JPH10100495A - Method and system for producing thermal transfer image receiving sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a half cut part from being stripped in a thermal transfer printer during carriage by forming an image on a thermal transfer sheet comprising a releasing sheet and a support provided with a dye receiving layer and then subjecting the thermal transfer sheet to half cut processing. SOLUTION: A thermal transfer image receiving sheet comprises a releasing sheet 5, an adhesive layer 4, a support 6 to be stripped off together with the adhesive layer 4, and a dye receiving layer 7 formed on the support 6. At the time of forming an image, a thermal transfer image receiving roll sheet is fed and the dye layer of a thermal transfer sheet is superposed on the thermal transfer image receiving sheet with the dye layer the former sheet touching the dye receiving layer 7 in the latter sheet. Subsequently, the thermal head heats them imagewise to transfer the dye from the thermal transfer sheet to the dye receiving layer 7 thus forming an image. Thereafter, the thermal transfer image receivinq sheet is subjected to required half cut processing 3, 3' at the laser processing section in a half cut section thus producing an individually cut sheet.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to at least a release sheet / adhesive layer /
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, in which an image is formed on a dye-receiving layer using a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet having a structure comprising a support and a dye-receiving layer, and then the heat transfer image-receiving sheet is subjected to half-cut processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various thermal transfer methods have been known. Among them, in recent years, a thermal transfer sheet having a dye layer containing a sublimable dye formed on a support has been used in recent years. A sublimation transfer recording method of forming an image on a thermal transfer image receiving sheet by heating with a heating medium has attracted attention, and is used as an information recording means in various fields. According to this sublimation transfer recording method,
A full-color image can be formed in a very short time,
A high-quality image excellent in the reproducibility and gradation of intermediate colors and comparable to a full-color silver halide photographic image can be obtained. Due to the development of various hardware and software related to multimedia, this thermal transfer method has been developed as a full color hard copy system for computer graphics, satellite communication still images and analog images such as digital images and videos represented by CDROM and others. Its market is expanding.

The specific application of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet by this thermal transfer method is wide-ranging. Typical examples are print proofs, image output, CAD / CAM
Design and output of design, etc., various medical analysis equipment such as CT scan and endoscope camera, output use of measurement equipment and as an alternative to instant photography, as well as identification cards, ID cards, credit cards, other cards Output such as a photograph of the face to a photographer, a composite photograph in an amusement facility such as an amusement park, a game center, a museum, and an aquarium, and a use as a commemorative photograph. Furthermore, with the diversification of applications as described above, it can be attached to any object, for example, a dye receiving layer and a support on which an image is formed, via a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, a release sheet and A heat transfer image receiving sheet having a peelable configuration is used. This is a so-called label or seal type. This thermal transfer image-receiving sheet is used for forming a desired image on a dye-receiving layer, peeling off the dye-receiving layer, and attaching it to an arbitrary object.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show an example of a prior art thermal transfer image-receiving sheet used for the above applications.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. The thermal transfer image receiving sheet shown in FIG. 6 is of a long type having a predetermined width, and both ends thereof are wound around a core 1 and mounted on a thermal transfer printer, and proceed in the direction of the arrow or in the opposite direction. The thermal transfer sheet is superimposed on the surface of the thermal transfer sheet, and the thermal transfer sheet is heated imagewise from the back side by a thermal head or the like to transfer the dye of the thermal transfer sheet to the dye receiving layer of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet. Arbitrary image 2
Is formed.

The above-mentioned thermal transfer image receiving sheet is half-cut into an arbitrary shape as shown in FIG. 6, and details of its cross section are shown in FIG. The method for forming the half cut may be a method of inserting a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet between the upper die having a cutter blade and the pedestal to move the upper die up and down, or a cylinder type rotary cutter method. The image 2 formed in the area defined by the half-cut line 3, for example, a face photograph image, is peeled off from the release sheet 5 along with the adhesive layer 4 along the half-cut line 3 as shown in FIG. The exfoliated image forming dye receiving layer portion A is attached to an arbitrary article 11, for example, a notebook, notebook, bag, or other article as shown in FIG.
Note that reference numeral 12 in FIG. 6 indicates a detection mark.

As described above, the conventional half-cut thermal transfer image receiving sheet is provided with the adhesive layer 4 on the release surface of the release sheet 5.
And a support 6 for the dye receiving layer 7, for example, a foamed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, a synthetic paper known under the name of YUPO, and a dye-dyeing resin layer formed on the support 6. 7 (dye receiving layer). Further, the applicant of the present invention has proposed a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet as described above, in which an image-forming density is improved by using a laminate of an unfoamed resin film and a foamed resin film as the support. I have.

[0007]

When an image is formed using a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet as in the above-mentioned prior art, the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet as shown in FIG. In the thermal transfer printer, a thermal transfer image receiving sheet is conveyed via several rollers including a platen roll, and an image forming portion is partially heated by a thermal head or the like to form a desired image. At the time of this image formation, if the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet has been subjected to a half-cutting process in advance as shown in FIG.
When the sheet is curved and conveyed by a roll or the like, the end of the area surrounded by the half cut line 3 is turned up, the half cut area is separated from the end, and an adhesive layer is provided on the back surface of the separated area. Since the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is formed, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer adheres to the surface of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet in the thermal transfer printer or the surface of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet, causing a problem of poor conveyance of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet in the thermal transfer printer, and image formation is often interrupted. There is a problem.

The above problem can be solved by improving the adhesive strength of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. However, if the adhesive strength of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is improved, the half-cut area after image formation is peeled off. In such a case, there arises a problem that peeling becomes difficult or a part of the half-cut region bursts during peeling. Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides at least a release sheet, an adhesive layer formed on the release surface, a support that can be peeled off together with the adhesive layer, and a support formed on the support. Using a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprising a dye-receiving layer, the half-cut area is turned up during transportation in the thermal transfer printer, does not peel off, and further does not burst when the half-cut area is peeled off. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing such a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet and an apparatus for producing the same.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for producing a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet having a sublimation transfer image, comprising: at least a release sheet; and an adhesive layer formed on the release surface. An image is formed on the dye-receiving layer by using a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprising a support releasable together with the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and a dye-receiving layer formed on the support; The sheet is subjected to a half-cut process. Further, the half-cut processing is performed by a laser processing means.
Further, a detection mark is provided on the release sheet side or the dye receiving layer side of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet, and a half-cut position is specified by the detection mark.

Further, in the apparatus for producing a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet according to the present invention, a dye layer side of a thermal transfer sheet having at least a thermal head and a platen roller and having a dye layer on a substrate film therebetween, and at least a release sheet And a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed on the release surface thereof, a support releasable together with the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and a dye-receiving layer side of a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprising a dye-receiving layer formed on the support. An image forming unit for forming a sublimation transfer image on the dye receiving layer by heating the thermal transfer sheet in accordance with an image signal from a substrate film side of the thermal transfer sheet, and The image forming apparatus further includes a half-cut section provided adjacent to the image forming section, and a transport mechanism for transferring the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet to the image forming section and the half-cut section.

Further, a sheet cut section for cutting the thermal transfer image receiving sheet is provided. Also,
The half-cut portion uses a laser processing means. Further, the sheet cutting section uses laser processing means. Further, a detection mark is provided on the release sheet side or the dye receiving layer side of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet, and the half-cut position is specified by the detection mark.

[0012]

The method and apparatus for producing a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet according to the present invention comprise at least a release sheet, an adhesive layer formed on the release surface, a support peelable together with the adhesive layer, and a support. After a sublimation transfer image is formed using a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprising a dye-receiving layer formed thereon, by laser processing means or the like, an arbitrary shape and depth can be applied to the other laminated portions except the release sheet. Then, a half-cut process is performed. According to the present invention, since the half-cut processing is performed after forming the sublimation transfer image, the half-cut area is turned up during transportation in the thermal transfer printer,
Prevents peeling. Furthermore, since the half-cut area is not turned up during transport in the thermal transfer printer and does not peel off, it is not necessary to increase the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer, and when peeling off the half-cut area after image formation, it becomes difficult to peel off. Neither does it occur, nor does the part of the half-cut region burst during peeling.

If the half-cut processing is performed during the production of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, not only may the half-cut area be turned up during transportation by the thermal transfer printer, but also during winding, unwinding, slitting, etc. during production. While the half-cut region may be turned, the present invention solves those problems. Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the half-cut processing is performed by laser processing means, and the depth of the half-cut line can be easily adjusted by simply changing the conditions such as the laser light irradiation time, so that the accuracy is high and the reproduction is high. Good half-cut processing is possible. The part irradiated with the laser beam is locally heated, and when the liquid phase is in a state of exceeding the melting point of the part, the part is cut by blowing off the part to perform a half-cut process. That is, half-cut processing can be performed on the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet in a non-contact manner, so that no stress is applied to the processed portion, and burrs and distortion hardly occur.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of a thermal transfer image receiving sheet forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 1 is broadly divided into four parts, namely: 1. Thermal transfer image receiving sheet unwinding section 31 2. Sublimation transfer image forming section 32 Half cut part 33 4. First, a roll-shaped thermal transfer image-receiving sheet 30 is supplied from the unwinding section 31, and a dye layer of the thermal transfer sheet 40 and a dye-receiving layer of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet 30 are provided between the thermal head 35 and the platen roller 36. The thermal head 3 is overlapped so that the layers are in contact with each other.
5, the dye of the thermal transfer sheet 40 is transferred to the dye receiving layer, and an image is formed on the surface of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet 30. Next, the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet on which the image has been formed is transferred to the half-cut section 32 by the transport mechanism section 39, subjected to half-cut processing by the laser processing section 37, and then transferred to the sheet cut section 34, where the rotary cutter The sheet is cut one by one.

FIG. 2 shows a thermal transfer image receiving sheet which has been subjected to half-cut processing after forming a sublimation transfer image from a take-up roll state.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 2, illustrating one embodiment of a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet obtained by the production method of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a view for explaining another embodiment of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet. Also, FIGS. 2 to 4 show a part of the half cut,
This is a shallow half cut line 3 '. This prevents the peeling of the release sheet from the half-cut part and the support during careless handling of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet after the sheet has been cut and conveyed curvedly by a roll or the like during conveyance. can do. FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing an example of the shape of the half cut lines 3, 3 'in the half cut processing of the present invention. As shown, the deep half-cut line 3 is
To the bottom, but shallow half cut line 3 '
3 does not reach the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 4 in the case of FIG. 3, and reaches a part of the film 8 constituting the support and reaches the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 4 in the case of FIG. Absent. By changing the depth of the half cut line in this way,
In the shallow half-cut line 3 ', it is possible to prevent peeling of the release sheet of the half-cut portion and the support in careless handling of the thermally-transferred image-receiving sheet after the sheet is cut or conveyed by a roll or the like. it can.

The examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are merely examples, and the cut depth of the shallow half-cut line 3 'is not limited to the illustrated example, does not reach the release sheet 5, and the dye receiving layer The depth may be any depth as long as it reaches at least part of the support 7 and the support 6. When the support is attached as shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable to cut the film 8 halfway underneath. FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing an example of the shape of the half cut lines 3 and 3 ′ in the present invention. As shown, the shapes of the shallow half-cut line 3 'and the deep half-cut line 3 are
In addition to the shape shown in FIG. 2, shapes as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D are possible, and other shapes may be used. When the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet is curved by performing processing by the sheet cut portion after the half-cut processing, the processing start side, which is the leading portion in the transport direction of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, is easily peeled off. It is preferable to form the shape into a half-cut line 3 that is deep on the end side of the processing so as to be easily peeled off after the processing.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the layer structure of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet obtained by the forming method of the present invention is such that the release sheet 5, the adhesive layer 4 formed on the release surface, and the adhesive layer 4 can be peeled off. And a dye receiving layer 7 formed on the support 6. Further, as an example of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of another preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in an enlarged sectional view of FIG. 4, a support (8 + 10 +
9) is a laminate of an unfoamed resin film 8 in contact with the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 4 and a foamed resin film 9 in contact with the dye-receiving layer 7, so that the dye coloring property of the formed image, particularly the high density of the image, In some cases, the coloring property of the dye can be improved. The above-mentioned unfoamed resin film 8 and foamed resin film 9
Is adhered by the adhesive layer 10. When there is no problem even if a shallow half-cut portion is not provided, the half-cut processing may be performed only by a normal deep half-cut.

(Release Sheet) The release sheet 5 used in the present invention is a material obtained by subjecting the surface of a conventionally known plastic film or poly-laminate paper to a release treatment with a known release agent such as silicone. For example, it can be obtained and used as Lumirror T-60 (thickness 50 μm) manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc. or W-400 (thickness 38 μm) manufactured by Diafoil Co., Ltd. These release sheets are 20
The thickness is preferably from 100 μm to 100 μm, and the so-called stiffness of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet obtained when the release sheet is too thin disappears, and cannot be transported by a thermal transfer printer
Wrinkles are generated on the thermal transfer image receiving sheet. On the other hand, if the release sheet is too thick, the resulting thermal transfer image-receiving sheet will be too thick, and the force for driving and transporting the thermal transfer printer will be too large, resulting in failure of the printer or failure of normal transport.

The release sheet used in the present invention is a surface-untreated polyolefin resin film, for example, a polyethylene film or a polypropylene film, and particularly preferably a stretched or unstretched polypropylene resin film. According to the findings of the present inventor, in particular, in the case of a stretched or non-stretched polypropylene resin film, when a heat transfer image-receiving sheet is prepared without subjecting the surface to a release treatment as in the prior art, the type of the adhesive is selected. By doing so, JISZ02 between the release sheet and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer
Peeling strength at 180 ° conforming to 37 is about 100 to 1.7
00g, preferably in the range of about 700 to 1,400 g, and there is no peeling of the half-cut area at the time of image formation, and further, it is easily peeled after image formation without bursting of the half-cut area. can do. The thickness of the release sheet is about 20 to 100 μm,
Preferably it is in the range of 35 to 75 μm. Such a stretched or non-stretched polypropylene resin film can be obtained from the market, for example, as Pyrene manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd. or Trefan manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.

(Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Layer) The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 4 used in the present invention can be formed using any conventionally known solvent-based or water-based pressure-sensitive adhesive. As an adhesive,
For example, vinyl acetate resin, acrylic resin, vinyl acetate
Acrylic copolymer, vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride copolymer,
Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyurethane resin,
Examples include natural rubber, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber, and the like. The coating amount of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is generally about 8 to 30 g / m ² (solid content), and the release sheet is formed by a conventionally known method, that is, a method such as gravure coating, gravure reverse coating, or roll coating. Apply on top and dry to form an adhesive layer. The adhesive strength of the adhesive layer is JIS Z0
In the peeling method at 180 ° according to 237, 100
~ 1,700 g, preferably 700-1,400
g. The above adhesive is
When forming the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer on the release sheet, it is preferable to select and use the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer so that the peel strength falls within the above range.

(Support) As the support 6 in the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of the present invention, a conventionally known support may be used. For example, Toyopearl SS P4255 manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.
(Thickness: 35 μm), foamed polypropylene film such as MW247 (thickness: 35 μm) manufactured by Mobile Plastic Europe, and W-900 (50: manufactured by Diafoil Co., Ltd.)
μm) and a foamed polyethylene terephthalate film such as E-60 (50 μm) manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc. are preferably used. Further, in an example of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in an enlarged cross-sectional view in FIG. 4, a support (8 + 10 + 9 in the figure) is not in contact with the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 4. It comprises a laminate of a foamed resin film 8 and a foamed resin film 9 in contact with the dye receiving layer 7. By doing so, it is possible to improve the color density of a formed image, particularly a high density portion, and to form a high quality image.

In the above, useful unfoamed resin films are unfoamed films such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, and polypropylene, and any conventionally known unfoamed resin films can be used in the present invention.
The thickness is preferably in the range of about 10 to 50 μm.
If the film thickness is too thin, there is no so-called stiffness, and in the obtained thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, curl due to heat shrinkage occurs at the time of image formation with a thermal head or the like. Is more likely to occur. One preferred example is Lumirror S-10 (12 μm thick) manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc. In addition, as a useful foamed resin film, a conventionally known foamed resin film such as a foamed polypropylene film or a foamed polyethylene terephthalate film can be used. In particular, a foamed polypropylene film has excellent cushioning properties and heat insulation properties, and can be used with a thermal head. This is preferable because the dye can be uniformly and efficiently transferred to the receptor layer by pressing. The thickness of these films is 30
About 60 μm is preferable. Preferable examples are, for example, Toyobo Pearl P4255 (thickness 35 μm) and Toyopearl P4256 (thickness 60 μm) manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.
And the like.

As a method for laminating the above-mentioned unfoamed resin film and the foamed resin film, known lamination methods such as dry lamination, non-solvent (hot melt) lamination and EC lamination can be used. Are dry lamination and non-solvent lamination methods. Suitable adhesives for the non-solvent lamination method include, for example, Takenate A-720L manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Suitable adhesives for dry lamination include, for example, Takelac A manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
969 / Takenate A-5 (3/1).
The amount of these adhesives used is about 1 to 8 g in solid content.
/ M ² , preferably in the range of ^{2 to} 6 g / m ² .

(Dye-Receiving Layer) In the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet obtained by the forming method of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the dye-receiving layer 7 may be formed on the support 6 in advance. After the support 6 and the release sheet 5 are laminated, they may be provided on the surface of the support. In the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of the present invention illustrated in FIG.
May be provided on the foamed resin film 9 before laminating the foamed resin film 9 and the unfoamed resin film 8 or by laminating the foamed resin film 9 and the unfoamed resin film 8. It may be provided on the surface of the foamed resin film 9 of the support or the support (8 + 10 + 9 in the figure).
After laminating the release sheet 5 and the release sheet 5, the support may be provided on the surface of the foamed resin film 9 of the support.

Examples of the material for forming the dye receiving layer include polyolefin resins such as polypropylene, halogenated polymers such as vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer, and polyvinylidene chloride; Polyester resins such as polyvinyl acetate and polyacrylic ester, polystyrene resins, polyamide resins, copolymer resins of olefins such as ethylene and propylene and other vinyl monomers, ionomers, cellulose resins such as cellulose diacetate, Polycarbonate resins and the like are mentioned, and particularly preferable ones are polyester resins, vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymers, and mixtures thereof.

At the time of image formation, a releasing agent is added to the resin for the dye receiving layer in order to prevent fusion between the sublimation type thermal transfer sheet having the dye layer and the dye receiving layer of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet or a decrease in printing sensitivity. Can be mixed. Preferred release agents used in combination include silicone oils, phosphate ester surfactants, fluorine surfactants, and the like, with silicone oil being preferred. As the silicone oil, modified silicone oils such as epoxy-modified, vinyl-modified, alkyl-modified, amino-modified, carboxyl-modified, alcohol-modified, fluorine-modified, alkylaralkyl-polyether-modified, epoxy-polyether-modified, and polyether-modified are preferable.

One or more release agents are used. The amount of the release agent is preferably 0.5 to 30 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the resin for forming the dye receiving layer. If the addition amount is not satisfied, problems such as fusion between the sublimation type thermal transfer sheet and the dye receiving layer of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet or a decrease in printing sensitivity may occur. By adding such a release agent to the dye-receiving layer, the release agent bleeds out on the surface of the dye-receiving layer after transfer to form a release layer. Further, these release agents may be separately coated on the dye receiving layer without being added to the resin for forming the dye receiving layer.

The dye-receiving layer is formed by dissolving a resin obtained by adding necessary additives such as a release agent to the surface of a foamed resin film in an appropriate organic solvent, or dispersing the resin in an organic solvent or water. It is formed by applying and drying the dispersion obtained by an appropriate application method. In forming the dye receiving layer, a white pigment, a fluorescent whitening agent, or the like can be added for the purpose of improving the whiteness of the dye receiving layer and further increasing the sharpness of the transferred image. The dye-receiving layer formed as described above may have any thickness, but is generally 1 to 5 in a dry state.
The thickness is 0 μm.

The dye receiving layer is preferably a continuous coating, but may be formed as a discontinuous coating using a resin emulsion or a water-soluble resin or a resin dispersion. Further, an antistatic agent may be applied on the dye receiving layer in order to stabilize the transfer of the thermal transfer printer. Further, an appropriate slip layer (not shown) can be provided on the surface of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet opposite to the dye receiving layer in order to prevent double feed during feeding of the thermal transfer printer. As the slip layer, butyral resin, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, polyvinylidene chloride, polyester, polyurethane, polycarbonate, polycarbonate, polyvinyl acetate, etc. alone or blended, various fine particles and silicone etc. Those to which a lubricant has been added can be used.

(Preparation Method and Preparing Apparatus) The preparation method of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of the present invention comprises at least a release sheet, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed on the release surface, and a support that can be peeled off together with the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. After forming an image on the dye receiving layer using a thermal transfer image receiving sheet comprising a dye receiving layer formed on the support, the thermal transfer image receiving sheet is subjected to a half-cut treatment. Further, the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet producing apparatus of the present invention has at least a thermal head and a platen roller, a dye layer side of a thermal transfer sheet having a dye layer on a base film therebetween, and at least a release sheet, and The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed on the release surface, a support that can be peeled off together with the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and a dye-receiving layer side of a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprising a dye-receiving layer formed on the support face each other. An image forming unit for forming a sublimation transfer image on the dye receiving layer by heating the thermal transfer sheet from the base film side of the thermal transfer sheet in accordance with an image signal by a thermal head, and being provided in the image forming unit. And a transport mechanism for transferring the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet to the image forming unit and the half-cut unit. In addition, the above-described forming apparatus may be provided with a sheet cut section for cutting the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet as needed, simultaneously with or after the half-cut.

The method for forming the half cut and the sheet cut includes a method of inserting a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet between the upper die having a cutter blade and a pedestal to move the upper die up and down, and a method of a cylinder type rotary cutter. There is no particular limitation as long as it can be cut, but in the half-cut for cutting other laminated portions excluding the release sheet of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, heat treatment is performed by laser processing means to obtain an arbitrary shape and depth. This is preferable because a half cut can be formed. Therefore, formation of a half cut by laser processing means will be described below. Laser processing means of the present invention,
As a laser beam, a YAG laser, a carbon dioxide gas laser, a ruby laser, or the like is used. In particular, a YAG laser is preferably used because it has a short wavelength and can be focused on a minute spot, so that finer processing is possible.

An example of the laser processing means of the present invention will be described. First, a laser beam is condensed by a lens and radiated to the surface of the dye receiving layer of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet. At that time,
The depth of the half cut line can be adjusted by changing the irradiation time of the laser beam or the laser output value. That is, when the irradiation time of the laser light is short, the half cut line becomes shallow, and the irradiation time of the laser light can be slightly increased to make the half cut line deep. Further, when the laser output value is small, the half cut line becomes shallow, and the laser output value can be slightly increased to make the half cut line deep. As described above, the half-cut processing can be easily performed with high accuracy and reproducibility without contacting the processed portion. Therefore, compared with the conventional half-cut processing by the cutter blade, the adhesive is attached to the cutter blade, the adhesive does not transfer and adhere to the surface of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet, and further, no stress is applied to the processed portion, No burrs or distortion. The point that the adhesive does not transfer and adhere to the surface of such a thermal transfer image receiving sheet, the stress is not applied to the processed portion, and the burr and distortion do not occur, not only in the half cut process but also in the sheet cut process Effect.

The laser processing means of the present invention has a laser processing means of about 0.9 to 0.9.
It is preferable to use a laser beam in the infrared region of 11 μm, and the portion irradiated with the laser beam will be heated. The portion irradiated with the laser beam is locally heated, and when the liquid phase is in a state of exceeding the melting point of the portion, the portion is cut off by blowing off the portion, thereby performing a half-cut process. The laser processing means of the present invention forms a half cut on a thermal transfer image receiving sheet by a laser processing apparatus described below. As shown in FIG. 9, the laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillator 20 including a laser head 21, a processing optical system (lens) 22, a laser power source 23, and a thermal transfer image receiving sheet 30 as a workpiece. An XY table 24 mounted thereon and movable in a horizontal plane (XY plane), a Z that moves a laser head 21 and a processing optical system (lens) 22 in a vertical direction (Z-axis direction).
A main controller 26 is provided for automatically or manually controlling the movement of the table 25 and the XY table 24 in the horizontal plane, the movement of the Z table 25 in the vertical direction, and the oscillation of the laser oscillator 20. Under the control of the main controller of such a laser processing apparatus, the imposition half-cut as shown in FIG. 2 can be performed. FIG.
It is needless to say that the detection mark in the above can be used as a start detection signal of the half-cut processing.

These half-cutting devices (parts) may be built in the thermal transfer printer, or may be separately provided as in-line or off-line as a half-cutting device. It is preferable in terms of ease and the like. On the other hand, sheet cutting is not necessary in the case of a sheet-fed type in which the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet has been cut in advance, but if the heat-transfer image-receiving sheet in the form of a roll requires final sheet cutting, a sheet cutting device (part) It is necessary to provide. As a method of forming a sheet cut, any method can be used as in the case of a method of forming a half cut.However, in the case of a sheet cut, since a processing operation is relatively simple compared to a half cut, a laser processing means is not necessarily used. It is not used, and processing with a normal cutter blade or the like is sufficient. If the half-cut device (part) is built in the thermal transfer printer or connected in-line,
Similarly, it is preferable to connect inline with a thermal transfer printer and a half-cut device (part). Further, when the half-cutting device (unit) exists independently of the thermal transfer printer off-line, it is preferable to connect the sheet-cutting device (unit) to the half-cutting device (unit).

(Detection Mark) The thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of the present invention can be provided with a detection mark 12 as shown in FIG. The detection mark 12 is formed at the same time as or immediately after the formation of the thermal transfer image, and indicates a start position when half-cutting and, if necessary, sheet cutting are performed thereafter. In some cases, the detection mark 12 is formed in advance before the formation of the thermal transfer image. In this case, the detection mark 12 serves to indicate both the start position of the thermal transfer image formation and the start positions of the half cut and, if necessary, the sheet cut. For example,
In FIG. 2, the detection mark 12 is read and detected, and half-cut processing of 12 sections is performed. Next, the next detection mark in the direction of the processing can be read and detected, and the half-cut processing can be similarly performed, and the operation can be repeated. Similarly, after the half-cut processing, the detection mark 12 is read and detected, and the sheet is cut.
It is possible to obtain one image output sheet on which 12 images are formed and half-cut processing has been performed.

The shape and color of the detection mark 12 are not limited as long as they can be detected by a detector.
The position of the detection mark may be formed on either the release sheet side or the dye receiving layer side of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet. The shape of the detection mark may be, for example, an elliptical shape as shown in FIG. 2, a square shape, or a round shape or a bar code. In the case of a line shape, it may be formed over the entire width of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet. The color of the detection mark may be any color that can be detected by the detector. For example, in the case of a light transmission type detector, silver or black having high concealing properties may be used. Further, in the case of the light reflection type detector, a color tone of metallic luster having high reflectivity can be given.

The detection mark may be formed by penetrating a hole from the front surface to the back surface of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, or may be formed by gravure printing or offset printing. In addition, a vapor deposition film can be provided by a hot stamp using a transfer foil, or a vapor deposition film with an adhesive can be attached to the back surface, and there is no particular limitation. Also,
As shown in FIG. 2, the detection mark is formed at the head of each unit with half cuts of 12 sections as one unit. Further, it may be formed only at the head of the first half cut unit. The first half-cut formation position is detected by reading the detection mark with a detector, and by controlling the feed amount of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet by the laser processing device, the half-cut formation position is accurately adjusted in the subsequent steps. be able to. The detection means of the detection mark is not particularly limited as long as the detection mark can be read. In the case of a through-hole as a detection mark, it can be read by a light transmission type detector, so that there is less malfunction as compared with a light reflection type detector, which is preferable. When a silver detection mark of metallic luster is provided by printing or a detection mark of a vapor-deposited film is used, it can be read by a light reflection type detector.

A method of forming an image on the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of the present invention formed as described above may be a conventionally known sublimation type thermal transfer method. For example, a dye layer of three colors of yellow, cyan and magenta may be sequentially formed. A desired full-color image is formed on the dye-receiving layer of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet by using a thermal transfer printer of a known thermal head type using the thermal transfer sheet. Next, the layer containing the image-receiving dye-receiving layer is subjected to a half-cut treatment in accordance with the image size, peeled from the release sheet together with the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and the layer containing the peeled dye-receiving layer is applied to an arbitrary article. Can be stuck.

[0039]

The present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the following examples and comparative examples. It should be noted that “part” or “%” in the text is based on weight. Example 1 First, a coating liquid for a dye receiving layer having the following composition was solidified on one surface of a foamed polyethylene terephthalate film (trade name: W-900, manufactured by Diafoil Co., Ltd., thickness: 50 μm) as a support. At a rate of 4.0 g / m ² and dried to form a dye receiving layer.

Composition of coating liquid for dye receiving layer 40 parts of vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer (# 1000A, manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo KK) 40 parts of polyester resin (Vylon 600, manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.) 40 parts of vinyl chloride / styrene・ Acrylic copolymer 20 parts (Denkalac # 400A, manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.) 10 parts of vinyl-modified silicone (X-62-1212 manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) Catalyst (CAT-PLR-, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 5) 5 parts Catalyst (CAT-PL-50T manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 6 parts Methyl ethyl ketone / toluene (1/1) 400 parts

Next, an adhesive having the following composition was applied to the surface of the foamed polyethylene terephthalate film on which the dye-receiving layer was not formed at a solid content of 15 g / m ² , and the temperature was raised to 70 ° C. And dried by heating for 1 minute to form an adhesive layer. Coating Formulation acrylic copolymer 48 parts of pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (Soken Chemical Co., Ltd. SK Dyne 1310L) epoxy resin (Soken Chemical Co., Ltd. curing agent E-AX) 0.36 parts of ethyl acetate 51.64 parts

Separately, a surface-untreated biaxially oriented polypropylene film (trade name: Pyren P215) as a release sheet
6, manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd., having a thickness of 30 μm). Finally, as an antistatic agent on the dye receiving layer surface,
A quaternary ammonium salt compound (manufactured by Matsumoto Yushi-Seiyaku Co., Ltd., 1/1000 dilution of TB-34) was applied to form a roll-shaped thermal transfer image-receiving sheet. yellow,
A thermal transfer sheet (manufactured by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.) having a dye layer of three colors of cyan and magenta and a thermal fusion transfer layer of black in a sequential order, and the above-mentioned thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, Superimposed on each other, head applied voltage 12.0 V, pulse width 16 m from back side of thermal transfer sheet
The recording was performed by a thermal transfer printer using a thermal head under the conditions of sec., printing cycle of 33.3 msec, and dot density of 6 dots / line, and a full-color face photograph image was formed on the dye receiving layer of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet. The black hot-melt transfer layer was formed by printing a black detection mark in the same manner as the printing conditions described above, matching the position and shape of the detection mark shown in FIG.

Next, the heat transfer image-receiving sheet was formed in the shape shown in FIG.
Laser processing means using laser (laser output 10
(00 W, irradiation time: 0.1 to 0.2 ms) to perform a half-cut treatment. The size of one screen is 105mm x 1
05mm, and 20mm x 15mm
As shown in FIG. 2, 12 small sections are formed. The conditions for transferring the thermal transfer image receiving sheet by the transport mechanism unit to the image forming unit and the half-cut unit described above. Next, the thermal transfer image receiving sheet was cut in-line by a cylinder type rotary cutter. As described above, a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet was obtained by the forming method of Example 1.

Example 2 A thermal transfer image receiving method was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the detection mark was formed in advance with a through hole as shown in FIG. 2 before forming an image by thermal transfer. I got a sheet. (Embodiment 3) The same structure as that of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of Embodiment 1 is adopted.
Was prepared. Next, a full-color face photograph image and a black detection mark were formed under the same printing conditions as in Example 1, and then a half-cut process was performed as in Example 1. As described above, the third embodiment
A thermal transfer image-receiving sheet was obtained by the method described in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 1) The thermal transfer image-receiving sheet has the same configuration as that of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of Example 1, and the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet is inserted between the upper die having a cutter blade and the base, and the upper die is moved up and down. , A half-cut treatment was performed in advance. Next, a full-color face photograph image and a black detection mark are formed in the same manner as in the printing conditions of the first embodiment.
Sheet cutting was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 for sheet cutting. As described above, the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet was obtained by the forming method of Comparative Example 1.

In the above method for forming a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, transportability of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet was evaluated. The evaluation method is as follows.

<Evaluation Method> (Transportability) When 100 screens of each thermal transfer image-receiving sheet are continuously formed, the half-cut area is visually inspected for any turning or peeling during transport in the thermal transfer printer. The criteria are as follows. ：: No turnover and no peeling. X: There are 10 or more turns or peelings. In addition, the transfer of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet is stopped 5 times or more.

The evaluation results are shown in Table 1 below. (Below)

[0049]

[Table 1]

[0050]

As described above, the method for producing a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of the present invention comprises at least a release sheet, an adhesive layer formed on the release surface, a support peelable together with the adhesive layer, After forming an image on the dye receiving layer using a thermal transfer image receiving sheet comprising a dye receiving layer formed on the support, the thermal transfer image receiving sheet is subjected to a half-cut treatment. Therefore, since the half-cut processing is performed after the sublimation transfer image is formed, the half-cut area is prevented from being turned up during transportation in the thermal transfer printer and peeled off. Furthermore, since the half-cut area is not turned up during transportation in the thermal transfer printer and does not peel off,
It is not necessary to increase the adhesive strength of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, so that peeling of the half-cut area after image formation does not make it difficult to peel off, or that a part of the half-cut area does not burst during peeling.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the half-cut processing is performed by a laser processing means, and the depth of the half-cut line can be easily adjusted only by changing the conditions such as the laser light irradiation time, and the accuracy is improved. High half-cut processing with high reproducibility is possible. The part irradiated with the laser beam is locally heated, and when the liquid phase is in a state of exceeding the melting point of the part, the part is cut by blowing off the part to perform a half-cut process. That is, half-cut processing can be performed on the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet without contact, adhesive does not adhere to the cutter blade, and the adhesive does not transfer and adhere to the surface of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet. No burr or distortion is likely to occur.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of a thermal transfer image receiving sheet forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a plane of a thermal transfer image receiving sheet of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of another example taken along line XX of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a pattern of a half cut line.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a conventional half-cut thermal transfer image receiving sheet.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a state in which the peeled printed matter is attached to another article.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a laser processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Core 2 Image 3 Deep half-cut line 3 'Shallow half-cut line 4 Adhesive layer 5 Release sheet 6 Support 7 Dye receiving layer 8 Non-foamed resin film 9 Foamed resin film 10 Adhesive layer 11 Article 12 Detection mark 20 Laser oscillator 21 Laser head 22 Processing optical system 23 Laser power supply 24 XY table 25 Z table 26 Main controller 30 Thermal transfer image receiving sheet 31 Unwinding section 32 Image forming section 33 Half cut section 34 Sheet cut section 35 Thermal head 36 Platen roller 37 Laser processing Unit 38 rotary cutter 39 transport mechanism unit 40 thermal transfer sheet

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Atsushi Kametaka 450 Aotomachi, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A release sheet comprising at least a release sheet, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed on the release surface, a support that can be peeled off together with the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and a dye-receiving layer formed on the support. A method for preparing a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet having a sublimation transfer image, comprising forming an image on the dye-receiving layer using the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, and then subjecting the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet to a half-cut treatment. 2. The method for producing a thermal transfer image receiving sheet according to claim 1, wherein said half-cut processing is performed by laser processing means. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a detection mark is provided on the release sheet side or the dye receiving layer side of the thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, and the half-cut position is specified by the detection mark. To make a thermal transfer image receiving sheet. 4. A dye layer side of a thermal transfer sheet having at least a thermal head and a platen roller and having a dye layer on a base film between them, at least a release sheet, and an adhesive formed on the release surface thereof. Layer, a support that can be peeled off together with the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and a dye-receiving layer side of a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet composed of a dye-receiving layer formed on the support, facing each other and inserting the same. From the base film side of the thermal transfer sheet, heating is performed in accordance with an image signal by a thermal head, and an image forming section for forming a sublimation transfer image on the dye receiving layer, a half-cut section provided alongside the image forming section, An apparatus for producing a thermal transfer image receiving sheet, comprising a transport mechanism for transporting a thermal transfer image receiving sheet to an image forming section and a half-cut section. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a sheet cut section for cutting the thermal transfer image receiving sheet.
The apparatus for producing a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet described in 1 above. 6. The thermal transfer image receiving sheet producing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said half-cut section uses a laser processing means. 7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said sheet cut section uses a laser processing means. 8. The thermal transfer according to claim 4, wherein a detection mark is provided on the release sheet side or the dye receiving layer side of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet, and a half-cut position is specified by the detection mark. An image receiving sheet preparation device. 9. The thermal transfer according to claim 5, wherein a detection mark is provided on the release sheet side or the dye receiving layer side of the thermal transfer image receiving sheet, and the sheet cut position is specified by the detection mark. An image receiving sheet preparation device.