JPS63290789A - Thermal transfer material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a special printed matter having a metallic luster to be easily produced in the home, by providing on a base an ink layer comprising a particulate metallic pigment and, optionally, a coloring matter dispersed in a heat-fusible vehicle. CONSTITUTION:An ink layer comprising a particulate metallic pigment and, optionally, a coloring matter dispersed in a vehicle is provided on a base. The metallic pigment may be a pasty or solid material prepared, by use of a dispersant or an organic solvent, from a powder ordinarily used for preparing a costing material or a printing ink which powder is improved in dispersibility and having a relatively uniform particle diameter. The coloring matter is added, as required, for obtaining a printed matter having a colored metallic luster. The heat-fusible vehicle may be a wax or a thermoplastic resin, with little coloring or the like. By the use of the thermal transfer material thus obtained, images of arbitrary characters or figures with a clear gold, silver or copper luster can be easily recorded on a postal card, an ordinary paper or a plastic film by an ordinary word processor or printer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to a thermal transfer material capable of obtaining recorded matter with metallic luster by thermal transfer recording.

(Prior Art) Printing with special effects such as metallic luster has traditionally been used on postcards and letters for occasions such as celebrations. These types of printing are done using special inks such as gravure printing, offset printing, and letterpress printing, but since they are done by printing presses, they are effective for producing relatively large quantities of printed matter, but they are effective for producing small quantities of less than 100 copies. It is inefficient (and therefore costly) to do so.In recent years, for the purpose of printing such small quantities,
For example, a method for printing New Year's cards by hand at home by ordinary consumers has been developed, and it has become possible to print small amounts on postcards, etc., but this method is different from the photocuring method that was previously used industrially. Although the plate-making process and printing process using resin etc. can be performed at home, it is difficult to handle because the process is complicated and requires the use of liquid and semi-solid inks, making it difficult for general consumers to use. These methods have not yet been put into practical use as it has not yet been possible to print them easily.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The present inventors have made extensive studies to improve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and have succeeded in easily producing special printed matter with metallic luster at home.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) That is, 9 the present invention is characterized in that an ink layer comprising a metal powder pigment and optionally a pigment dispersed in a heat-fusible vehicle is provided on a support. A thermal transfer material for metallic gloss printing.

Plain paper, postcards, using the thermal transfer material according to the present invention.

Word processor sensor on plastic sheet etc.

By recording with a thermal transfer recording device such as an electronic typewriter, facsimile machine, or printer, it is possible to easily obtain printed matter such as arbitrary characters and patterns having a metallic luster.

The metal powder pigments used in the ink layer are aluminum powder, bronze powder, copper powder, and tin powder with improved dispersibility and relatively uniform particle sizes used in paints and printing inks.

It is also possible to use lead powder, zinc powder, or the powder made into a paste or solid form with a dispersant or an organic solvent.

Colorants such as dyes and pigments are added as necessary to obtain printed matter with a colored metallic luster.Adding a yellow coloring agent to metal powder produces a golden printed matter;9If no coloring agent is added, a silver colored printed matter is obtained. Become.

When copper powder is used, unique printed matter with copper luster can be produced.

Dyes and pigments can be used as the coloring agent, but in order to produce a metallic luster effect, it is preferable to use pigments with relatively small particle size and high transparency.

The heat-melting vehicle used in the present invention requires the use of wax and thermoplastic resin with little coloring, and examples of the wax include candelilla wax.

Plant-based straws such as carnauba wax, rice wax, wood wax, jojoba oil, beeswax, and lanolin.

Animal wax such as spermaceti wax, montan wax.

Petroleum waxes such as petrolatum, synthetic waxes such as Fischert's Bisch wax, synthetic hydrocarbons such as polyethylene wax, modified waxes such as montan wax derivatives, hydrogenated waxes such as hydrogenated castor oil and hydrogenated castor oil derivatives, and lauric acid.

Fatty acids such as balmitic acid, myristic acid, stearic acid, and 12-hydroxystearic acid; waxes such as fatty acid amide, fatty acid anilide, and imido wax; and resins such as acrylic and styrene.

Rosin-based, vinyl-based, acetal-based, and rubber-based are preferred.

The ink can be produced by conventionally known general methods. The hot-melt ink applied by true-melt coating contains a mixture of metal powder and pigment, the hot-melt vehicle described above, optionally small amounts of plasticizers, dispersants, activators, and antistatic agents.

It is made by kneading additives such as stabilizers.

Solvent-based inks to be applied by gravure printing or the like can be made by kneading the above-mentioned substances used in true-melt inks in a dispersion medium such as a solvent in a ball mill or sand mill.

A polyester film is preferred as the base material.

Heat-resistant plastic films such as polyethylene film, polypropylene film and polyide film, condenser paper, etc. are used.

These base materials may be provided with an anti-fusion layer on the back side of the ink layer in order to prevent fusion with a heat source such as a thermal head.

Note that in the present invention, a transfer layer is provided by applying a heat-melting ink to a base material, and application refers to painting.

Any method that includes printing, painting, or a printing process may be used.Also, if defects such as poor transfer occur depending on the thermal transfer device, a transparent heat-fusible vehicle layer that does not contain metal powder pigments may be used as an ink layer. upper layer and/or
By providing it in the lower layer, a two-layer or three-layer laminated structure may be obtained.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to Examples.

All "parts" in the examples represent "parts by weight."

Example 1 Each of the following compositions was premixed into a 5 liter sand mill filled with 60% by volume glass beads with an average particle size of 0.5 mm, and was charged at a speed of 2 liters/min with a gear pump, and the sand mill was moved 10 m The kneading process was repeated 10 times by rotating at a speed of 1/2 seconds to prepare a hot-melt ink having the following composition.

Heat-melting ink rice wax (CP-200 manufactured by Noda Wax) 16 parts Paraffin wax (150F paraffin manufactured by Nippon Seiro)
16 parts ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (Evaflex 310 manufactured by Trilayer Polychemical) 4 parts aluminum powder (Toyo Aluminum) 3 parts Varifiast Yellow #3105 (Cl Solvent 10-21 manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.) 1 part Toluene
40 part MEK
20 parts of the obtained ink was printed on a 6 μm thick polyester film using a gravure printing machine for 3 μm.
Solid printing was performed to obtain a thickness (dry) of m to obtain a thermal transfer material.

Example 2 An ink having a composition of the heat-melting ink of Example 1 except that the dye (Palifast Yellow #3105) was removed was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a heat-sensitive transfer material.

Example 3 A prototype ink was prepared by thoroughly kneading a heat-melting ink having the composition shown below while heating it to 90 to 110°C using a three-piece roll.

Carnauba wax (manufactured by Toyo Petrolite, No. 1 powder) 300 parts Paraffin wax (manufactured by Nippon Seiro 145F) 50 parts Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (Evaflex 3 manufactured by Trilayer Polychemical)
10) 10 parts Zinc dust (Toyo Aluminum) 10 parts The obtained ink was printed solidly on a 3.5 μm thick polyester film using a hot melt coater so that the ink thickness was 4.2 μm, and a thermal transfer material was applied. Obtained.

Example 4 An ink was prepared in the same manner as in Example 3 by adding 5 parts of a yellow pigment to the composition of the hot-melt ink of Example 3 to obtain a heat-sensitive transfer material.

Example 5 A thermal transfer material was prototyped in the same manner as in Example 3 using copper powder instead of zinc powder.

When the thermal transfer materials obtained in Examples 1 to 5 were printed on postcards using a word processor (NEC Bungo m1ni 7G), clear printed letters or figures in gold, SM or copper colors could be obtained. Ta. When recorded with a thermal printer (MTP-106 manufactured by Minolta Camera) using a similar thermal transfer material,
It was also possible to obtain prints with vivid gold, silver or copper letters or figures.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, when the thermal transfer material of the present invention is used.

Clear gold and silver on postcards, plain paper, and plastic film using an ordinary word processor or printer.

Records of arbitrary characters and figures with copper luster can be easily obtained. Compared to prints obtained by conventional printing machines.

It is possible to print any letters or figures with a clear gold or copper luster at a very low cost for prints of less than 100 sheets.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A thermal transfer material for metallic gloss printing, characterized in that an ink layer comprising a metal powder pigment and optionally a dye dispersed in a heat-melting vehicle is provided on a support.