching is performed on the plastic support having excellent dimensional stability, the process stability is high and the mechanical strength of the obtained image is excellent.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is used in the image forming method of the first invention,
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section of an example of the photosensitive element.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view that schematically shows the state of the photosensitive layer when the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive element is imagewise exposed to actinic rays in the image forming method of the first invention.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of a toner element in which a latent image is formed on a photosensitive layer in the step (B) of the first invention and an example of a toner element being brought into contact with each other to prepare a laminate, and the laminate is formed in the step (C). It is sectional drawing which shows the state which exposes an active ray to the whole surface typically.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state where the toner element 21 is separated from the photosensitive element 11 in the step (D) of the first invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view that schematically shows a state in which an example of the toner element on which the image obtained in the step (D) of the second invention is formed and an example of the image receiving element are in contact with each other.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the support (b) 22 is separated from the image receiving element 31 in the step (E) of the second invention.

FIG. 7 shows an image of hue AA and hue BB according to the third invention.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the image of FIG. 3 is formed on the image receiving layer of the image receiving element.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Photosensitive Element 12 Support (a) 13 Photosensitive Layer 21 Toner Element 22 Support (b) 23 Toner Layer 31 Image Receiving Element 32 Support (c) 33 Image Receiving Layer AL Actinic Rays

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Fumiaki Shinozaki 200 Onakazato, Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A support (a) comprising a photosensitive layer (A) which exhibits tackiness when exposed to actinic rays and does not exhibit tackiness after exposure.
A step of forming a latent image by imagewise exposing actinic rays to the photosensitive layer of the above-mentioned photosensitive element, and (B) supporting the toner layer containing a coloring material and a binder on the photosensitive layer on which the latent image is formed. Body (b)
Stacking the toner layers of the above toner element in contact in a face-to-face relationship, (C) exposing the entire surface of the laminate of photosensitive element and toner element with actinic radiation, and (D)
The toner element is separated from the photosensitive element, the portion of the toner layer corresponding to the non-exposed portion of the photosensitive layer is transferred onto the photosensitive layer, and the portion of the toner layer corresponding to the exposed portion of the photosensitive layer is placed on the support (b). An image forming method, which comprises the step of forming an image of a toner layer on the support (b) while remaining. 2. A support (a) comprising a photosensitive layer (A) which exhibits tackiness when exposed to actinic rays and does not exhibit tackiness after exposure.
A step of forming a latent image by imagewise exposing actinic rays to the photosensitive layer of the above-mentioned photosensitive element, and (B) supporting the toner layer containing a coloring material and a binder on the photosensitive layer on which the latent image is formed. Body (b)
Stacking the toner layers of the above toner element in contact in a face-to-face relationship, (C) exposing the entire surface of the laminate of the photosensitive element and the toner element with actinic radiation, (D) a photosensitive element Away from the toner element, the portion of the toner layer corresponding to the unexposed portion of the photosensitive layer is transferred onto the photosensitive layer, and the portion of the toner layer corresponding to the exposed portion of the photosensitive layer remains on the support (b). Then, the step of forming an image composed of a toner layer on the support (b), and (E) the image forming toner layer on the support (b), the image-receiving layer having an adhesive surface c) contacting the image-receiving layer of the image-receiving element on it in a face-to-face relationship, then separating the toner element from the image-receiving element and transferring the image-formed toner layer to the image-receiving element. A characteristic image forming method. 3. A support (a) comprising a photosensitive layer (A) that exhibits tackiness when exposed to actinic rays and does not exhibit tackiness after exposure.
A step of forming a latent image by imagewise exposing actinic rays to the photosensitive layer of the above-mentioned photosensitive element, and (B) supporting the toner layer containing a coloring material and a binder on the photosensitive layer on which the latent image is formed. Body (b)
Stacking the toner layers of the above toner element in contact in a face-to-face relationship, (C) exposing the entire surface of the laminate of the photosensitive element and the toner element with actinic radiation, (D) a photosensitive element Away from the toner element, the portion of the toner layer corresponding to the unexposed portion of the photosensitive layer is transferred onto the photosensitive layer, and the portion of the toner layer corresponding to the exposed portion of the photosensitive layer remains on the support (b). Then, the step of forming an image composed of a toner layer on the support (b), and (E) the image forming toner layer on the support (b), the image-receiving layer having an adhesive surface c) contacting the image-receiving layer of the image-receiving element on the surface-to-face relationship, separating the toner element from the image-receiving element, and transferring the image-formed toner layer to the image-receiving element. Repeat sequentially for two or more different toner elements and one image receiving element Image forming method comprising forming a multicolor image Te.