JPH02305679A - Thermally sensitive transfer ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ease a phenomenon in which a thermally sensitive transfer ribbon becomes loose vertically against a thermal head during printing by providing a special resin film on the rear of a film base on a thermally sensitive transfer ribbon. CONSTITUTION:Two resin film layers 3, 4 are provided on the opposite surface of an ink layer 1 of a base film 2. The first layer film 3 on the rear of the base is a film for prevention of the thermal fusion between a thermal head and a base film and the thermal deterioration of the base film. The second layer film 4 is a film for increasing a wind-out power and ensuring a smooth run. The first layer film 3 is a resin selected from among acrylic resin, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate propionate, celluloseacetate butylate, polyamide, N- methoxy methylated polyamide and silicon resin. The recommendable second layer film 4 is a material consisting of a resin selected from among fluorine resin and wax or silicon resin at a melting point of 40 deg.C to 70 deg.C.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a novel thermal transfer ribbon used in thermal transfer type printers and facsimile machines.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, thermal transfer printers have been widely used due to their advantages such as no noise during printing, easy handling, and low cost. Thermal transfer ribbons (hereinafter referred to as ribbons) used in such recording methods have a transfer ink layer on one side of a base material such as a plastic film, in which a colorant is blended with a heat-melting binder such as a low melting point resin or a softener. It is configured to form, and usually has a width of 6III11 to 300
It is slit into ma+ to form a rolled proboscis shape and is commercialized.

When printing, a cassette containing a slitted scroll is installed in the printer, and the thermal head is pressed from the back of the ribbon. However, in the case of a serial printer, the ribbon is pressed against the thermal head while the thermal head moves from the beginning of the line to the end of the line. On the other hand, a phenomenon called skewing occurs in which the object shifts upward or downward. In severe cases, the ribbon may become wrinkled and the printed area will not be printed.

As one of the measures to prevent this, it has been proposed to increase the ribbon unwinding force.
2-253476), etc.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the above method requires changing the printer itself, cannot be applied to printers that have already been manufactured, and is expensive due to providing a new mechanism to the printer itself. It has disadvantages such as high

The present invention was made in view of this situation, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a ribbon that is less likely to shift during printing.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors of the present invention have made extensive studies and found that by providing a specific resin coating on the back side of the film base of the thermal transfer ribbon, the ribbon becomes less likely to shift during printing. Heading: The present invention has been completed.

That is, the present invention provides a thermal transfer ribbon comprising a heat-melting ink layer provided on the surface of a film base material, characterized in that a two-layer resin film is provided on the back surface of the base film. It is something to do.

The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings. In the present invention, as shown in FIG.
2 layers of resin coating on the opposite side (hereinafter referred to as the back side) 3.4
will be established. The first layer of film 3 in contact with the back of the base material is a film for thermal fusion of the thermal head and the base film and for preventing thermal deterioration of the base film. This is a coating that increases output power and does not affect running performance. By providing such a resin film, a thermal transfer ribbon was obtained that did not impair runnability and reduced ribbon slippage.

As the base film used in the present invention, commonly used plastic films such as polyester and polyimide, and papers such as capacitor paper can be used. The thickness of the base film may range from 1 to 20 μm. If it is less than 1 μm, the base film is likely to tear during handling, and if it exceeds 20 μm, it is disadvantageous in that high energy is required for printing.

The ink composition of the heat-melting ink layer is based on a low melting point resin and a colorant, and additives such as a softener, petroleum resin, and surfactant are preferably added as needed.

The low melting point resin is selected from paraffin wax, oxidized wax, carnauba wax, ester wax, other natural waxes, and synthetic waxes.As the coloring agent, carbon black, various dyes, and pigments can be used.

Assuming that the total content of the low melting point resin, colorant, and optional additives in the ink is 100 parts by weight (hereinafter referred to as parts), the low melting point resin is 30 to 90 parts, and the colorant is 10 to 40 parts. It is preferable that it is in the range of . If the low melting point resin is less than 30 parts, the thermal melting property will be poor and transfer will be difficult, and if it exceeds 90 parts, the fixing performance will be reduced. If the amount of the colorant is less than 10 parts, the print density will decrease, and if it exceeds 40 parts, the fixability of the print will decrease.

Furthermore, additives that may be added as necessary are listed.

Plasticizers, oils, liquid resins, etc. are used as softeners, and petroleum resins include aliphatic, alicyclic, aromatic, and alicyclic resins.
Aromatic reactants can be used, and nonionic, anionic, and cationic surfactants other than fluorine can be used alone or in combination.

In addition to silicone resins, release agents that can be incorporated into the ink include higher fatty acids, fatty acid salts, fatty acid esters, fatty acid amides, alcohols, ethers, higher alcohol esters of lower fatty acids, and the above-mentioned release agents are preferred. It is preferable to use a compound having a polar group in which all or part of the hydrogen bonded to carbon is replaced with fluorine, or a fluorocarbon having no polar group, alone or in combination.

The blending amount of the release agent is 15% based on the above ink composition.
It is good to have a density of less than 100%, and if it exceeds that, the print density will decrease.

The method for applying the ink composition as described above to the base film is to melt the ink components by heating and apply using methods such as barcode coating, roll coating, gravure coating, curtain coating, kiss coating, etc. A so-called conventional hot melt coating is preferred, but a solvent may be used if necessary.

The thickness of the ink layer is 1 μm to 30 μm, preferably 2 μm to 10 μm.

The two-layer resin film applied to the back surface of the base film, which is a feature of the present invention, is made of acrylic resin, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate butylene, etc. Polyesters, polyamides, N-methoxymethylated polyamides, silicone resins, etc., which form a hard coating film when dried or cured, are used alone or in combination. The second layer film is made of fluororesin, wax with a melting point of 40°C to 70°C, silicone resin, etc. When dried or hardened, a soft film, a tacky film, or a film with a rough surface is obtained. used alone or in combination.

To apply to the base film, the resin component is dissolved in a solvent alone or in a mixture, applied by bar code, roll coating, gravure coating, kiss coating, etc., dried to form the first layer, and then the above-mentioned method is applied. The second layer can be applied using the same method as the first layer. The coating thickness for the first layer is preferably in the range of 0.01 to 0.5 μm.

If the thickness is less than 0.01 μm, the effect of preventing thermal deterioration of the base film and improving running properties during printing may not be sufficiently exhibited, and if it exceeds 0.5 μm, the effect is saturated and no more is necessary. The thickness of the second layer is preferably in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 μm. If it is less than 0.01 μm, the effect of increasing the unwinding force may not be sufficiently exhibited, and if it exceeds 0.3 μm, the effect of the first layer may be canceled and the running properties during printing may be deteriorated.

[Effect]

The present invention provides a two-layer resin film on the back surface of the ribbon,
The first layer of film in contact with the back of the base film prevents thermal adhesion between the thermal head and the base film and thermal deterioration of the base film, improving running performance during printing, and the second layer of film improves the coefficient of friction. The unwinding force within the cassette is increased by increasing the height, and at the same time, the running performance is not affected.

As a result, it was possible to reduce ribbon misalignment without affecting runnability. In addition, by applying two layers,
It can effectively exhibit its protective properties and anti-slip functions with a small amount.

[Example] Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to Examples. Note that all parts are by weight.

Urea-modified silicone (5P-3023 manufactured by Dainichiseika Chemical Co., Ltd.) 4
A liquid (hereinafter referred to as liquid A) was prepared by adding 200 parts of toluene to 00 parts of the liquid.

Next, a solution (hereinafter referred to as solution B) in which a fluororesin (MS743 manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) was diluted 1:1 with isopropyl alcohol was prepared.

Furthermore, a liquid (hereinafter referred to as liquid C) was prepared by adding 90 parts of toluene to 10 parts of paraffin wax (paraffin 120 manufactured by Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd.) having a melting point of 50°C.

Comparative Example 1, Examples 1 to 3 Liquid A was applied to polyester with a thickness of 4 μm and the thickness was 0.00
5 μm (Comparative Example 1), 0.03 μm, 0.1 layer m, 0.
It was coated to a thickness of 4 μm (Examples 1 to 3) (first layer of resin film). Next, liquid B was applied on top of it to a thickness of 0.1 μm (second layer of resin film). In addition, an ink for forming a transfer layer having a composition of 50 parts of paraffin wax, 20 parts of oxidized wax, 15 parts of carnauba wax, and 15 parts of carbon black was prepared, and the side opposite to the side on which the resin film of the base material was provided was prepared. was applied to a thickness of 4 μm to prepare a transfer sheet. A printing test was conducted under the conditions described below.

The results are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 2.3, Example 4.5 An ink layer was applied to a polyester film in the same manner as Examples 1 to 3. Liquid A was applied to the opposite side of the ink layer to a thickness of 0.1 μm. (1st layer of resin film). Next, apply liquid B to a thickness of 0.005 μm (
Comparative Example 2), 0.03 μm, 0.2 μm (Example 4.5
), 0.5. um (Comparative Example 3) (second resin film layer), a transfer sheet was prepared. A printing test was conducted under the conditions described below. The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 6.7, Comparative Example 4 An ink layer was applied to a polyester film in the same manner as in Examples 1 to 3. Liquid A was applied to the opposite side of the film to a thickness of 0.1 μm. After coating (first layer of resin film), apply liquid C to 0.03 μm on top of it.
．． A transfer sheet was prepared by coating the resin film to a thickness of 1 μm (Example 6.7) and 0.5 μm (Comparative Example 4) (second layer). A printing test was conducted under the conditions described below.

The results are shown in Table 1.

Printing Test Conditions The prepared transfer sheet was slit into a width of 12.7 m, rolled into a small roll, and assembled into a cassette. Then, install this cassette into Wordpal 220 (manufactured by Hitachi), and print A4 size TRW-7 with maximum print density.
(manufactured by Jujo Paper Co., Ltd.). The printing pattern was 40 lines of continuous one-dot horizontal lines and was used for evaluation. (
However, the evaluation of unwinding force and runnability is excluded, and these evaluations will be described later) Printing test evaluation Evaluation of skew printing: Evaluation of the amount of deviation in the number of printing defects due to skew printing among 40 lines of the printing pattern: Printed The distance from the end surface of the ribbon to the print mark was measured at the beginning and end of the line using an optical microscope, and the difference was taken as the difference.

Evaluation of unwinding force: As shown in FIG. 2, the ribbon 6 was assembled into the cassette 5, and evaluated by pulling it in the direction of the arrow with a spring scale.

Evaluation of runnability: A 100 m ribbon was assembled into a cassette, and solid printing was performed using Wordpal 220. And those that have traveled all round trips (total 200)
For m), those that became unable to run during O1 were marked as ×.

Table 1 [Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention provides a ribbon in which the phenomenon of the ribbon shifting upward or downward relative to the thermal head during printing is alleviated by increasing the ribbon unwinding force. It became possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the ribbon of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a winding force measuring method. Explanation of symbols 1. Ink layer 2. Base film 3, first layer of resin film 4. 2nd layer of resin film 5, cassette body 6. Ribbon 7, guide

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a thermal transfer ribbon comprising a heat-melting ink layer on the surface of a base film, 2 on the back surface of the base film.
A thermal transfer ribbon characterized by having a layer of resin film. 2. The film in contact with the back surface of the base film, that is, the first layer film is selected from the group of acrylic resin, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate, polyamide, N-methoxymethylated polyamide, and silicone resin. 2. The thermal transfer ribbon according to claim 1, wherein the second layer film is made of a resin selected from the group consisting of a fluororesin, a wax having a melting point of 40°C to 70°C, and a silicone resin.