JPH06336043A - Heat transfer recording method and device thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the heating by large capacity possible, realize favorable heat responsiveness and, at the same time, make pre-heating unnecessary by a method wherein coloring material is transferred from heat transfer sheet to the sheet to be heat-transferred in order to form image and, after that, transparent protective layer is treated to be transferred with a line heater. CONSTITUTION:On radiating board 1, heat resistance layer 6 made of glass or the like is formed and then line-like exothermic resistor 2 is formed by thin film formation technique and, at the same time, energizing lead wire 3 to the exothermic resistor 2 is formed so as to coat the resistor 2 and the wire 3 with oxidation resistant layer 4 and wear resistant layer 5 in order to form a line heater 40. At heat transfer recording, firstly heat transfer film 21 delivered from a roll 30 is urged against image receiving paper 22 between a thermal head 24 and a platen roll 32 so as to carry out heat transfer-recording onto the image receiving paper 22 through heating with the thermal head 24, which generates heat in response to image signal. After that, by urging transparent protective layer transferring sheet 36 against the image receiving paper 42 through the line heater 40, transparent protective layer is heat-transferred onto the surface of the image receiving paper 42.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording method and apparatus having a thermal transfer means for forming a transparent protective layer on the surface of an image printed by thermal transfer recording.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Thermal transfer recording printers include melt transfer recording printers and sublimation transfer recording printers. Especially, the transfer mechanism of the sublimation transfer printer suitable for gradation expression is
For example, it is as shown in FIG. The transfer film (thermal transfer sheet) 21 is formed by laminating a heat resistant slipping layer 21a, a transfer base material 21b, and a sublimation transfer layer 21c with a primer interposed to improve adhesion of a coating material to a base material. . A film that has been subjected to an easy-adhesion treatment may be used. The heat resistant slipping layer 21a is a mixture of polyvinyl butyral, polyisocyanate and phosphoric acid ester, the transfer base material 21b is polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, etc., and the sublimation transfer layer 21c is an indoaniline type, pyrazolone type, azo type, etc. Sublimable dyes, polyvinyl acetal, and cellulosic binders. Further, the image receiving paper (heat transfer sheet) 22 is an image receiving layer 22.
b, the image receiving paper base material 22a is laminated with a primer interposed, the image receiving layer 22b is saturated polyester, vinyl chloride, etc., the base material 22a is synthetic paper, expanded polyester, expanded polypropylene, etc., the back surface layer is a binder, a lubricant,
It is made up of coating agents, etc. Further, the vinyl chloride resin itself may be used as the receiving layer.

An image receiving paper 22 is provided around the platen roll 23.
Is wound around, and the transfer film 21 is superposed on the transfer film 21 in a state of being closely attached to the transfer film 21.
The sublimation transfer dye is transferred by heating by being brought into contact with the back surface of the above and is attached to the image receiving layer 22b to be dyed.
In the sublimation transfer device, the dye transfers to the image receiving layer by the amount of applied heat, so that gradation can be recorded according to the amount of heat for each pixel dot. Normally, an overprint (OP) layer is formed on the printing surface of a heat-transferred sheet having an image formed thereon for protection. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, in the case of a frame-sequential thermal transfer film including Y, M, and C ink regions, a heat transfer transparent protective layer (OP layer) is provided adjacent to the ink regions.
Area is provided, and the OP layer is thermally transferred using a thermal head. In addition to this, using a dedicated transparent protective layer transfer sheet, a thermal head, a hot stamper, a heat roll or the like is used to thermally transfer the OP layer onto the printed surface after image formation.

[0004]

By the way, in the method of forming the OP layer by using the thermal head, since the thermal head is heated and cooled in a pulse shape and this is repeated,
Further, the thermal head has a large number of heating resistors arranged in a pixel unit in the main scanning direction. Since a non-heating portion is generated between electrodes in the main scanning direction, it is difficult to uniformly heat the transferred O.
Cracks are likely to occur in the P layer. If cracks occur in the OP layer, oxygen easily enters through the cracks, which is disadvantageous in terms of weatherability and causes deterioration of durability. Also, the thermal head has a small amount of heat that can be applied during transfer,
Not suitable for transfer of thick film or OP layer with poor foil cutting. OP using hot stamper and heat roll
In the method of forming a layer, it takes time to reach a predetermined temperature, so it is necessary to heat (preheat) the stamper or heat roll for a non-printing time in order to speed up the printing response. Becomes larger,
There are also safety issues. The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer recording method and apparatus capable of heating a large capacity, having good thermal responsiveness, and eliminating the need for preheating.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a thermal transfer sheet in which a heat transferable color material layer is provided on at least one surface of a base sheet, and a receiving layer on at least one surface of the base sheet. The thermal transfer sheet provided is pressure-contacted between the thermal head and the platen roller so that the color material layer and the receiving layer overlap, and the thermal head generates heat according to the image data,
An image is formed by transfer of the heat transferable color material contained in the color material layer to the receiving layer, and in the heat transfer recording method in which the heat transferable transparent protective layer is transferred to the surface of the printed matter after image formation, The transfer of the protective layer is performed by using a line heater. Further, the heating temperature of the line heater is detected by a thermistor to control the temperature. Further, the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention has a receptive layer provided on at least one surface of a thermal transfer sheet and a base sheet on which a heat transferable color material layer is provided on at least one surface of a substrate sheet. The first transfer means for transferring the heat-transferred sheet, and the transferred heat-transfer sheet and the heat-transferred sheet between the first platen roller under pressure to generate heat according to the image data to heat the heat-transfer sheet. A thermal head for transferring the heat transferable color material contained in the color material layer to the receiving layer of the thermal transfer sheet, and a heat transferable transparent protective layer provided on at least one surface of the base material sheet. Second conveying means for conveying the transparent protective layer transfer sheet, second conveying means for conveying the transparent protective layer transfer sheet and the heat transfer sheet.
And a line heater for pressing the heat transferable transparent protective layer onto the surface of the printed material after image formation. Further, a thermistor is arranged on the line heater, and a control means for controlling energization to the line heater is provided according to a detection result of the thermistor.

[0006]

According to the present invention, after the color material is transferred from the thermal transfer sheet to the thermal transfer sheet to form an image, the transparent protective layer is transferred by using the line heater, which is larger than the thermal head. It is possible to heat the capacity,
The thermal response is better than that of hot stampers and heat rolls, preheating is not required, and the surface temperature can be precisely controlled by detecting the temperature with a thermistor and controlling the temperature. In addition, by changing the shape of the heating element and controlling the timing of electric heating, the transfer area of the transparent protective layer can be changed relatively easily.

[0007]

1 and 2 are sectional views showing the structure of a thin film line heater used for transferring an OP layer, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of a thick film line heater used for transferring an OP layer. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the line heater. FIG. 1 shows an example of the structure of a thin film type line heater. After a heat resistance layer 6 made of glass or the like is raised on a heat dissipation substrate 1 made of ceramics or the like, Ta is used as a heating resistor 2.
₂ N, W, Cr, Ni-Cr, SnO ₂ etc. are vacuum deposited,
It is formed in a line shape by using a thin film forming technique such as CVD or sputtering. Next, a lead wire 3 of Al or the like is formed for energizing the heating resistor 2 except for the top of the ridge of the thermal resistance layer 6, and an oxidation resistant layer 4 made of SiO ₂ or the like and Ta ₂ O ₃ are formed thereon. It is covered with a wear resistant layer 5 made of When the heating resistor 2 is energized to the line heater through the lead wire 3, the heating resistor generates heat in a narrow portion between the left and right lead wires, and the heat resistance layer 6 of the heating portion is relatively thick, so that heat to the back surface side is not generated. The leakage is relatively small, and heat can be effectively utilized through the oxidation resistant layer and the wear resistant layer. It is possible to precisely control the surface temperature by disposing a thermistor on the heat radiating substrate or on the back side to detect the temperature and controlling it by a temperature controller (not shown) based on this.

In the structure shown in FIG. 2, a flat thermal resistance layer 7 is provided on the heat dissipation substrate 1, and a wear-resistant and oxidation-resistant layer 8 serving as both a wear-resistant layer and an oxidation-resistant layer is provided. Except for the points, it is the same as FIG. FIG. 3 shows an example of the structure of a thick film type line heater, in which a resistor paste such as Pd-Ag or RuO _{2 is} linearly formed on the heat dissipation substrate 1 made of ceramics or the like as a heating resistor 2 by screen printing or the like. Formed on Au
After forming the lead wires 3 and the like, the wear resistant layer / oxidation resistant layer 8 made of glass or the like is formed. Since this structure can be formed by the printing technique, the cost can be reduced by mass production. Not only the line heater having the above-described configuration, but also a ceramic resistor or a resin obtained by kneading a conductive filler or a resin processed into a line as a heating resistor with an electrode attached is used. Alternatively, if necessary, an overcoat layer may be provided to protect the heating resistor against sliding with the film.

The electrode structure of the line heater is as shown in FIG. 4A shows the case where the electrodes 10 are provided on both sides of the resistance heating element 2 in parallel with the longitudinal direction thereof, and in FIG. 4B, the electrodes 11 generate resistance heating. This is a case where it is provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the body 2, and either structure may be used, and in the one shown in FIG. 4, the overcoat layer 12 is provided for protection of the heating resistor. It should be noted that what is shown in FIGS.
It is of the type shown in (a).

The size of the heating element varies in the main scanning direction depending on the width of the printing area.
The length of A4 is about 210mm and 10μ in the sub-scanning direction.
It is desirable that it is about m to 10 mm.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining thermal transfer recording using the line heater of the present invention. The thermal transfer film 21 that is unwound from the unwinding roll 30 and wound up by the winding roll 31 includes a thermal head 24 and a platen roll 32.
Is pressed against the image receiving paper 22 and is heated by the thermal head 24 which generates heat according to the image signal, and thermal transfer recording is performed on the image receiving paper 22. After the image formation, the image receiving paper 22 is unwound from the unwinding roll 33 by the line heater 40 and the platen roll 35, and is pressed into contact with the transparent protective layer transfer sheet 36 that is wound up by the winding roll 34, and OP is formed on the printed surface.
The layers are thermal transfer formed.

A film feeding mechanism using a seamless film may be provided to reduce the load on the transparent protective layer transfer sheet due to the sliding of the transparent protective layer transfer sheet and the line heater. Polyimide or the like can be used for the seamless film. FIG. 6 shows an example in which a film feed mechanism using a seamless film is provided. The seamless film 4 is formed by the drive roller 41 and the tension roller 42.
3 is fed out, and the thermal transfer film 21 is heated from above the seamless film 43 by the line heater 40. By interposing this seamless film, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of wrinkles, improve the transportability, and eliminate the need to provide a heat-resistant slip layer on the transparent protective layer film if an appropriate material is selected, thereby reducing costs. You can

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration when the present invention is applied to a thermal transfer printer arranged in a photographing box. The photographing box 50 is composed of a storage unit for storing a photographing device and a photographing space in which a chair or the like on which a person sits is arranged, and basically, an unmanned photographing is possible.
At the time of shooting, if you pay a fee to the payment machine 56 or pay a predetermined fee with a prepaid card or the like, the payment machine 56
The start signal is transferred from the controller 55 to the controller 55.
When the controller 55 receives the activation signal, the light 5
2. Control of the camera 53, the sublimation transfer printer 57, etc. is started. Here, the activation signal is generated by paying the fee, but there are other methods such as automatically detecting that a person has entered the photography box with an optical sensor and generating the activation signal, or a separate activation switch. It is also possible to apply a method that does not depend on fee payment, such as a method in which the person to be photographed presses it to generate an activation signal.
The power supply 58 supplies power to each device.

First, the light is turned on to illuminate the person sitting on the chair 51, and the camera 53 takes an image. The camera 53 is C
It consists of a built-in CD image sensor and A / D converter.
A digital image signal is obtained by directly A / D converting the image signal from the CCD. Here, the method of directly A / D converting the signal from the CCD is used to minimize image deterioration, but of course, a commercially available video camera,
An imaging device such as a still video camera can also be used, and the output video signal may be A / D converted by any method. The digital image signal from the camera 53 is
It is taken into the controller 55. The controller 55 controls each device and has image processing functions such as image scaling, sharpness correction function, color masking, image layout, and gradation correction. The image data subjected to the image processing is sublimation transfer printer 9 To be printed out.

The sublimation transfer printer used here has a construction in which the OP layer is transferred and formed using a line heater as shown in FIG. 5, and since it does not require preheating, it can be placed in an unmanned photographing box. It is extremely safe and has good thermal responsiveness, and therefore has a good operating rate. By using a film feed mechanism that uses a seamless film as shown in Fig. 6, wrinkles are prevented from occurring and transportability is improved. Therefore, the cause of the failure can be reduced, which is extremely advantageous.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, by forming an OP layer using a line heater, it is possible to heat a large capacity, and moreover, it is possible to heat from a heat generating portion as compared with a heat roll or the like. Since the distance to the contact surface with the part can be shortened,
The thermal responsiveness is improved, preheating is not required, and the surface temperature can be precisely controlled. Also, by making the length in the sub-scanning direction sufficiently shorter than that in the main scanning direction, heat can be efficiently applied to the contact portion, and the contact portion is made to have a convex shape to improve the contact state. It is possible to correspond. Further, the transfer area of the transparent protective layer can be changed relatively easily by changing the shape of the heating element and controlling the timing of electric heating.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of one example of a thin film line heater used for transferring an OP layer.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of another embodiment of the thin film line heater used for transferring the OP layer.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a thick film type line heater used for transferring an OP layer.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a line heater.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a thermal transfer recording apparatus using a line heater for transferring an OP layer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which a film feeding mechanism using a seamless film is provided.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a shooting box.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a sublimation transfer mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a frame-sequential thermal transfer film.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Heat dissipation board, 2 ... Heating resistor, 3 ... Lead wire, 4 ... Oxidation resistant layer, 5 ... Wear resistant layer, 6,7 ... Thermal resistance layer, 8 ... Wear resistant layer and oxidation resistant layer, 10, 11 ... Electrodes, 12 ... Overcoat layer, 36 ... Transparent protective layer transfer sheet, 40 ... Line heater, 41 ... Driving roller, 42 ... Tension roller, 43
… Seamless film.

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location B41J 31/08

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A thermal transfer sheet in which a heat transferable color material layer is provided on at least one surface of a substrate sheet, and a thermal transfer sheet having a receiving layer provided on at least one surface of the substrate sheet. The color material layer and the receiving layer are pressed against each other between the thermal head and the platen roller so that the thermal head generates heat according to the image data and the heat transferable color material contained in the color material layer is transferred to the receiving layer. In the thermal transfer recording method, in which an image is formed by transferring the transparent protective layer onto the surface of the printed matter after the image is formed, the transparent protective layer is transferred using a line heater. Method. 2. The thermal transfer recording method according to claim 1, wherein the heating temperature of the line heater is detected by a thermistor to control the temperature. 3. A thermal transfer sheet in which a heat transferable color material layer is provided on at least one surface of a base sheet, and a thermal transfer sheet having a receiving layer provided on at least one surface of the base sheet. The first conveying means for conveying and the conveyed heat transfer sheet and the heat transfer target sheet are pressed against each other between the first platen roller and generate heat in accordance with image data to heat the heat transfer sheet to form a color material layer. A thermal head for transferring the contained heat transferable coloring material to the receiving layer of the heat transfer sheet, and a transparent transfer layer transfer sheet provided with a heat transferable transparent protective layer on at least one surface of the base material sheet. And a second transfer means for transferring the transparent protective layer transfer sheet and the transferred heat-transferred sheet between the second platen roller and the heat transferable transparent protective layer on the surface of the printed matter after image formation. To transfer to Thermal transfer recording device consisting of a line heater. 4. A thermal transfer recording apparatus, wherein a thermistor is arranged on the line heater, and control means is provided for controlling energization to the line heater according to a detection result of the thermistor.