JPH0585066A - Image receiving paper for thermal transfer recording - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide high printing quality of high sensitivity by improving the irregularity or missing of printing of image receiving paper for thermal transfer recording utilizing a heatsublimable dye. CONSTITUTION:An intermediate layer containing a polyurethane ionomer resin is provided to the surface of a support composed of plain paper and an image receiving layer receiving a transfer image from a color transfer sheet is further provided thereon.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording using a heat sublimation dye, and more particularly, an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer recording capable of obtaining a high-quality and high-sensitivity transferred image without printing unevenness or missing. Regarding paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A thermal recording system which can obtain a recorded image at the same time as an input signal is used in various fields such as a facsimile, a computer terminal printer, and a measuring instrument printer because the apparatus is relatively simple and inexpensive and has low noise. Has been done. As a recording medium used in these thermal recording systems, so-called color-forming type thermal recording paper, which is provided with a recording layer that physically and chemically changes by heating to form a color, is most commonly used.

However, the color-developing type thermosensitive recording paper is liable to cause unnecessary color development during the manufacturing process and storage, and the recorded image is inferior in storage stability, and is discolored by contact with an organic solvent or chemicals. There is a drawback that causes the phenomenon.

Therefore, a recording method using a colored coloring material itself has been proposed as a recording medium replacing the color-developing thermosensitive recording paper. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 51-15446 discloses a solid or half-colored recording medium. Coloring material that is solid, paper,
It is coated on a support such as a polymer film, the color material on the support is brought into contact with the recording paper, and the color material on the support is heated by the thermal recording head to selectively select this color material. There has been proposed a method of obtaining a recorded image by transferring the image to a recording medium.

In this recording method, a coloring material on a support is melted, evaporated or sublimated by heat and transferred to a recording paper to obtain a recorded image by adhesion, adsorption or dyeing. There is a feature that paper can be used. In particular, in a recording method using a sublimable dye as a color material, an image excellent in gradation can be obtained, and therefore application to full color recording has been attempted.

However, when plain paper is used as the recording paper, dyeing is not particularly likely to occur, and not only the color density of the recorded image is low, but also a marked fading phenomenon occurs over time. Therefore, as described in JP-A-57-107885, U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,484 and the like, an image-receiving paper on which an image-receiving layer containing a thermoplastic resin as a main component is formed is used. Storability is improved.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-238791,
As disclosed in JP-A-61-277493 and the like, when the resin is crosslinked to improve the physical properties of the thermoplastic resin, or when printing is performed, the color material layer surface of the transfer sheet and the image receiving paper are used. In order to prevent the recording from being impossible due to fusion with the surface of the image receiving layer of JP-A No. 60-212374, a releasing material may be contained in the image-receiving layer or JP-A-62-62174. As disclosed in JP-A-222895, various proposals have been made for the purpose of improving printability and preventing fusion by using a resin modified with silicone or the like in the image receiving layer.

[0008] However, a plain paper having a sheet in which cellulose fibers are intertwined as a base material is not always excellent in smoothness, and always has unevenness due to texture. When such plain paper is subjected to smoothing treatment with a super calendar or the like, for example, the measured value of the smoothness with a Beck's smoothness meter etc. is improved, but unevenness of texture is not fundamentally corrected, It exists as unevenness. The presence of this unevenness causes unevenness in the adhesion between the color material layer surface of the transfer sheet and the image-receiving layer surface of the image-receiving paper, which in turn causes printing unevenness and missing, resulting in poor image quality and density.

In order to improve such a defect, it is necessary to provide a coating layer on the surface of the support as an intermediate layer for concealing unevenness of formation. However, any intermediate layer is not necessary as long as it can hide the unevenness, and depending on the nature of the coating layer, it is often the case that the image receiving layer cannot be effectively provided on the surface thereof.

[0010]

In view of the present situation, the inventors of the present invention have found the following as a result of earnest research on the improvement of printing unevenness and missing of the image receiving paper for thermal transfer recording, and have completed the present invention. Came to do.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an image-receiving paper for thermal transfer recording, which comprises an image-receiving layer for receiving a transfer image from a color material transfer sheet using a heat sublimable dye on the surface of a plain paper support. 2. An image-receiving paper for thermal transfer recording characterized in that an intermediate layer containing a polyurethane ionomer resin is provided between the support and the image-receiving layer.

[0012]

The image-receiving paper for thermal transfer recording of the present invention is free from uneven printing and missing due to the constitution in which an intermediate layer containing a polyurethane ionomer resin is provided on the surface of a support and further an image-receiving layer is provided. It is possible to obtain high-quality and high-sensitivity printing quality.

The intermediate layer will be described below. The intermediate layer in the present invention contains a polyurethane ionomer resin, and may further contain any one of a zirconium crosslinking agent, an aziridine crosslinking agent and an epoxy crosslinking agent. Further, any one of an inorganic pigment, an organic pigment, an aqueous solution of a water-soluble resin, an aqueous emulsion of a synthetic resin, an aqueous suspension and the like can be used in combination as long as the effect of the polyurethane ionomer resin is not impaired.

Examples of the zirconium-based cross-linking agent here include
For example (NH_Four)₂ZrO (CO₃) ₂, ZrOCl₂・
8H₂O, ZrO (OH) Cl ・ nH₂O, ZrOSO
_Four・ NH₂O, ZrO (NO₃)₂・ NH₂O, ZrO
CO₃・ NH₂O, ZrO (OH)₂・ NH₂O, Zr
O (C₂H₃O₂)₂And so on.

The aziridine-based crosslinking agent is N-stearyl N, N'-ethyleneurea, diphenylmethane-bis-44'-N, N'-diethyleneurea, 2,
2'-bishydroxymethylbutanol-tris [3-
A typical example is (1-aziridinyl) propionate.

The epoxy type crosslinking agent is ethylene,
It is represented by propylene glycol diglycidyl ether, propylene, polypropylene glycol diglycidyl ether, polyglycerol polyglycidyl ether and the like.

As the inorganic pigment, calcium carbonate, kaolin, titanium oxide, aluminum hydroxide, barium sulfate and the like are preferably used. As the organic pigment, urea resin fine particles, polystyrene resin fine particles, benzoguanamine resin fine particles, acrylic resin fine particles and the like are preferably used.

Examples of the water-soluble resin include polyacrylamide, various resins containing a carboxyl group and a hydroxyl group, such as carboxyl group-containing polyethylene, polyvinyl alcohol, and cellulose resin.

As the synthetic resin constituting the aqueous emulsion and the aqueous suspension, polyacrylic acid ester,
Polymethacrylic acid ester, polyolefin, polybutadiene, polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyurethane, polyester, etc., alkali soluble type, alkali swelling type, alkali non-swelling type, deformed polymer and co-polymer Can be used as a united body.

If desired, starch, modified starch, a binder such as a protein adhesive, an antioxidant, a dye, a defoaming agent, a surfactant, and other auxiliaries may be added.

This coating solution uses a known blade coater, air knife coater, bar coater, rod blade coater, roll coater, gravure coater, curtain coater, etc., and has a dry weight of 3 g / m ² or more,
It is preferably formed by coating and drying at 8 to 30 g / m ² .

The advantages of providing an intermediate layer between the support and the image receiving layer are as follows. The image quality is improved by smoothing the surface of the support or imparting cushioning properties to enhance the adhesion between the thermal transfer recording color material transfer sheet and the image receiving paper. The image receiving layer penetrates into the support,
The image quality is improved by preventing the surface of the image receiving paper from being insufficiently covered. It suppresses the heat applied from the thermal head from escaping to the support and improves the thermal efficiency of the image receiving paper. Further, depending on the nature of the support or the quality required for the image receiving paper, a structure having two or more layers can be adopted.

In the present invention, the image receiving layer provided on the intermediate layer functions to receive the dye transferred from the color material transfer sheet, and so-called dyeing resins in the technical field are used. It is used, and specifically contains the following synthetic resins. As having an ester bond,
Polyester resin, polyacrylic ester resin, polycarbonate resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, styrene acrylate resin, vinyl toluene acrylate resin, etc.
Polyurethane resin, etc. that has a urethane bond. Polyamide resin and the like having an amide bond. Urea resins and the like that have a urea bond.

The image-receiving layer is any one of these resins,
Alternatively, a combination of two or more types, known blade coater, air knife coater, bar coater, rod blade coater, roll coater, gravure coater,
Using a curtain coater, etc., the dry weight is 1 g /
It is formed by applying and drying m ² or more, preferably about ² to 10 g / m ² . In addition, if necessary, an antistatic agent, an ultraviolet absorber, an anti-fusing agent, an antioxidant, a dye, an antifoaming agent, a surfactant, a pigment such as colloidal silica, a cross-linking agent and other auxiliaries are added. Is also good.

Next, the support will be described. Plain paper is used for the support. Plain paper here means art paper, coated paper, lightweight coated paper, lightly coated paper, coated paper such as cast coated paper, dull type, matte type coated paper, fine paper, medium quality paper, Non-coated paper such as super calendered paper and glossy base paper.

The reason why a high-quality and high-sensitivity image without print unevenness or transfer mark can be obtained by providing this intermediate layer is not necessarily clear, but is presumed as follows. That is, the polyurethane ionomer-based resin used in the intermediate layer of the present invention has a considerably higher film-forming property than ordinary acrylic resins, SBR resins, MBR resins, etc. Is considered to have a strong barrier property to the coating solution for the image-receiving layer, prevent the coating solution for the image-receiving layer from penetrating into the intermediate layer, and provide the image-receiving layer efficiently. Furthermore, the coating amount is 3 as the dry weight.
If it is less than g / m ^2, it is insufficient to obtain the desired effect.
When it is 0 g / m ² or more, the effect is not significantly changed, and it is considered that it is not desirable from the economical point of view.

[0027]

EXAMPLES Examples will be described below to more specifically describe the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Further, “parts” and “%” in the text represent “parts by weight” and “% by weight”, respectively, converted into solid content unless otherwise specified.

Example 1 An intermediate layer coating material was prepared and smeared as follows to form a back surface treatment layer. Kaolin [Product name: Ultra White-90,
E. M. C. Manufactured by the company] 50 parts are dispersed in water to obtain a solid content of 5
It was set to 0%. Further, 50 parts of a polyurethane ionomer resin [trade name: Hydran APX-101H, manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.] was added to this, and water was added to adjust the solid content concentration to 30%. This, dry weight fine paper of 101g / m ² to form an intermediate layer was plated dried with a wire bar so as to be 10 g / m ^2.

Next, a back surface treatment layer coating material was prepared as follows,
A backside treatment layer was provided by smearing. Kaolin [trade name: Ultra White-90, E.I. M. C. 90 parts by weight, and 10 parts by weight calcium carbonate [trade name: BF-100, manufactured by Bihoku Powder Co., Ltd.] were dispersed in water to have a solid content concentration of 50%. Furthermore, as a binder, a glass transition point 4
5 ℃ acrylic emulsion [Product name: Aron A-10
4, Toa Gosei Co., Ltd.] 20 parts, and water,
The solid content concentration was 35%. This was smeared and dried on the back surface of the high-quality paper provided with the intermediate layer with a wire bar so that the dry weight was 15 g / m ² , to form a back surface treatment layer.

Next, an image receiving layer coating material was prepared in the following manner, and this was smeared on the surface of the intermediate layer to form an image receiving layer. 100 parts of polyester resin [trade name: Vylon 200, manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.], amino-modified silicone [trade name: KF-
393, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.] 0.5 parts, epoxy-modified silicone [trade name: X-22-343, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.] 0.5 parts methyl ethyl ketone / toluene (weight ratio 1: 1 ) In the mixture with stirring with a mixer and dissolved to obtain an image receiving layer coating liquid having a solid content of 15%.

A dry weight of 7 g was applied to the surface of the barrier layer.
After being smeared and dried with a wire bar so as to be / m ² , super calendering treatment was performed to obtain an image receiving paper for thermal transfer recording.
The super calender conditions are: linear pressure 90 kg / cm, chrome-plated metal roll surface temperature 70 ° C, paper passing speed 5 m /
The number of times of paper passing was 2 times.

On the image-receiving paper for thermal transfer recording thus obtained,
Sublimation transfer printer [Product name: Color video printer
GZ-21B, manufactured by Sharp Co., Ltd.] was used for printing, the quality was evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 2 Thermal transfer was carried out by changing the image receiving layer in Example 1 as follows.
A recording image receiving paper was prepared. Alcohol-modified silicone
Il [Product name: Torre Silicone SF-8427, To
Resilicone Co., Ltd.] 10 parts of colloidal silica (trade
Product name: Adelite AT-30A, manufactured by Asahi Denka Co., Ltd.] 15
Part, water-based modified urethane resin [Product name: Hydran AP-
40, manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.] 100 parts, Epo
Kyoxy-modified silicone oil [Product name: PORON MF-1
1, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.] 3 parts, crosslinking catalyst [trade name: CA
Talyst PA-20, manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.]
Two parts were added to prepare an image receiving layer paint. This is the barrier
Dry weight of 7g / m on layer surface ²So that the wire bar
Smeared dry. Other than that, as in Example 1, supermarket
Render processing and evaluation were performed, and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 3 As Example 2 except that 5 parts of a zirconium-based cross-linking agent [trade name: Zircosol AC-7, manufactured by Daiichi Rare Element Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.] was added to the intermediate layer coating composition. The image receiving paper for thermal transfer recording obtained in the same manner was evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 4 In Example 2, the intermediate layer paint was further coated with an aziridine-based crosslinking agent [trade name: Ionac PFAZ-322, SYB.
RON CHEMICAL Inc. (Manufactured by (USA)] An image-receiving paper for thermal transfer recording obtained in the same manner as in Example 2 except that 2 parts was added was evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 5 In the same manner as in Example 2 except that 5 parts of an epoxy-based crosslinking agent [trade name: Denacol EX-512, manufactured by Nagase Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd.] was added to the intermediate layer paint. The image-receiving paper for thermal transfer recording thus obtained was evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 6 In Example 2, the kaolin [trade name:
Ultra White-90, E.I. M. C. Company] 10 parts,
Polyurethane ionomer resin [trade name: Hydran APX-101H, manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.] The image receiving paper for thermal transfer recording obtained in the same manner as in Example 2 was evaluated except that the amount was 90 parts, and the results are shown in a table. Shown in 1.

Comparative Example 1 An image receiving paper for thermal transfer recording was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the intermediate layer was not provided, and the evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 2 An image receiving paper for thermal transfer recording was prepared in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the intermediate layer was not provided, and the evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[0040]

[Table 1]

[0041]

As is clear from the results of the examples, good results were obtained with the thermal transfer image-receiving paper of the present invention.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A thermal transfer recording image-receiving paper comprising an image-receiving layer for receiving a transfer image from a color material transfer sheet using a heat-sublimable dye on the surface of a plain paper support. An image receiving paper for thermal transfer recording, characterized in that an intermediate layer containing a polyurethane ionomer resin is provided therebetween. 2. The paper for thermal transfer recording according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer contains a zirconium-based crosslinking agent, an aziridine-based crosslinking agent, or an epoxy-based crosslinking agent.