JPH09272247A - Heat transfer recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid mounting a heat transfer medium erroneously when accommodated directly In a cassette or printer main body by having a heat transfer sheet and a lead film joined to one end thereof in the forwarding direction, and printing indication parts such as description, illustration, and forwarding direction on handling indications. SOLUTION: A lead film 3 is joined to the wound-terminal end of a heat transfer sheet being wound up on the feed bobbin 4, and its end is fixed to a winding up bobbin 5. The sheet transfer sheet 2 Is formed having a heat transfer layer on one surface of a base material film, in which both or either the description 3a and/or illustration 3b of handling instructions or an indication 5c for the forwarding direction of the heat transfer sheet is printed as an indication part on the lead film beforehand at times when mounting a heat transfer recording medium on the cassette or printer. Thus, correct mounting can be done by inhibiting erroneous mounting of the heat transfer medium 1 on the cassette or printer main body directly.

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 medium, and more particularly to a thermal transfer recording medium which can be prevented from being erroneously mounted when it is directly housed in a thermal transfer sheet cassette or a printer body and can be efficiently manufactured. It is a thing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a thermal transfer recording medium used in a thermal printer, a facsimile or the like, a thermal transfer sheet having a thermal transfer layer of a heat-fusible ink layer or a sublimable dye ink layer on one surface of a substrate film is used. ing.
A conventional thermal transfer sheet has a thickness of 10 to 10 as a base film.
Paper such as capacitor paper or paraffin paper having a thickness of about 20 μm or a plastic film such as polyester or cellophane having a thickness of about 3 to 20 μm was used, and wax was mixed with a coloring agent such as a pigment or dye on the base film. A heat-meltable ink or a resin binder in which a sublimable dye is dispersed or dissolved is applied to provide a heat-meltable ink layer or a sublimable dye ink layer. Then, from the back side of the substrate film, a predetermined location is heated and pressed by a thermal head, and among the heat-meltable ink layer or the sublimable dye ink layer, the ink layer at the location corresponding to the printed portion is melted or sublimated, The image is transferred onto a printing sheet and printed.

Further, the thermal transfer sheet is generally a long product wound up on a supply bobbin or the like, and a pair of winding-shaped ones in which the winding end end of the thermal transfer sheet and the winding bobbin are adhered are used. ing. The thermal transfer sheet is often stored in the thermal transfer sheet cassette, and the thermal transfer sheet cassette was replaced every time the thermal transfer sheet was used up, but recently, from the point of resource reuse, the user can easily replace the thermal transfer sheet. The thermal transfer sheet is replaced and the cassette is reused. Further, in general, the thermal transfer recording medium has a thermal transfer sheet in a wound state,
A lead film is connected to the end portion of the end of winding of the heat transfer sheet, and the end portion of the lead film is fixed to a winding bobbin and is used by being attached to a printer. The lead film guides and pulls out the thermal transfer sheet that is used first, protects the unused unused thermal transfer sheet from the outside, and the workability when mounting the thermal transfer sheet to the cassette or directly to the printer. To improve wrinkles and remove wrinkles when winding up the thermal transfer sheet after use.

[0004]

However, when the thermal transfer sheet with the lead film, that is, the thermal transfer recording medium as described above, is mounted in a cassette or a printer, the mounting direction may be wrong or the front and back may be wrongly mounted. In many cases, there is a problem that the thermal transfer recording medium is not normally conveyed by the printer, or printing is not normally performed. Further, in order to solve such a problem, in the conventional thermal transfer recording medium, an arrow-shaped sticker is attached to the fixing position of the lead film and the winding bobbin. Then, the user matches the direction indicated by this sticker with the mounting direction displayed on the cassette or printer,
The thermal transfer recording medium could be loaded. However, in the conventional thermal transfer recording medium, there is a problem that the above-mentioned step of sticking a seal is required separately, and the step of sticking the seal increases the manufacturing cost. Therefore, the present invention provides a thermal transfer recording medium that solves the above-mentioned problems, prevents the thermal transfer sheet cassette or the printer body from being erroneously mounted when directly stored, and enables efficient manufacturing. The purpose is to

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a thermal transfer recording medium having a thermal transfer layer provided on a substrate film, and one end portion of the thermal transfer sheet in the transport direction. A lead film connected to the sheet, and a display part of the explanatory note and / or an explanatory diagram of the handling precautions when the lead film mounts the thermal transfer recording medium on the cassette or the printer, or the transfer of the thermal transfer sheet. It is characterized in that the display portion showing the direction is formed in advance by printing. Further, the thermal transfer recording medium comprises a thermal transfer sheet having a thermal transfer layer provided on a substrate film, and a lead film connected to one end of the thermal transfer sheet in the conveying direction, the lead film being a cassette for the thermal transfer recording medium. Alternatively, the display part of the explanatory text and / or the explanatory diagram of the handling precautions when mounting the printer on the printer and the display part showing the conveyance direction of the thermal transfer sheet are formed in advance by printing. To do. Further, the thermal transfer sheet is in a state of being wound with the end portion of the lead film not connected to the supply bobbin being fixed, and the leading end of the lead film being fixed to the winding bobbin. It is characterized by
Further, the display portion showing the conveying direction of the thermal transfer sheet is an arrow.

The operation of the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention is as follows. The thermal transfer recording medium is, at one end portion in the transport direction of the thermal transfer sheet, an explanatory note and / or an explanatory diagram of the handling precautions when the thermal transfer recording medium is attached to the cassette or the printer by printing in advance, and The heat transfer sheet is provided with a lead film on which both or one of the display portions indicating the transport direction of the heat transfer sheet is formed.
The lead film not only guides and protects the thermal transfer sheet, but also indicates to the user not only the direction in which the thermal transfer recording medium is conveyed when mounting the thermal transfer recording medium, but also handling precautions. , It also acts to add explanations so that the user can easily understand. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the erroneous mounting when directly stored in the cassette or the printer body and the addition of the manufacturing process of sticking an arrow-shaped sticker, which have occurred in the conventional thermal transfer recording medium.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the thermal transfer recording medium 1 of the present invention has a lead film 3 connected to the end of the winding end of a thermal transfer sheet 2 wound up on a supply bobbin 4 as shown in FIG. The end portion of the lead film is fixed to the winding bobbin 5. Further, the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention is a thermal transfer sheet with a lead film, the thermal transfer sheet is provided with a thermal transfer layer on one surface of a base film, and the thermal head at the time of printing is provided on the other surface of the base film. A back layer may be provided in order to improve heat resistance and lubricity in contact with.

(Substrate film) As the substrate film used in the thermal transfer sheet of the present invention, the same substrate film as that used in the conventional thermal transfer sheet can be used as it is, and other substrates can also be used. It can be done and is not particularly limited. Specific examples of the preferred substrate film include, for example, polyester, polypropylene, cellophane, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, nylon, polyimide, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, fluororesin, chlorinated rubber, ionomer and the like. , Plastic paper, condenser paper, paper such as paraffin paper, non-woven fabric, and the like, and may be a base film formed by combining these. The thickness of this substrate film can be appropriately changed depending on the material so that its strength and thermal conductivity are appropriate, but the thickness is preferably, for example, 2
２５25 μm.

(Back surface layer) Further, a back surface layer may be provided on the other surface of the base material in order to prevent the thermal head from sticking and improve the slipperiness. This back surface layer includes a binder resin, a slip agent, a surfactant, inorganic particles,
Those formed by adding organic particles, pigments, etc. are preferably used. The binder resin used for the back layer is, for example, ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose,
Hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose resin such as nitrified cotton, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate,
Polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl acetal, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, acrylic resin, polyacrylamide,
Examples thereof include vinyl resins such as acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, polyester resins, polyurethane resins, and silicone-modified or fluorine-modified urethane resins.

Among them, those having several reactive groups, for example, those having a hydroxyl group are used, and as a cross-linking agent,
It is preferable to use a crosslinked resin in combination with polyisocyanate or the like. The means for forming the back layer may be formed by dissolving or dispersing a material obtained by adding a slipping agent, a surfactant, inorganic particles, organic particles, a pigment, etc. to a binder resin in an appropriate solvent, as described above, Is prepared, and the coating liquid is applied by a conventional coating means such as a gravure coater, a roll coater, and a wire bar, and dried.

(Thermal Transfer Layer) The thermal transfer sheet of the present invention comprises a substrate film and a thermal transfer layer provided on one surface thereof. The thermal transfer layer is classified into two types, a heat-meltable ink layer and a sublimable dye ink layer. Be separated. First, the heat-meltable ink layer comprises a conventionally known colorant and a binder, and if necessary,
Mineral oils, vegetable oils, higher fatty acids such as stearic acid, plasticizers, thermoplastic resins, fillers and other additives are used. Examples of the wax component used as the binder include microcrystalline wax, carnauba wax, and paraffin wax.
Furthermore, various types such as Fischer-Tropsch wax, various low molecular weight polyethylenes, wood wax, beeswax, spermaceti, Ibota wax, wool wax, shellac wax, candelilla wax, petrolactam, polyester wax, partially modified wax, fatty acid ester, fatty acid amide, etc. Is used. Among these, especially the melting point is 50-8
It is preferably 5 ° C. If it is 50 ° C. or lower, there is a problem in storage stability, and if it is 85 ° C. or higher, the sensitivity is insufficient.

Examples of the resin component used as the binder include ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-acrylic acid ester copolymer, polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, polybutene, petroleum resin, vinyl chloride resin, vinyl chloride-acetic acid. Vinyl copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol, vinylidene chloride resin, methacrylic resin, polyamide, polycarbonate, fluororesin, polyvinyl formal, polyvinyl butyral, acetyl cellulose, nitrocellulose, polyvinyl acetate, polyisobutylene, ethyl cellulose or polyacetal. Particularly, those having a relatively low softening point conventionally used as a heat-sensitive adhesive, for example, a softening point of 50 to 80 ° C. are preferable.

The colorant can be appropriately selected from known organic or inorganic pigments or dyes,
For example, it has a sufficient coloring density, discolors due to light, heat, etc.
Those that do not fade are preferred. Further, it may be a substance that develops color by heating or a substance that develops color when it comes into contact with a component applied to the surface of the transfer-receiving body. Further, the color of the colorant is not limited to cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and various colors of colorants can be used. Further, in order to impart good heat conductivity and heat melt transferability to the heat fusible ink layer, a heat conductive substance may be blended as a filler of the binder. Examples of such a filler include carbonaceous substances such as carbon black, and metals and metal compounds such as aluminum, copper, tin oxide, and molybdenum disulfide.

The hot-melt ink layer is formed by mixing and adjusting the above-described colorant component and binder component, and if necessary, a solvent component such as water and an organic solvent. The coating liquid is applied by a conventionally known method such as hot melt coating, hot lacquer coating, gravure coating, gravure reverse coating, or roll coating. Also, there is a method of forming using an aqueous or non-aqueous emulsion coating liquid. The thickness of the heat-fusible ink layer should be determined so that the required print density and heat sensitivity can be balanced, and is in the range of 0.1 μm to 30 μm, preferably 1 μm.
It is preferably about m to 20 μm.

Next, the sublimable dye ink layer is a layer in which a sublimable dye is carried by a binder resin. The dye to be used is not particularly limited, and any dye conventionally used in a thermal transfer sheet can be effectively used in the present invention.
For example, some preferred dyes include MS Red G, Macrolex RedVi as red dyes.
oret R, Ceres Red 7B, Samar
on Red HBSL, Resolin Red F
3BS and the like, and yellow dyes such as Holon Brilliant Yellow 6GL, PTY-52, and Macrolex Yellow 6G, and blue dyes such as Kayaset Blue 714 and Waxolin Blue AP-.
FW, Holon Brilliant Blue SR, MS Blue 1
00 and the like.

As the binder resin for supporting the sublimable dye as described above, any of conventionally known binder resins can be used. Preferred examples thereof include ethyl cellulose,
Cellulose resins such as hydroxyethylcellulose, ethylhydroxycellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, methylcellulose, cellulose acetate, and cellulose acetate butyrate; vinyl resins such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl acetal, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and polyacrylamide; polyester And the like.

Further, the sublimable dye ink layer may contain various conventionally known additives, if necessary, in addition to the above-mentioned dye and binder resin. Then, in a suitable solvent, the above dye, binder resin, and additives are added to dissolve or disperse the respective components to prepare an ink, which is listed on the above base film as a heat-meltable ink layer. The sublimable dye ink layer is formed by the same method as the conventionally known coating forming method. The thickness of the sublimable dye ink layer is 0.1.
˜5.0 μm, preferably about 0.4 to 2.0 μm.

(Lead Film) As the lead film 3 used in the present invention, a film formed of the same material as the base film of the thermal transfer sheet as described above can be used. The thickness of the lead film 3 is 4 to 50 μm.
m, preferably about 10 to 30 μm. Further, the lead film 3 serves as a display unit, and shows explanatory notes 3a and / or explanatory diagrams 3b of handling precautions when mounting a thermal transfer recording medium in a cassette or a printer, and a conveyance direction of the thermal transfer sheet. Both or one of 3c is printed in advance. As the printing method, any conventionally known printing method such as gravure printing, offset printing, flexo printing, silk printing and the like may be used.

The hue of the display portion of the lead film is preferably white, fluorescent color or the like so as to be noticeable to the user, but any hue can be selected as long as it can be visually discriminated and the hue can be freely selected. Furthermore, the display section
It is possible to print a figure or a symbol by marking a solid portion with an outline or by freely selecting a hue having a high contrast with the hue of the solid portion. Further, the lead film may be provided with a detection mark so as not to be printed on the lead film portion. Further, the length of the lead film can be set as appropriate, and can be formed by sheet-cutting the long film after printing on the display section.

As the display portion of the lead film of the present invention,
When loading the thermal transfer recording medium into the cassette or the printer, the explanatory note 3a and / or the explanatory diagram 3b of the handling precautions, and / or the one indicating the conveyance direction of the thermal transfer sheet 3c are printed in advance. There is. The explanatory note 3a and / or the explanatory diagram 3b of the precautions for handling the
For example, attach specified gears to the ends of the supply bobbin and take-up bobbin, indicate the correct mounting direction when mounting the thermal transfer recording medium on a cassette or printer, and wind up the lead film to This includes showing the correct operation of closing the cover and showing cautions. As for the explanatory note of the handling precautions and / or the display position of the explanatory diagram, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, the explanatory note can be arranged in the upper stage and the explanatory diagram in the lower stage. Further, the arrangement is not limited to this, and the arrangement can be freely changed. Furthermore, the display part of the lead film is
When attaching the thermal transfer recording medium to a cassette or a printer, the explanatory note and / or explanatory diagram of the handling precautions may be in Japanese, English, German, French, etc. as shown in FIG. It can be changed appropriately.

Further, as the display portion of the lead film, which indicates the conveying direction of the thermal transfer sheet 3c, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of arrows along the conveying direction of the thermal transfer recording medium 1 are linearly arranged and displayed. can do. Also,
As shown in FIG. 2, it is also possible to display the transport direction of the thermal transfer recording medium 1 by arranging a plurality of arrows in the width direction of the lead film. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of arrows along the transport direction of the thermal transfer recording medium 1 may be arranged in a diagonal direction. It should be noted that the thermal transfer sheet conveyance direction 3c of the display unit is not limited to the arrow shape shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the user can easily confirm the conveyance direction when handling the thermal transfer recording medium. If it is possible, it is not particularly limited. To connect the thermal transfer sheet and the lead film, a conventionally known means such as a double-sided tape or an adhesive tape can be used.

The bobbin used in the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention, whether for supply or winding, has an inner diameter of the bobbin,
The dimensions such as the outer diameter and the length can be appropriately set according to the cassette, the printer, etc. in which the thermal transfer recording medium is mounted. Further, as the constituent material of the bobbin, the material used in the conventional bobbin such as paper, plastic, resin-impregnated paper can be used. The fixing of the thermal transfer sheet to the bobbin and the fixing of the lead film to the bobbin as described above can be performed using any material such as a double-sided tape, an adhesive tape, or an adhesive.

The thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be composed of various thermal transfer sheets and lead films without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0024]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples. (Example) As a base film, a heat-meltable ink layer of hue black was provided on one surface of a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 6 μm by a gravure coater so as to have a dry coating thickness of 4.0 μm. A back layer is provided in advance on the other surface to prepare a thermal transfer sheet. Next, when a thermal transfer recording medium is mounted on a cassette or a printer as a display portion as shown in FIG. 4 on one surface of a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 12 μm as a substrate film, using a hue black gravure ink. , The explanatory note of the handling precautions and the explanatory diagram, and the one indicating the transport direction of the thermal transfer sheet are printed in advance in the reversed character and figure. In addition, the lead film is prepared by printing on the entire surface of the lead film, including the display portion, on the upper side of the display portion ink with the light blue gravure ink in a solid pattern. Therefore, width 220m
m of one end of the thermal transfer sheet having an inner diameter of 25 mm,
An adhesive tape having a width of 24 mm is fixed to a paper supply bobbin (paper tube) having an outer diameter of 32 mm and a length of 220 mm, and the thermal transfer sheet is wound up on the bobbin. Then, at the end of the winding end of the wound thermal transfer sheet, a width 220
mm of the above lead film was connected with an adhesive tape having a width of 18 mm. Further, a winding bobbin was fixed to the tip portion of the lead film with an adhesive tape having a width of 24 mm. A winding bobbin similar to the supply bobbin was used to prepare the thermal transfer recording medium of the example.

(Comparative Example) A thermal transfer sheet, a supply bobbin and a winding bobbin similar to those in the example are prepared. further,
A solid blue gravure ink is applied to the entire surface of a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 12 μm to print solidly.
A lead film having a width of 220 mm is prepared. However, the lead film is not printed with a display section showing explanatory notes and explanatory diagrams of handling precautions when mounting the thermal transfer recording medium in a cassette or a printer, and also showing the transfer direction of the thermal transfer sheet. . Then, as in the example, the supply bobbin and the thermal transfer sheet were fixed, the thermal transfer sheet and the lead film were connected, and the lead film and the winding bobbin were further fixed. Further, an arrow-shaped sticker was attached to the fixing position of the lead film and the winding bobbin to prepare a thermal transfer recording medium of a comparative example.

Using the thermal transfer recording media of the above Examples and Comparative Examples, each was mounted in a dedicated cassette and printing was performed by a thermal fusion transfer printer. (Evaluation Results) Regarding the thermal transfer recording medium of the comparative example, first, a step of attaching an arrow-shaped sticker was separately required. In addition, although the transfer direction of the thermal transfer sheet is correct, the thermal transfer recording medium was mounted on the dedicated cassette with the front and back reversed,
I could not print on the printer. On the other hand, the thermal transfer recording medium of the example could be efficiently manufactured without the step of sticking a seal. In addition, it could be properly mounted in the dedicated cassette, and good printing was possible with the printer. In addition, the display part of the lead film can be easily read and read from the side opposite to the print side,
It was possible to handle the print section of the display section directly without touching it, and it was possible to keep hands clean.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a thermal transfer recording medium, a thermal transfer sheet provided with a thermal transfer layer on a substrate film and a lead connected to one end of the thermal transfer sheet in the conveying direction. A lead film, and a display portion for explaining the description and / or the explanatory view of the precautions for handling the thermal transfer recording medium when mounting the thermal transfer recording medium on a cassette or a printer, and a display portion for indicating the conveying direction of the thermal transfer sheet. Since both or any one of them is formed by printing in advance, it is possible to prevent the thermal transfer recording medium from being accidentally mounted when the thermal transfer recording medium is directly stored in the cassette or the printer body, and to mount the thermal transfer recording medium accurately. In addition, the thermal transfer recording medium can be efficiently manufactured without the step of sticking an arrow-shaped sticker.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a display portion of a lead film that constitutes the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing another example of the display portion of the lead film that constitutes the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another example of the display portion of the lead film constituting the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 thermal transfer recording medium 2 thermal transfer sheet 3 lead film 3a explanatory notes on handling when mounting the thermal transfer recording medium in the cassette or printer 3b handling precautions when mounting the thermal transfer recording medium in the cassette or printer Explanatory drawing 3c Display section showing the transfer direction of the thermal transfer sheet 4 Supply bobbin 5 Winding bobbin

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A thermal transfer sheet provided with a thermal transfer layer on a substrate film, and a lead film connected to one end of the thermal transfer sheet in the transport direction, the lead film being a thermal transfer recording medium in a cassette or a printer. The thermal transfer, characterized in that the display of the explanatory note and / or the explanatory diagram of the handling precautions when mounting on the sheet and / or the display showing the conveying direction of the thermal transfer sheet are formed in advance by printing. recoding media. 2. A thermal transfer sheet provided with a thermal transfer layer on a base film, and a lead film connected to one end of the thermal transfer sheet in the transport direction, the lead film being a thermal transfer recording medium in a cassette or printer. A thermal transfer characterized in that the display of the explanatory text and / or the explanatory diagram of the handling precautions when mounting on the sheet and the display showing the conveying direction of the thermal transfer sheet are formed in advance by printing. recoding media. 3. The thermal transfer sheet is in a state of being wound up with the end portion of the lead film not connected to the supply bobbin being fixed, and the leading end of the lead film being fixed to the winding bobbin. The thermal transfer recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the thermal transfer recording medium is provided. 4. The thermal transfer recording medium according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display portion showing the conveying direction of the thermal transfer sheet is an arrow.