JP2000211294A - Transfer sheet, image forming method using the same, and transfer method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a blocking and cracks from being generated when an image on a transfer sheet is to be re-transferred on another base material such as a cloth, canvas, and facilitate the handling, by arranging a blocking preventive layer having a specified glass transition temperature range on a transfer layer to form the transfer sheet. SOLUTION: This transfer sheet is formed by laminating at least a water- permeable supporting body, a release layer, a transfer layer, and a blocking preventive layer in order, and at the same time, the glass transition temperature of the material of the blocking preventive layer is set at 30-100 deg.C. In this transfer sheet, a bonding layer is preferably provided between the release layer and the transfer layer, and as the constituting material of the blocking preventive layer, at least one kind of material from among an acrylic resin, a polyester resin and a butyral resin is preferably used. Also, for the dry deposit of the blocking preventive layer, 0.1-10 g/m2 is preferable. In addition, for the material of the bonding layer, a water based emulsion, and a solvent based affixing agent are preferable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic copying machine having a process of electrostatically transferring a toner image onto a transfer material such as plain paper by a xerography system, or a thermal fusion as an image obtained by a thermal transfer recording system. Used in a printer having a process of transferring a hydrophilic ink, a sublimation dye, etc. to a material to be transferred, or a printer having a process of transferring an aqueous ink or a hot-melt ink to a material to be transferred by an inkjet method (hereinafter, abbreviated as a copying apparatus) More specifically, a process of retransferring an image on a transfer sheet formed by a copying machine to another substrate such as cloth, canvas, plastic, paper, wood, leather, glass, pottery, metal, etc. The present invention relates to a transfer sheet used for the above. The invention also relates to an image forming method and an image transfer method using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread and development of copying apparatuses in recent years, attempts have been made to develop new applications not only by simply forming a copy image on plain paper but also by applying the functions thereof. I have. As one of such new uses, there is an example in which an image created by a copying machine is retransferred and fixed to another base material such as cloth, leather, canvas, plastic, wood, glass, pottery, and metal. . This type of use is useful for non-mass-producing individuals or small lots, such as custom-made T-shirts, sweatshirts, aprons, jumpers, cups, plates, stained glass, panels, and reproductions. In recent years, it has become possible to use a full-color copying apparatus capable of obtaining a high-quality image, so that a higher-quality image can be easily printed, and the demand is increasing.

As a transfer sheet for forming a transfer image by transferring a toner, a heat-meltable ink, a sublimation dye, an aqueous ink, or the like to such a material to be transferred, for example, a transfer sheet using a delayed tack type adhesive is used. Sheet (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 52-82)
No. 509). However, since the transfer sheet requires at least either heat or pressure at the time of transfer, there is a problem that transfer is difficult to a heat-sensitive material such as plastic or a curved surface where it is difficult to apply uniform pressure. there were. On the other hand, the hydraulic transfer paper disclosed in JP-A-8-108610 is composed of a water-permeable backing sheet, a release layer, an adhesive layer, and an image holding layer. After image formation, the hydraulic transfer paper is immersed in water to form a release layer. Is melted, the mount is peeled off, and the transfer layer floating on the water surface is transferred to the transfer target, so that heat or pressure is not required during transfer. However, in the transfer sheet of the above-described method, a phenomenon (blocking) may occur in which the back surface of another transfer sheet that is stored while being overlapped with the transfer layer during storage is adhered. Generally, as a method of suppressing blocking, a silicone resin is provided on the surface opposite to the transfer layer,
It is effective to provide a layer having a high release property such as a fluororesin, but in a conventional transfer sheet, if such a layer is provided on the surface opposite to the transfer layer, water penetration is hindered, Since the peeling time becomes extremely long, the usability becomes extremely poor. Another method is to use a material with a high glass transition temperature as the transfer layer material. Since the transfer layer is easily broken by the force applied during the application, a transfer sheet free from blocking and free from cracks has been required.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a transfer sheet which is free from blocking and cracking and is easy to handle.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that a glass transition temperature of 30 ° C. or higher
The inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by providing an anti-blocking layer at 0 ° C. or lower, and have reached the present invention.

The object of the present invention is to provide (1) a transfer sheet comprising at least a water-permeable support, a release layer, a transfer layer and an anti-blocking layer, wherein the glass transition temperature of the anti-blocking layer material is 30 ° C. or higher. (2) “the transfer sheet according to the above (1), wherein an adhesive layer is provided between the release layer and the transfer layer”; The transfer sheet according to the above (1) or (2), wherein at least one material of an acrylic resin, a polyester resin, and a butyral resin is used as the anti-blocking layer;
(4) "The dry adhesion amount of the anti-blocking layer is 0.1 g /
is accomplished by the (1) to (3) sheet as claimed in any one of claim ', characterized in that m is ² or more 10 g / m ² or less.

Another object of the present invention is to provide (5) a method of forming a toner image on an image receptor using an electrophotographic method, and forming the toner image on the image receptor by at least either heat or pressure. An image forming method for fixing, wherein the image receptor is the transfer sheet according to any one of the above items (1) to (4). "
(6) An image forming method in which a heat-fusible ink layer or a heat sublimable dye is transferred onto a receptor by heat, wherein the image receptor is any one of the above items (1) to (4). Image forming method characterized by being a transfer sheet according to
(7) An image forming method for forming an image of a water-based ink or a hot-melt ink on an image receptor using an inkjet method, wherein the image receptor is any one of the above items (1) to (4). (8) An image transfer method for transferring an image recorded on a transfer sheet to a material to be transferred, wherein the image forming method is the transfer sheet according to (1) or (8). Wherein the image of the transfer sheet formed by the method described in any one of the above items is transferred to a transfer material.

Further, the present invention provides the following (9) to (16)
Modes are included. (9) “The transfer sheet according to any one of the above (1) to (4), wherein the material for forming the transfer layer is an aqueous emulsion”, (1)
0) "The transfer layer material is a polymer comprising at least one of ethylene, vinyl acetate, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and acrylate or a copolymer containing at least one material. (4) or the transfer sheet according to any one of the items (9) ", (11)" the transfer layer has a dry adhesion amount of 5 g / m.
Above, wherein the at least ^two 100 g / m ² or less (1) term to item (4), or (9) to (10) sheet as claimed in any one of the terms "(12) (1) to (4), wherein the adhesive layer material is a polymer comprising at least one of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and acrylate or a copolymer containing at least one material; Items (9) to (1)
(1) The transfer sheet according to any one of (1) and (1).
3) “the transfer sheet according to any one of the above items (1) to (4) or (9) to (12), wherein the adhesive layer material is an aqueous emulsion”;
(14) The method according to any one of (1) to (4) or (9) to (13), wherein the adhesive layer material is a solvent-based pressure-sensitive adhesive. Transfer sheet ",
(15) "The dry adhesion amount of the adhesive layer is 1 g / m ² or more and 30 g
/ M ² or less, any one of the above items (1) to (4) or (9) to (14).
(16) The transfer sheet according to (1), wherein the release layer material is a water-soluble resin.
Or the transfer sheet according to any one of the items (9) to (15) ", and (17) the transfer sheet having a dry adhesion amount of the release layer of 1
above, wherein the g / m ² or more 50 g / m ² or less (1) term to item (4), or (9) term to (16) sheet as claimed in any one of claim " (18) The above-mentioned items (1) to (4), wherein the water-permeable support is paper having a basis weight of 20 g / m ² or more and 200 g / m ² or less.
Or the transfer sheet according to any one of items (9) to (17). "

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail. As described above, the transfer sheet of the present invention has a glass transition temperature of an anti-blocking layer material of at least 30 ° C. and at most 100 ° C. in a transfer sheet comprising at least a water-permeable support, a release layer, a transfer layer, and an anti-blocking layer. The transfer sheet is characterized in that:

In the transfer sheet having the above structure, an image is formed on the surface of the anti-blocking layer with toner, ink, dye or the like, and then immersed in water to dissolve the release layer and bond the support to the transfer layer or the support. The layer is peeled off, and an image is transferred by attaching a film comprising an anti-blocking layer, a transfer layer or an anti-blocking layer, a transfer layer, and an adhesive layer to a material to be transferred.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, by using an aqueous emulsion for the anti-blocking layer, the transfer layer or the adhesive layer material, and an aqueous solution for the release layer, there is no volatilization of the organic solvent at the time of preparing the transfer sheet. It is environmentally friendly and enables the production of transfer sheets at low cost.However, solvent-based materials may be used for the anti-blocking layer, the transfer layer and the adhesive layer in consideration of film forming properties, coating properties, etc. It is possible.

In order to form a release layer, an adhesive layer, a transfer layer, and an anti-blocking layer, a coating solution prepared by dissolving, dispersing, or emulsifying a material for forming each layer in water or a suitable solvent is used. It is formed by coating on a support using a coater such as a blade coater, a wire bar coater, an air knife coater, a rod coater, and a die coater as appropriate. Alternatively, it may be formed by laminating on a support using a hot melt coater, a laminate coater or the like.

Here, by using a material having a glass transition temperature of 30 ° C. or more and 100 ° C. or less, more preferably 30 ° C. or more and 60 ° C. or less as a material of the anti-blocking layer, a transfer sheet free from blocking and free from cracks is provided. can do. That is, since the contact with the back surface of the superposed paper is not the transfer layer but the anti-blocking layer having a high glass transition temperature, no blocking occurs. Further, after forming an image on the transfer sheet, the force applied to the transfer sheet when it is immersed in water and peeled off or attached to the transfer material is dispersed in the transfer layer and the anti-blocking layer. No force is applied and cracks are less likely to occur.

The glass transition temperature of the anti-blocking layer is 3
Below 0 ° C, the anti-blocking effect is insufficient,
On the other hand, when the glass transition temperature is 100 ° C. or higher, the anti-blocking layer tends to crack after coating. In addition, the glass transition temperature in the present invention is obtained by measuring the coating material of each layer by using an EXSTAR6000 thermal analysis system differential scanning calorimeter DSC220 manufactured by Seiko Denshi Kogyo KK at a heating rate of 10 ° C./min. is there. The glass transition temperature of the anti-blocking layer can be determined by shaving off only the anti-blocking layer of the transfer sheet with a razor and measuring the obtained sample with an analyzer such as a DSC.

Here, as the anti-blocking layer having a glass transition temperature of 30 ° C. or more and 100 ° C. or less in the present invention, the following materials can be used. Specifically, polyacrylic acid, polymethyl methacrylate, polymethyl acrylate, polyethyl acrylate, polyacrylonitrile, and acrylic resins that are copolymers thereof, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, butyral resins, polyamides, polycarbonates, and the like It is.

The dry adhesion amount of the antiblocking layer is 0.1
g / m ² or more 10 g / m ² or less, more preferably 0.2 g / m ² or more 5 g / m ² or less. 0.1g /
When it is less than m ² , the coating of the transfer layer is insufficient, so that the anti-blocking effect is insufficient. On the other hand, if it is more than 10 g / m ^2, it tends to be easily cracked because it is too thick.

Here, the following materials can be used for the transfer layer in the present invention. Specifically, thermoplastic polyurethane, polyamide, polyester, polyolefin, cellulose derivatives such as cellulose nitrate,
Polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate, styrene resins such as polystyrene and poly-α-methylstyrene or styrene copolymers, acrylic resins such as poly (methyl) methacrylate and poly (ethyl meth) acrylate, vinyl chloride vinyl acetate copolymer Coalesce, vinyl copolymer such as ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, rosin, rosin ester resin such as rosin-modified maleic resin, polyisoprene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, etc.
Alternatively, in addition to synthetic rubbers and various ionomers, epoxy resins, phenol resins, and the like are used.

The dry adhesion amount of the transfer layer is 5 g / m ² or more and 10
0 g / m ² or less, more preferably 10 g / m ²
Not less than 50 g / m ² . If it is less than 5 g / m ² , the strength of the transfer layer is insufficient, so that the transfer layer is likely to be wrinkled and to be easily cut when affixed to the material to be transferred. On the other hand, 100 g /
If it is larger than m ² , the image will be unnatural when transferred because it is too thick, and transport failure in the copying apparatus will easily occur.

The anti-blocking layer and the transfer layer may contain a tackifier, an antioxidant, an ultraviolet absorber, a coloring agent, an antistatic agent, a flame retardant, a wax, a plasticizer, a filler, and the like, if necessary. May be.

Further, when the adhesive layer is provided, the adhesive layer is firmly adhered to the material to be transferred when it is adhered to the material, so that the transferred image can be viewed for a long time. As the adhesive layer in the present invention, natural rubber, styrene / butadiene copolymer rubber, polyisobutylene rubber, isobutylene / isoprene copolymer rubber, styrene / isoprene / styrene block copolymer rubber, styrene / butadiene / styrene block copolymer rubber, chloroprene rubber, Rubber-based adhesives such as butadiene / acrylonitrile copolymer rubber and polybutadiene rubber; polyoctyl acrylates such as polymethyl methacrylate, polymethyl acrylate, polyethyl acrylate, polybutyl acrylate, and poly (2-ethylhexyl) acrylate; or Acrylic adhesives such as these copolymers, vinyl ether adhesives such as polyvinyl ethyl ether, polyvinyl butyl ether and polyvinyl isobutyl ether, polydimethylsiloxane Of these, silicone-based pressure-sensitive adhesives can be used.Among these, acrylic-based pressure-sensitive adhesives have lower tackiness and higher transparency than rubber-based pressure-sensitive adhesives, and have excellent weather resistance, heat resistance, and solvent resistance. Since they are less expensive than silicone-based pressure-sensitive adhesives, they can be suitably used.

The dry adhesion amount of the adhesive layer is 1 g / m ² or more and 30
g / m ² or less, more preferably 2 g / m ² or more and 20 g / m ² or less. If it is less than 1 g / m ² , the adhesive strength is insufficient, and if it is more than 30 g / m ² , not only does the production cost increase, but also the adhesive sticks out during the storage of the sheet, and the sheets tend to stick together.

On the other hand, the following materials can be used for the release layer in the present invention. Specifically, synthetic polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide, polyacrylamide, polyacrylamine, and polyvinylpyrrolidone, natural starch such as potato starch, tapioca starch, corn starch, and oxidized, pregelatinized, etherified, and esterified starch Processed starch, cellulose derivatives such as carboxymethylcellulose and methylcellulose, proteins, gelatin, glue, casein, shellac, gum arabic, dextrin and the like. In addition, the release layer in the present invention may be a single layer, a plurality of water-soluble materials for the purpose of improving coating properties, transfer layer surface smoothness, and the like,
Also includes those composed of a plurality of layers made of a filler or the like.

The dry adhesion amount of the release layer is 1 g / m ² or more and 50
g / m ² or less. If the amount is less than 1 g / m ² , the adhesive layer and the support adhere to each other and cannot be peeled off. If the amount is more than 50 g / m ² , the release layer tends to be too thick to dissolve, and the peeling rate tends to decrease.

The support used in the present invention may be paper,
Synthetic paper, cloth, nonwoven fabric, leather, or polyethylene terephthalate, diacetate cellulose, triacetate cellulose, acrylic polymer, cellophane, celluloid, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polyimide,
Resin sheets such as polyethersulfone, polyethyletherketone, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., metal plates,
Metal foil and the like can be mentioned. Further, a composite sheet manufactured by appropriately combining these materials, a sheet having water resistance or conductivity imparted by coating or laminating the composite sheet, or the like can be used, and is not particularly limited. Preferably weighing 20 g
/ M ² or more and 200 g / m ² or less are used in terms of economy, transport stability in a copying apparatus, and water permeability.

To form an image on the transfer sheet of the present invention, in addition to the above-described electrophotographic recording, thermal transfer recording, thermal transfer recording using a heat sublimable dye, and ink jet recording, Various printing methods such as printing, letterpress printing, intaglio printing, and stencil printing, as well as recording methods such as electrostatic recording, dot impact recording, and handwriting can be appropriately selected and applied.

[0026]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically based on examples. The number of parts in the examples represents parts by weight. Example 1 Using a high-quality paper having a basis weight of 93 g / m ² as a support, a release layer material (A) having the following composition was applied to one surface of the support with a wire bar, and dried to obtain a release layer (dry application amount: 11 g). / M
² ) was provided. [Release layer material (A)] Polyvinyl alcohol (KL-506, manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.) 20 parts Water 80 parts On the release layer obtained above, an adhesive layer material (A) composed of a polymer having the following monomer composition Was applied with a wire bar and dried to form an adhesive layer (dry coating amount: 13 g / m ² ). [Adhesive layer material (A)] 2-Ethylhexyl acrylate 45 parts Butyl acrylate 20 parts Vinyl acetate 18 parts Ethyl acrylate 13 parts Acid 4 parts Toluene 284 parts On the adhesive layer obtained above, a polymer having the following monomer composition was used. The transfer layer material (A) was applied with a wire bar and dried to provide a transfer layer (dry coating amount: 33 g / m ² ). [Transfer layer material (A)] Butyl acrylate 23 parts Ethyl acrylate 47 parts Acrylic nitrile 30 parts Water 92 parts On the transfer layer obtained above, a material for a blocking prevention layer (A) comprising a polymer having the following monomer composition (Glass transition temperature: 36 ° C.) was applied with a wire bar and dried to provide an anti-blocking layer (dry coating amount: 0.5 g / m ² ), thereby preparing a transfer sheet (a) of the present invention. [Material for anti-blocking layer (A)] Methyl acrylate 25 parts Methyl methacrylate 75 parts Ethyl acetate 4892 parts Methanol 8 parts The obtained transfer sheet (a) was prepared by using a color copying machine (manufactured by
Pretail 550) was used to form a full-color image on the transfer layer. The image formed on the transfer layer was clear and had high image quality, and no difference from the image formed on the plain paper for pretail 550 was recognized. Next, the transfer sheet (a) obtained above was immersed in water and peeled off, and a film consisting of an adhesive layer and a transfer layer was placed so that the adhesive layer was in close contact with the acrylic plate, and was squeezed with a spatula to remove moisture. After drying, the transfer sheet and the acrylic plate adhered firmly, and no defects such as cracks were observed on the surface.

Example 2 A transfer sheet (Example 2) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the antiblocking layer material (B) (glass transition temperature: 33 ° C.) was used as the antiblocking layer. b) was prepared. [Material for Blocking Prevention Layer (B)] Butyral resin (manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd., ESLEC BH-S) 2 parts Ethanol 98 parts

Example 3 A transfer sheet (Example 1) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the antiblocking layer material (C) (glass transition temperature: 55 ° C.) was used as the antiblocking layer. c) was prepared. [Material for Blocking Prevention Layer (C)] Butyral Resin (Eslec BL-S, manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.) 2 parts Ethanol 98 parts

Example 4 The same procedure as in Example 1 was repeated except that the adhesive layer was not provided and that the transfer layer used was a transfer layer material (B) made of a polymer having the following monomer composition. d) was prepared. [Transfer layer material (B)] Methyl acrylate 37 parts Methyl methacrylate 49 parts Butyl acrylate 14 parts Ethyl acetate 392 parts Methanol 8 parts

Example 5 A transfer sheet (e) was prepared in the same manner as in Example ² except that the dry coating amount of the antiblocking layer was changed to 1 g / m ² .

Example 6 A transfer sheet (f) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the dry coating amount of the antiblocking layer was changed to 0.05 g / m ² .

Example 7 A transfer sheet (g) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the dry coating amount of the antiblocking layer was changed to 20 g / m ² .

Comparative Example 1 A transfer sheet (h) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the anti-blocking layer was not provided.

Comparative Example 2 In the same manner as in Example 1 except that the anti-blocking layer was not provided and the transfer layer material (C) (glass transition temperature: 36 ° C.) having the following monomer composition was used as the transfer layer. Thus, a transfer sheet (i) was prepared. [Transfer layer material (C)] Methyl acrylate 25 parts Methyl methacrylate 75 parts Ethyl acetate 392 parts Methanol 8 parts

Comparative Example 3 A transfer sheet (j) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the antiblocking layer material (D) (glass transition temperature: 26 ° C.) having the following monomer composition was used as the antiblocking layer. )created. [Material for anti-blocking layer (D)] Methyl acrylate 37 parts Methyl methacrylate 49 parts Butyl acrylate 14 parts Ethyl acetate 4892 parts Methanol 8 parts

The transfer sheets (a) to (j) obtained as described above
Was observed. On the other hand, transfer sheets (a) to
(J) was cut out in A4 size, and two sheets were placed one on top of the other. A weight of 1 kg was applied to the two sheets, and the sheet was allowed to stand at 50 ° C. for 24 hours. Thereafter, a transfer image was formed by the method of Example 1, and the surface state of the transfer sheet was examined.

The evaluation was made according to the following criteria. Blocking property ：: No blocking occurs. Δ: The transfer sheet partially adheres and makes noise when peeled off, but there is no problem with the quality of the transfer sheet. X: The transfer sheet is completely adhered and cannot be peeled. Surface condition ：: No surface roughness. ×: Fine cracks occurred on the transfer sheet surface. Transfer layer cracking ：: No cracking of transfer layer occurred X: Cracking occurred in transfer layer.

[0038]

[Table 1]

[0039]

As described above, the transfer sheet of the present invention has no blocking,
An extremely excellent effect of no cracking and easy handling is achieved.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3B005 EB01 FB03 FC02X FC08Z FD05Z FE01 FF01 FG08Z GA24 GA26 4L055 AG64 AG71 AG82 BE09 EA14 EA20 FA13 FA30 GA09 GA13

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. At least a water-permeable support, a release layer,
In the transfer sheet including the transfer layer and the anti-blocking layer, the glass transition temperature of the anti-blocking layer material is 30 ° C.
A transfer sheet having a temperature of at least 100 ° C. 2. The transfer sheet according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive layer is provided between the release layer and the transfer layer. 3. An anti-blocking layer comprising at least one of an acrylic resin, a polyester resin and a butyral resin.
The transfer sheet according to claim 1, wherein two transfer materials are used. 4. The anti-blocking layer having a dry adhesion amount of 0.
The transfer sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transfer sheet has a weight of 1 g / m ² or more and 10 g / m ² or less. 5. An image forming method comprising: forming a toner image on an image receptor using an electrophotographic method; and fixing the toner image formed on the image receptor by at least either heat or pressure. An image forming method, wherein the image receptor is the transfer sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. An image forming method for transferring a heat-meltable ink layer or a heat-sublimable dye onto a receptor by heat.
An image forming method, wherein the image receptor is the transfer sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 7. An image forming method for forming an image of a water-based ink or a hot-melt ink on an image receptor by using an ink jet method, wherein the image receptor is any one of claims 1 to 4. An image forming method, which is the transfer sheet according to any one of the preceding claims. 8. An image transfer method for transferring an image recorded on a transfer sheet to a material to be transferred, wherein the image of the transfer sheet formed by the method according to claim 5 is transferred to the material to be transferred. Image transfer method.