JPH1191239A - Manufacture of recording material for ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method for a recording material for ink jet printer wherein there is no restriction due to the kind and the thickness or the like of an ink receiving layer material, and a recording material having an optional surface shape can be easily and inexpensively manufactured. SOLUTION: For this manufacturing method of a recording material for ink jet printer, a coating material constituted by dissolving or dispersing a material comprising an inorganic particle and an oil-absorbent or a water- absorbent binder, in a solvent, is applied on a releasable sheet wherein the surface roughness is 2 μm or lower by an Ra value, and after an ink receiving layer is formed by drying the solvent, on the surface of the ink receiving layer, a base material is laminated and fixed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for producing a recording material for an ink jet printer having an ink receiving layer having a controlled surface shape.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art By ejecting ink from a recording nozzle without directly contacting a recording material such as paper,
The ink jet printing method for performing printing on a recording material has excellent features such as high printing speed and low noise, and has recently been actively used in various printers and facsimile machines. . Recording materials for ink jet printers have been required to have high image quality without ink bleeding, and recently, characteristic surfaces such as matte tone, emboss tone, high gloss tone, matte tone etc. Are required.

[0003] As the most common method of producing a recording material for an ink jet printer, a solution of a material for an ink receiving layer (hereinafter, referred to as "accepting layer material") dissolved or dispersed in a receiving layer material is used as a substrate. A method of coating on paper or a film by a roll coater or the like and then drying with hot air has been used.

[0004] The surface roughness and gloss of the recording material obtained by such a method mainly depend on the kind of the receiving layer material, and those using a receiving layer material in which a binder is mixed with an inorganic filler are not used. The surface of the recording material has a matte rough surface, while the surface of the recording material has a glossy smooth surface in the case of using a receiving layer material made of a swellable polymer or the like.

However, there are cases where it is desired to control the shape of the surface of the recording material irrespective of the kind of the material of the receiving layer. For example, when the surface of the ink receiving layer has poor slippage, the surface of the recording material may need to be matted to prevent adhesion. Therefore, in such a case, a method is employed in which the surface of the recording material is pressed using a plate-like body or a roll having the desired surface shape to form the desired surface of the recording material. For example, a recording material having a glossy surface can be obtained by performing a super calendar process.

However, in order to deform the once formed surface shape into another shape, a large molding pressure is required, so a large-scale facility is required. There is a problem that the pressure changes the characteristics of the ink receiving layer on the surface of the recording material. For example, when a porous material is used for the ink receiving layer, there is a problem in that although having a large absorption performance before processing, the absorption performance is greatly reduced by pressurization.

In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-151476 discloses a method in which a coating material containing a pigment or the like is applied to the surface of a recording material to form a coating layer. A method is disclosed in which after drying, a transfer sheet having a desired surface morphology is superimposed on the surface of the coating layer, and the transfer sheet is dried and solidified in the superposed state, and then the transfer sheet is peeled off. According to this method, there is an effect that a recording material for an ink jet printer having a characteristic surface such as a high gloss surface, an emboss surface, a mat surface and the like and having good ink absorbability can be obtained.

However, in the method of superposing the transfer sheet on the surface of the recording material having the coating layer in a semi-dry state, the range of conditions for enabling the surface to be glossy is extremely narrow, and By contacting the transfer sheet from above, there is no escape of the solvent in the coating layer, so that there is a problem that long-time drying is required. In addition, since problems such as foaming occur during drying, actual production is not easy, and when such a method is used, large-scale and precise equipment is required, and there is a problem that the production cost is high. .

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above situation, the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive method for producing a recording material having an arbitrary surface shape without being restricted by the type and thickness of the ink receiving layer material. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a recording material for an ink jet printer that can perform the method.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a coating material obtained by dissolving or dispersing a material comprising inorganic particles and an oil-absorbing or water-absorbing binder in a solvent. Coating on a release sheet having a value of 2 μm or less, drying the solvent to form an ink receiving layer, and then laminating and fixing a substrate on the surface of the ink receiving layer. This is a method for producing a recording material for an ink jet printer. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

The ink receiving layer is formed by applying a coating material on a release sheet and drying the solvent. The coating material is obtained by dissolving or dispersing a material composed of inorganic particles and an oil-absorbing or water-absorbing binder in a solvent. The inorganic particles are not particularly limited, for example, silica, alumina,
Particles such as zeolite are included. The particle size of the inorganic particles is preferably several μm or less. The oil-absorbing binder is not particularly limited, for example, aliphatic, alicyclic compound,
Examples include lipophilic materials such as aromatic resins and low crystalline elastomers such as polyisoprene and polybutadiene.
The water-absorbing binder is not particularly limited, for example, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetal,
Examples include hydrophilic materials such as polybylpyrrolidone, polyester, and polyacrylic acids.

The amount of the inorganic particles is preferably 5 to 200 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the binder. When the amount is less than 5 parts by weight, the drying property after forming the ink receiving layer on the release sheet is reduced, and blocking tends to occur when the ink receiving layer and the base material are laminated, and 200 parts by weight. If it exceeds 300, the ink receiving layer tends to fall off after the ink receiving layer is formed on the release sheet and before the base layer is formed. The solvent is not particularly restricted but includes, for example, alcohols such as isopropyl alcohol, water and the like.

The coating material is prepared by adding a material composed of the inorganic particles and the binder to the solvent and then mixing well to dissolve or disperse the material such as the binder in the solvent. This is done by causing At this time, by adjusting the type and amount of the solvent, the coating material can be adjusted to a viscosity suitable for the coating method.

The release sheet has a surface roughness of R
The value a is 2 μm or less. The Ra value refers to a center line average roughness measured by a contact roughness meter or the like. Ra value is 2
If the thickness exceeds μm, when the ink receiving layer is peeled off from the release sheet, a part of the ink receiving layer is not peeled off and remains on the release sheet, or the protrusions of the release sheet fall off. Is generated, so that it is limited to the above range.

Generally, it is desirable that the release sheet is not affected by the solvent in the coating material, the heat of drying, the temperature at the time of laminating the base material, and the like. The release sheet is preferably one that can be peeled off with a peeling force of 0.2 to 4 kg / m when the ink receiving layer is peeled off. Peeling force is 0.2kg
/ M, when the release sheet coated with the ink receiving layer is handled, for example, when transported to a place where the next step is performed or when laminated with a substrate, When the ink receiving layer and the base material are laminated with each other, if the ink receiving layer and the base material are difficult to be peeled such that the receiving layer rises or falls off from the release sheet and the peel force exceeds 4 kg / m. It becomes difficult to separate the ink receiving layer from the release sheet, and problems such as the ink receiving layer partially remaining on the release sheet occur. When the release properties of the release sheet do not fall within the above range, the release sheet is easily peeled by forming a layer of a silicone release agent or a wax layer, or conversely, is peeled off by performing a corona discharge treatment or the like. And its peeling characteristics can be adjusted.

When the glossiness of the surface is measured according to JIS K 7105 and the purpose is to produce a high gloss recording material having a gloss value of 50% or more, the surface roughness of the release sheet is R.
The value a is preferably 0.35 μm or less. When the Ra value exceeds 0.35, the gloss value becomes less than 50%, and it becomes difficult to obtain a recording material having a high glossy surface. In this case, as the release sheet to be used, for example, a stretched film of polyester, nylon, polypropylene or the like having the above Ra value, a paper-resin laminate obtained by laminating an alkyd resin or a phenol resin on paper, Examples thereof include a stretched film and a laminate in which a release material layer is further formed on the surface of the laminate of the paper and the resin.

On the other hand, when the purpose is to produce a recording material having a low gloss such as a fine matte surface, it is necessary to produce a release sheet having a low gloss on the surface. The surface of the release sheet film such as a stretched film is roughened by a sandblasting method, or a resin solution or a molten resin containing a filler is coated on the release sheet film surface to release the above properties. A mold sheet can be obtained.

The method of applying the coating material to the surface of the release sheet varies depending on the amount of coating. When the coating amount is about several tens g or less, for example, the coating is performed by a gravure method, a Meyer bar method, or the like. When the coating amount is more than about several tens g, for example, a two-roll coater method It is preferable to perform coating by a comma coater method, a reverse coater method, or the like. Thereafter, the solvent is dried using a drying furnace or the like, whereby the ink receiving layer can be formed on the release sheet. In the method of forming an ink receiving layer of the present invention, since the coated surface is completely open when drying, the drying can be easily performed in a short time without causing insufficient drying or foaming.

The lamination of the base material on the ink receiving layer is performed by fixing the base material on the surface of the ink receiving layer formed on the release sheet. As the lamination solidification method, for example, a method in which a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer or an adhesive layer is provided between the surface of the ink receiving layer and the substrate (lamination fixing method 1), A method of extruding and laminating a substrate (laminating and fixing method 2), a method of applying a coating liquid obtained by dissolving or dispersing a substrate material in a solvent to the surface of the ink receiving layer and drying (laminating and fixing method) 3) and the like.

In the lamination solidification method 1, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer or an adhesive layer is provided on the surface of the ink receiving layer or the substrate, and the ink receiving layer and the substrate are bonded to each other. The substrate is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a resin sheet. As the pressure-sensitive adhesive or the adhesive, it is preferable to select a pressure-sensitive adhesive or an adhesive having a strong adhesive force that does not easily separate the ink-receiving layer and the substrate. Examples of the pressure-sensitive adhesive include those mainly containing natural rubber, synthetic rubber, acrylic resin, and silicone resin. Examples of the adhesive include urethane-based, epoxy-based, and vinyl acetate-based adhesives. After uniformly forming the pressure-sensitive adhesive or adhesive layer on the surface of the ink-receiving layer or the substrate, the substrate is laminated and adhered.

In the laminating and solidifying method 2, a molten base material is extruded and laminated on the surface of the ink receiving layer by a T-die method or the like. Examples of the base material used in the lamination solidification method 2 include a polyolefin resin, a polyester resin, and a polyamide resin. Before lamination, an adhesive layer of an adhesive resin may be formed on the surface of the ink receiving layer, or the surface of the ink receiving layer may be subjected to ozone treatment before lamination in order to improve the adhesiveness between the substrate and the ink receiving layer. .

In the lamination solidification method 3, a coating liquid obtained by dissolving or dispersing a base material in a solvent is applied to the surface of the ink receiving layer and dried. Examples of the base material used in the lamination solidification method 3 include, for example, a vinyl chloride resin. As a solvent for dissolving or dispersing the base, for example, a vinyl chloride resin can be dissolved and dispersed. Solvents, xylene, acetone and the like can be mentioned. As the solvent capable of dissolving and dispersing the vinyl chloride resin, for example,
Solvent manufactured by Shell Chemical Co., Ltd., and the like. Further, the coating liquid may contain a pigment, a plasticizer, and the like.

By the above process, a laminate in which the base material and the ink receiving layer are laminated is produced, and the laminate is peeled off from the release sheet to produce a recording material for an ink jet printer.

[0024]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1 As a release sheet, the surface roughness was 100 nm in Ra value.
Using a PET film (Lumirror # 75 manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.), 8% by weight of an acetal resin was used as a receiving layer material solution.
Acetal resin solution consisting of 42% by weight of isopropyl alcohol and 50% by weight of water (K available from Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.)
X5) was used. And on the PET film,
The above acetal resin solution is applied using a baker type applicator so that the thickness after drying is 10 μm,
After drying at 110 ° C. for 3 minutes using a hot air drier to form an ink receiving layer, a low density polyethylene (LK30, manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) serving as a base material is formed on the ink receiving layer so as to have a thickness of 70 μm. Was extruded with a T-die and laminated. Thereafter, the laminate of the ink receiving layer and the substrate was peeled from the peelable sheet to obtain a recording material for an ink jet printer. About the obtained recording material for an ink jet printer, surface roughness, gloss,
The peeling force, adhesion, and drawing properties were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 2 As the release sheet, the same PET film as in Example 1 was used, and as the receiving layer material solution, the same acetal resin solution as in Example 1 was mixed with fine silica particles (Tokuyama Co., Ltd.).
32) was used in an amount of 30 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the acetal resin. Then, the acetal resin solution containing the silica fine particles is coated on a PET film using a baker-type applicator so that the thickness after drying becomes 10 μm, and dried at 110 ° C. for 3 minutes using a hot air dryer. Then, a low-density polyethylene (LK30, manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) as a base material was extruded on the ink receiving layer by a T-die so as to have a thickness of 70 μm, and was laminated. Thereafter, the laminate of the ink receiving layer and the substrate was peeled from the peelable sheet to obtain a recording material for an ink jet printer. The obtained recording material for an ink jet printer was evaluated for surface roughness, gloss, peeling force, adhesion, and drawing property. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 3 As a release sheet, a silicone release agent (KS-623 manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) was dried on paper having a basis weight of 100 g / m ^{2 so} that the weight after drying was 0.5 g / m ^2. Mat-like coated paper that has been coated and cured, and has a surface roughness of 600 nm in Ra value.
The same acetal resin solution as in Example 1 was used as the receiving layer material solution. Then, the acetal resin solution is coated on the coated paper using a baker-type applicator so that the thickness after drying becomes 10 μm, and dried at 110 ° C. for 3 minutes using a hot air drier to receive ink. After forming the layer, 15% by weight of vinyl chloride and a white pigment (titanium oxide) were formed on the ink receiving layer.
Of a vinyl chloride sol solution containing 10% by weight of a polyester plasticizer, 20% by weight of a polyester plasticizer, and 55% by weight of a solvent (Solbest, manufactured by Shell Chemical Co., Ltd.) using the same applicator so that the thickness after drying becomes 70 μm. Coating was performed and dried at 150 ° C. using a hot air drier to form a substrate layer. Thereafter, the laminate of the ink receiving layer and the substrate was peeled from the peelable sheet to obtain a recording material for an ink jet printer. About the obtained recording material for an inkjet printer, surface roughness, gloss, peeling force,
The adhesion and the drawing properties were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 4 As a release sheet, a glossy coated paper obtained by applying a coating of an alkyd resin release agent (ES1600SK, manufactured by Lintec Co.) to paper and having a surface roughness of 120 nm in Ra value was used. A polyester resin solution comprising 15% by weight of a polyester resin modified with a hydrophilic polyester resin and 85% by weight of water (N, manufactured by Takamatsu Yushi Co., Ltd.)
S-122L). Then, the thickness of the polyester resin solution after drying is 10 on the coated paper.
μm was applied using a baker-type applicator, and dried at 110 ° C. for 3 minutes using a hot air drier to form an ink receiving layer. The same vinyl chloride sol solution as that described above was applied so that the thickness after drying became 70 μm, and dried at 150 ° C. using a hot-air drier to form a base material layer. Thereafter, the laminate of the ink receiving layer and the substrate was peeled from the peelable sheet to obtain a recording material for an ink jet printer. The obtained recording material for an ink jet printer was evaluated for surface roughness, gloss, peeling force, adhesion, and drawing property. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 5 The same PET film as in Example 1 was used as the release sheet, and the same acetal resin solution as in Example 1 was used as the receiving layer material solution. The thickness after drying the acetal resin solution is 10 μm
And then dried at 110 ° C. for 3 minutes using a hot air drier to form an ink receiving layer. Next, an OPP tape (Orien tape manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.) as a base material is laminated on the ink receiving layer, and a laminate of the ink receiving layer and the base material is peeled off from a peelable sheet. A recording material for an ink jet printer was obtained. The obtained recording material for an ink jet printer was evaluated for surface roughness, gloss, peeling force, adhesion, and drawing property. The results are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 1 The same acetal resin solution containing silica fine particles as in Example 2 was dried on a PET film (Lumirror # 75 manufactured by Toray Industries Co., Ltd.) that had been subjected to a corona discharge treatment to a thickness of 10 μm.
Was applied using a baker-type applicator, and dried at 110 ° C. for 3 minutes using a hot-air drier to obtain a recording material for an ink jet printer.
The obtained recording material for an ink jet printer was evaluated for surface roughness, gloss, peeling force, adhesion, and drawing property. The results are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 2 As in Comparative Example 1, PE subjected to corona discharge treatment was used.
After applying an acetal resin solution containing silica fine particles to a T film using a baker-type applicator so that the thickness after drying becomes 10 μm, the solvent in the coating layer is heated at 110 ° C. using a hot air drier. When the content was dried until the content became 20% by weight, another PET film (Lumirror # 75 manufactured by Toray Industries Co., Ltd.) was overlaid on the coating layer and dried. After 20 minutes, drying hardly proceeded, and foaming occurred due to gas generated during lamination of the PET film, making it difficult to produce a recording material for an ink jet printer.

Comparative Example 3 Example 1 was placed on a soft vinyl chloride film (Tac Paint TO2 manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.) that had been subjected to corona discharge treatment.
Acetal resin solution (Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.)
KX5) was applied using a baker-type applicator so that the thickness after drying was 10 μm, and then dried at 110 ° C. for 3 minutes using a hot-air drier to obtain a recording material for an inkjet printer. The obtained recording material for an ink jet printer was evaluated for surface roughness, gloss, peeling force, adhesion, and drawing property. The results are shown in Table 1.

Evaluation method (1) Surface roughness Using a contact type surface roughness meter, the length of the contact part was 2 mm.
The surface roughness was measured under the condition of a load of 10 mg. The evaluation results are shown as center line average roughness (Ra).

(2) Gloss Digital Gradient Glossmeter (UGV-5 manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.)
Using D), a 60-degree specular gloss was measured according to JIS K7105. The evaluation result was shown as a gloss value.

(3) Peeling force Using a Tensilon tensile tester, pulling speed: 30
The force at which the ink receiving layer was pulled and peeled under the conditions of 0 mm / min, width: 20 mm, and temperature: 180 ° C. was defined as the peeling force. In addition, the measured value is converted into m width.

(4) Adhesion A square (5 mm) was formed on the surface of the ink receiving layer using a cutter.
× 5 mm) formed a grid pattern in which five cells were arranged vertically and horizontally, and a cellophane tape was attached to the pattern, and then the cellophane tape was pulled off to evaluate the adhesion. When all 25 ink-receiving layers remain, it is indicated by イ ン ク, and when 15 or more ink-receiving layers remain, Δ △
Those having only four or less remained were evaluated as x.

(5) Drawability A square of 10 mm square is printed with four colors of ink, and bleeding of 1 mm or more is evaluated as x, bleeding of 0.5 to 1 mm is Δ, bleeding is less than 0.5 mm Was evaluated as ○.

[0038]

[Table 1]

[0039]

The method of the present invention for producing a recording material for an ink-jet printer has the above-described structure, and is not restricted by the type of the material for the ink-receiving layer, and can be any type according to the surface of the selected release sheet. A recording material for an ink jet printer having the above surface shape can be easily and inexpensively manufactured.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A coating material obtained by dissolving or dispersing a material comprising inorganic particles and an oil-absorbing or water-absorbing binder in a solvent is separated from a coating material having a surface roughness of 2 μm or less in Ra value. A method for producing a recording material for an ink-jet printer, comprising: coating on a mold sheet, drying a solvent to form an ink receiving layer, and then laminating and fixing a substrate on the surface of the ink receiving layer. . 2. A method for immobilizing a laminate by providing a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer or an adhesive layer between the surface of an ink receiving layer and a substrate, and extruding a substrate in a molten state on the surface of the ink receiving layer. 2. The method for producing a recording material for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the method is a method of applying or drying a coating liquid obtained by dissolving or dispersing a base material in a solvent on the surface of the ink receiving layer.