JPH0632072A - Thermal transfer tape and thermal transfer tape cassette for thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a tape to be printed which can correspond to a simplified tape running drive system mechanism or the like of a thermal printer with a reduced thickness, a superior resistance to scuffing, and clear and various kinds of colors in the application to a thermal printer and to obtain a thermal transfer tape cassette for this tape. CONSTITUTION:A fixing layer 71 is formed on the surface of a tape substrate 70. An adhesive layer 72 is formed on the rear surface of the tape substrate 70. A medium having a large chemical affinity for a pigment or medium of a thermal ink contained in an ink layer 26b of a thermal ink sheet 26 and a coloring agent are incorporated in the fixing layer 71.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer tape and a thermal transfer tape cassette used in a thermal transfer printing apparatus (thermal transfer printer), and more specifically to a label, a tape, etc. on which characters, symbols and images are formed by the thermal transfer printing apparatus. And a thermal transfer tape cassette that accommodates the thermal transfer tape and a thermal ink sheet such as an ink ribbon.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A thermal transfer tape as described above is used to form predetermined characters, symbols and images by a thermal transfer printer (so-called label printer device) and is attached to the outer surface of an audio cassette tape or an article such as a file, It is used as a mark for the article. Such a thermal transfer tape is required to have a clear color due to its use as a mark and also to have high scratch resistance.

Therefore, in such a thermal transfer tape, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 8 of Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 1-104359, characters which are normal images on the back surface of the transparent tape, It has been proposed that a symbol is formed by a thermal transfer printer and a double-sided tape is provided on the back surface of this transparent tape.

However, in the above-mentioned thermal transfer tape, since the double-sided tape has to be attached to the transparent tape with considerable accuracy after the thermal transfer printing on the transparent tape is completed, it is necessary to attach the double-sided tape to the thermal transfer printer or the like with precision. However, there is a problem that the mechanism of the thermal transfer printer is complicated and the cost is increased. Furthermore, in this thermal transfer tape, since the double-sided tape is attached to the transparent tape after printing on the transparent tape, the tape base material is indispensable also for the double-sided tape, and the thickness in the attached state, that is, the used state is large. There was also the problem of becoming.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems in images, a thermal transfer tape having a fixing layer provided on the surface of a tape base material has been proposed in recent years (hereinafter referred to as prior art for convenience). According to this thermal transfer tape, since the fixing layer contains the medium material having a large chemical affinity to the heat-sensitive ink, the characters and symbols can be firmly formed on the surface of the fixing layer.

[0006]

However, even in the above-mentioned prior art, even though it was a thermal transfer tape having a high abrasion resistance and a small thickness, it was further desired to use the tape as a color tape. Nevertheless, a tape satisfying this demand has not yet been realized. Further, when a thermal transfer tape is applied to the surface of an article or the like, a tape having a light-shielding property such that characters or the like applied to the surface of the article or the like to which the tape is applied is not seen through is still realized. There wasn't. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, the thickness can be reduced, can be printed by a thermal transfer printer having a simple configuration, and also has excellent scratch resistance,
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer tape capable of realizing various colors and light shielding properties, and further an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer tape cassette suitable for housing the thermal transfer tape.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 is a tape substrate, a fixing agent for stabilizing a thermal ink and a coloring. A fixing layer containing an agent and provided on one surface of a tape substrate on which an image is formed by a thermal ink, and an adhesive layer formed on the back surface of the tape substrate and containing an adhesive. A heat transfer tape for a heat transfer printing apparatus according to the invention of claim 2 is configured by containing a light shielding agent for light shielding in a fixing layer instead of the colorant of the invention of claim 1.

A thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention contains a transparent tape base material, and a light shielding agent and an adhesive provided on one surface of the tape base material for light shielding. It has an adhesive layer and a coloring layer which is interposed between the adhesive layer and the tape substrate and contains a colorant. Further, a thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to the invention of claim 4 is a transparent tape base material, an adhesive layer containing an adhesive and provided on the other surface of the tape base material, and a light shielding tape. A light-shielding layer containing a light-shielding agent and provided between the adhesive layer and the tape substrate.

A thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention contains a colorant between the tape base material and the light shielding layer in addition to the thermal transfer tape of the fourth aspect. It is configured by interposing a colored layer. Furthermore, a thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention covers the exposed surface of the adhesive layer based on the thermal transfer tape according to any one of the first to fifth aspects. A mount is provided so that it can be peeled off.

Furthermore, a thermal transfer tape cassette for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to a seventh aspect includes a thermal transfer tape for the thermal transfer printing apparatus according to any one of the first and second aspects and a thermal ink on one surface. And a tape cassette main body for accommodating the thermal ink sheet and the thermal transfer tape with the ink layer of the thermal ink sheet and the fixing layer of the thermal transfer tape facing each other. A thermal transfer tape cassette for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 8 is provided with the thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6 and an ink layer containing thermal ink on one surface thereof. The heat-sensitive ink sheet, the heat-transfer tape for heat-transfer printing, and the heat-sensitive ink sheet, the surface of the tape base material of the heat-transfer tape, and the heat-sensitive ink Configured with a tape cassette body in which the ink layer over preparative accommodated in a state of opposing the.

[0011]

In the thermal transfer tape according to the first aspect, the fixing layer and the adhesive layer can be provided in advance on the tape base material before printing, and the tape withdrawing process before and after the printing can be easily performed. The mechanism of the printing device or the like is not complicated and the cost is not increased, and the double-sided tape or the like is unnecessary, and the thickness can be reduced. Since the fixing layer on the surface of which characters, symbols or images are formed by the thermal ink contains the fixing agent and the colorant, the thermal transfer tape firmly holds the thermal ink forming the image or the like, that is, with a large affinity. It can be fixed on the fixing layer, high abrasion resistance can be achieved, and a colorant can form a color tape having clear and various hues.

Similarly, the thermal transfer tape according to the second aspect can be thinned, the tape pulling out before and after printing can be easily performed, the mechanism of the printing apparatus can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced. High scratch resistance can be obtained for characters, symbols or images formed on the fixing layer. Since the fixing layer formed on the surface of the tape base material contains a light-shielding light-shielding agent in this thermal transfer tape, even if the tape is applied after thermal transfer printing, the printing characters applied to the adhered article It is possible to reliably prevent the symbols and the like from penetrating the tape base material and visually appearing on the surface.

Similarly, in the thermal transfer tapes according to claims 3, 4, 5, and 6, an adhesive layer or the like can be formed on the tape base material before printing, and the adhesive layer Since printing can be performed in a state where the components are integrated, it is possible to form adhesives with relatively high accuracy, and there is no need to attach double-sided tape after printing, so the mechanism of the printing device is simplified and the cost is low. Can be achieved.

Particularly, in the thermal transfer tape according to claim 3, a light-shielding agent is contained in the adhesive layer formed on the back surface of the transparent tape base material, and a coloring layer is provided between the tape base material and the adhesive layer. Since the above-mentioned structure is provided, it is possible to obtain a color tape having a light-shielding property. Further, the thermal transfer tape according to the fourth aspect can achieve a thin thermal transfer tape having a light shielding property by forming the light shielding layer on the lower surface of the tape base material. Furthermore, the thermal transfer tape according to the fifth aspect can be configured as a color tape having a clearer color because a dedicated coloring layer is provided. Furthermore, in the thermal transfer tape according to claim 6, the mount covering the adhesive layer can be assembled with high precision before printing, so that the mount can be prevented from peeling off during printing, and the adhesive layer can be partially removed. It is possible to prevent problems caused by exposure and the like.

Further, in the thermal transfer tape cassette according to the seventh and eighth aspects, since the novel thermal transfer tape and the thermal ink sheet are housed in the cassette body, the cassette body is mounted on the printing apparatus side. The configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a thermal transfer tape and a thermal transfer tape cassette for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a thermal transfer printing apparatus in which the thermal transfer tape cassette according to one embodiment is assembled. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the thermal transfer tape according to the first embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a label printer device which is a thermal transfer printer, and the label printer device 11
In the case main body 12, the printing mechanism 30 and the cutter mechanism 40 are assembled, and a cassette accommodating portion (not shown) and a label outlet (not shown) are formed. The printing mechanism 30 is provided between the cassette housing portion and the label outlet,
The cutter mechanism 40 is arranged close to the label outlet. Although detailed illustration is omitted, a label cassette (thermal transfer tape cassette) 20 is accommodated in the cassette accommodating portion, and a drive shaft of a drive mechanism for tape traveling drive projects from the inside of the case body 12.

The label cassette 20 is a cassette case 21 constructed by assembling a plurality of half members in a separable manner.
The cassette case 21 is detachably mounted in the cassette housing portion. The cassette case 21 has a recess 21a formed in the upper part of the drawing so as to face the printing mechanism 30.
As will be described later, the printing mechanism 30 is provided in the recess 21a in the mounted state.
The print head, etc. are located.

Although not shown in detail in the cassette case 21, a reel base 27 for label tape, a reel base 28 for supplying an ink ribbon, and a reel base 29 for winding an ink ribbon are rotated inside. Freely supported and further a plurality of guide rollers 21b (only one is shown)
Is supported. The guide roller 21b is arranged so as to send out the label tape 23 and the ink ribbon 26 in an overlapping state, as described later. Although detailed description is omitted, in the cassette case 21, the label tape reel base 27 and the ink ribbon winding reel base 29 are connected to the drive shaft in a state where the cassette case 21 is mounted in the cassette housing portion. Reel stand 27, 29 when printing
Is rotationally driven by the drive shaft and sends out the label tape 23 and the ink ribbon 26.

The label tape reel base of the cassette case 21 holds the label tape (heat transfer tape) 23 wound around the reel, and supplies the ink ribbon supply reel base 28 and the ink ribbon winding reel base 29. Ink ribbon (heat-sensitive ink sheet) that is wound around the reel between
The bridge 6 is retained. As will be described in detail later, the label tape 23 has a multi-layer structure in which a fixing layer, an adhesive layer and the like are laminated on a transparent base material, and is guided to the printing mechanism 30 from the cassette case 21 by a guide roller 21b. The label tape 23 has the fixing layer surface superposed on the ink layer of the ink ribbon 26 at the guide roller 21b, and is sent to the printing mechanism 30 in the superposed state, and the printing mechanism 30 prints characters, figures, images, etc. on the fixing layer surface. Is formed.

The ink ribbon 26 is, as shown in FIG.
The thermal ink layer 26b is laminated on the base film layer 26a. The base film 26a is formed by molding a synthetic resin such as polyester into a film shape.
The heat-sensitive ink layer 26b contains heat-meltable ink or heat-sublimable ink. The heat-sensitive ink layer 26b includes, for example, a wax material such as carnauba wax, microcrystalline wax, or paraffin wax, or a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene resin, acrylic resin, or ionomer resin as a medium, to which a pigment such as carbon black or graphite is added. Configured.

The unused portion of the ink ribbon 26 is held on the supply reel stand 28, and the supply reel stand 28 is used.
Is sent to the winding reel stand 29, and the used portion is wound on the reel on the winding reel stand 29. As described above, in the ink ribbon 26, the surface of the heat-sensitive ink layer 26b is superposed with the surface of the fixing layer of the label tape 23 from the middle in the cassette case 21,
The sheets are sent to the printing mechanism 30 in a superposed state.

The printing mechanism 30 has a platen 31 supported by a platen shaft 33 on the case main body 12, and a print head 32 supported so as to be able to approach and separate from the platen 31, and the platen 31 and the printing are performed. Head 3
2 is arranged at a position corresponding to the recess 21a of the cassette case 21 when mounted. The print head 32 has a heating element connected to the drive circuit, and the characters to be formed by this heating element,
Heat is generated according to figures, images, etc. This printing mechanism 30
The label tape 2 is provided between the platen 31 and the print head 32.
3 and the ink ribbon 26 are fed in a state where the ink ribbon 26 is positioned on the print head 32 side and overlap each other (see FIG. 2), and the heat of the heating element of the print head 32 transfers the ink of the ink ribbon 26 to label the label. Characters, figures, images, etc. are formed on the tape 23.

In the cutter mechanism 40, a cutter lever 41 is supported in the vicinity of the above-mentioned label outlet by a rotating shaft 42 so as to be swingable in the directions of arrows A and B in the drawing.
A lever gear 43 is provided integrally with the first gear 1. The cutter lever 41 is formed in an arc shape that can be easily operated manually, and is biased in the arrow A direction by a torsion spring 44. A cutter gear 46, which is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 45, meshes with the lever gear 43.
6 is engaged with an engagement pin (not shown) that is planted in the cutter holder 47. Although not explicitly shown in the drawing, the cutter holder 46 is provided with a cutter and is supported by a guide pin so as to be vertically movable. The cutter mechanism 40 includes a cutter lever 41.
By this operation, the cutter holder 46 moves up and down, and the printed label tape 23 discharged from the label discharge port is cut by the cutter.

The label tape 23, as shown in FIG.
A fixing layer 71 is provided on the surface of the tape substrate 70,
An adhesive layer 72 is provided on the back surface of the adhesive layer 72, and the adhesive layer 72 is covered with a release mount 73. The tape base material 70 is made of a synthetic resin such as polyester, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polycarbonate, and an adhesive layer 72.
Is made of white gray paste or the like, and the release mount 73 is made of glassine paper, condenser paper, or the like.

The fixing layer 71 contains a fixing agent and a coloring agent,
The fixing agent is the thermal ink layer 26 of the ink ribbon 26 described above.
It is composed of a material such as polypropylene or polyimide for the heat sensitive ink layer 26b containing the polypropylene resin or the acrylic resin, which is the same as the medium material of b or has a large chemical affinity,
An organic dye or pigment is used as the colorant. The label tape 23 includes a tape base 70, a fixing layer 71,
The adhesive layer 72 and the release liner 73 are all assembled and pre-wound on a reel, and in this state, the label cassette 20 is mounted.

In this embodiment, the label cassette 2
0 holds the label tape 23 on the reel stand 27 and holds it,
In addition, the ink ribbon 26 is wound and held between the reel stands 28 and 29, and the surface of the fixing layer 71 of the label tape 23 and the surface of the heat-sensitive ink layer 26b of the ink ribbon 26 are overlapped and printed from the cassette case 21. It is sent to the mechanism 30. That is, the label cassette 20 is delivered to the printing mechanism 30 in a state where the image forming surface of the label tape 23 and the ink containing layer of the ink ribbon 26 are in contact with each other.
Then, the print mechanism 30 presses the print head 32 into contact with the ink ribbon 26 to heat the ink ribbon 26 in accordance with characters, figures, images, etc. to be formed.
The fixing layer 7 of the label tape 23 is the pigment 6b together with the medium.
1 is transferred onto the label tape 23, and characters, figures, images, etc. are formed on the label tape 23. After this, printed label tape 23
Is sent out from the tape outlet and is cut into a desired length by the cutter mechanism 40.

Here, the label tape 23 is composed of the adhesive layer 72.
It is accommodated in the cassette case 21 in a state in which the parts up to are formed, and it is not necessary to attach a double-sided tape or the like later. Therefore, the overall thickness can be reduced, the processing such as pulling out the label tape 23 is easy, and the configurations of the tape cassette 20 and the label printer device 11 can be simplified mechanically.

Further, the label tape 23 and the ink ribbon 2
In the cassette case 21, the fixing layer 71 and the thermal ink layer 26b are superposed and contact with each other, and in a contact state, the fixing layer 71 is sent out from the cassette case 21 toward the printing mechanism 30. Therefore, the label printer device 11 is
Ink ribbon 26 and label tape 2 around the printing mechanism 30
The mechanism for superimposing 3 and 3 is unnecessary, the configuration can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, the label tape 23 contains a medium material having the same chemical affinity or a large chemical affinity as the medium material of the thermal ink layer 26b of the ink ribbon 26, that is, the thermal ink layer 26 containing polypropylene resin or acrylic resin.
Since b is composed of a polypropylene or polyimide resin, the pigment transferred from the heat-sensitive ink layer 26b can be firmly held, excellent scratch resistance, and highly durable characters, figures, images, etc. can get. Furthermore,
In the label tape 23 of this embodiment, the fixing layer 71, which is the outermost surface in use, contains a colorant. Therefore, the label tape 23 can achieve clear, vivid, and various colors, and high commercial value can be obtained.

FIG. 3 shows a label tape according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment and the embodiments to be described later, the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 3, this second
In the embodiment, a light shielding agent is added in place of the colorant of the fixing layer 71 in the label tape 23 in the first embodiment to form the light shielding fixing layer 71a. In the second embodiment, the tape base 70 is invisible in use, that is, the effect of the tape base 70 on the aesthetic appearance is eliminated. Therefore, a large degree of freedom can be obtained in selecting the material of the tape base material 70. Since the fixing layer 71a having a light blocking effect can block light without providing a special light blocking layer, it is possible to further reduce the thickness and reduce the cost.

FIG. 4 shows a label tape according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the label tape 23 of the third embodiment, the tape base material 70 is made of a transparent material (for convenience,
70a), a colored layer 77 is provided between the adhesive layer 72a and the tape base material 70a, and a light shielding agent such as titanium powder is added to the adhesive layer 72a itself. Is. Also in this third embodiment, the work (process) such as sticking the double-sided tape before and after printing is unnecessary, the handling such as tape withdrawal is easy, and the thickness can be reduced. In addition, also in the third embodiment and the embodiments described later, the fixing layer 71 may be provided on the surface of the tape base material 70a (see the phantom line in the figure), and the tape base material 70a itself may be a heat-sensitive ink layer. 26b can be made of a material having a high affinity for the pigment and the like.

Further, FIG. 5 shows a label tape according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the label tape 23 of the fourth embodiment, a light shielding layer 78 is provided between the tape base material 70a and the adhesive layer 72 instead of the colored layer 77 of the third embodiment. The light shielding layer 78 is formed by depositing, plating or applying gold, silver or aluminum.

Furthermore, FIG. 6 shows a label tape according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the label tape 23 of the fifth embodiment, a coloring layer 77 and a light shielding layer 78 are provided between the tape base material 70a and the adhesive layer 72.
In the fourth and fifth embodiments, in addition to the operation of the third embodiment, the tape base material 70a is formed of a colored transparent material or the like to produce a more gorgeous aesthetic and stereoscopic image. It also has the ability to do it.

In each of the above embodiments, the adhesive layer 7
Although the release liner 73 that covers 2 is provided, the release liner is not necessarily essential for realizing the present invention, and a configuration without the release liner can be adopted.

[0036]

As described above, according to the thermal transfer tape of the invention described in claim 1, since the fixing layer and the adhesive layer are formed on the tape substrate, the printing surface on the tape substrate is Since transparent protective tape or double-sided tape for protection is unnecessary, the overall thickness of the tape can be reduced, and because the entire thickness is thin, it can be easily handled as a label tape. Since a mechanism for adhering to the double-sided tape is unnecessary, it is possible to prevent the mechanism such as a printing device from becoming complicated.

Furthermore, in the invention according to the first aspect, since the coloring agent is further added to the fixing layer containing the medium material having a large affinity for the heat-sensitive ink, a special coloring layer is formed. Without doing so, a color tape having a clear color, that is, a label tape having an excellent appearance can be obtained.

According to the invention described in claim 2,
Since the light-shielding agent is added to the fixing layer instead of the colorant,
In addition to the effect of reducing the thickness of the invention according to claim 1, even when the tape base material is attached to the surface of an article or the like via an adhesive layer, the characters applied to the surface of the attached article or the like It is possible to allow a shape, a figure, and the like to pass through the tape base material so that they cannot be seen from the surface of the tape base material, and a great degree of freedom can be obtained in selecting the material of the tape base material.

Similarly, also in the thermal transfer tapes according to claims 3, 4, 5, and 6, an adhesive layer or the like can be formed on the tape base material before printing, and the adhesive layer Since printing can be performed in a state where the components are integrated, it is possible to form adhesives with relatively high accuracy, and there is no need to attach double-sided tape after printing, so the mechanism of the printing device is simplified and the cost is low. Can be achieved.

Particularly, in the thermal transfer tape according to claim 3, a light-shielding agent is contained in the adhesive layer formed on the back surface of the transparent tape base material, and a colored layer is provided between the tape base material and the adhesive layer. Since the above-mentioned structure is provided, it is possible to obtain a color tape having a light-shielding property. Further, the thermal transfer tape according to the fourth aspect can achieve a thin thermal transfer tape having a light shielding property by forming the light shielding layer on the lower surface of the tape base material.

Further, in the heat transfer tape according to the fifth aspect, since a dedicated coloring layer is provided, a color tape having a clearer color can be constructed. Furthermore, in the thermal transfer tape according to claim 6, the mount covering the adhesive layer can be assembled with high precision before printing, so that the mount can be prevented from peeling off during printing, and the adhesive layer can be partially removed. It is possible to prevent problems caused by exposure and the like.

Further, in the thermal transfer tape cassette according to the seventh and the eighth aspects, since the novel thermal transfer tape and the thermal ink sheet are housed in the cassette body, the cassette body is mounted on the printing apparatus side. The configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a thermal transfer device to which a thermal transfer tape and a thermal transfer tape cassette according to the present invention are applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the thermal transfer tape according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a thermal transfer tape according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a thermal transfer tape according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a thermal transfer tape according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a thermal transfer tape according to the fifth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Label Printer Device (Thermal Transfer Printing Device) 20 Label Cassette (Thermal Transfer Tape Cassette) 21 Cassette Case 23 Label Tape (Thermal Transfer Tape) 26 Ink Ribbon (Thermal Ink Sheet) 26b Thermal Ink Layer 70, 70a Tape Base Material 71, 71a Fixing Layer 72, 72a Adhesive layer 73 Release mount 77 Coloring layer 78 Light-shielding layer

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A tape base material, a fixing layer formed on the surface of the tape base material and containing a fixing agent for stabilizing thermal ink and a colorant, and an adhesive formed on the back surface of the tape base material. A thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus, which comprises: 2. A tape base material, a fixing layer formed on the surface of the tape base material, the fixing layer containing a fixing agent for stabilizing thermal ink and a light shielding agent for shading, and formed on the back surface of the tape base material. And an adhesive layer containing an adhesive, and a thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing device. 3. A transparent tape base material, an adhesive layer formed on the back surface of the tape base material and containing a light-shielding agent for light shielding and an adhesive, and the adhesive layer and the tape base material. A thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus, comprising: a colored layer interposed between the colored layers and containing a colorant. 4. A transparent tape base material, an adhesive layer formed on the back surface of the tape base material and containing an adhesive, and interposed between the adhesive layer and the tape base material. A thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing device, comprising: a light-shielding layer. 5. The thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a coloring layer containing a coloring agent is interposed between the tape base material and the light shielding layer. A thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printer. 6. The thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing device according to claim 1, wherein the exposed surface of the adhesive layer is covered with a removable mount. Thermal transfer tape for printing equipment. 7. A thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1, a thermal ink sheet having an ink layer containing thermal ink formed on one surface thereof, and the thermal ink sheet. A thermal transfer tape cassette for a thermal transfer printing apparatus, comprising: the thermal transfer tape; and a tape cassette main body that accommodates an ink layer of a thermal ink sheet and a fixing layer of the thermal transfer tape so as to face each other. 8. A thermal transfer tape for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 3, a thermal ink sheet having an ink layer containing thermal ink on one surface thereof, and a thermal transfer sheet for these thermal transfer printings. A thermal transfer tape and a thermal ink sheet, and a tape cassette main body for accommodating the surface of the tape base material of the thermal transfer tape and the ink layer of the thermal ink sheet facing each other, and a thermal transfer printing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. Thermal transfer tape cassette.