JPH04320885A - N-fold mode thermal transfer method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an N-times mode thermal transfer method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a thermal transfer method (
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer method and apparatus using a cut sheet in the N-fold mode method (hereinafter simply referred to as the N-times mode method).

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when output prints from a computer or a word processor are printed by a thermal transfer method, a thermal transfer sheet is used, which has a base film and a layer of heat-melting ink on one side. The conventional thermal transfer sheet described above uses paper such as capacitor paper or paraffin paper with a thickness of 10 to 20 μm, or paper with a thickness of 3 to 20 μm as a base film.
It is manufactured by coating a plastic film such as µm polyester or cellophane with a layer of heat-melting ink made by mixing wax with a coloring agent such as a pigment or dye. One problem with the above thermal transfer sheet is that
This is an economic problem because printing can be performed only once at the same location, and therefore a thermal transfer sheet with the same width as the printing is consumed. As a method for solving this problem, there is an N-fold mode method in which the conveying speed of the transfer material is made higher than the conveying speed of the thermal transfer sheet (both conveying methods may be in the same direction or in opposite directions). In this method, the conveyance speed of the transfer material is N, the conveyance speed of the thermal transfer sheet is N', and N>
If N', the printing distance is N, but the consumption of the thermal transfer sheet is N'. For example, if N=5 and N'=1, the consumption of the thermal transfer sheet is 1/5 of the conventional amount, which is extremely It is economical.

0003

[Problem that the invention is trying to solve] However,
In this method, as schematically shown in FIG.
Since the transfer material 2 and the transfer material 2 are conveyed at relatively different speeds, the thermal transfer sheet 1 is a continuous sheet wound around a roll 3, and is constantly maintained in a tensioned state by the take-up roll 4 and conveyed. At the same time, the transfer material 2 is also a continuous sheet wound into a roll 5, and is kept in tension between the thermal head 6 and the platen 7 by a take-up roll 8. Therefore, it is necessary to transport the thermal transfer sheet 1 at a predetermined speed different from that of the thermal transfer sheet 1. However, in addition to a continuous sheet wound into a roll, a cut sheet having a size such as A or B size is often required as the transfer material. When using such a cut sheet as a transfer material, it is difficult to keep the cut sheet under tension and move it at a predetermined speed different from that of the thermal transfer sheet. It was difficult to print using the double method. Therefore,
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks and to provide a method and apparatus capable of printing in the N-fold mode method using a cut sheet.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] The above object is achieved by the following present invention. That is, in the present invention, a thermal transfer sheet having a transfer ink layer that melts when heated on one side of a base film and a transfer material are stacked, and the conveyance speed of the transfer material is made relative to the conveyance speed of the thermal transfer sheet. Make a big dealN
In the double mode thermal transfer method, the material to be transferred is a cut sheet, and the cut sheet is conveyed by a roll that also serves as a platen and is equipped with sheet gripping means.N
N has a double mode thermal transfer method, a thermal transfer sheet conveyance means, a thermal head, and a transfer material conveyance means, and the conveyance speed of the transfer material is relatively larger than the conveyance speed of the thermal transfer sheet. The N-time mode thermal transfer apparatus is characterized in that the means for conveying the transferred material is in the form of a roll, which also serves as a platen, and has means for holding the cut sheet.

[0005]

[Operation] In the N-times mode thermal transfer method, by conveying the cut sheet with a roll that is equipped with a sheet gripping means and also serves as a platen, the cut sheet can be conveyed at a predetermined speed by causing friction with the thermal transfer sheet.

[0006]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an N-time mode thermal transfer apparatus used in the method of the present invention. In the method of the present invention, as shown in the figure, a thermal transfer sheet 1 wound into a roll 3 is pulled by a take-up roll 4 at a predetermined speed (N
'), the cut sheet 2 as a material to be transferred is inserted into the apparatus by an appropriate insertion means, and is then held by an appropriate gripping means 10 provided on the surface of a roll 9 which also serves as a platen. The cut sheet is fixed and conveyed at the same speed as the circumferential speed (N) of the roll, and after printing is performed by the thermal head 6, the cut sheet after printing is discharged by an appropriate discharge means.

[0007] In the above method, the thermal head 6,
The means for conveying the thermal transfer sheet 1 and the like may be exactly the same as those of conventional thermal transfer devices and are not particularly limited. The roll 9 having the gripping means 10 which characterizes the present invention has a length of 1 of the length of the cut sheet.
．． The roll has a circumference of about 2 to 2 times, and is made of metal, rubber, rubberized metal roll, or the like. As an example of the cut sheet gripping means 10 provided on the roll 9, a shallow groove 11 extending in the length direction of the roll and gently recessed toward the center of the roll is provided, and the cut sheet is held in this groove. When the leading end 12 of the cut sheet is inserted, there is an example in which two or more restraining plates 13 are provided on the left and right sides to press and fix the leading end 12 of the cut sheet to the roll surface.

[0008] This restraining plate 13 is movable up and down and slidable in the circumferential direction with respect to the surface of the roll 9.
When it detects that the leading end 12 of the cut sheet is inserted into the roller 1, it slides and descends, and operates to fix the leading end 12 of the cut sheet to the roll surface. In the above apparatus, the thermal transfer sheet 1 is conveyed at a speed N', and when the leading edge 12 of the cut sheet 2 is inserted into the groove 11 of the roll 9, a sensor (not shown) that detects the leading edge 12 1
Move the holding plate 13 of 0 forward (arrow A) and lower (arrow B) to press and fix the tip 12 of the cut sheet 2, and roll 9
rotates at a circumferential speed of N. At this time, the thermal head 6 operates to perform printing, thereby forming a desired printed image on the surface of the cut sheet. At this time, for example, by controlling the respective conveyance speeds to a speed ratio of N'/N=3, the normal 1/
A desired printed image is formed by consuming the thermal transfer sheet in step 3. Of course, the ratio of N'/N can be changed arbitrarily. When the printed cut sheet reaches a predetermined position, it is released from the roll surface by the lifting and sliding of the holding plate 13, and is carried out of the apparatus through the discharge port. Then roll 9
rotates in the opposite direction, returns to its original position, grips a new cut sheet, and prepares for the next printing.

[0009] In the above example, the cut sheet gripping means is composed of two or more pressing plates, but the gripping means is not limited to this example. For example, the inside of the roll is maintained in a reduced pressure state, and the roll surface is A plurality of suitable holes are formed at predetermined positions,
Of course, other gripping means such as a method using suction force due to a difference in air pressure may also be used. The thermal transfer sheet used in the method of the present invention as described above may be a conventionally known thermal transfer sheet prepared for the N-fold mode, and the cut sheet may be ordinary pulp paper, synthetic paper, or plastic sheet.

0010

[Effects] According to the present invention as described above, an N-times mode thermal transfer method and transfer apparatus using a cut sheet are provided.

[0011]

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically explaining the method and apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a conventional method and apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Thermal transfer sheet 2: Transferred material 6: Thermal head 9: Roll 10: Gripping means

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: A thermal transfer sheet having a transfer ink layer that melts when heated on one side of a base film is stacked on a transfer material, and the conveyance speed of the transfer material is relatively higher than the conveyance speed of the thermal transfer sheet. In the N-time mode thermal transfer method, the material to be transferred is a cut sheet, and the cut sheet is conveyed by a roll that also serves as a platen and is equipped with a sheet gripping means. 2. A thermal transfer sheet conveyance means, a thermal head, and a transfer material conveyance means, the conveyance speed of the transfer material being configured to be relatively higher than the conveyance speed of the thermal transfer sheet. An N-time mode thermal transfer device, wherein the means for conveying the transferred material is in the form of a roll, which also serves as a platen, and has means for holding a cut sheet.