JPS60171198A - Printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable color printing to be performed at high speed with favorable gradation (intermediate gradation) and easy maintenance, by a method wherein a printing medium obtained by laminating a current-passing layer, a conductor layer, a sublimable dye containing ink layer or the like is laid on an object surface, to be printed, with the ink layer in contact with the object surface, and a voltage is impressed. CONSTITUTION:The printing medium obtained by sequentially laminating a current-passing layer 204, a semiconductor layer 203 and a sublimable dye containing ink layer 205 is laid on the object 206 to be printed such as a paper. Then, an electrode needle 207 is brought into contact with the current-passing layer 204, and a voltage supplied from a power source 208 is impressed between the needle 207 and the conductor layer 202. As a result, an electric current flows through the current-passing layer 204 to heat a part 210 of the semiconductor layer 203, thereby vaporizing the sublimable dye containing in the ink layer 211, and the vaporized dye is adhered to the object 206. The amount of the dye adhered to the object 206 depends on the electric current and the period of time over which the current is passed, so that an intermediate gradation can be easily obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing method for printing figures or images converted into electrical signals onto a printing medium.

Conventional structure and its problems VcFi has been considered as a maintenance-free method for printing on plain paper.Many methods have been considered for printing figures or images converted into electrical signals onto a printing medium. The current transfer method is known as a method capable of high-speed recording. FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a conventionally known current transfer recording material. Normally, the conductor layer 101 is a vapor-deposited layer of aluminum or the like and is made to have low electrical resistance. The semiconductor layer 102 is a resistor made of resin containing carbon powder. The current-carrying layer 103 is made of resin containing copper powder, and has high electrical conductivity in the thickness direction. Further, one layer below the conductive layer 101 is a color ink layer 104 which is melted by heat. In the printing method, a needle electrode is brought into contact with the current-carrying layer 103 from above, and a voltage is applied between the needle electrode and the conductive layer 1010. At this time, if there is a printing material on the color ink layer 1041111, the conductor layer 101 generates heat due to the electricity supply, and part of the color ink layer 104 melts and adheres to the printing material. This phenomenon occurs in a short time and results in considerably faster printing. That is, 1
It is possible to print at a printing speed of 0.00 μs/dot, making it possible to print more than 10 times faster than in thermal recording, thermal transfer, or other methods that use a thermal head. However, this method had poor gradation expression and was not suitable for printing images.Objective of the InventionThe object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional method, to enable cylinder speed printing, and to print at high speed. To provide a printing method that has good tonality and can print in color.

Structure of the Invention The printing method of the present invention involves making the ink gradual surface of a printing medium in which a current-carrying layer, a semiconductor layer, a conductor layer, and an ink layer containing a sublimable dye are sequentially laminated face to face the surface of a printing medium, Printing is performed by applying a voltage to the electrode needles and the conductive layer that are in contact with the zero surface, and this allows for high-speed printing, good gradation (halftones), and easy-to-maintain color printing. It becomes possible.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of a printing medium used in the present invention. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 204 denotes a current-conducting layer, which is composed of a resin layer containing a conductivity imparting agent and having a thickness of 1 to 60 μm. The conductivity imparting agent is preferably metal powder or carbon. Reference numeral 203 is a semiconductor layer, which, like the current-conducting layer 204, is a resin layer containing a conductivity imparting agent and having a thickness of about 1 to 60 μm.

Reference numeral 202 is a conductor layer, which is preferably a 500 to 1000 metal vapor deposited film such as A1. However, in this case, the resistance value in the thickness direction of the conductive layer 204 and the semiconductor layer 203 is
Adjust so that 3 is larger. 1, the resistance of the conductive layer 204 and the semiconductor layer 203 in the 100-direction direction is adjusted to be greater than the resistance of the conductor layer 202 in the planar direction.

The relationship between these resistance values can be found, for example, in the Journal of the Institute of Image Electronics Engineers, Vol.
This is the same as the relationship in the electrically conductive transfer recording material described in detail in Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 3, Page 9 (19g2). The above-mentioned document also describes the structure and materials of the current-carrying layer and the semiconductor layer. 205 [This is an ink layer containing a sublimable dye, and when heated, the color or black dye sublimates (it becomes a gas and flies out of the ink layer). An ink layer containing such a heat sublimable dye basically consists of a sublimable dye and a binder, and the proportions of each can be adjusted almost arbitrarily depending on the purpose. In order to improve the performance of this ink layer, various fillers and stabilizers commonly used in the field of plastics are added, and as a result, sensitivity, storage stability, etc. can be tailored to desired purposes.

As described above, it is basically sufficient that a sublimable dye is contained in the layer, and the structure or composition of this ink layer does not limit the present invention.

Examples of sublimable dyes include nitro dyes, azo dyes, and anthraquinone dyes used in the sublimation transfer printing method for dry printing on cloth, paper, film, etc., and leuco dyes used in the color copying method. 22, No. 1, 17, 1983). Any binder can be used as long as it can hold the sublimable dye on the surface of the four-electrode layer 202. In making the selection, consideration is given to the coating method of the ink layer and the affinity of the dye. For example, if sublimation and coating properties are given priority, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose dichloromethane, etc., which have low affinity with dyes and are water-soluble, are used. If preservation stability and ink layer coating accuracy are a priority, polyester, polysulfone, etc., which have a high affinity with dyes and are soluble in organic solvents, are used. In either case, it can be selected almost arbitrarily depending on the purpose, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

The printing method of the present invention using the printing medium shown in FIG. 2' will be explained with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the printing medium is stacked on the printing medium 206 (paper, etc.),
The current-carrying layer 204 is brought into contact with the current-carrying layer 204, and a voltage is applied from a power source 208 to the electrode needle and the conductive layer 202. As a result, current flows through the current-carrying layer as shown at 209 in the diagram, and the semiconductor layer 203
Heat one part (210 parts) of. Due to this heat, the sublimable dye is vaporized from the ink layer 211 containing the sublimable dye immediately below and adheres to the printing medium 206 .

The amount of adhesion depends on the current and time applied, and halftones can be easily obtained. Thereafter, when the stretch printing medium is separated from the printing medium as shown in the figure, the sublimable dye 212 attached to the printing medium remains, and printing in a color corresponding to each printing medium is completed.

Example 1 First, a butyral resin (polymerization degree 1700, butyralization degree 65
% 100 parts by weight Copper powder (particle size of 5 μm) 120 parts by weight Toluene 200 parts by weight Ethyl acetate 200 parts by weight was coated on a glass plate so that the film thickness after drying was 16 μm, and dried. I used something.

The surface resistance of this current-carrying layer was 2×10 Ω/sq.

Next, butyral resin (polymerization degree 1700. butyralization degree 66
%) 10o! L parts channel black 200 parts by weight 0 parts by weight ethyl alcohol 1600 parts by weight was applied onto the above current-carrying layer so that the film thickness after drying was 10 μm.
It was coated and dried to form a semiconductor layer. The surface resistance of this semiconductor layer was 2×10′Ω/mq. Historically, aluminum was deposited to a thickness of 600 mm on top of this to form an isoelectric layer, and the surface resistance of this conductive layer was 10 Ω/sq.

After drying, 0.6 parts by weight of magenta disperse dye ink having the following composition: 0.6 parts by weight of polyester resin 0.8 parts by weight of dichloroethane 98.6 parts by weight of dichloroethane The ink layer was coated to a thickness of 1 μm and dried to form an ink layer containing an axial dye, and then peeled off from the glass plate to obtain the printing medium shown in FIG. 2. This printing medium was stacked with paper and set as shown in Figure 3, and recording was performed at an applied voltage of aOV, a pulse repetition frequency of 1.6kf&, a running speed of 20cm/5eC1 linear density of 16 lines/ji with a recording needle of 100μρ needle diameter. A relationship as shown in FIG. 4 was obtained between pulse duty and optical density (OD). Good midtones have been changed.

In the above embodiments, butyral resin was used as the binder for the conductive layer or the semiconductor layer, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyvinyl acetal, etc. can be used. Further, powders of zinc oxide, tin oxide, aluminum, tin, gold, silver, etc. can also be used as conductivity imparting agents for the current-carrying layer and the semiconductor layer. Moreover, as a sublimable dye, for example, yellow cyan or the like can be used as a disperse dye. Further, as a basic dye, yellow magenta cyan 0: C-C2H6 or the like can be used. Also, as a binder, polysulfone or polycarbonate can be used in addition to polyester resin.

In the above embodiments, the printing medium is paper-like, but the printing medium is not limited to this. For example, if you want to obtain clear printing or use leuco dye among the above dyes,
It is better to print on a paper or sheet whose surface is coated with a color developer rather than ordinary paper. Examples of such materials include acid clay, silica particles, or 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfone particles coated on the surface of a plastic sheet with polyvinyl alcohol, casein, polyester, styrene-butadiene copolymer, etc. Things, or (l, polyester or polyester)
One loaf is coated with only a grease-resistant layer such as acrylamide 2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and laminated.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above explanation, the printing method of the present invention applies to the ink layer surface of a printing medium in which a current-carrying layer, a semiconductor layer, a conductor layer, and an ink layer containing a sublimable dye are laminated in this order. Printing is performed by applying a voltage to the electrode needles and the conductive layer, which are in contact with each other on the surface of the current-carrying layer, with the surfaces facing each other,
This enables high-speed printing, good gradation (middle layer), and easy-to-maintain color printing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional electrical transfer recording material;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a printing medium used in the present invention, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a printing method using the same printing medium, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the duty of applied pulses and optical density. 101.202... Current carrying layer, 102,203.
... Semiconductor layer, 103, 204 ... Current-conducting layer, 104 ... Color ink layer that melts with heat, 205 ... Contains sublimable dye ink layer,
206... Printing material, 207... Electrode needle, 208... Power source. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person
1 Figure @31i1 4th FI! J Har0rusde1-T (〃)

Claims (1)

[Claims] The ink layer surface of a printing medium in which a current-carrying layer, a semi-conductor layer, a conductor layer, and an ink layer containing a sublimable dye are sequentially laminated faces the surface of the printing medium, and an electrode needle and a conductor are brought into contact with the surface of the current-carrying layer. A printing method characterized by printing by applying a voltage to a body layer.