JPH10181230A - Thermal transfer recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To represent good images on the opposite sides of a material to be transferred by providing at least a first color thermal transfer ink layer, a metal deposition layer and a second color thermal transfer ink layer on a support and forming an image on the material to be transferred, e.g. a transparent film, from one side thereof. SOLUTION: A film applied with a heat resistant slippery layer on the rear side is employed as a support 1. A polyester film is preferably employed. A first color transfer ink layer 2, a metal deposition layer 3 and a second color thermal transfer ink layer 4 are then provided on the support 1. The first color transfer ink layer 2 preferably comprises a coloring agent and a vehicle. The metal deposition layer 3 is used for preventing the ink or image on the opposites from being mixed and for preventing a material to be transferred from having effect on the color or representation of a printed matter by imparting concealing properties. The second color thermal transfer ink layer 4 preferably comprises a coloring agent and a vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat source such as a thermal head printer and the like, which is used on a transfer material such as a transparent film.
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording medium capable of forming an image from one side and expressing a pattern or a character on both sides of the transfer material, and also a pattern or a character having a different color tone on the front and back of the transfer material. The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording medium that can be expressed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Printed materials by the thermal transfer method have been used for various purposes with the development of printers and ribbons. For example, application to display fields such as in-store advertisements, displays, and signboards is also an example. When used in such applications, various films are often used as the material to be transferred due to requirements for durability and expressiveness, and particularly, in window displays such as stores, inside and outside the store. May need to recognize the display. In such applications, when images are to be displayed on both sides of a film as a material to be transferred and both sides of the film are to be expressed by a thermal transfer method, it is necessary to perform thermal transfer printing on both sides of the film. In other words, thermal transfer printing is performed on one side of the film in advance, then the film is turned over,
It was necessary to set the printer again and again, position the printing, print the reverse side, and complete the printing.

The same image on the front and back can be obtained on a transfer material such as a film having transparency by using a ribbon having only one colored layer from the surface. For example, when the transferred image is displayed on a transparent window, etc., if there is an object or scene of a color that affects the image on the back side, the color tone of the object and the image are mixed, and the image recognition is performed because the image is high and the concealment is low. Poor power and improper display.

Further, when a film having transparency is used as a material to be transferred, a single-color or multi-color heat transfer printing is performed on one side of the transparent film with a normal single-color or multi-color ribbon, and a different pattern or character is printed on the opposite surface. In the case where inks of the same color or similar colors are used, the printed images overlap each other and cannot be read.If the inks of different ink colors are mixed, it becomes difficult to read. I was

[0005] For the above reasons, a transparent film cannot be used as a film to be transferred, and a thick and expensive opaque film having concealment properties must be used. As a result, the underlying portion of the film other than where it was printed was also displayed in the window, and the boundary line that cut the film, that is, the edge, was clearly visible, making it unsightly and poor in design. . In addition, it is difficult to cut the film along the print area to improve the design, and even if possible, a special machine or equipment is required, and a beautiful cut surface cannot be obtained. There was a problem.

Conventionally, various thermal transfer recording media using a metal deposition layer have been proposed. For example, JP-A-4-29
This is an ink ribbon or a hot-melt transfer medium as proposed in JP-A-2991 and JP-A-4-294194. These are intended to print on a colored receiver, in order to increase its concealment,
This is one in which an ink layer, a concealing layer, and an adhesive layer are sequentially provided on a base material using a metal thin film layer. In the latter case, a specific white pigment is selected to obtain a whiter printed matter. Since the hot-melt transfer medium performs printing with concealment on a colored image receiving body, it is premised that the image receiving body, that is, the material to be transferred, is colored. If the hot-melt transfer medium is transferred onto a transparent film, the hiding power of the print is good,
When viewed from the reverse side of the transferred side, the glaring surface of the metal deposition layer was exposed, and was not suitable for expressing characters or displaying.

[0007]

When an image is formed on a transfer material such as a transparent film by a heat source such as a thermal head printer and a pattern or a character is expressed on both sides of the transfer material, it is easily used. There has been a problem in printing and expressing accurate information on both sides with accurate color tone without color mixing on the front and back. Hitherto, ribbons with a concealing layer only for concealing the underlayer and ribbons using a metal deposition layer to give a metallic feeling have been studied, but colored images can be seen from both sides of the transparent film. A thermal transfer recording medium for such transfer has not been proposed. The purpose of the present invention is to propose exactly a solution to this problem.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a thermal transfer recording medium in which at least a first colored thermal transfer ink layer, a metal deposition layer, and a second colored thermal transfer ink layer are sequentially provided on a support. As a result, the present invention has been completed. That is, the present invention provides: "1. at least a first colored thermal transfer ink layer on a support,
A thermal transfer recording medium comprising a metal deposited layer and a second colored thermal transfer ink layer sequentially provided. 2. 2. The thermal transfer recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first colored thermal transfer ink layer is a white thermal transfer ink layer. 3. 2. The thermal transfer recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first colored thermal transfer ink layer and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer are composed of similar colors. 4. 2. The thermal transfer recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first colored thermal transfer ink layer and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer are composed of different colors. ".

[0009] According to the thermal transfer recording medium, an image is formed from one side on a transfer material such as a transparent film, so that a picture or a character having an arbitrary color tone can be expressed on both sides of the transfer material. Further, when a pattern or a character having a different color tone is expressed on the front and back surfaces of the material to be transferred, it is possible to perform image expression in which both sides are colored without color mixing or the like.

The thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention is shown in FIGS.
As shown in (1), at least the first colored thermal transfer ink layers 2, 5, the metal deposition layer 3, and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer 4 are sequentially provided on the support. In other words, the layer configuration after the transfer is such that the metal deposition layer 3 is interposed therebetween, and the first colored thermal transfer ink layers 2, 5 and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer 4 are respectively disposed on the front and back thereof. With this configuration, even in a transparent film or the like, the first and second colored thermal transfer ink layers for expressing the front and back colors do not mix or influence each other, and express different tones on the front and back sides. Is what makes it possible.

When printing on a transparent film with a conventional ribbon represented by a single-layer coloring layer without using a metal vapor-deposited layer, the contrast is poor because the light transmission of the coloring layer itself is too high. Characters and images are difficult to read. In contrast, the first colored thermal transfer ink layer 2 of the present invention,
5 is colored, and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer 4 is also colored, and when the image is transferred to a transparent film using a ribbon having the same color tone, a bilaterally symmetric image pattern is obtained. In this case, the same image on both sides of the film can be obtained on both sides of the film with high contrast and high transparency with suppressed transmission. In the case of an asymmetric image pattern, it goes without saying that a mirror image can be obtained on the back surface.

When the color tone of the first colored thermal transfer ink layer and the color tone of the second colored thermal transfer ink layer are different colors, it is possible to obtain a high-contrast vivid image on both sides of the film while suppressing the transmission of different colors. For example, the color tone of the image when viewed from the front and when viewed from the back, such as when attached to a window that is on the border between the inside and the outside of the store, such as when it is used for display visibility and decoration effects, etc. This is particularly effective when it is more effective to use different values.

Further, when the first colored thermal transfer ink layer is white and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer is black, when the white layer and the black layer are usually superimposed, the white layer is affected by the black layer. However, the white color is grayed out, but by using a metal-deposited layer (white ink layer-metal-deposited layer-black ink layer), there is no mixing of both colors, and an image with accurate color tone Therefore, it is a configuration in which the effect of the present invention is particularly exhibited.

When the first colored thermal transfer ink layer is white, printing is performed on a transparent film using a ribbon in which a white first thermal transfer ink layer of the present invention, a metal deposition layer, and a second colored thermal transfer ink layer are sequentially provided. Perform solid color printing so as to include all the areas to be printed, and then perform color thermal transfer printing with a conventional colored ink ribbon on top. Can be used to express images with different sides, such as printing a single color silhouette.

At this time, if a white layer is used for the first colored thermal transfer ink layer, the underlying layer for printing on it becomes white, but if a layer of another color tone is used for the first colored thermal transfer ink layer, It is possible to freely obtain a base of a desired color tone, and various expressions are possible.

In the case of sticking to a window that is directly exposed to sunlight or the like, if an ultraviolet absorbing film or the like is used as the material to be transferred and the image transfer surface is set inside, image fading and deterioration are greatly reduced. And a good display can be maintained.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention will be specifically described below.

As the support of the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention, various types of conventionally known plastic films and the like can be used.
A film of about 0 μm or the like can be used. 2.5 ~ from the point of thermal sensitivity at the time of image transfer, resolution, thermal transfer method, etc.
A 6.0 μm polyester film or the like is preferable.

The thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention comprises at least
It is constituted by providing the first colored thermal transfer ink layers 2 and 5, the metal deposition layer 3 and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer 4 on a support, but there is no particular limitation on the ink layer manufacturing means. Or dispersed and dissolved in a solvent such as oil,
A thermal transfer recording medium can be obtained by preparing a coating liquid and applying it to a desired coating thickness by a coating method such as a gravure coater, a wire bar coater, or an air knife coater.

The first colored thermal transfer ink layers 2, 5 of the present invention preferably comprise at least a colorant and a vehicle.
Colorants to be used include carbon black, titanium oxide, ultramarine, chrome yellow, cadmium yellow, Hansa yellow,
One or more pigments such as disazo yellow, permanent red, alizarin lake, quinacridone red, benzimidazolone red, victoria blue lake, phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, and dioxazine violet, and dyes such as auramine and rhodamine Is available. Pigments are preferred because they have good light fastness when printed matter is used in an environment irradiated with ultraviolet rays such as outdoor exposure. The compounding amount is preferably from 10 to 70% by weight based on the entire thermal transfer ink layer.

As the vehicle to be used, various resins and waxes can be used. These can be used alone or in combination. Further, for each component of a plurality of thermal transfer layers such as the first colored thermal transfer ink layer and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer used in the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention, different components can be used in each layer, and the same type can be used. It can also be composed of components.

The resin components used include vinyl chloride resin, polyamide resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, acrylic resin, polyester resin, terpene resin, ethylene-methacrylic acid-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-
Examples include vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, polystyrene-polyisoprene copolymer, rosin and derivatives thereof, and phenol resins, petroleum resins, and thermoplastic resins such as xylene resins. The compounding amount is preferably from 5 to 80% by weight based on the entire thermal transfer ink layer.

The waxes used include natural waxes such as paraffin wax, candelilla wax, microcrystalline wax, polyethylene wax, beeswax, carnauba wax, gay wax, mokurou, nuka wax, montan wax, ozokerite, ceresin, ester wax, and Fischer-Trops wax. Or synthetic waxes, higher fatty acid waxes such as myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, furomenic acid, behenic acid, lauric acid, and margaric acid; and amide waxes such as stearic acid amide and oleic acid amide. The compounding amount is preferably from 5 to 80% by weight based on the entire thermal transfer ink layer.

The metal deposition layer 3 of the present invention is used to prevent color mixing of ink and images on both sides, and to provide concealment so that the color and expression of the printed matter are not affected by the material to be transferred. Things. By providing this layer, the influence of the first colored thermal transfer ink layer 2, 5 or the second colored thermal transfer ink layer 4, and the effect of the color and image of the material 6 to be transferred can be completely prevented. As the metal deposition layer, various metal thin films can be used, and among them, the use of an aluminum deposition film is preferable from the viewpoint of concealment and vapor deposition. The thickness of the metal deposition layer can be approximately in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 μm.

The second colored thermal transfer ink layer 4 of the present invention preferably comprises at least a colorant and a vehicle. As the coloring agent and the vehicle to be used, those similar to the above-mentioned first colored thermal transfer ink layer can be used. However, in order to perform good thermal transfer, the second colored thermal transfer ink layer is applied to the material to be transferred when heated. There must be adhesion. Considering the balance of the transfer of the first ink layer, the metal deposition layer, and the second ink layer, the second colored thermal transfer ink layer may be mixed with a larger amount of resin than the first colored thermal transfer ink layer to obtain the second colored thermal transfer ink layer. The heat transfer ink layer is provided with a large amount of adhesiveness and good transferability is obtained. For example, the ratio of the resin blended in each layer is the first ratio.
Colored thermal transfer ink layer: Second colored thermal transfer ink layer = 1.
0: 1.1 to 15.0 is preferable, and more preferably, the first
Colored thermal transfer ink layer: Second colored thermal transfer ink layer = 1.
0: 1.1 to 5.0 is optimal. Also, by appropriately selecting the type of vehicle such as resin, it is possible to obtain a good transfer balance.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show an example of the embodiment of the present invention. The image is transferred onto a transparent film 6 as a transfer material by using the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the transfer side (a) when an image is formed on the transfer material 6 on the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.
That is, it is a diagram viewed from the table.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIGS. 3 and 5. Thus, it can be seen that the print surface side is seen from (a) and the film surface, that is, the back surface is seen from (b).

FIG. 5 is a view seen from the transparent film side (b), that is, from the back, when an image is formed on the material 6 to be transferred on the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention. In the case of this figure, since the image pattern is asymmetrical left and right, a mirror image is obtained on the back surface.

When an image is formed on the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention, the first colored thermal transfer ink layers 2 and 5 are colored, and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer 4 is also colored. When printing on a transparent film using a ribbon having the same color tone as that of a ribbon, it is possible to obtain a high-contrast, vivid image of the same color tone on both sides of the film with suppressed transparency.

When the color tone of the first colored thermal transfer ink layer and that of the second colored thermal transfer ink layer are different colors, it is possible to obtain a high-contrast and vivid image on both sides of the film while suppressing the transmission of different colors. For example, when used from the front, it is easy to see the display, such as when it is attached to a window on the border between the inside and the outside of the store. When viewed, it can be used effectively when it is more effective to make the color tone of the image different, such as making the color tone darker and calm.

In particular, when the first colored thermal transfer ink layer is white and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer is black, as described above, if the white layer and the black layer are simply overlapped, the white layer becomes Although the white color is grayed out due to the influence of the black layer, both colors are not mixed at all and a high-contrast printed matter can be obtained, which is particularly preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show another example of the embodiment of the present invention. After the image is transferred onto the transparent film 6 as the material to be transferred by the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention, the color is printed by superimposing and printing with a conventional single-layer ribbon of basically single color. It is a thing.

FIG. 6 shows the transfer side (c) when an image is formed on the transfer material 6 on the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.
That is, it is a diagram viewed from the table.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIGS. 6 and 8. Thus, it can be seen that the print surface side is seen from (c) and the film surface, that is, the back surface is seen from (d).

FIG. 8 is a view seen from the transparent film side (d), that is, from the back, when an image is formed on the transfer material 6 by the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention. In the case of this figure, the image pattern is an asymmetric image pattern, and since the surface is additionally printed in color, the image is a silhouette image of the image viewed from the surface.

In carrying out the image representation shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, a preferred embodiment is described below. When forming an image on the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention, a white first thermal transfer ink is used. When printing is performed on the transparent film using the ribbon having the black second thermal transfer ink layer 7 using the layer 5,
It is possible to obtain an image of a silhouette with a calm color tone like this. At the same time, a base for printing on the base is well formed. Thereafter, black printing 8, red printing 9, yellow printing 10 and the like are respectively performed on a ribbon having a conventional colored ink layer which may have transparency, thereby transferring from one side. Only,
The front and back sides can be used to express different images, such as vivid color printing on the front side and single color silhouette printing on the back side.

In combination with the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention,
Conventional thermal transfer ribbons used for various surface printings 8, 9, and 10 basically have a transparent colored layer, and the structure and transfer method used are those conventionally known. Although it is possible, if the color layers to be transferred have good light transmittance, a printed matter having extremely excellent color expression can be obtained at the overlapping portion of the transferred matter.

If the pigment is an organic pigment, since the pigment itself has good light transmittance, even when the transfer is repeated and the thermal transfer ink layer is overlaid to express the color, the color tone of each layer is accurately represented. In the overlapping portion, color mixture by each ink layer is obtained, and various chromatic colors can be expressed. When a multi-color expression is not used by overlapping a plurality of inks, a colored ribbon having concealment properties can be used.

In providing the thermal transfer ink layer on the support, a transfer layer having the same layer structure is provided on the entire surface of the support.
A ribbon having a single combination may be used, or a plurality of transfer layers having a multilayer structure may be sequentially provided on one support in a block shape.

In order to perform good multicolor printing using the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention, a thermal transfer ribbon having a transparent colored layer as described above and the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention are used. In the case of using a ribbon provided with a transfer layer having the same layer configuration on the entire surface of the support, when printing with one thermal head, the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention uses a transparent film with a backside silhouette and a frontside. Is formed, a printing operation is performed by using the first ribbon, then the ribbon is replaced, the transferred material once printed is pulled back, and printing is performed using the second ribbon. When printing in three or more colors, the same operation is performed in order, and when thermal transfer recording of multiple colors is performed, good thermal transfer recording can be obtained. It is preferable to use a printer equipped with a plurality of thermal heads, because it saves time and effort for printing and hardly causes printing misregistration. At this time, a vivid color image is obtained on the front surface of the transparent film as the transfer material, and the silhouette of the pattern of the image is expressed in a single color on the back surface.

When a ribbon in which a plurality of transfer layers having a plurality of layers are sequentially provided in a block shape on one support is used, a dedicated printer is required. However, it is not necessary to replace the ribbon with a single thermal head. Simply multicolor printing or
The double-sided printing of the present invention can be performed.

In the above description, a transparent film has been described as the transfer object, but it is of course possible to transfer the image to a transfer object other than the transparent film. In the case of forming an image on a color film, if a first colored thermal transfer ink layer having a color tone different from that of the transfer object is provided, it is possible to form an image that is concealable and is not affected by the color film. If a white first color thermal transfer ink layer is provided, it is of course possible to form a white image which is opaque and is not affected by a color film.

The thermal transfer ink composition of the present invention further contains additives to improve various properties such as print abrasion resistance, ribbon running property, and ribbon preservability, as long as the basic performance of the present invention is not reduced. You may. The amount varies depending on the type of the additive, but may be 2 to the entire thermal transfer ink.
It is preferably 0% by weight or less.

The coating thickness of the thermal transfer ink layer is 1.0 to 5.0.
The order of μm is good, and 1.0 to 3.0 μm is preferable.

In the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention, it is essential to provide a first colored thermal transfer ink layer, a metal deposition layer, and a second colored thermal transfer ink layer on a support. A functional layer such as a release layer may be provided therebetween, or another layer such as providing a vapor deposition primer layer between the first colored thermal transfer ink layer and the metal vapor deposition layer.

[0047]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. In the examples and comparative examples, all “parts” are by weight unless otherwise specified.

Example 1 A heat-resistant lubricating layer was formed on one side of a 4.5 μm-thick polyester film to provide a support, and the opposite side of the heat-resistant lubricating layer of the support was coated with the first white thermal transfer ink having the following structure. The layer components were prepared in a toluene solvent so as to have a solid content of 30%, coated with a gravure coater to a coating thickness of 2.0 μm, and dried to produce a white first thermal transfer ink layer. (White first thermal transfer ink layer component) Carnauba wax 38 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 10 parts Titanium oxide 50 parts Dispersant 2 parts To increase the vapor deposition efficiency of the metal vapor deposited layer on the white first thermal transfer ink layer , Provided a vapor deposition primer layer of nitrocellulose 0.2μm, as a metal vapor deposition layer thereon,
An aluminum vapor-deposited layer was provided by a vacuum vapor deposition method at 0.05 μm. Furthermore, as a second colored thermal transfer ink layer thereon,
A black second thermal transfer ink layer having the following composition was prepared so as to have a solid content of 25% in a toluene solvent, coated with a gravure coater to a coating thickness of 2.0 μm, and dried.
A black second thermal transfer ink layer was provided to obtain a thermal transfer recording medium. (Black second thermal transfer ink layer component) Carnauba wax 38 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 40 parts Carbon black 20 parts Dispersant 2 parts Using a thermal transfer recording medium, on a transparent PET film of 125 μm with a thermal head printer. When heat transfer printing was performed, good transfer was achieved, and a white image was obtained when viewed from the printing surface of the film, and a black image was obtained when viewed from the opposite surface. In addition, the obtained printed matter is
A high-contrast image with no color mixture of white and black and concealment of transmitted light was obtained.

Example 2 The second colored thermal transfer ink layer of Example 1 was replaced with a second colored thermal transfer ink layer having the following structure.
A thermal transfer ink layer component is prepared to have a solid content of 25% in a toluene solvent, and a coating thickness of 2.0 is applied by a gravure coater.
The coating was dried to a thickness of μm and dried to form a second red thermal transfer ink layer to obtain a thermal transfer recording medium. (Red second thermal transfer ink layer component) Carnauba wax 33 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 40 parts Red pigment 25 parts Dispersant 2 parts Using a thermal transfer recording medium, a thermal head printer on a 125 μm transparent PET film When heat transfer printing was performed, good transfer was achieved, and a white image was obtained when viewed from the printed surface of the film, and a red image was obtained when viewed from the opposite surface. In addition, the obtained printed matter is
A high-contrast image having no color mixture of white and red and having a hiding property against transmitted light was obtained.

Example 3 The second colored thermal transfer ink layer of Example 1 was replaced with the second
A thermal transfer ink layer component is prepared to have a solid content of 25% in a toluene solvent, and a coating thickness of 2.0 is applied by a gravure coater.
The coating was dried so as to have a thickness of μm and dried to form a second blue thermal transfer ink layer to obtain a thermal transfer recording medium. (Blue second thermal transfer ink layer component) Carnauba wax 33 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 40 parts Blue pigment 25 parts Dispersant 2 parts Using the above thermal transfer recording medium, on a 125 μm transparent PET film with a thermal head printer. When heat transfer printing was performed, good transfer was achieved, and a white image was obtained when viewed from the printed surface of the film, and a blue image was obtained when viewed from the opposite surface. In addition, the obtained printed matter is
A high-contrast image having no color mixture of white and blue and hiding the transmitted light was obtained.

Example 4 A heat-resistant lubricating layer was formed on one side of a polyester film having a thickness of 4.5 μm to provide a support, and a white first thermal transfer ink having the following structure was provided on the opposite side of the heat-resistant lubricating layer of the support. The layer components were prepared so as to have a solid content of 40% in a solvent of toluene / MEK = 1/1, coated with a gravure coater to a coating thickness of 3.0 μm, and dried to obtain a white first thermal transfer ink. Layers were made. (White first thermal transfer ink layer component) PVC / vinyl acetate / hydroxy acrylate resin 30 parts Titanium oxide 50 parts Polyethylene wax 20 parts Nitrocellulose to increase the vapor deposition efficiency of the metal vapor deposited layer on the white first thermal transfer ink layer A vapor deposition primer layer of 0.2 μm is provided, and a metal vapor deposition layer is formed thereon.
An aluminum vapor-deposited layer was provided with a thickness of 0.05 μm by a vacuum vapor deposition method. Furthermore, as a second colored thermal transfer ink layer thereon,
The black second thermal transfer ink layer having the following structure was used in toluene / M
EK = 1/1, prepared so as to have a solid content of 40% under a solvent, coated with a gravure coater to a coating thickness of 2.5 μm, and dried to form a black second thermal transfer ink layer.
A thermal transfer recording medium was obtained. (Black second thermal transfer ink layer component) PVC / vinyl acetate / hydroxy acrylate resin 65 parts Polyethylene wax 10 parts Carbon black 20 parts Dispersant 5 parts Using the above thermal transfer recording medium, a 125 μm transparent PET film with a thermal head printer When thermal transfer printing was performed thereon, good transfer was achieved, and a white image was obtained when viewed from the printed surface of the film, and a black image was obtained when viewed from the opposite surface. In addition, the obtained printed matter is
A high-contrast image with no color mixture of white and black and concealment of transmitted light was obtained.

Example 5 The second colored thermal transfer ink layer of Example 4 was replaced with the second
A thermal transfer ink layer component is prepared so as to have a solid content of 25% in a toluene / MEK = 1/1 solvent, coated with a gravure coater so as to have a coating thickness of 2.0 μm, dried, and dried in a second color. A thermal transfer ink layer was provided to obtain a thermal transfer recording medium. (Blue second thermal transfer ink layer component) PVC / vinyl acetate / hydroxy acrylate resin 65 parts Polyethylene wax 10 parts Blue pigment 20 parts Dispersant 5 parts Using the above thermal transfer recording medium, a 125 μm transparent PET film by a thermal head printer. When thermal transfer printing was performed thereon, good transfer was obtained, and a white image was obtained when viewed from the printed surface of the film, and a blue image was obtained when viewed from the opposite surface. In addition, the obtained printed matter is
A high-contrast image having no color mixture of white and blue and hiding the transmitted light was obtained.

Example 6 Using the thermal transfer recording media of Examples 1 to 3, a thermal head printer was used to perform thermal transfer printing on a 125 μm transparent PET film to form a base for multicolor expression on the surface. When red printing was performed on the first ribbon having the following configuration, yellow printing was performed on the second ribbon, and black printing was performed on the third ribbon, all image transfer was successfully performed. When viewed from the printing surface of the film, a multi-color image was obtained, and when viewed from the opposite side, images of black, red and blue silhouettes were obtained. Also,
In the obtained printed matter, a high-contrast image having no color mixing of each ink layer and concealing the transmitted light was obtained. (First ribbon component) PVC / vinyl acetate / hydroxy acrylate resin 65 parts Polyethylene wax 10 parts Red pigment 20 parts Dispersant 5 parts (Second ribbon component) PVC / vinyl acetate / hydroxy acrylate resin 65 parts Polyethylene wax 10 parts Yellow pigment 20 parts Dispersant 5 parts (third ribbon component) PVC / vinyl acetate / hydroxy acrylate resin 65 parts Polyethylene wax 10 parts Black pigment 20 parts Dispersant 5 parts

Example 7 Using the thermal transfer recording mediums of Examples 1 to 3, a thermal head printer was used to perform thermal transfer printing on a 125 μm transparent PET film to form a base for multicolor expression on the surface. When red printing was performed on the first ribbon having the following configuration, yellow printing was performed on the second ribbon, and black printing was performed on the third ribbon, all image transfer was successfully performed. When viewed from the printing surface of the film, a multi-color image was obtained, and when viewed from the opposite side, images of black, red and blue silhouettes were obtained. Also,
In the obtained printed matter, a high-contrast image having no color mixing of each ink layer and concealing the transmitted light was obtained. (First ribbon component) Carnauba wax 58 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 20 parts Red pigment 20 parts Dispersant 2 parts (Second ribbon component) Carnauba wax 58 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 20 parts Yellow pigment 20 parts Dispersant 2 parts (third ribbon component) Carnauba wax 58 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 20 parts Black pigment 20 parts Dispersant 2 parts

Example 8 Using the thermal transfer recording media of Examples 4 and 5, thermal transfer printing was performed on a 125 μm transparent PET film by a thermal head printer to form a base for multicolor expression on the surface. The first ribbon having the following configuration is used to perform cyan printing, and thereafter, the magenta printing is performed partially by overlapping the cyan ink layer with the second ribbon, and further the cyan and magenta ink layers are partially printed. When the yellow ribbon was printed with the third ribbon, all the images could be transferred well. When viewed from the printing surface of the film, the multicolor image due to subtractive color mixing was seen from the opposite side. When viewed, images of black and blue silhouettes were obtained. Also,
The obtained printed matter did not have any color mixture of black and blue and those of cyan, magenta and yellow with the so-called surface side ink layer, and a high-contrast image having concealing property with respect to transmitted light was obtained. (First ribbon component) PVC / vinyl acetate / hydroxy acrylate resin 65 parts Polyethylene wax 10 parts Cyan pigment 20 parts Dispersant 5 parts (Second ribbon component) PVC / vinyl acetate / hydroxy acrylate resin 65 parts Polyethylene wax 10 Part Magenta pigment 20 parts Dispersant 5 parts (third ribbon component) PVC / vinyl acetate / hydroxy acrylate resin 65 parts Polyethylene wax 10 parts Yellow pigment 20 parts Dispersant 5 parts

Example 9 Using the thermal transfer recording media of Examples 4 and 5, a thermal head printer was used to perform thermal transfer printing on a 125 μm transparent PET film to form a base for multicolor expression on the surface. When red printing was performed on the first ribbon having the following configuration, yellow printing was performed on the second ribbon, and black printing was performed on the third ribbon, all image transfer was successfully performed. When viewed from the printing surface of the film, a multi-color image was obtained, and when viewed from the opposite side, black and blue silhouette images were obtained. Further, in the obtained printed matter, a high-contrast image was obtained in which there was no color mixture in each ink layer and the light was concealed from transmitted light. (First ribbon component) Carnauba wax 58 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 20 parts Red pigment 20 parts Dispersant 2 parts (Second ribbon component) Carnauba wax 58 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 20 parts Yellow pigment 20 parts Dispersant 2 parts (third ribbon component) Carnauba wax 58 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 20 parts Black pigment 20 parts Dispersant 2 parts

Example 10 The first colored thermal transfer ink layer of Example 1 was replaced with a first colored thermal transfer ink layer having the following structure.
A thermal transfer ink layer component is prepared to have a solid content of 25% in a toluene solvent, and a coating thickness of 2.0 is applied by a gravure coater.
The coating was dried to a thickness of μm and dried to provide a black first thermal transfer ink layer to obtain a thermal transfer recording medium. (Components of black first thermal transfer ink layer) Carnauba wax 53 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 25 parts Carbon black 20 parts Dispersant 2 parts Using a thermal transfer recording medium, a thermal head printer on a 125 μm transparent PET film When thermal transfer printing was performed on the film, good transfer was possible, and when viewed from the printing surface of the film, a black image was obtained. Obtained.

Example 11 The first colored thermal transfer ink layer of Example 1 was replaced with a first colored thermal transfer ink layer having the following structure.
A thermal transfer ink layer component is prepared to have a solid content of 25% in a toluene solvent, and a coating thickness of 2.0 is applied by a gravure coater.
The coating was dried to a thickness of μm, and dried to form a first red thermal transfer ink layer to obtain a thermal transfer recording medium. (Red 1st thermal transfer ink layer component) Carnauba wax 50 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 23 parts Red pigment 25 parts Dispersant 2 parts Using the above thermal transfer recording medium, on a 125 μm transparent PET film with a thermal head printer. When heat transfer printing was performed, good transfer was achieved, and a red image was obtained when viewed from the printed surface of the film, and a black image was obtained when viewed from the opposite surface. In addition, the obtained printed matter is
A high-contrast image having no mixed color of red and black and having concealing property with respect to transmitted light was obtained.

Example 12 The first colored thermal transfer ink layer of Example 1 was replaced with the first
A thermal transfer ink layer component is prepared to have a solid content of 25% in a toluene solvent, and a coating thickness of 2.0 is applied by a gravure coater.
The coating was dried to a thickness of μm and dried to provide a blue first thermal transfer ink layer to obtain a thermal transfer recording medium. (Blue first thermal transfer ink layer component) Carnauba wax 50 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 23 parts Blue pigment 25 parts Dispersant 2 parts Using the above thermal transfer recording medium, on a transparent PET film of 125 μm with a thermal head printer. When heat transfer printing was performed, good transfer was achieved, and a blue image was obtained when viewed from the printed surface of the film, and a black image was obtained when viewed from the opposite surface. In addition, the obtained printed matter is
A high-contrast image with no color mixture of blue and black and concealment of transmitted light was obtained.

Example 13 The first colored thermal transfer ink layer of Example 4 was replaced with the first
A thermal transfer ink layer component is prepared to have a solid content of 25% in a toluene solvent, and a coating thickness of 2.0 is applied by a gravure coater.
The coating was dried to a thickness of μm and dried to provide a blue first thermal transfer ink layer to obtain a thermal transfer recording medium. (Blue first thermal transfer ink layer component) Carnauba wax 50 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 23 parts Blue pigment 25 parts Dispersant 2 parts Using the above thermal transfer recording medium, on a transparent PET film of 125 μm with a thermal head printer. When heat transfer printing was performed, good transfer was achieved, and a blue image was obtained when viewed from the printed surface of the film, and a black image was obtained when viewed from the opposite surface. In addition, the obtained printed matter is
A high-contrast image with no color mixture of blue and black and concealment of transmitted light was obtained.

Example 14 The first colored thermal transfer ink layer of Example 5 was prepared with a thermal transfer ink layer component having the following constitution so as to have a solid content of 25% in a toluene / MEK = 1/1 solvent, and was applied to a gravure coater. Each was applied to a coating thickness of 2.0 μm and dried to provide first and second blue thermal transfer ink layers, thereby obtaining a thermal transfer recording medium. (Blue thermal transfer ink layer component) PVC / vinyl acetate / hydroxy acrylate resin 55 parts Polyethylene wax 20 parts Blue pigment 20 parts Dispersant 5 parts Using a thermal transfer recording medium, a thermal head printer was used on a 125 μm transparent PET film. When the thermal transfer printing was performed, good transfer was obtained, and an image having very good concealing properties with respect to the transmitted blue light was obtained when viewed from the printed surface of the film or from the reverse surface.

Comparative Example 1 A thermal transfer recording medium was obtained by laminating in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the vapor deposition primer layer and the metal vapor deposition layer were not provided. Using the above thermal transfer recording medium and performing thermal transfer printing on a 125 μm transparent PET film with a thermal head printer, the transfer was good.
When viewed from the printing surface of the film, a mixture of white and black was produced, resulting in a gray image, a desired color tone was not obtained, and a black image when viewed from the opposite surface. Further, the transferred image lacked concealing properties with respect to transmitted light.

Comparative Example 2 A heat-resistant lubricating layer was formed on one side of a 4.5 μm-thick polyester film to provide a support, and the yellow heat-transfer ink layer component having the following composition was provided on the opposite side of the heat-resistant lubricating layer of the support. Was prepared in a toluene solvent so as to have a solid content of 30%, coated with a gravure coater to a coating thickness of 2.0 μm, and dried to produce a yellow thermal transfer ink layer. (Yellow thermal transfer ink layer component) Carnauba wax 50 parts Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer 23 parts Yellow pigment 25 parts Dispersant 2 parts Using the above thermal transfer recording medium, thermal transfer to 125 μm transparent PET film by thermal head printer. When the printing was performed, the transfer was good, but the same yellow image was obtained when viewed from both sides of the film, but the transparency to transmitted light was high and the concealment was low, so the contrast was poor, the color tone and The recognition ability of the image was poor, and it was unsuitable for display.

[0064]

As described above, the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention is a thermal transfer recording medium in which at least a first colored thermal transfer ink layer, a metal deposition layer, and a second colored thermal transfer ink layer are sequentially provided on a support. By forming an image from one side on a transfer material such as a transparent film, it is possible to express a pattern or a character of an arbitrary tone on both sides of the transfer material, When expressing patterns or characters with different colors on the front and back, there is no color mixing etc.
This is an excellent effect capable of favorably expressing an image in which both sides are colored.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a transcript viewed from a printing surface when printing on a transparent film using the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a transfer product taken along the line AA in FIG. 3 when printing is performed on a transparent film using the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a transcript viewed from the transparent film surface when printed on a transparent film using the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a transcript viewed from a printing surface when printing is performed on a transparent film using the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a transcript taken along the line BB of FIG. 6 when printing is performed on a transparent film using the thermal transfer recording medium or the like of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a transferred material viewed from the transparent film surface when printing on a transparent film using the thermal transfer recording medium of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 support 2 first colored thermal transfer ink layer 3 metal deposition layer 4 second colored thermal transfer ink layer 5 white first thermal transfer ink layer 6 material to be transferred 7 black second thermal transfer ink layer 8 black thermal transfer ink layer 9 red thermal transfer ink layer 10 Yellow thermal transfer ink layer

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A thermal transfer recording medium comprising at least a first colored thermal transfer ink layer, a metal deposition layer, and a second colored thermal transfer ink layer sequentially provided on a support. 2. The thermal transfer recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first colored thermal transfer ink layer is a white thermal transfer ink layer. 3. The thermal transfer recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first colored thermal transfer ink layer and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer are composed of similar colors. 4. The thermal transfer recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first colored thermal transfer ink layer and the second colored thermal transfer ink layer are composed of different colors.