JPH11240188A - Overcoat transfer method and thermal transfer type printer capable of forming overcoat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form an overcoat of superior adhesion and glossiness by cold- separating ink paper without adopting a complicate structure. SOLUTION: This overcoat transfer method includes a process in which an ink of a type molten with heat and applied to an ink paper 3 is transferred to the recording paper by heat generated by a thermal head 36 according to print information, thereby printing general images, then the recording paper is sent in a print direction together with the ink paper 3 while a wind reel 5 is stopped, thereby thermally transferring an overcoat ink to the images, and a process in which the wind reel 5 is rotated while the recording paper is returned in the opposite direction to the print direction, thereby separating the ink paper 3 from the recording paper and winding the ink paper.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for printing an image on a recording sheet using ink paper coated with one or more ink colors, using a transparent overcoat ink as a protective cover on the printed image. The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer capable of applying an overcoat with an applied ink sheet and an overcoat transfer method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the printing field, a thermal transfer printer has been widely used as a printer having high resolution, multiple gradations and easy handling. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a part of an ink sheet used in a general thermal transfer printer, and FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram for explaining the configuration of a general thermal transfer printer. (B)
Indicates a printing state. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a part of an ink paper coated with a transparent overcoat ink.

As shown in FIG. 14A, an ink paper 101 used in a general thermal transfer printer is provided with a yellow (Y), yellow (Y), yellow (Y), in a longitudinal direction on a transparent base film formed of a polyester thin film material or the like. A plurality of ink colors of magenta (M) and cyan (C) are sequentially and repeatedly applied. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14B, the ink may be formed by applying a black (BK) ink color behind cyan (C), and the arrangement of each ink is also limited to the above. Not done. The ink paper 101 uses a heat-meltable ink or a heat-sublimable ink, and a recording paper described later is also prepared according to the type of the ink of the ink paper 101. Further, the ink paper 101 is provided with cueing detection marks M1 to M3 for each ink color at a substantially leading position of each ink color.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, a general thermal transfer printer 110 is provided on each ink side of an ink paper 101 and has a recording paper 102 attached thereto. A platen roller 111 that rotates freely while
A pair of a capstan roller 113 and a pinch roller 114, which are pressed against each other to reciprocate the recording paper 102 at a constant speed and one of which is connected to a motor 112 such as a step motor or a pulse motor, and a platen roller The supply reel 1 provided above the paper 111 and having the ink paper 101 stretched over the guides 115 and 116.
17, the take-up reel 118, and the take-up reel 118 connected to the take-up reel 118 so as to move the ink paper 101 in the direction of arrow A1.
Paper take-up motor 119 that takes up the ink
The thermal head 122 is supported by an arm 121 which rotates on the back side of each ink side of the ink cartridge 01 and connected to the cam wheel 120 and is provided on the platen roller 111 side so as to be able to freely contact and separate therefrom.
And the ink paper 10 attached to one end of the arm 121.
Cue detection marks M1 to M provided for each ink color of No. 1
3 (FIG. 14).

Next, the operation of the general thermal transfer printer 110 having the above configuration will be described. First, FIG.
In the state before printing shown in (A), the recording paper 102 sent from a paper feeding means (not shown) is driven between the pair of rollers 113 and 114 connected to the motor 112 to drive the recording paper 102 free. Rotatable platen roller 111
It is transported in the direction of arrow B1 so as to be in contact with the upper side. Since the motor 112 is constituted by a pulse motor or the like as described above, the feed amount by forward / reverse rotation can be easily managed by counting the number of pulses.

Next, when cueing the first color of yellow (Y) of the ink paper 101, the ink paper take-up motor 119 is driven while the thermal head 122 is separated from the platen roller 111 to drive the ink paper 101. After the first color cueing detection mark M1 (FIG. 14) is detected by the optical sensor 123 while taking up the first color on the take-up reel 118 side, the drive of the ink paper take-up motor 119 is stopped and the first color yellow (Y) head is detected. Stand by at the detection mark position.

[0007] Next, in the printing state shown in FIG.
1 is rotated to the platen roller 111 side, and this arm 1 is rotated.
When the thermal head 122 supported by the printer 21 is pressed toward the platen roller 111, the ink paper 101 is pressed by the thermal head 122 on the recording paper 102 abutting on the platen roller 111. Since the print information corresponding to (Y) is supplied, the first color yellow (Y) is printed by the thermal head 122 while the recording paper 102 is transported in the direction of arrow B2 and the ink paper 101 is wound in the direction of arrow A1. Do. Then, at the printing end position of the first color yellow (Y), the thermal head 122 is separated from the platen roller 111 side, and the recording paper 102 is returned in the arrow B1 direction.
By the same operation as above, printing is repeated in the order of magenta (M) for the second color and cyan (C) for the third color.

[0008]

By the way, a color image can be obtained by transferring each ink color of the ink paper 101 onto the recording paper 102 by the above-described general thermal transfer printer 110, but this color image is obtained by sunlight. Inadequate light fastness to light, and furthermore, if a human fingerprint or the like adheres to a color image, the image quality is inferior. Therefore, a transparent overcoat ink is applied over the color image for protection. In some cases, overcoating is performed with paper. In this case, FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a transparent overcoat ink (OC) is provided on the ink paper 101 behind cyan (C) or behind black (BK) ink color. As in the case of the inks (Y, M, C), the transparent overcoat ink (OC) is transferred onto the color image.

However, when the transparent overcoat ink (OC) on the ink paper 101 is transferred onto the color image printed on the recording paper 102, the type of the ink on the ink paper 101 is a heat-sublimable transparent ink. In the case of the overcoat ink (OC), the same steps as in the case of the color ink may be used. However, in the case of the heat-meltable transparent overcoat ink (OC), the heat-meltable transparent ink is used. Experiments have shown that if the ink paper 101 is peeled off from the recording paper 102 while the overcoat ink (OC) is still hot, the overcoat ink has poor adhesion and cannot be completely overcoated. The reason for this is that, at the time of normal transfer of ink such as Y, M, C, etc., the gradation is controlled by the size of the area of the transferred ink dots. Immediately after that, the so-called hot peeling, which peels off the ink paper from the recording paper, must be performed, whereas in the case of overcoat ink, it is necessary to transfer this over the entire transfer surface and uniformly. This is because the so-called cold peeling must be performed, in which the ink paper is peeled after a short cooling time after the transfer, not immediately after the thermal transfer.

As means for realizing the cold peeling of the overcoating ink, for example, JP-A-1-26957
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4 (1993) -104, etc., a movable positioning lever is controlled to thereby increase the cooling time. However, in this case, since a movable member such as a positioning lever must be provided, the size of the apparatus itself is increased and the cost is increased, so that the apparatus is not particularly suitable as a portable printer that requires compactness. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has been conceived in order to effectively solve the problems. The purpose of the present invention is to carry out cold peeling of ink paper without using a complicated structure to achieve close contact. An object of the present invention is to provide an overcoat transfer method capable of forming an overcoat having excellent properties and gloss and a thermal transfer printer capable of overcoating.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided a capstan which is rotatable in a forward / reverse direction while taking up an ink sheet fed from a supply reel by a take-up reel rotating in one direction via a thermal head. By moving the recording paper and the ink paper sandwiched by a roller and a pinch roller while pressing them between the thermal head and a platen roller, the hot-melt ink applied to the ink paper is transferred to the thermal head. In the transfer method of transferring the recording paper to the recording paper by heat generated in accordance with the printing information, the recording paper is sent together with the ink paper in a printing direction in a state where the take-up reel is stopped after printing a normal image. Thermally transferring the coating ink onto the image; and rotating the take-up reel while returning the recording paper in a direction opposite to a printing direction. By one in which the ink sheet has to have a step of winding while peeled from the recording paper.

When the overcoat ink is thermally transferred over the entire surface of the image after printing (thermal transfer) the normal image on the recording paper, the take-up reel is stopped. The paper is fed for a while in a state of being overlapped with the recording paper without being removed, and the ink transferred during this time is naturally cooled. Then, after a while, the transferred ink paper is taken up by rotating the take-up reel while returning the recording paper in the paper discharge direction, and at this time the ink paper is mainly peeled off from the recording paper. Will be. This allows
It is possible to perform cold peeling, which peels off the ink paper from the recording paper after the transfer ink has cooled, instead of using the conventional thermal peeling method, in which the recording paper peels off the ink paper immediately after passing through the thermal head. This makes it possible to improve the adhesion and gloss of the overcoat ink.

In the step of thermally transferring the overcoat ink, the ink paper after the thermal transfer is folded and sandwiched between the capstan roller and the pinch roller, so that the transferred paper is There is no need to provide an area for temporarily storing ink paper or a storage container. In this case, the ink paper is peeled about half of the front (printing direction) of the recording paper on which the overcoat ink has been thermally transferred first, but at this point, the overcoat ink has already sufficiently cooled down naturally. There is no problem.

In the step of winding the ink sheet while peeling it from the recording sheet, when the ink sheet is returned in the sheet discharging direction, the transferred ink sheet is sandwiched between the thermal head and the platen roller and returned. However, this step is performed by rotating the take-up reel while returning the recording paper in a direction opposite to the printing direction in a state where the ink paper and the recording paper are sandwiched between the platen roller and the thermal head. A first winding step of winding a part of a clean ink paper;
By transferring the recording paper in the printing direction while maintaining the state after the winding step, the winding reel is rotated to wind the remaining ink paper, and a second winding step is performed. The ink paper can be completely taken up by the take-up reel.

In order to perform the above operation, in a thermal transfer printer capable of overcoating, a supply reel wound with ink paper coated with hot-melt ink and heat for melting the ink in accordance with print information are generated. A thermal head, a take-up reel that rotates in one direction to wind up the ink paper passing through the thermal head, a capstan roller that can be rotated forward and backward, and the heat-fusible ink is transferred. A pinch roller for sandwiching the recording paper between the capstan rollers, a platen roller for sandwiching the ink paper and the recording paper between the thermal head, and the recording paper after printing a normal image. The overcoat ink is thermally transferred onto the image by sending in the printing direction together with the ink paper, and then the recording paper is returned in the direction opposite to the printing direction. One said winding roller is rotated constituting the ink sheet to a control means for controlling such wind while peeled from the recording paper.

Also, by installing an ink paper folding guide for folding the thermally transferred ink paper which is returned when the recording paper is returned, on the recording paper return direction side, the recording paper is returned when the recording paper is returned. The returned thermal transfer ink sheet is folded, so that the ink sheet does not temporarily jump out of, for example, a recording sheet discharge port of a printer.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a thermal transfer printer capable of overcoating and an overcoat transfer method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink paper cartridge applied to an overcoatable thermal transfer printer according to the present invention, and FIGS.
FIG. 2F is a diagram for explaining various ink papers that can be stored in the ink paper cartridge shown in FIG. 1. First, as shown in FIG. 1, an ink paper cartridge 1 applied to an overcoatable thermal transfer printer according to the present invention includes:
An ink paper 3 using hot-melt ink is wound around a supply reel 4 and a take-up reel 5 and housed in a cartridge body 2 serving as an exterior component. The ink paper cartridge 1 has a plurality of heating elements along a rod-shaped glass member attached to one end of a thin substrate, as described later, in accordance with the size of the business card of the recording paper 6 (FIGS. 4 to 7). Are formed in a small size in accordance with the end face type thermal head 36 (FIGS. 5 to 7).

The ink paper cartridge 1 is replaceably mounted from the ink paper cartridge insertion / removal opening 11b1 formed on the rear surface 11b of the outer casing 11 of the thermal transfer printer 10 (FIG. 3) described later, with the direction of arrow N at the top. Have been. Here, the ink paper 3 housed in the cartridge 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. The ink paper 3 is formed by sequentially and repeatedly applying a plurality of heat-meltable inks in a longitudinal direction on a base film surface formed of a polyester thin film material or the like. Since the heat-meltable ink is used for the ink paper 3, a porous recording paper 6 (FIGS. 4 to 7) having good transfer performance is used in correspondence with the heat-meltable ink.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the ink paper 3 is formed by sequentially and repeatedly applying three color inks of yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C).
Recording paper 6 (FIGS. 4 to 6) described later as shown in FIG.
In order to undercoat plain paper before printing when plain paper is used, a transparent undercoat ink (UC) is added before the plurality of inks (Y, M, C). As shown in FIG. 2C, in order to overcoat the recording paper 6 after printing as shown in FIG. 2C, a transparent overcoat ink (O) is provided after the plurality of inks (Y, M, C). .C) or black (BK) in the combination of FIGS. 2 (A) to 2 (C).
2 (D) to 2 (F) by adding the above inks. In addition, in order to detect the cue position of each ink color on the ink paper 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 2A, ink color detection marks M1 to M3 are provided at the head of each ink color. 2B to 2F, ink color detection marks are provided, but illustration is omitted.

Next, an overcoatable thermal transfer printer 10 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a thermal transfer printer capable of overcoating according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the thermal transfer printer capable of overcoating according to the present invention viewed from the bottom side. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the recording paper door is closed, FIG. 5B shows a state in which the recording paper door is opened, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the overcoatable thermal transfer printer according to the present invention. 5 (A) is a bottom view, FIG. 5 (B) is a side sectional view, FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a thermal transfer type printer capable of overcoating according to the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a cartridge guide shown in FIG. It is the figure which expanded and showed the combined ink paper folding guide.

As shown in FIG. 3, the thermal transfer printer 10 capable of overcoating according to the present invention has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and a small height of 130 × 94 × 36 (mm). In addition, the battery is provided with a power supply battery therein and has good portability. In the thermal transfer type printer 10, the outer housing 11 is formed in a box shape.
An ink paper cartridge insertion / removal opening 11b1 for inserting / removing the ink paper cartridge 1 (FIG. 1) on the rear surface 11b side facing the front surface 11a in front of the drawing, and an openable / closable ink paper door for covering the ink paper cartridge insertion / removal opening 11b1. 12
A battery insertion / removal opening 11b2 for inserting / removing a battery 22 (FIG. 6) described later;
An openable and closable battery door 13 that covers b2 is formed.

A plurality of operation buttons 14 for operating the thermal transfer printer 10 and a liquid crystal panel 15 for displaying a printing state are mounted on the top surface 11c of the exterior housing 11. Also, the top surface 11c of the exterior housing 11
Recording paper insertion opening 11d1 opened in bottom surface 11d opposite to
A recording paper door 16 is attached via a hinge 17 so as to be freely opened and closed. Further, a recording paper discharge port 1 for discharging the recording paper 6 to one side surface (left side surface in FIG. 3) 11e of the housing.
1e1 is opened, and a battery housing portion 22 (FIG. 6) for housing a battery is provided inside the other side surface (right side surface in FIG. 3) 11f opposite to one side surface 11e.

Here, when the recording paper 6 is inserted into the thermal transfer type printer 10, as shown in FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B), When the lock on the recording paper door 16 by the button 18 is released and the recording paper door 16 is opened, the recording paper storage unit upper plate 11g is provided inside in opposition to the recording paper insertion opening 11d1 opened on the bottom surface 11d.
A recording paper storage portion 11g1 is formed between the recording paper storage portion upper plate 11g and the closed recording paper door 16 in which a plurality of business card sized recording papers 6 can be stacked and stored. I have. That is, the closed recording paper door 16 is provided to face the recording paper storage portion 11g1 storing the recording paper 6.

Further, a half-moon-shaped paper feed roller 31 is provided on the upper side of the recording paper storage section upper plate 11g so as to face the recording paper storage section 11g1 so as to be rotatable in the arrow direction shown in FIGS. Have been. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A, the paper feed roller 31 is provided to be offset to one end of the recording paper 6 in the width direction. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 5A and 5B,
A slit member 32 having a slit for separating the stacked recording papers 6 one by one is provided further downstream and in front of the recording paper 6 in the paper feeding direction. The slit member 32
Is provided in the vicinity of one leading end of the recording paper 6 from the paper feed roller 31 side.
2, the recording paper 6 can be surely separated one by one at the time of paper feeding.

On the other hand, the openable and closable recording paper door 16 has
A cylindrical pressing member 20 in which a compression spring 19 is fitted is mounted via a pressing plate 21 at a position facing the paper feed roller 31. When the recording paper door 16 is closed,
A cylindrical pressing member 20 attached to the recording paper door 16 via the urging force of a compression spring 19 feeds the recording paper 6 to a paper feed roller 31.
Side, so that when the paper feed roller 31 rotates,
The leading end of the recording paper 6 in the paper feeding direction is separated by the slit member 32 by one sheet and is transported in the paper feeding direction. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 6, a printing direction leading end detection sensor 33 that detects the leading end of the recording sheet 6 in the printing direction to determine the printing start position of the recording sheet 6 is located downstream of the slit member 32.
Is provided, and the print-direction leading end detection sensor 33 is further provided.
The recording paper 6 is moved further downstream at a constant speed in the left-right direction (arrow X).
1, a capstan roller 34 connected to a pulse motor (not shown) for reciprocating movement in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction so as to reciprocate in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction. The pinch roller 3 that is driven while nipping the recording paper 6 with the capstan roller 34
5 are provided.

Further, on the downstream side of the capstan roller 34 and the pinch roller 35, an end face type in which a plurality of heating elements are provided on the back side of the ink color side of the ink paper 3 in the width direction of the ink paper 3 and the recording paper 6. A thermal head 36 is fixedly installed substantially vertically downward, and the thermal head 36
A free-rotatable platen roller 37 moves between a retracted position shown by a solid line and a contact position shown by a two-dot chain line (FIG. 6) via an arm 38 rotated by a cam wheel (not shown). It is provided so as to be able to come and go freely. At this time, a torsion spring 40 for pressing the platen roller 37 toward the thermal head 36 only at the time of printing is provided on the rotating shaft 39 of the arm 38 supporting the platen roller 37. Therefore, during printing, the platen roller 37 has a structure in which the recording paper 6 and the ink paper 3 are superimposed and can be rotated while being pressed against the thermal head 36.

Further, a cartridge guide / ink paper folding guide 41 and a printing direction rear end detection sensor 42 are provided downstream of the thermal head 36 and the platen roller 37 and on the supply reel 4 side of the ink paper cartridge 1. ing. Here, as shown enlarged in FIG.
The above-mentioned ink guide folding guide 4 also serving as a cartridge guide
Reference numeral 1 denotes a cartridge guide portion 41a for guiding the ink paper cartridge 1 at the time of insertion / removal, and ink for overcoating the ink paper 3 (O.I.
C) Ink paper 3 from supply reel 4 only when transfer is performed
And an ink paper folding guide portion 41b for guiding the overcoat ink (OC) to fold and restricting the folded ink paper 3 from protruding from a recording paper discharge opening 11e1 formed in the outer casing 11. Are integrally formed. The ink paper folding guide 46b
May of course be provided separately and independently of the cartridge guide portion 41a.

At this time, the ink paper folding guide portion 41b of the ink guide folding guide 41 also serves as a cartridge guide.
The ink paper folding guide portion 41b is provided at a position slightly above the conveyance path of the recording paper 6 on the ink paper 3 side, and the ink paper folding guide portion 41b is formed of the ink paper guide portion 2a formed on the cartridge 2 on the thermal head 36 side. The recording paper discharge port 11e1 extending to the vicinity and formed in the exterior casing 11
Is extended to the vicinity of. On the other hand, the printing direction rear end detection sensor 42 detects the printing direction rear end of the recording paper 6 in order to determine the printing end position of the recording paper 6.
1 and provided below the recording paper 6. Each of the above-described components is installed such that the conveyance path of the recording paper 6 from the supply of the recording paper 6 to the discharge thereof is substantially straight.

Further, above the platen roller 37, an ink paper cartridge insertion / removal opening 11b1 opened toward the front of the drawing.
An ink paper cartridge accommodating portion for exchangeably mounting the ink paper cartridge 1 described above from FIG. 3 is formed. In the ink paper cartridge accommodating portion, a cartridge 2 serving as an exterior part of the ink paper cartridge 1 is formed. The ink paper 3 is stretched between the supply reel 4 and the take-up reel 5 so that the supply reel 4 and the take-up reel 5 are positioned on both sides of the vertically disposed thermal head 36.

In addition, between the paper feed roller 31 and the take-up reel 5 of the ink paper cartridge 1, there is provided an ink supply roller driving means for selectively switching and driving the paper feed roller 31 and the take-up reel 5. Paper winding drive means 50 is provided. Although the detailed illustration of the ink roller take-up driving unit 50 also serving as the sheet feeding roller driving unit is omitted, a swing gear that swings depending on the rotation direction of the motor is selectively meshed with a gear train on each driving unit side. The transmission of the driving force is switched. In the vicinity of the driving means 50, there is provided a control means 55 comprising, for example, a microcomputer for controlling the whole operation of the printer, and a program is stored so as to perform the operation of the present invention as described later. Have been. The rotation shaft of the take-up reel 5 is provided with, for example, a one-way clutch (not shown) so that it can rotate only in the take-up direction.

Next, the thermal transfer printer 1 having the above configuration
The normal operation of printing a color image on the recording paper 6 by using 0 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 (A)-
FIG. 4E is a diagram for explaining a normal operation of printing a color image on the recording paper 6 in the overcoatable thermal transfer printer according to the present invention. First, FIG.
As shown in (A), when the thermal transfer printer 10 is in the initial state, the half-moon-shaped paper feed roller 31 stops above the uppermost recording paper 6 without contacting the uppermost recording paper 6 and stops. I have. Further, the capstan roller 34 connected to the pulse motor (not shown) is stopped, and the pinch roller 35 which is always in pressure contact with the capstan roller 34 is also stopped. The supply reel 4 and the take-up reel 5
And the ink paper 3 laid between them is also stopped. Furthermore,
The platen roller 37, which is rotatably supported by an arm 38 that rotates about a rotation shaft 39, is retracted from the thermal head 36 fixedly installed between the supply reel 4 and the take-up reel 5.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8 (B), the ink is fed by an ink paper take-up driving means 50 (FIG. 6) which also switches to the feeding roller driving means according to the rotation direction of a motor (not shown). The paper roller 31 is the uppermost recording paper 6
While rotating in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) while pressing against the paper, only the leading end of the uppermost recording paper 6 in the feeding direction is the slit member 3.
2, the uppermost recording paper 6 is separated from the lower recording paper 6. Then, the paper feed roller 3
The recording paper 6 conveyed in the direction of the arrow X1 in FIG. 1 is rotated substantially clockwise by a pulse motor (not shown) at substantially the same time as the operation of the paper feed roller 31, and a pinch roller 35 driven by the capstan roller 34. Sandwiched between. Also here, the platen roller 37 is retracted from the thermal head 36.

Next, as shown in FIG.
Is completely conveyed in the direction of arrow X1 by the capstan roller 34 and the pinch roller 35,
Although 1 is separated from the uppermost recording paper 6 and stopped, the recording paper 6 continues to be conveyed in the direction of the arrow X1 by the capstan roller 34 and the pinch roller 35, and is conveyed to the opposite side from the leading end of the recording paper 6 in the paper feeding direction. When the printing direction leading end of the recording paper 6 is detected by the printing direction leading end detection sensor 33, the rotation of the capstan roller 34 in the clockwise direction is stopped, and the recording paper 6
Stops in a state where it protrudes greatly from the recording paper discharge port 11e1 formed in the exterior housing 11. Also in this case, since the platen roller 37 is retracted from the thermal head 36, printing on the recording paper 6 is not performed.

Next, when the printing start position of the recording paper 6 is detected, the platen roller 3
7 moves to the thermal head 36 side so that the recording paper 6 and the ink paper 3 are overlapped, and the platen roller 37 is pressed against the thermal head 36 by the urging force of the torsion spring 40 as shown in FIG. Is done. At about the same time,
The capstan roller 34 is rotated counterclockwise by a pulse motor (not shown).
The recording paper sandwiched between the recording paper 4 and the pinch roller 35 is conveyed in the direction of arrow X2, and is switched to the ink paper take-up driving means by the rotation direction of a motor (not shown). The take-up reel 5 is rotated by the means 50 (FIG. 6) in the direction indicated by arrow Y (counterclockwise) as the take-up direction, so that the ink paper 3 is taken up.

Here, while the ink paper 3 is wound around the take-up reel 5, the first yellow (Y) ink color detection mark M1 (FIG. 2 (A)) is detected by a photo sensor (not shown) and yellow (Y) is detected. C) and the thermal head 3
Since the image information corresponding to the first color yellow (Y) is supplied to 6, the printing of the first color yellow (Y) on the recording paper 6 by the thermal head 36 is started while the ink paper 3 is wound. During printing of this yellow (Y), the ink paper 3
The ink paper 3 is forcibly peeled off from the recording paper 6 when the ink paper 3 passes through the thermal head 36 due to the winding tension. Such peeling is called hot peeling because the ink paper is peeled while it is hot. The recording paper 6 on which yellow (Y) is printed
Is temporarily stored between the next uppermost recording paper 6 and the recording paper storage unit upper plate 11g.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8 (E), when the printing direction rear end of the yellow (Y) recording paper 6 of the first color is detected by the printing direction rear end detecting sensor 42, the first color yellow (Y) is detected. Since the printing of yellow (Y) is completed, the platen roller 37 immediately moves away from the thermal head 36 and retreats, and the conveyance of the ink paper 3 and the recording paper 6 also stops. Thereafter, the operation returns to the operation described with reference to FIG.
The operations of (C) to (E) of FIG. 8 are repeated to print magenta (M) for the second color and cyan (C) for the third color, and a color image is obtained on the recording paper 6 when printing is completed. . In this state, the color-printed recording paper 6 can be discharged from the recording paper discharge port 11e1 formed in the outer casing 11, but in the present invention, in order to protect the color image on the recording paper 6, the recording paper 6 There is a feature in the method of peeling the ink paper when transferring the hot-melt transparent overcoat ink (OC) applied to the ink paper 3, which will be described in detail below.

That is, the feature of the present invention is that, when the ink for overcoat is thermally transferred, the ink paper is not peeled off from the recording paper immediately after the thermal transfer, but rather in a state where the ink paper and the recording paper are overlapped after the thermal transfer. The point is that the sheet is conveyed and left for a while to be naturally cooled, and thereafter the ink sheet is separated from the recording sheet in a cold state. FIG. 9 is a process chart for explaining the first embodiment of the method of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the first embodiment of the present invention. Incidentally, FIG. 9 (including FIG. 11 described later) is used to facilitate understanding of the method of the present invention.
Only the main part of the printer is taken out and described schematically, and the thickness of the recording paper is also described as being thicker than it actually is. First, a normal image as shown in FIG.
That is, when the thermal transfer of each ink of Y, M, and C is completed, the recording paper 6 is moved in the paper discharging direction X1 as shown in FIG. 9A with the platen roller 37 separated from the thermal head 36. The platen roller 37 is sent back to the initial position (S1), and thereafter, the platen roller 37 is rotated and pressed against the thermal head 36 (S2).

Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the energizing of the thermal head 36 and the rotation of the capstan roller 37 in the counterclockwise direction with the take-up reel 5 stopped cause the recording paper to rotate. 6 in the printing direction X2. At this time, the ink paper 3 on which the overcoat ink has already been caught is fed out from the supply reel 4 side, and the overcoat ink spreads over the front surface of the transfer surface on the recording paper 6 due to the heat generated by the thermal head 36. Thermal transfer is performed uniformly (S3). At this time, since the take-up reel is stopped,
The heat-transferred ink paper 3 is sent out in a state of being superimposed on the recording paper 6, and as shown in FIG.
Both are further fed out while being sandwiched between the capstan roller 34 and the pinch roller 35. The overcoat ink and the recording paper 6 thermally transferred during this period are naturally cooled.

Further, since the take-up reel 5 is stopped, when the recording paper 6 advances in the printing direction X2 by a certain distance or more, the thermally transferred ink paper 3 becomes the leading end of the recording paper 6 (left end in the figure). Are separated from each other and become a state of being folded in two, and the overlapping portion 3A is generated. In this case, since the transferred overcoat ink at the leading end of the recording paper 6 has already been naturally cooled, there is no problem even if the ink paper 3 is peeled off. The feeding of the recording paper 6 in the printing direction X2 is performed by the length of the recording paper 6 (S4). At this time, the length of the overlapping portion 3A is, of course, approximately half the length of the recording paper 6. When the recording paper 6 has been fed in the printing direction X2 by an amount corresponding to this length, the rotation of the capstan roller 34 is stopped to stop the feeding of the recording paper 6 (S5), and at the same time, the thermal head The power supply to 36 is also stopped (S6). In this state, the thermally transferred overcoat ink is completely cooled naturally.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9D, the platen roller 37 is separated from the thermal head 36 (S7).
By rotating the capstan roller 34 in the clockwise direction, the recording paper 6 is returned in the discharge direction X1 opposite to the printing direction, and at the same time, the take-up reel 5 is rotated to transfer the thermally transferred ink paper 3 to the recording paper. This is wound up while being peeled off from S6 (S8). At this time, the capstan roller 3
The ink paper 3 separated from the pinch roller 4 and the pinch roller 35 is slackened as shown in the figure, and is wound up while being peeled off by rotating the winding roller 5. As described above, since the overcoat ink has already been completely naturally cooled, it is peeled off at the time of cooling, so that not only the adhesion of the formed overcoat can be improved, but also its gloss can be kept high. . Next, as shown in FIG.
If the next ink cue mark is detected on the ink paper 3, the winding of the ink paper is stopped by stopping the take-up reel 5 (S9), and the discharge of the recording paper 6 is completed. If so, the rotation of the capstan roller 34 is stopped (S10), and the process ends. As described above, according to the method of the present invention, the cold peeling is performed only by improving the program for controlling the rotation of each motor without complicating the structure of the printer. The adhesiveness to the overcoat can be improved, and the gloss of the overcoat can also be improved.

Next, a second embodiment of the method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment, the platen roller 37 is separated from the thermal head 36 when returning the recording paper 6 to which the heat transfer has been performed and discharging the recording paper 6, so that the transferred ink paper 3 is particularly protected by the capstan roller 34 and the pinch roller 35. When the ink paper 3 is out of the range, a large tension is applied to the ink paper 3 by the rotational force of the take-up reel 5, and at this time, there is a possibility that the ink paper 3 is excessively fed from the rotatable supply reel 4. In the second embodiment, the ink paper 3 is prevented from being excessively fed.

11 (A) to 11 (C) are the same as those in FIGS. 9 (A) to 9 (C).
The contents of S21 to S26 in FIG.
The description is omitted because it is the same as that up to S6. This second
In the embodiment, if the recording paper 6 is completely fed in the printing direction X2 and the energization of the thermal head 36 is stopped, unlike the first embodiment, as shown in FIG.
7 while contacting the thermal head 36, the capstan roller 34 is rotated clockwise in the reverse direction to return the recording paper 6 to the paper discharge direction X1 in the direction opposite to the printing direction, and take up the take-up reel 5
Is also rotated so that a part of the transferred ink paper 3 is peeled off from the recording paper 6 and wound up (S27). Then, this winding operation is performed until the recording paper 6 is returned by approximately １ ／ of the length thereof (S28), and when the recording paper 6 is returned by approximately １ ／, the rotation of the capstan roller 34 is stopped. Yes (S2
9).

The length can be easily obtained by controlling the number of pulses of the pulse motor for driving the capstan roller 34. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11C, the length of the overlapping portion 3A is about half of the length of the recording paper 6, so that the transferred ink paper 3 is formed between the capstan roller 34 and the pinch roller 35. It is long enough to get out of the way.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11 (E), the capstan roller 34 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction and the recording paper 6 is fed again in the printing direction X2. At the same time, the take-up reel 5 also rotates. The transferred ink paper 3 remaining on the recording paper 6 is peeled off from the recording paper 6 while the ink paper 3 loosened toward the supply reel 4 side.
Is wound up (S30). This feeding operation is performed for a predetermined length so that the rear end side of the recording paper 6 is located up to the platen roller 37 (S31). Next, as shown in FIG.
Since all are wound, the platen roller 37 is separated from the thermal head 36 (S32), and the recording paper 6 is returned to the paper discharging direction X1 (S33). When the discharge of the recording paper 6 is completed, the rotation of the capstan roller 34 is stopped (S34), and the processing is terminated.

Also in this case, since the ink paper 3 is peeled at a cold time, the adhesion and gloss of the overcoat to the recording paper 6 can be improved, and the transferred ink paper 3 is wound up. At this time, the ink paper 3 is
Is held down, the tension applied to the ink paper 3 by the take-up reel 5 is not directly applied to the supply reel 4, thereby preventing the ink paper 4 from being unwound excessively. it can.

In the second embodiment, FIG.
In the case shown in (D), when the thermally transferred recording paper 6 is returned in the paper discharging direction X1, the end 3B of the supply roll 4 of the thermally transferred ink paper 3 accompanying the thermal transfer is returned to the exterior housing. There is a possibility that the recording paper may protrude outward from the recording paper discharge port 11e1 (FIG. 7) provided in the printer 11 and make it hard to see. However, in the apparatus of the present invention, since the ink paper folding guide portion 41b (FIG. 7) is provided near the inside of the recording paper discharge opening 11e1, this folds the ink paper 3 to increase the distance, and the ink paper 3 is discharged. It does not jump out of the paper slot 11e1.
FIG. 13 shows the situation at this time. Since the ink paper 3 is folded along the ink paper folding guide portion 41b indicated by oblique lines in the drawing, this end portion is a recording paper discharge port provided in the outer casing 11. Exposure from 11e1 to the outside can be prevented. Note that the guide portion 41b is, for example, at the inner front end portion 41bb in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface (width direction of the printer).
It can be formed by a simple rod-shaped member extending to the right side, and the shape is of course not limited. In each of the above embodiments, a case where a color image is formed has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a monochrome image.

[0047]

As described above, according to the overcoat transfer method and the overprintable thermal transfer printer of the present invention, the following excellent operational effects can be exhibited. When the overcoat ink is thermally transferred to the recording paper, the recording paper is sent in the printing direction with the take-up reel stopped, and after a while, the thermally transferred ink paper is peeled off from the recording paper by the take-up reel. Since this is wound up, it is possible to perform the cold peeling without complicating the structure of the printer. Therefore, it is possible to improve the adhesion between the overcoat and the recording paper and the gloss of the overcoat by performing the peeling in the cold state without increasing the size and cost of the printer. Further, at the time of thermal transfer, if the transferred ink paper is folded and sandwiched between the capstan roller and the pinch roller, it is not necessary to separately secure an area for temporarily storing the transferred ink paper. Further, in the printer of the present invention, by providing the ink paper folding guide portion, when the recording paper is returned in the direction opposite to the printing direction, the transferred ink paper is folded by the guide portion, and the ink paper is printed. It is possible to prevent the paper from jumping out of the paper discharge port.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink paper cartridge applied to a thermal transfer printer capable of overcoating according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining various ink papers that can be stored in the ink paper cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a thermal transfer printer capable of overcoating according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a thermal transfer printer capable of overcoating according to the present invention as viewed from the bottom side.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a thermal transfer type printer capable of overcoating according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 (A) is a bottom view and FIG.
(B) is a side sectional view.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a thermal transfer printer capable of overcoating according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the cartridge guide and ink paper folding guide shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a normal operation of printing a color image on recording paper in the thermal transfer printer capable of overcoating according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a process chart for explaining a first embodiment of the method of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a process chart for explaining a second embodiment of the method of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an operation of an ink paper folding guide unit of the printer of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a part of an ink sheet used in a general thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram for explaining a configuration of a general thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a part of an ink sheet to which a transparent overcoat ink is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ink paper cartridge, 3 ... Ink paper, 4 ... Supply reel, 5 ... Take-up reel, 6 ... Recording paper, 10 ... Thermal transfer type printer capable of overcoating, 11 ... Exterior housing, 34 ... Capstan roller, 35 ... Pinch roller, 36 ... Thermal head, 37 ... Platen roller, 41 ... Ink paper folding guide also serving as cartridge guide, 41b ... Ink paper folding guide section, 50 ... Ink paper take-up driving means also serving as feed roller driving means, 55 ... Control means , O. C: Overcoat ink for ink paper.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masaki Takahashi 3-12-12 Moriyacho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside of Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (72) Morihiko Ota 3--12 Moriyacho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Address: Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (72) Toshiyuki Nakamura, Inventor 3--12 Moriyacho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Japan, Ltd. (72) Kenichi Masano, 3-chome Moriyacho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 12 Inside Victor Company of Japan

Claims (5)

[Claims] An ink sheet fed from a supply reel is taken up by a take-up reel rotating in one direction via a thermal head, and is sandwiched between a capstan roller and a pinch roller which are rotatable in normal and reverse directions. And the ink paper are moved while being pressed against the thermal head and the platen roller, so that the heat-meltable ink applied to the ink paper is generated by the thermal head in accordance with print information. In the transfer method in which the recording paper is transferred to the recording paper, the recording paper is sent in the printing direction together with the ink paper in a state in which the take-up reel is stopped after printing a normal image, and the overcoat ink is placed on the image. Thermally transferring, and rotating the take-up reel while returning the recording paper in a direction opposite to the printing direction to record the ink paper on the recording paper. And removing the paper from the paper and winding it up. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of thermally transferring the overcoat ink, the thermally transferred ink sheet is folded and sandwiched between the capstan roller and the pinch roller. The overcoat transfer method according to the above. 3. The step of winding the ink sheet while peeling the ink sheet from the recording sheet, wherein the recording sheet is printed in a printing direction with the ink sheet and the recording sheet sandwiched between the platen roller and the thermal head. A first winding step of rotating the take-up reel while returning in the opposite direction to wind a part of the excess ink paper; and, after the first winding step, the recording paper is printed in the printing direction while maintaining the state. 3. The overcoat transfer method according to claim 1, further comprising: a second winding step of rotating the take-up reel and winding the remaining ink paper while feeding the ink paper. 4. A supply reel on which an ink sheet coated with a heat-meltable ink is wound, a thermal head for generating heat for melting the ink in accordance with print information, and the ink sheet passing through the thermal head. A take-up reel that rotates in one direction to take up the paper, a capstan roller that is rotatable forward and backward, and a pinch roller that sandwiches the recording paper onto which the hot-melt ink is transferred between the capstan roller. A platen roller for sandwiching the ink paper and the recording paper between the thermal head, and, after printing a normal image, sending the recording paper together with the ink paper in a printing direction to supply overcoat ink. Thermal transfer onto the image, and then rotating the take-up roller while returning the recording paper in the direction opposite to the printing direction to peel off the ink paper from the recording paper A heat transfer type printer capable of overcoating, comprising: control means for controlling to take up. 5. An ink sheet folding guide section for folding a thermally transferred ink sheet that is returned when the recording sheet is returned is provided on the recording sheet return direction side. An overcoatable thermal transfer printer according to claim 4.