JPH041077A - Ink sheet for thermal transfer recording - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the luster properties of recorded picture surface and obtain recorded image with high image quality by a method wherein on a film shaped base, a first area on which a heat transfer ink is applied and a second area on which a thermal conductive layer with higher heat conductivity than the base are repeatedly arranged. CONSTITUTION:A base 1 is a PET film with a thickness of 4mum, and the top surface has smoothness with 10 point average roughness Ra of approximately 0.1mum. A base 2 is a heat resistant lubricant layer which is applied on the whole of the lower surface of the base 1 by a thickness of 2mum. Three color ink layers 3, 4, 5 and a thermal conductor layer 6 are applied in order by approximately the same size on the upper surface of the base 1. For the thermal conductor layer 6, corpuscles with favorable thermal conductivity such as metal power, carbon, etc. with an average particle diameter of not more than mum are applied on the upper surface of the base 1, and the surface of the thermal conductor layer 6 has smoothness of approximately Ra0.5mum. After transfer-recording three colors on a recording paper, the thermal conductor layer 6 of this ink sheet is placed over the recording paper, and they are re-heated by a thermal head. At the time of the re-heating, temperature distribution of the thermal head can be transmitted to the surface of the recording paper while being diffusion-unified by the thermal conductor layer of the ink sheet. By this method, the surface properties of recording papers are improved, and the luster properties of the recording image can be bettered.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Industrial field of application The present invention ζ Conventional technology regarding thermal transfer recording ink that improves the surface quality of recorded images Regarding thermal transfer recording using sublimation dye, it is difficult to reproduce the recorded image after transfer. It has been known for a long time that images become clearer when heated. A method using a thermal head as a reheating method (described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 148779/1983) is a method for printing Y, M, C, An ink sheet with a sublimation dye-printed area of K and a space area with no dye is used (X, the recording paper is made of high-quality paper with a polymer resin layer formed on it.
Problem to be Solved by the Invention This invention promotes the diffusion of dye on the recording paper and color development by overlapping the recording paper with the space of the capacitor paper and reheating it with a thermal head after transferring and recording the color. However, in the above-mentioned configuration (1), the polymer resin layer on the surface of the recording paper, which had the problem of poor gloss of recorded images obtained by reheating, softens and deforms due to heat, so the thermal head does not require intensive treatment. The heated part deforms and creates minute irregularities on the holding plate, which diffusely reflects light and reduces gloss. When uniform energy is applied to the heating element, the temperature distribution at the pitch of the heating element is such that the center of the heating element is high in temperature and the surrounding area is low. The ink sheet that transmits heat to the surface is also designed to minimize heat escape in directions other than the thickness direction in order to prevent interference between adjacent pixels during recording, so it has little effect on smoothing the temperature distribution (Results Recording The paper surface is heated with a temperature distribution, and the polymer resin layer is not evenly softened.The surface has periodic irregularities at the pitch of the heating elements, and the gloss is poor and the capacitor paper in contact with the recording paper surface is uneven. A material that is not sufficiently smooth and has a unique mesh pattern of pulp.
These marks remained on the surface of the recording paper, and the quality was not sufficient even as a matte image Table 3 of the present invention In view of these points, thermal transfer recording improves the glossiness of the recording screen and obtains recorded images with high image quality. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide an ink sheet for use in a thermal transfer process.In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a first area coated with a thermally transferable ink on a base material and a heat transferable ink sheet with high thermal conductivity. A second region provided with a conductive layer is repeatedly arranged.

Function: In the present invention, the temperature distribution of the thermal head is diffused and made uniform by the heat conductive layer of the ink sheet, and is transmitted to the surface of the recording paper.
Performs uniform shaping of the surface of the recording paper.

EXAMPLE The present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an ink sheet for thermal transfer recording according to the present invention. The base material 1 is a PET film with a thickness of 4 μm, and the upper surface has a ten-point average roughness of RaO.

2 is a heat-resistant slippery layer coated on the entire lower surface of the base material 1 to a thickness of 2 μm, even though it has a smoothness of about 1 μm7) 63.
4 and 5 are yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (
In the ink layer of C), 6 is a thermally conductive layer. Ink layer 3
．． 4 and 5 and the heat conductive layer 6 are sequentially applied to the upper surface of the base material 1 in substantially the same size. The thermally conductive layer 6 is made by coating fine particles with good thermal conductivity such as metal powder carbon with an average particle size of 1 μm or less on the upper surface of the base material 1 using a thermosetting resin binder, and has a surface Ra of about 0.5 μm. Even if it has the smoothness of
Using this ink sheet, three colors are transferred and recorded on a recording paper in the same manner as in the conventional example, and then the thermally conductive layer 6 of the ink sheet and the recording paper are superimposed and reheated by a thermal head. The recording paper used is, for example, a 150 μm thick PET film coated with a color developing layer made of polyester, etc., but when reheating, the heat from the thermal head is transmitted to the recording paper through the ink sheet.At this time, the thermal The uneven temperature distribution of the head is sufficiently diffused and averaged by the heat conductive layer 6, and the surface of the recording paper is evenly heated. Even if the surface of the thermally conductive layer 6 is shaped to be as smooth as the surface of the heat conductive layer 6, the smoothness of the surface of the recording paper increases and it is not possible to obtain a more glossy recorded image. In the example 41, the heat conductive layer 6 is not only provided on the ink-applied side of the base material, but may also be provided on the opposite surface or in the base material. Figure 2 shows another embodiment of the ink sheet for thermal transfer recording according to the present invention. FIG.

7 is a heat-resistant particle layer in which spherical glass beads with uniform particle diameters are uniformly coated on the upper surface of the base material 1 using a thermosetting resin binder. Make sure that the surface of the heat-resistant particle layer 7 is uniformly uneven with beads a Ink layer 3, 4.5
and the heat-resistant particle layer 7 are sequentially applied to the upper surface of the base material 1 in substantially the same size. 2(Y) A heat-resistant slippery layer coated on the bottom surface of the base material 1 on the back side of the ink layers 3, 4, and 5. 6(Yo) This is a thermally conductive layer coated on the back side.

During reheating, the heated and softened developing layer of the recording paper is pressed against the uniformly uneven surface of the heat-resistant particle layer 7, so that it has the same level of uniform unevenness as the surface of the heat-resistant particle layer 7. Even after shaping, the surface of the recording paper becomes uniform and matte.12
Even if the heat conductive layer 6 on the back side of the base material is not coated, the matting effect due to the uniform unevenness of the heat-resistant particle layer 7 is quite high, especially when a high-quality matte recorded image is obtained. Although similar effects can be obtained when heat-resistant particles with excellent thermal conductivity such as metal particles are used, the effects of the invention According to the present invention, when reheating a recorded image with a thermal head, thermal The temperature distribution of the head can be diffused and uniformed by the heat conductive layer of the ink sheet and transmitted to the surface of the recording paper, improving the surface properties of the recording paper and improving the gloss of the recorded image.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink sheet for thermal transfer recording according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink sheet for thermal transfer recording according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 Thermal particle layer

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) For thermal transfer recording, in which a first area coated with thermal transfer ink and a second area provided with a thermally conductive layer having higher thermal conductivity than the substrate are repeatedly arranged on a film-like base material. ink sheet. (2) An ink sheet for thermal transfer recording, in which a first area coated with thermal transfer ink and a second area coated with heat-resistant particles uniformly are arranged repeatedly on a film-like base material.