JPS58185287A - Heat-sensitive multicolor transfer recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a heat-sensitive transfer multicolor recorder capable of giving high-quality printing free of ink flow and color mixing by using a system in which the melting points of heat-meltable inks are orderly lowered according to the order of transfer recording. CONSTITUTION:The melting points TmY, TmM, and TmC of heat-metalble inks 2Y, 2M, and 2C are set up in such a way that they are orderly lowered according to the order of transfer onto a recording medium 3. When heat-meltalble ink of yellow 2Y, and Magenta 2M are transferred onto the recording medium 3, the mixing portion 2Y+2M of the inks is flowed and recording of red color without mixed colors results because the melting points are orderly lowered according to the order of the recording.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to multicolor thermal transfer recording devices such as printers and facsimiles, and particularly relates to improvements in ink films.

1- Conventionally, in a multicolor thermal transfer recording device that performs transfer recording using an ink film coated with heat-melting inks of multiple colors, the melting points of the heat-melting inks of multiple colors are the same, and the A second layer of a different color is placed on top of the transferred ink.
When transferring and recording the first ink, the ink that was transferred and recorded first also melts, causing ink flow, color mixing, and the like, resulting in a significant deterioration in printing quality.

The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to change the melting point for each color of hot-melt ink, thereby achieving high quality printing without ink flow or color mixing. An object of the present invention is to provide a color thermal transfer recording device.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the main parts of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of an ink film adopted in an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a recording medium transferred and recorded on a recording medium using a conventional multicolor thermal transfer recording device, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of what has been transferred and recorded on the top.

In FIG. 1, a thermal head 1 having a plurality of heating elements is shown.
is an ink film 2 in which heat-melting inks of multiple colors with melting points at specific temperatures are applied on a thin film-like base.
It is in pressure contact with a platen roller 4 via a recording medium 3 which is plain paper wound into a roll. The thermal head 1 transfers and records the heat-melting ink of the ink film 2 in contact with the thermal head 1 onto the recording medium 3 by appropriately generating heat in accordance with the color recording signal. On the other hand, the power source of the platen roller 4 is not shown, but it is a stepping motor or the like, and during transfer recording, it rotates in the direction of arrow A to frictionally feed the ink film 2 and the recording medium 3. When the first color transfer recording is completed, the platen roller 4 rotates in the opposite direction to the arrow A and is rewound to the recording start position of the recording medium 3Fi. By repeating the above series of operations as many times as the multiple colors applied to the ink film 2,
Multicolor thermal transfer recording is completed.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the ink film 2 adopted in an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, in which each p1 square has the width of one recording screen, and 2Y, 2M, and 20 are coated on the ink film 2. The colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan hot-melt ink are shown, respectively. Also Tm
In the present invention, T? F
LY, T? The FLM and T inks are set to different melting points, and more specifically, the melting points of the hot-melt inks are set to become lower in sequence according to the order of transfer onto the recording medium 3. Specifically, in the present invention, , the transcription recording order is 2 Y
s 2 Me 20, and its melting point TmY, Tm
M and TmO are 90'C, 80°C, and 70°C, respectively.
And so. If the melting point is changed according to the transfer recording order as described above, even if multiple colors of heat-melt ink are added, there will be no flow or color mixing of the heat-melt ink, and the printing quality will not be impaired. .

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a recording medium 3 in which heat-melting inks of 2Y and 2M are transferred and recorded using the apparatus of the present invention. Become.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of yellow 20Y and magenta 20M, which are heat-melting inks having the same melting point, transferred onto a recording medium 30 using a conventional multicolor thermal transfer recording apparatus. Since the melting points are the same, 20
Ink flow, color mixing, etc. occur on the mixed portion 20Y+20M of Y and 20M and on the boundary line thereof, resulting in a recorded image of low printing quality.

- Figure 5 shows the transfer recording of yellow 2Y and magenta 2M heat-melting inks onto a recording medium 3 using the apparatus of the present invention, and the melting points of each heat-melting ink are 90°C,
Since the temperature is set at 80°C, the melting point becomes lower in sequence according to the recording order, so the mixed part of 2Y and 2M is 2Y+2.
M results in an extremely high printing quality red without ink flow or color mixing.

As described above, according to the present invention, the melting points of the heat-melting inks are changed for each color of heat-melting ink. Therefore, it is possible to provide a multicolor thermal transfer recording device with extremely high printing quality without ink flow or color mixing.

In one embodiment of the present invention, three colors of ink are applied on the same ink film, but any color may be used as long as it is two or more colors, and a separate ink film may be prepared for each ink color. It goes without saying that this is possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the main parts of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of an ink film adopted in an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a recording medium transferred and recorded on a recording medium using a conventional multicolor thermal transfer recording device, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of what has been transferred and recorded on the top. 10. . Thermal head 200. Ink film 301. Recording medium 400. Platen roller 30°. Recording medium or more Applicant Daini Seikosha Co., Ltd. Agent Patent Attorney Mogami Affairs 7- Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Multicolor thermal transfer recording, in which a thin base is coated with heat-melting ink of multiple colors having a melting point of a specific temperature, and the ink film is selectively heated with a thermal head to transfer and record onto a recording medium. A multi-color thermal transfer recording device, characterized in that the melting point of the heat-melting ink on the ink film is different for each applied color. (2) The multicolor thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the melting point of the heat-melting ink is lowered in sequence according to the order of transfer recording onto the recording medium.