JPWO2011132695A1 - Sublimation transfer ink and sublimation transfer printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sublimation transfer ink having excellent drying properties, sufficient moisture retention, and a small amount of smoke generation, and a sublimation transfer printing method using the sublimation transfer ink. The sublimation transfer ink is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,3-butanediol, tetraethylene glycol, 2,2-thiodiethanol, triethylene glycol, isoprene glycol, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and dipropylene glycol. 10 to 70% by mass of diol, 1 to 20% by mass of diglycerin, water, and a sublimable dye.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sublimation transfer ink and a sublimation transfer printing method.

  In sublimation transfer printing, the sublimation dye contained in the sublimation transfer ink is usually printed by printing the sublimation transfer ink on the transfer paper with a printer and then passing the transfer paper and the transfer object over the high temperature transfer machine. Is transferred to the transfer object.

  Moisture retention is a required characteristic for sublimation transfer ink. Since the sublimation transfer ink usually contains water as a solvent, if the moisture retention is not sufficient, the water as the solvent volatilizes during storage, resulting in a change in the concentration of the sublimation transfer ink. Occurs.

  Therefore, conventionally, as a sublimation transfer ink, an ink containing water, a humectant, a sublimation dye and a dispersant is used. As the humectant, a high-boiling organic solvent such as glycerin or polyethylene glycol is used. It has been.

  However, when the above-mentioned high boiling organic solvent is used as a humectant, there is a problem that smoke is generated when passing through a transfer machine and the working environment is deteriorated. In order to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a sublimation transfer ink jet recording ink containing a sugar alcohol having four or more OH groups as a humectant.

JP 2004-107647 A

  In sublimation transfer printing as described above, it is necessary to sufficiently dry the sublimation transfer ink printed on the transfer paper in order to prevent bleeding from occurring when the ink transfer paper and the cloth are overlapped. From such a viewpoint, it is preferable that the sublimation transfer ink has good drying properties. In particular, with the recent increase in printing technology, it is necessary to shorten the time required for drying the sublimation transfer ink, and there is a demand for improvement in the drying property of the sublimation transfer ink.

  However, the ink for sublimation transfer recording described in Patent Document 1 has a certain effect with respect to the reduction of the amount of smoke generated, but the drying property is very poor, and it is necessary to dry the transfer paper for a long time. There is a problem that it is difficult to dry sufficiently.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sublimation transfer ink having excellent drying properties, sufficient moisture retention, and low smoke generation, and a sublimation transfer printing method using the sublimation transfer ink. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the present inventors have intensively studied, and the sublimation transfer ink containing a specific amount of a specific diol and diglycerin has both excellent drying properties and sufficient moisture retention, and The present inventors have found that smoke generation during sublimation transfer can be suppressed.

  That is, the present invention is at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,3-butanediol, tetraethylene glycol, 2,2-thiodiethanol, triethylene glycol, isoprene glycol, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol and dipropylene glycol. Provided is a sublimation transfer ink comprising 10 to 70% by mass of a diol, 1 to 20% by mass of diglycerin, water, and a sublimable dye.

  The sublimation transfer ink according to the present invention includes the above-mentioned diol and diglycerin in the predetermined amounts, so that it has excellent drying properties, has sufficient moisture retention, and generates less smoke during sublimation transfer by heating. Have Further, the sublimation transfer ink according to the present invention is excellent in ejection stability when applied to an ink jet system.

  In the sublimation transfer ink according to the present invention, the diol is preferably at least one diol selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol and ethylene glycol. Such a sublimation transfer ink is further excellent in drying property.

  The present invention also provides an application step of applying the sublimation transfer ink to a transfer medium, and the sublimation transfer application applied to the transfer medium by heating the transfer medium applied with the sublimation transfer ink. There is provided a sublimation transfer printing method comprising: a sublimation transfer step of transferring ink.

  According to the sublimation transfer printing method according to the present invention, since the sublimation transfer ink according to the present invention is used, the amount of smoke generated in the sublimation transfer step can be sufficiently reduced. Further, since the sublimation transfer ink according to the present invention is excellent in drying property, the sublimation transfer process can be performed in a short time after the application process. Therefore, according to the sublimation transfer printing method according to the present invention, sublimation transfer printing can be performed in a short time under a favorable work environment.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sublimation transfer ink having excellent drying properties, sufficient moisture retention, and a small amount of smoke generation, and a sublimation transfer printing method using the sublimation transfer ink.

  Preferred embodiments of the sublimation transfer ink and the sublimation transfer printing method according to the present invention will be described below.

(Sublimation transfer ink)
The sublimation transfer ink according to this embodiment is selected from the group consisting of 1,3-butanediol, tetraethylene glycol, 2,2-thiodiethanol, triethylene glycol, isoprene glycol, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and dipropylene glycol. At least one diol, diglycerin, water, and a sublimable dye. The content of the diol is 10 to 70% by mass based on the total amount of the sublimation transfer ink, and the content of the diglycerin is 1 to 20% by mass based on the total amount of the sublimation transfer ink.

  Since the sublimation transfer ink according to the present embodiment contains the diol and diglycerin in the predetermined amounts, both excellent drying properties and sufficient moisture retention can be achieved. In addition, according to the sublimation transfer ink according to the present embodiment, the amount of smoke generated during sublimation transfer is small, and a good working environment can be maintained.

  When an alcohol compound other than the above is used instead of the diol, the amount of smoke generated during sublimation transfer increases. For example, when glycerin, tripropylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol or the like is used instead of the diol, the amount of smoke generated during sublimation transfer is large, and the working environment is deteriorated.

  The diol is particularly preferably at least one diol selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol and ethylene glycol. By adopting propylene glycol and / or ethylene glycol as the diol, the drying property is further improved while maintaining sufficient moisture retention. In addition, the amount of smoke generated during sublimation transfer is extremely small, and the working environment can be maintained well.

  The content of the diol is 10 to 70% by mass based on the total amount of the sublimation transfer ink. When the content of the diol is less than 10% by mass, sufficient moisture retention cannot be obtained. When the content of the diol is more than 70% by mass, problems such as an increase in the amount of smoke generated at the time of sublimation transfer and a decrease in drying property occur. Moreover, when the content of the diol is out of the above range, there arises a problem that sufficient ejection stability cannot be obtained when the sublimation transfer ink is used in an ink jet system.

  The content of the diol is preferably 15 to 65% by mass, and more preferably 20 to 40% by mass. By setting the content of the diol to be equal to or higher than the lower limit, moisture retention can be further improved without increasing the amount of smoke generated during sublimation transfer. Moreover, by making content of the said diol below the said upper limit, drying property can be improved further, without reducing moisture retention. Further, by making the content of the diol within the above range, the ejection stability when used in the ink jet system is further improved.

  The content of diglycerin is 1 to 20% by mass based on the total amount of the sublimation transfer ink. In the sublimation transfer ink according to the present embodiment, a combination of a predetermined amount of the diol and a predetermined amount of diglycerin achieves excellent drying properties, sufficient moisture retention, and a small amount of smoke generation. The If the diglycerin content is less than 1% by mass, sufficient moisture retention cannot be obtained. Moreover, when there is more content of diglycerin than 20 mass%, the problem of the increase in the amount of smoke generation at the time of sublimation transfer, and the deterioration of drying property will arise. Further, when the diglycerin content is outside the above range, there arises a problem that sufficient ejection stability cannot be obtained when the sublimation transfer ink is used in an ink jet system.

  The content of diglycerin is preferably 3 to 15% by mass, and more preferably 3 to 10% by mass. By setting the content of diglycerin to the above lower limit value or more, moisture retention can be further improved without increasing the amount of smoke generated during sublimation transfer. Moreover, drying property can be improved further by making content of diglycerine below the said upper limit, without reducing moisture retention. Moreover, by setting the content of diglycerin within the above range, the ejection stability when used in the ink jet system is further improved.

  The total content of the diol and diglycerin is preferably 15 to 80% by mass and more preferably 20 to 70% by mass based on the total amount of the sublimation transfer ink. When the total content of the diol and diglycerin is within the above range, the effect of the present invention is more remarkably exhibited.

The ratio C ₁ / C ₂ of the diol content C ₁ (mass%) and the diglycerin content C ₂ (mass%) is preferably 1 to 20, and more preferably 5 to 15. preferable. By setting the ratio C ₁ / C ₂ within the above range, the effect of the present invention is more remarkably exhibited. On the other hand, when the ratio C ₁ / C ₂ is smaller than the lower limit, the ejection stability when used in the ink jet system may be deteriorated.

  The water content in the sublimation transfer ink according to the present embodiment is preferably 5 to 80% by mass, more preferably 10 to 70% by mass based on the total amount of the sublimation transfer ink.

  Examples of the sublimable dye include disperse dyes having sublimation properties, oil-soluble dyes having sublimation properties, and among these, disperse dyes are particularly preferable.

  As the sublimable dye, a dye that sublimates or evaporates at 70 to 260 ° C. under atmospheric pressure is preferable. Sublimation dyes include azo dyes, anthraquinone dyes, quinophthalone dyes, styryl dyes, diphenylmethane dyes, triphenylmethane dyes, oxazine dyes, triazine dyes, xanthene dyes, methine dyes, Examples thereof include azomethine dyes, acridine dyes, diazine dyes and the like.

Examples of disperse dyes include C.I. I. Disperse Yellow: 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 13, 23, 24, 30, 33, 34, 42, 44, 49, 50, 51, 54, 56, 58, 60, 63, 64, 66, 68 71, 74, 76, 79, 82, 83, 85, 86, 88, 90, 91, 93, 98, 99, 100, 104, 108, 114, 116, 118, 119, 122, 124, 126, 135 140, 141, 149, 160, 162, 163, 164, 165, 179, 180, 182, 183, 184, 186, 192, 198, 199, 202, 204, 210, 211, 215, 216, 218, 224 227, 231, 232,
C. I. Disperse Orange: 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 20, 21, 25, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 37, 38, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 49, 50, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 66, 71, 73, 76, 78, 80, 89, 90, 91, 93, 96, 97, 119, 127, 130 139, 142,
C. I. Disperse Red: 1, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 27, 43, 44, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 65, 72, 73 74, 75, 76, 78, 81, 82, 86, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, 96, 103, 105, 106, 107, 108, 110, 111, 113, 117, 118, 121, 122 126, 127, 128, 131, 132, 134, 135, 137, 143, 145, 146, 151, 152, 153, 154, 157, 159, 164, 167, 169, 177, 179, 181, 183, 184 , 185, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 200, 201, 202, 203, 205, 206, 207, 210, 221, 224, 22 5, 227, 229, 239, 240, 257, 258, 277, 278, 279, 281, 288, 298, 302, 303, 310, 311, 312, 320, 324, 328,
C. I. Disperse Violet: 1, 4, 8, 23, 26, 27, 28, 31, 33, 35, 36, 38, 40, 43, 46, 48, 50, 51, 52, 56, 57, 59, 61, 63 69, 77,
C. I. Disperse Green: 9,
C. I. Disperse Brown: 1, 2, 4, 9, 13, 19,
C. I. Disperse Blue: 3, 7, 9, 14, 16, 19, 20, 26, 27, 35, 43, 44, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 71, 72, 73, 75, 79 81, 82, 83, 87, 91, 93, 94, 95, 96, 102, 106, 108, 112, 113, 115, 118, 120, 122, 125, 128, 130, 139, 141, 142, 143 146, 148, 149, 153, 154, 158, 165, 167, 171, 173, 174, 176, 181, 183, 185, 186, 187, 189, 197, 198, 200, 201, 205, 207, 211 214, 224, 225, 257, 259, 267, 268, 270, 284, 285, 287, 288, 291, 293, 295, 297, 301, 315, 330, 333, 359,
C. I. Disperse Black: 1, 3, 10, 24,
Etc.

  The content of the sublimation dye is preferably 0.5 to 20% by mass and more preferably 1 to 15% by mass based on the total amount of the sublimation transferable ink. When the content of the sublimation dye is within the above range, the sublimation dye is hardly dispersed in the sublimation transfer ink, and the storage stability is improved. Moreover, it is more preferable that it is 2-10 mass% from a viewpoint from which all become excellent in drying stability, the moisture retention, and the discharge stability at the time of using for an inkjet system.

  The sublimation transferable ink according to this embodiment may contain a dispersant for the purpose of improving the dispersion stability of the sublimation dye. As the dispersant, an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, a polymer dispersant and the like can be used alone or in combination.

  Examples of the anionic surfactant include lignin sulfonates; polyoxyethylene alkyl ether sulfates; naphthalene sulfonate, alkyl naphthalene sulfonate, cresol sulfonate, 2-naphthol-6-sulfonate, cresol sulfonate Salt, formalin condensate of sulfonate such as creosote oil sulfonate, and the like.

  Nonionic surfactants include polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ethers, polyoxyethylene acetylene glycols, polyoxyethylene derivatives, oxyethylene / oxypropylene block copolymers, and the like. .

  As the polymer dispersant, a dispersant containing a polyamide-based resin, a polyurethane-based resin, a polyester-based resin, an acrylic resin, or the like, specifically, Ajisper PB-821, Azisper PB822, Azisper PB880 (above, trade names, Ajinomoto Fine Techno Co., Ltd.), Solsperse 20000, Solsperse 27000, Solsperse 41000, Solsperse 43000, Solsperse 44000, Solsperse 46000 (above, trade name, manufactured by Lubrizol), DISPERBYK, DISPERBYK-180, DISPERBYK-183, DISPERBYK-184, DISPERBYK-185, DISPERBYK-187, DISPERBYK-190, DISPERBYK-191, DI PERBYK-192, DISPERBYK-193, DISPERBYK-194, DISPERBYK-2010, DISPERBYK-2090, DISPERBYK-2091, DISPERBYK-2095, DISPERBYK-2096, BYK-154, etc. Can be mentioned.

  The content of the dispersant is preferably 0.1 to 20% by mass and more preferably 0.5 to 10% by mass based on the total amount of the sublimation transferable ink. When the content of the dispersant is within the above range, the storage stability of the sublimation transfer ink is further improved.

  In the sublimation transferable ink according to this embodiment, various other additives can be added within a range that does not hinder the achievement of the object of the present invention. Examples of the additive include a surface adjusting agent, a hydrotrope agent, a pH adjusting agent, a viscosity adjusting agent, an antiseptic, a fungicide, a light stabilizer, a chelating agent, and an antifoaming agent.

(Sublimation transfer printing method)
The sublimation transfer printing method according to the present embodiment includes a coating step of applying the sublimation transfer ink according to the present embodiment to a transfer medium, and heating the transfer medium coated with the sublimation transfer ink to form a transfer object. And a sublimation transfer step of transferring the sublimation transfer ink applied to the transfer medium.

  According to the sublimation transfer printing method according to this embodiment, since the sublimation transfer ink according to this embodiment is used, the amount of smoke generated in the sublimation transfer process is small. In addition, since the sublimation transfer ink according to the present embodiment is excellent in drying property, the sublimation transfer process can be performed in a short time after the application process. Therefore, according to the sublimation transfer printing method according to the present embodiment, sublimation transfer printing can be performed in a short time under a favorable work environment. In addition, the sublimation transfer ink according to the present embodiment is excellent in drying properties, and therefore less sticky after printing.

  As the transfer medium, for example, a known transfer paper can be used. More specifically, for example, transfer paper N51, transfer paper N63, transfer paper 73, transfer paper 92g, and transfer paper 135JT manufactured by Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd. , Jetcol High Speed, Jetcol OS and Jetcol TA, TRANSJET Classic, TRANSJET Express, TRANSJET Spotsline, TRANSJET PRO, and TRANSJET Sapphire manufactured by Qualimage. As the transfer paper, paper having performance such that cockling hardly occurs, drying is fast, transfer efficiency is good, and ink does not pass through is preferable.

  Application of the sublimation transfer ink in the application step is preferably carried out by an ink jet method from the viewpoint that it is not necessary to make a plate and can quickly cope with the production of various products. As the ink jet method, an ink jet method such as a thermal method, a continuous method, or a piezo method can be used. Since the ink for sublimation transfer according to the present embodiment can achieve both dryness and moisture retention, the cleaning performance of the inkjet head is improved when coating is performed by the inkjet method.

  In the sublimation transfer step, the transfer medium is preferably heated at 70 to 260 ° C, more preferably 150 to 230 ° C. The heating time is preferably 10 to 300 seconds, and more preferably 30 to 120 seconds.

  In the sublimation transfer process, for example, the transfer medium coated with sublimation transfer ink and the transfer object are placed opposite to each other via the sublimation transfer ink, and heated and pressurized by a hot press or the like to sublimate the transfer object. Transfer the transfer ink.

  The material to be transferred is not particularly limited as long as it has a material that can be dyed by sublimation transfer. For example, a resin film such as a polyester film, a polyurethane film, a polycarbonate film, a polyphenylene sulfide film, a polyimide film, or a polyamideimide film. A cloth made of polyester, polyester / cotton, acetate, nylon or the like; These transferred materials may be subjected to various pretreatments for the purpose of preventing bleeding of the sublimation transfer ink.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention in detail, this invention is not limited to these Examples.

Example 1
Propylene glycol, diglycerin, dye (Disperse Yellow 54), dispersant (naphthalene sulfonate), surfactant (Surfinol 465), preservative (Proxel XL2, manufactured by Arch Chemicals) and water are listed in Table 1. By mixing at a blending ratio (mass ratio), a sublimation transfer ink was prepared. The prepared sublimation transfer ink was evaluated for smoke generation, moisture retention, drying and ejection properties by the following test methods. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

[Evaluation of smoke generation]
Sublimation transfer ink is printed on transfer paper (Jetcol OS) with an inkjet printer (TX400-1800D, manufactured by Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.), and the printed transfer paper and polyester transfer object (polyester cloth ponge) are heated by a press machine ( The ink for sublimation transfer was transferred by pressing at 200 ° C. for 60 seconds with HASHIMA. The amount of smoke generated at this time was observed and evaluated as A when there was almost no smoke, B when there was a little smoke, and C when there was a lot of smoke.

[Evaluation of moisture retention]
10 g of sublimation transfer ink was placed in a petri dish with an area of 30 cm ² and left for 1 hour in an environment of 30 ° C. and 50% humidity. The mass of the sublimation transfer ink after being allowed to stand is measured. A is the case where the mass change is less than 20%, B is the case where it is 20% or more and less than 40%, and C is the case where it is 40% or more. ,evaluated.
The mass change amount is calculated by the following formula.
Mass change (%) = (mass before standing-mass after standing) × 100 / (mass before standing)

[Evaluation of dryness]
An ink for sublimation transfer was printed on a transfer paper (Jetcol OS) with an inkjet printer (TX400-1800D, manufactured by Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.) at a discharge amount of 8 mg per 1 m ^{2 of} unit area. After 5 minutes from the printing, the case where the ink was dried was evaluated as A, the ink was slightly dried, but it was not completely dried as B, and the case where it was not dried was evaluated as C. .

[Evaluation of ejectability]
An ink for sublimation transfer was printed on a transfer paper (Jetcol OS) with an inkjet printer (TX400-1800D, manufactured by Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.) at a discharge amount of 8 mg per 1 m ^{2 of} unit area. Printing was performed in a range of 5 m ² and it was observed whether the ink for sublimation transfer was stably ejected. The case where the number of nozzles in which ejection abnormality was found was 0 was evaluated as A, the case where there were 1 to 3 nozzles as B, and the case where there were 4 or more nozzles as C.

(Example 2)
Ink for sublimation transfer is prepared by mixing ethylene glycol and diglycerin, the same dye, dispersant, surfactant and preservative as in Example 1, and water in the mixing ratio (mass ratio) shown in Table 1. Was prepared. The prepared sublimation transfer ink was evaluated for smoke generation, moisture retention, drying and ejection by the same test method as in Example 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

(Comparative Example 1)
Ink for sublimation transfer is prepared by mixing propylene glycol and diglycerin, the same dye, dispersant, surfactant and preservative as in Example 1 and water in the mixing ratio (mass ratio) shown in Table 1. Was prepared. The prepared sublimation transfer ink was evaluated for smoke generation, moisture retention, drying and ejection by the same test method as in Example 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

(Comparative Example 2)
Ink for sublimation transfer is prepared by mixing ethylene glycol and diglycerin, the same dye, dispersant, surfactant and preservative as in Example 1, and water in the mixing ratio (mass ratio) shown in Table 1. Was prepared. The prepared sublimation transfer ink was evaluated for smoke generation, moisture retention, drying and ejection by the same test method as in Example 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

(Comparative Examples 3 to 10)
For sublimation transfer, the diols shown in Table 1, the same dyes, dispersants, surfactants and preservatives as in Example 1 and water are mixed in the mixing ratio (mass ratio) shown in Table 1. An ink was prepared. The prepared sublimation transfer ink was evaluated for smoke generation, moisture retention, drying and ejection by the same test method as in Example 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

(Comparative Examples 11-14)
The diol described in Table 1, glycerin, the same dye, dispersant, surfactant and preservative as in Example 1, and water were mixed at a blending ratio (mass ratio) described in Table 1, A sublimation transfer ink was prepared. The prepared sublimation transfer ink was evaluated for smoke generation, moisture retention, drying and ejection by the same test method as in Example 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

Claims (3)

10-70% by mass of at least one diol selected from the group consisting of 1,3-butanediol, tetraethylene glycol, 2,2-thiodiethanol, triethylene glycol, isoprene glycol, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol and dipropylene glycol And 1 to 20% by mass of diglycerin, water, and a sublimable dye.   2. The sublimation transfer ink according to claim 1, wherein the diol is at least one diol selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol and ethylene glycol. An application step of applying the sublimation transfer ink according to claim 1 or 2 to a transfer medium;
A sublimation transfer printing method comprising: heating the transfer medium coated with the sublimation transfer ink to transfer the sublimation transfer ink coated on the transfer medium onto a transfer object. .