JPH1020486A - Image forming material and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: The present invention relates to, for example, an image forming material and an image forming method suitable for producing a color proof for color proofing in color printing, and more particularly, to an image forming method which is excellent in printed matter approximation and excellent in image quality. The present invention relates to an image forming material and an image forming method which have a wide transfer temperature latitude, good image portion transferability, and excellent non-image portion releasability. Kind Code: A1 An image forming material comprising an image transfer sheet in which a heat-softening layer and a release layer are sequentially provided on a support, and the heat-softening layer and the release layer are limited to the following. Thermal softening layer: made of a resin having a Vicat softening point of 35 to 60 ° C. and a film thickness of 20 to 100 μm. Release layer: composed of a resin having a Vicat softening point of 70 to 85 ° C. and a thickness of 5 to 25 μm.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image-forming material and an image-forming method suitable for producing a color proof for color proofing in color printing, for example, and more particularly to an image-printing temperature which is excellent in printed matter approximation. The present invention relates to an image forming material and an image forming method which have a wide latitude, a good image portion transferability, and an excellent non-image portion releasability.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION JP-A-59-97140 discloses a light-sensitive material and a material for a release layer having the same constitution as in the present invention. However, the preferred condition of the release layer is that the adhesive strength to the support is weak, and only the method of transferring the release layer together with the image at the time of transfer to the image receiving sheet is described. In this method, the transferred image is finally covered with this release layer resin film, and the surface of the printing paper is not exposed in the non-image area like the printed material. Is a poor material in image reproducibility.

In this regard, JP-A-3-48248 discloses transfer of only an image portion by a direct transfer method, and JP-A-4-369691 discloses transfer of only an image portion by an indirect transfer method. Have been.

According to these techniques, the paper surface of the non-image area is exposed, so that an image very similar to a printed matter can be obtained. However, since the release layer directly contacts the paper, it depends on the type of image receiving paper. The transferable temperature / pressure condition range is extremely narrow, and the transfer of the image area and the releasability of the non-image area may not be able to be stably balanced. That is, there is an inconvenience that strict management of the environment and equipment is required, and the work load is large.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-189535 discloses that since the non-image area does not directly contact the paper surface, it is easy to balance the transfer and the releasability by adjusting the temperature and pressure conditions during the transfer. Is coated with an organic polymer, so that the similarity to printed matter is poor. On the other hand, the inventions of JP-A-1-155348 and JP-A-3-48248 are known. The former is polypropylene, polyethylene such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), and the latter is ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin (EVA). Is disclosed as a single-layer type release layer, which has a releasing property and a thermal softening property of an image. However, in this technique, the balance between the releasability and the thermal softening property is not sufficient, and the former is inferior in the thermal softening property and the latter is inferior in the releasability.
In particular, when transferring to a medium to be transferred having a rough surface roughness, a transfer failure or the like occurs, thereby deteriorating the finished quality of the final image.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for determining whether a finished proof sheet is close to a printed matter and excellent in image reproducibility of a transferred image, that is, whether a finished proofing sheet can be faithfully reproduced on a document. A first object of the present invention is to provide an image forming material and an image forming method which not only have no image defects such as transfer failure in the evaluation but also have no coating on the non-image area and have excellent similarity to a printed matter. It is a second object of the present invention to provide an image forming material and an image forming method which have good transferability of a portion and excellent releasability of a non-image portion.
The purpose of.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following arrangement.

1: An image forming material comprising an image transfer sheet in which a heat softening layer and a release layer are sequentially provided on a support, and the heat softening layer and the release layer are limited to the following.

Thermally softening layer: Vicat softening point of 35 to 6
It is composed of a resin at 0 ° C. and has a thickness of 20 to 100 μm.
m.

Release layer: Vicat softening point of 70 to 85 ° C.
And a film thickness of 5 to 25 μm.

2: An image forming method in which an image is formed on an image forming material composed of an image transfer sheet having the following constitution, and then transferred under pressure and heat onto an image receiving sheet.

An image forming material comprising an image transfer sheet in which a heat-softening layer and a release layer are sequentially provided on a support, and the heat-softening layer and the release layer are limited to the following.

Heat-softening layer: Vicat softening point of 35 to 6
It is composed of a resin at 0 ° C. and has a thickness of 20 to 100 μm.
m.

Release layer: Vicat softening point is 70 to 85 ° C.
And a film thickness of 5 to 25 μm.

3: An image-forming material, in which at least a heat-softening layer, a release layer from which the image-forming layer is peelable, and an image-forming layer are sequentially coated on a support, and the image-forming layer is transferable, The heat-softening layer has a VICAT softening temperature (JIS-
K7206) composed of a resin at 35 to 60 ° C., having a thickness of 20 to 100 μm, and having a release layer of VIC
An image-forming material comprising a resin having an AT softening temperature (JIS-K7206) of 70 to 85 ° C and a thickness of 5 to 25 µm.

4: At least a heat-softening layer, a release layer from which the image-forming layer can be peeled off, and an image-forming layer are sequentially coated on the support, and the heat-softening layer has a VICAT softening temperature (JIS).
-K7206) a resin of 35 to 60 ° C., a thickness of 20 to 100 μm and a release layer of VI
After exposing and developing an image forming material composed of a resin having a CAT softening temperature (JIS-K7206) of 70 to 85 ° C. and having a thickness of 5 to 25 μm, an image portion formed from the image forming layer is formed on a transfer receiving medium. An image forming method, comprising transferring the image under pressure and heat.

[0017]

In the conventional technology for transferring only an image onto a final support (receiving paper or real paper), the transferable condition range when matte paper or other large paper is used as the receiving paper,
That is, the temperature / pressure condition range in which the transfer of the image portion (the ability to follow the unevenness) and the releasability of the non-image portion from the image receiving paper are both narrow is narrow,
There is a problem that strict environment and equipment management are required and the workload is large. This disadvantage can be improved by the present invention, that is, the temperature / pressure condition range in which the transfer of the image portion (following the unevenness) and the releasability of the non-image portion from the image receiving paper can be broadened (for example, the transfer Pressure 1 to 10 kg / cm ² , transfer temperature (for example, surface temperature of release layer) 70 to 120 ° C.),
Work load can be greatly reduced.

More specifically, by using the heat-softening layer and the release layer of the present invention, the releasability from the image receiving paper is improved without impairing the heat-softening property of the release layer, and the strictness of environment and equipment is improved. It is possible to obtain a proofing image in which the paper surface of the non-image area is exposed and which is excellent in the approximation of the printed material without using any more management, by using more types of paper as the image receiving paper.

The transfer system includes a direct transfer system in which an image formed on an image forming material is directly transferred to a final support (image receiving paper), and a transfer of the formed image to an image receiving sheet or the like, and the transfer from the image receiving sheet. There is an indirect transfer method in which the image is retransferred to a final support (image receiving paper). However, if the present invention is applied to a heat-softening layer and a release layer when the image is transferred to the final support, either a direct transfer method or an indirect transfer method can be used. It is also effective.

In the heat-softening layer of the present invention, a heat-softening resin is used, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene methyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene ethyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene propylene copolymer, ethylene Butene copolymer, ethylene methyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene ethyl acrylate copolymer and the like are preferably used.

In particular, a vinyl acetate content of 15 to 25 wt.
%, MFR: 5 to 15 ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) is preferred.

The softening point of the resin used for the heat-softening layer is 3
5-60 ° C, particularly 45-55 ° C, is preferred. If the temperature is lower than 35 ° C., the resin extruded at the edge portion during image transfer adheres to the paper. When the temperature exceeds 60 ° C., the softening is insufficient when the image is transferred in a short time, and the ability to follow irregularities on the paper surface is reduced, so that poor transfer is likely to occur.

The thickness of the heat-softening layer is 20 to 100 μm.
m, particularly preferably 30 to 50 μm. If it is less than 20 μm, even if it is softened, the ability to follow irregularities on the paper surface is not sufficient, and poor transfer occurs. If it exceeds 100 μm, the reproducibility of small dots and fine lines will deteriorate. Further, the release layer described later is not sufficiently softened, resulting in poor transfer. It is preferable to provide an adhesive layer between the support and the support.

As the release layer preferably used in the present invention, the same resin as the heat-softening resin used for the heat-softening layer can be used, but a material that reduces the heat-softening property is used.

A vinyl acetate content of 3 to 10 wt%, MF
R: 5 to 15 ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EV
A) is particularly preferred.

The softening point is 70-85 ° C., especially 73-80 ° C.
Is preferred. If the temperature is lower than 70 ° C., the adhesive force to the paper at the time of image transfer becomes excessive, and cohesive failure of the paper or peeling of the release layer easily occurs. When the temperature exceeds 85 ° C., the release layer is not sufficiently softened at the time of transfer, and the followability to irregularities on the paper surface is reduced, so that poor transfer is likely to occur.

The film thickness is 5 to 25 μm, especially 10 to 15 μm, for ensuring the production stability and transferability by extrusion lamination.
μm is preferred. On the other hand, as a method of forming an image on the release layer (when used on a transfer sheet), laser thermal transfer is preferred.

As for the method of transferring to the image receiving sheet, the transfer pressure is preferably 1 to 10 kg / cm ² , and the transfer temperature (the temperature of the surface of the release layer) is preferably 70 to 120 ° C.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail.
In the image forming method of the present invention, an image portion is formed by performing image exposure and development on an image forming material having an image forming layer containing a photosensitive composition and the like, and the image portion is formed on a final support (for example, printing paper). The transfer is performed to obtain a transfer image. When the image forming method of the present invention is embodied as, for example, a multicolor image forming method, the basic method is as follows.

In the case of the direct transfer system, a first color image is formed on the first color image forming material, and the color image is transferred onto a final support and the support is peeled off. Further, after forming the second color colored image on the second color colored image forming material, the second color register image formed thereby is registered with the first color register image of the final support, The second color image is transferred onto the one color image, and the support is peeled off.
Obtain color-matched images. Similarly, the third color and the fourth color
The colored image is also transferred onto the final support to obtain a multicolor image. This type of method is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 47-41830.
Nos. 59-97140, 60-28649 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,113.

The image forming material of the present invention can be used in an image forming method of an indirect transfer system (claims 1 to 3).
It may be used in a direct transfer system (claims 4 and 5). The image receiving sheet material to which the present invention can be applied is used in an indirect transfer type image forming method.

In the image forming method of the present invention, the image forming material is usually imagewise exposed through a color separation mask or the like and then developed to form an image. At this time, only the image portion is directly or indirectly transferred and laminated on the final support from the image obtained on the support.

At this time, a heat-softening layer is provided on the support in order to enhance the ability to follow the surface irregularities. The resin used as the heat-softening layer of the present invention preferably has a VICAT softening temperature of 35 to 60C. VIC here
The AT softening temperature refers to a value measured by the method A shown in JIS-K7206-1991. When the heat-softening layer is formed of a single layer, the value obtained by preparing and measuring a test piece having a thickness of 3 mm is used. When the heat-softening layer is composed of a plurality of layers, the thickness of the entire heat-softening layer is measured. The value obtained by preparing and measuring a test piece in which the thickness of the highest heat softening layer was increased until the thickness reached 3 mm was defined as the VICAT softening temperature of the heat softening layer.

Specific examples of the resin corresponding to these include ethylene-α-olefin copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer having a VICAT softening temperature of 60 ° C. or less. For example, an ethylene-butene copolymer (butene = 22% by weight),
Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (vinyl acetate = 15-2
5% by weight, MFR (melt flow rate) 5 to 15),
Ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer (ethyl acrylate = 25% by weight) or the like may be used alone or as a mixture, or each may be used as a separate layer. These may be mixed with polyethylene, polypropylene or the like so that the VICAT softening temperature does not exceed 60 ° C. Each can be used as a separate layer. As a method of providing the thermosoftening layer on the support,

(1) A solution obtained by dissolving a resin in an organic solvent is applied on a support, and dried by hot air or heating.
The so-called dry lamination method in which the cover sheets are stacked and pressed together under heating, so-called dry lamination method (2) While heating the resin as it is and keeping it in a molten state,
So-called hot melt, which is applied on a support by a doctor blade method, roll coating method, gravure method, reverse roll method, etc., immediately adheres a cover sheet, heats it if necessary at a high temperature, and then cools it. Lamination method (3) While heating the resin as it is and keeping it in a molten state,
Extruded on a support by an extruder, and while this is in a molten state, the cover sheet is pressed and laminated,
So-called extrusion lamination method (4) Using a plurality of extruders or an extruder having a plurality of extrusion ports on a support by a melt extrusion method,
A so-called co-extrusion method in which a layer made of two or more types of resin is formed on a support by one molding, and a cover sheet is similarly pressed and laminated while this is in a molten state. A solution dissolved in a solvent or water is applied on a support and dried by hot air or heating. A so-called solution coating method. (6) The resin is dissolved while heating in an organic solvent that does not dissolve the resin at room temperature, and the resin is cooled. Thus, a method in which a resin solid dispersion in an organic solvent is obtained, coated on a support, dried, and calendered as necessary, thereby fusing the resin solid fine particles to form a layer, etc. As the cover sheet used in (1) to (4), those similar to those used for a support described later can be used.

It is preferable to appropriately select which method is used depending on the properties of the resin. The thickness of the lower layer is preferably 20 to 100 μm, and 30 to 50 μm.
m is more preferable.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the interface between the release layer and the image area is peeled off at the time of transfer, and substantially only the image area is transferred to the final support. The release layer according to the present invention is provided on the surface of the heat-softening layer on the support in order to perform the process efficiently and facilitate the peeling of the support after image transfer.

The resin of the present invention used in the release layer of the present invention preferably has a VICAT softening temperature of 75 to 85 ° C. The VICAT softening temperature here is JIS-K
It refers to the value measured by the method A shown in 7206-1991. The value obtained by preparing and measuring a test piece having a thickness of 3 mm was calculated as VICA.
Let it be T softening temperature.

If the softening point of the thermoplastic resin used in the release layer of the present invention is less than 75 ° C. according to the VICAT method, the adhesive force to paper (real paper) during image transfer becomes excessive, and the cohesive failure of the paper or the release layer Peeling occurs. If the temperature exceeds 85 ° C., the release layer is not sufficiently softened at the time of transfer, and the ability to follow irregularities on the paper surface is reduced, resulting in poor transfer.

According to the present invention, the thickness of the release layer is 5 to 25.
μm, and particularly preferably a film thickness of 10 to 15 μm. 10
If it is less than μm, the releasability from the image receiving sheet at the time of transfer is reduced and transfer failure may occur. It is not preferable in terms of production stability. On the other hand, if it exceeds 15 μm, the reproducibility of small dots and fine lines may deteriorate. If the thickness exceeds 25 μm, the release layer is not sufficiently softened, resulting in poor transfer.

The resin used in the release layer of the present invention includes polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, ethylene-α-olefin copolymer, propylene-α-olefin copolymer, and ethylene. -Vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA, a vinyl acetate content of 3 to 10 wt%, MFR: 5 to 15 is particularly preferred), ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer, ionomer resin And copolymerized nylon, silicone resin, fluorine resin and the like satisfying the conditions of the present invention.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above polyolefins are used alone or in combination with other resins.
When used by mixing with other resins, the mixed liquid of the polyolefins is preferably at least 20%.

In the present invention, the thickness of the release layer is 5 to 25.
The thickness must not exceed the thickness required by the VICAT softening temperature of the release layer at μm. The value of the VICAT softening temperature is the same as that of the heat-softening layer according to JIS-K7206-1.
The value measured by the method A shown in 991 is used.

As the resin used as the release layer of the present invention, celluloses such as methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, butylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose and derivatives thereof such as formalized products and acetalized products are used. You may. Particularly preferably, the vinyl acetate content is 3 to
EVA having an MFR (melt flow rate) of 5 to 15 by 10% by weight.

In the present invention, as a preferable method for providing a release layer on the heat-softening layer, (1) and (2) described in the method for producing the heat-softening layer are described.
The multilayer is obtained by directly providing the release layer on the heat-softening layer provided in advance by using the method (5) or (6), and then peeling and removing the temporary support after or simultaneously with the release layer. First, a release layer is provided on the temporary support by the method (1), (2), (5) or (6) shown in the method for producing the heat-softening layer, and the release layer surface is set to (1). ), A method of laminating with the thermosoftening layer provided by the method of (5) or (6), and thereafter or simultaneously with laminating, a method of obtaining a multilayer by peeling and removing the temporary support first on the temporary support The release layer is provided by the method (1), (2), (5) or (6) shown in the method for producing the heat-softening layer, and the release layer surface is formed by (2), (3) or (3). The heat-softening layer provided by the method 4) and the heat-softening layer in a molten state. Bonding, to obtain a multi-layer by a temporary support is peeled off and removed, and a method.

By using the above-described method, it is possible to obtain a multilayer structure in which the thickness of the uppermost layer is 25 μm or less, the thickness variation is small, and the interlayer adhesion between the release layer and the heat-softening layer is strong. Becomes

In the present invention, the image forming layer has a peelable release layer on the support and a heat-softening layer below the image-forming layer. The adhesive layer is formed between the support and the heat-softening layer. A layer may be provided. Known adhesive layers can be used without any particular limitation.

The support used for the image-forming material of the present invention or the image-receiving sheet material to which the present invention can be applied, and the material of the temporary support are arbitrary, but polyester films,
In particular, a biaxially stretched polyethylene terephthalate film is preferred in terms of strength, dimensional stability against water and heat, economy, and the like. In addition, an acetate film, a polyvinyl chloride film, a polyethylene film, a polypropylene film and the like can be used. The thickness of the support is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 20 to 150 μm, particularly 50
About 100 μm is preferable.

As a method for forming an image on the surface of the release layer of the transfer sheet according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, known techniques can be used. After an image is formed on the surface of the release layer by an ink jet method, an electrophotographic method, a fusion heat transfer method, or the like, the image can be transferred onto the image receiving sheet by using the transfer method described above. In this case,
It is preferable to use a thermal head method disclosed in JP-A-31366 or a thermal transfer method by a laser method disclosed in JP-A-6-55867 and JP-A-5-330260.

As a method of thermal transfer by a laser method,
A method is preferred in which a recording material comprising an image receiving sheet described below and an image transfer sheet of the present invention are superposed and adhered so that their respective supports are on the outside, and then a laser exposure is performed.

The recording material basically has a structure in which a light-to-heat conversion layer for converting light radiated imagewise to heat on a support and a heat-meltable coloring material layer are laminated. An intermediate layer (release layer, barrier layer, cushion layer, etc.) may be provided between the body and the color material layer. In the present invention, it is preferable to provide a cushion layer.

Hereinafter, each configuration will be described.

Any support can be used as long as it has good dimensional stability and resists heat during image formation. Specifically, JP-A-63-193886, page 2, lower left column, 12-1.
The film or sheet described in line 8 can be used. If an image is formed by irradiating a laser beam for imagewise exposure from the recording material side, the support is desirably transparent. Further, if an image is formed by irradiating a laser beam from the image transfer sheet side, the support of the recording material does not need to be transparent.

The thickness of the support is not particularly limited.
３００300 μm, preferably 5-200 μm.

The cushion layer is provided for the purpose of increasing the adhesion between the recording material and the image receiving medium, but the support itself may have cushioning properties.

In order to impart cushioning properties, a material having a low elastic modulus, a material having rubber elasticity, or a thermoplastic material which is easily softened by heating to improve the adhesion may be used. Specifically, natural rubber, acrylate rubber, butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, urethane rubber, silicone rubber, acrylic rubber, fluorine rubber, neoprene rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene,
Epichlorohydrin, EPDM (ethylene / propylene / diene rubber), elastomers such as urethane elastomers, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutadiene,
Polybutene, impact-resistant ABS resin, polyurethane, AB
S resin, acetate, cellulose acetate, amide resin, polytetrafluoroethylene, nitrocellulose,
Polystyrene, epoxy resin, phenol-formaldehyde resin, polyester, impact-resistant acrylic resin, styrene-butadiene copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, poly Examples of the resin include a resin having a small elastic modulus, such as vinyl acetate, a vinyl chloride resin containing a plasticizer, a vinylidene chloride resin, polyvinyl chloride, and polyvinylidene chloride.

Examples of the shape memory resin usable as the cushion layer include polynorbornene and a styrene-based hybrid polymer in which a polybutadiene unit and a polystyrene unit are combined.

The thickness of the cushion layer varies depending on various factors such as the type of resin or elastomer used, the recording material, the suction force when the image transfer sheet is in close contact, the particle size of the mat material, and the amount of the mat material used. Although it cannot be determined, it is usually in the range of 10 to 100 μm.

The cushion layer may be formed by dissolving the above-mentioned material in a solvent or dispersing it in a latex state, applying a coating method using a blade coater, a roll coater, a bar coater, a curtain coater, a gravure coater, or the like, or extruding with a hot melt. A lamination method, a method of laminating a cushion layer film and the like can be applied.

The light-to-heat conversion layer is mainly composed of a light-to-heat conversion material and a binder.

As the photothermal conversion material, although it differs depending on the light source, a material that absorbs light and efficiently converts it to heat is preferable. For example, when a semiconductor laser is used as a light source, a material having an absorber in the near infrared is preferable. . For example, carbon black, graphite, colloidal silver, phthalocyanine dye, squarium dye, nitroso compound and its metal complex salt, polymethine dye, thiol nickel salt, triarylmethane dye, immonium dye, naphthoquinone dye, anthracene dye Etc. can be used. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-139191,
No. 3476 and the like. As for these light-to-heat conversion materials, those having high heat resistance are preferable as in the case of a binder described later, and colloidal silver, carbon black, graphite and the like are particularly preferable.

The ratio between the light-to-heat conversion material and the binder is 7: 3.
１ ： 1: 9, preferably 5: 5 to 2: 8.

The thickness of the light-to-heat conversion layer is preferably from 0.1 to 1 μm, and the content of the light-to-heat conversion material in the light-to-heat conversion layer is usually such that the absorbance at the wavelength of the light source used for image recording is from 0.3 to 1.0.
It is determined to be 3.0.

As the binder in the light-to-heat conversion layer,
TGA ₅₀ is a resin having a thermal decomposition temperature of 360 ° C. or higher, that is, various functional plastics and a water-soluble binder,
Preferably a water-soluble binder, such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetal, polyvinyl pyrrolidone,
Nylon, polyacrylamide, polyalkylene oxide, gelatin, casein, methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose,
Hydroxyethyl starch, gum arabic, saccharose octaacetate, ammonium alginate, sodium alginate, polyvinylamine, polyethylene oxide,
Examples thereof include polyacrylic acid, and among them, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetal, nylon, polyacrylamide, and polyalkylene oxide are preferable. As functional plastics, polyacrylamide,
Polyarylate, polyimide, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, polycarbonate, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyamidesulfone,
From the group of resins such as polyphenylene ether and polyphenylene sulfide, a resin having a TGA ₅₀ thermal decomposition temperature of 360 ° C. or higher can be selected.

Among these, a water-soluble binder is particularly preferred.

The light-to-heat conversion layer preferably has a large absorption per unit film thickness and is as thin as possible in terms of sensitivity. However, on the other hand, if the absorption per unit film thickness is too large, the ultimate temperature during exposure may be low. This setting is important because it locally increases and the heat resistance of the photothermal conversion layer deteriorates. The portion where the temperature reaches the highest is the light incident surface of the light-to-heat conversion layer, and when heat resistance is poor, so-called ablation occurs from this light incident interface. When exposure is performed from the support side, if ablation occurs completely,
This is the worst case, but the light-to-heat conversion layer and the color material layer are simultaneously transferred. Further, even if ablation does not clearly occur, the generation of the thermal decomposition gas inhibits the close contact between the ink surface and the object to be transferred, causing transfer unevenness. Therefore, although depending on the exposure illuminance, the absorbance at the exposure wavelength / 1 μm is preferably 3.0 or less, more preferably 1.5 or less.

To the light-to-heat conversion layer, a surfactant for improving coating properties, a release agent for promoting interfacial separation from the colorant layer, and the like can be added. Particularly, it is preferable to add an olefin compound such as a silicone compound, a fluorine compound or a wax or a long-chain alkyl compound as a release agent.

Preferred silicone compounds include polydimethylsiloxane and modified products thereof, for example, oils such as polyester-modified silicone, acryl-modified silicone, urethane-modified silicone, alkyd-modified silicone, amino-modified silicone, epoxy-modified silicone, and polyether-modified silicone. Examples of the resin include a resin and a cured product thereof.

Preferred fluorine compounds include fluorinated olefins and perfluorophosphate compounds.

Preferred olefin compounds include dispersions of polyethylene and polypropylene, and long-chain alkyl compounds such as polyethyleneimine octadecyl.

Of these release agents, those having poor solubility can be used by dispersing them. Also, it can be added to other polymers similarly to the silicone compound. It is also possible to add various crosslinking agents to crosslink the binder.

The amount of the additive to be added to the light-to-heat conversion layer is preferably 0.01 to 20% by weight of the total amount of the light-to-heat conversion material and the binder.

The coloring material layer mainly comprises a coloring material ink and a binder.

As the color material ink, an inorganic or organic pigment or dye is used, and it is composed of a single color, a mixture of two colors, a mixture of three colors; for example, a pigment compound of yellow, magenta, and cyan.

Examples of the inorganic pigment include titanium dioxide, carbon black, zinc oxide, Prussian blue, cadmium sulfide, iron oxide, and chromates of lead, zinc, barium, and calcium.

Examples of the organic pigment include azo-based, thioindigo-based, anthraquinone-based, anthranthrone-based, triphenedioxazine-based pigments, vat dye pigments, phthalocyanine pigments (copper phthalocyanine and derivatives thereof), and quinacridone pigments. Examples of the organic dye include an acid dye, a direct dye, and a disperse dye.

Examples of the binder include vinyl resins such as polyester, polyvinyl acetate, polyacrylamide, styrene resin, styrene copolymer resin, polyacrylate, polyacrylic acid, acrylic acid copolymer, rubber resins, and ionomers. Resin, olefin resin, rosin resin, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl formal,
Cellulose resins such as polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, and cellulose acetate are exemplified.

In addition to the binder, rosin or a rosin derivative, a terpene resin, a petroleum resin, a phenol resin, a xylene resin, or the like can be added as a tackifier.

The weight ratio between the binder and the ink is 1:10.
10 to 10: 1 is preferable, and 3: 7 to 8: 2 is particularly preferable.

Next, the image forming layer in the image forming material according to claims 4 and 5 of the present invention will be described. For this image forming layer, a photosensitive composition having sensitivity to actinic rays can be used. The structure is 2 even with one layer structure.
It may have a multi-layer structure of more than one layer. In the case of a multi-layer structure, it is sufficient that at least one or more layers have image forming ability. One or all of the layers contain a coloring agent such as a pigment or a dye. be able to.

As the photosensitive composition used in the image forming layer of the present invention, a known positive photosensitive composition / negative photosensitive composition can be used. It is preferable to use a photosensitive composition containing a quinonediazide compound. The o-quinonediazide compound is
Any material can be used as long as it can function as a photosensitive agent. Specifically, for example, 1,2-benzoquinonediazide-4-sulfonyl chloride, 1,2-naphthoquinonediazide-4-sulfonyl chloride, 1,2-naphthoquinonediazide-5-sulfonylchloride,
A compound obtained by condensing 2-naphthoquinonediazide-6-sulfonyl chloride with a compound containing a hydroxyl group and / or an amino group is preferably used.

Examples of the hydroxyl group-containing compound include trihydroxybenzophenone, dihydroxyanthraquinone, bisphenol A, phenol novolak resin, resorcinbenzaldehyde condensed resin, pyrogallol acetone condensed resin and the like. Examples of the amino group-containing compound include aniline, p-aminodiphenylamine,
There are p-aminobenzophenone, 4,4'-diaminodiphenylamine, 4,4'-diaminobenzophenone and the like.

With respect to the quinonediazide compounds, including those described herein, see also J. Am. Koser (J. Kosa)
r) "Light Sensitive System" (Light
Sensitive System (New York City, John Wiley and Sons, 1965), and Nagamatsu, Inui co-authored "Photosensitive Polymers" (Kodansha, 1
977) can be used.

As the negative photosensitive composition, a photopolymerizable photosensitive composition is preferable. Specifically, for example, a commonly used photopolymerizable compound can be arbitrarily used. For example, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid esters and methacrylic acid esters can be used. For example, ethylene glycol diacrylate, glycerin triacrylate, polyacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 1,3
-Propanediol dimethacrylate, 1,2,4-butanetriol trimethacrylate, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate, trimethylolethane triacrylate, pentaerythritol dimethacrylate,
Pentaerythritol trimethacrylate, pentaerythritol tetramethacrylate, pentaerythritol diacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, pentaerythritol tetraacrylate, dipentaerythritol polyacrylate, 1,3-propanediol diacrylate, 1,5-pentanediol dimethacrylate, polyethylene Examples include, but are not limited to, glycol bisacrylate or bismethacrylate.

The negative photosensitive composition can contain a photopolymerization initiator. The photopolymerization initiator in this case is optional, but those having little absorption in the visible region are more preferable. Examples of such a photopolymerization initiator include the following compounds. However, it is not limited to these. That is, benzophenone, Michler's ketone [4 ', 4'-bis (dimethylamino) benzophenone], 4,4'-bis (diethylamino) benzophenone, 4-methoxy-
Aromatic ketones such as 4'-dimethylaminobenzophenone, 2-ethylanthraquinone, phenanthraquinone, and other aromatic ketones; benzoin ethers such as benzoin, benzoin methyl ether, benzoin ethyl ether and benzoin phenyl ether , Methylbenzoin, ethylbenzoin and other benzoins, and 2- (o-chlorophenyl)-
4,5-diphenylimidazole duplex, 2- (o-chlorophenyl) -4,5- (m-methoxyphenyl) imidazole duplex, 2- (o-fluorophenyl)-
4,5-diphenylimidazole duplex, 2- (o-methoxyphenyl) -4,5-diphenylimidazole duplex, 2- (p-methoxyphenyl) -4,5-diphenylimidazole duplex, 2,4-di (P-methoxyphenyl) -5-phenylimidazole duplex, 2-
(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl) -4,5-diphenylimidazole duplex, 2- (p-methylmercaptophenyl) -4,5-diphenylimidazole duplex, US Pat. No. 3,479,185, British Patent 1 , 047,
Mention may be made of 2,4,5-triacrylimidazole dimers, such as similar dimers described in US Pat. No. 569 and US Pat. No. 3,784,557.

As other photopolymerizable compounds, 2,4-
Thioxanthones such as diethylthioxanthone can also be used. In this case, a compound known as a photopolymerization accelerator, for example, isoamyl p-dimethylaminobenzoate, ethyl p-dimethylaminobenzoate, N-methyldiethanolamine, bisdiethylaminobenzophenone and the like can be used.

Next, the photosensitive composition of the present invention can contain a known polymer compound and a synthetic resin, and has a polymer having a carboxylic acid vinyl ester polymerized unit represented by the following general formula in its molecular structure. It is preferable to contain a compound.

[0088]

Embedded image

However, R represents an alkyl group, and includes an alkyl group having a substituent. Any polymer compound having the structure as described above can be used arbitrarily, but as the carboxylic acid vinyl ester monomer for constituting the polymerized unit represented by the above general formula, the following examples are preferable. The name and chemical formula are shown together.

1 Vinyl acetate CH ₃ COOCH ＝ CH ₂ 2 Vinyl propionate CH ₃ CH ₂ COOCH ＝ CH ₂ 3 Vinyl butyrate CH ₃ (CH ₂ ) ₂ COOCH ＝ CH ₂ 4 Vinyl pivalate (CH ₃ ) ₃ CCOOCH ＝ CH ₂ 5 vinyl caproate _{CH 3 (CH 2) 4 COOCH} = CH 2 6 caprylic vinyl _{CH 3 (CH 2) 6 COOCH} = CH 2 7 capric acid vinyl _{CH 3 (CH 2) 8 COOCH} = CH 2 8 vinyl laurate CH ₃ (CH ₂ ) ₁₀ COOCHＣＨCH ₂ 9 Vinyl myristate CH ₃ (CH ₂ ) ₁₂ COOCH ＝ CH ₂ 10 Vinyl palmitate CH ₃ (CH ₂ ) ₁₄ COOCH ＝ CH ₂ 11 Vinyl stearate CH ₃ (CH ₂ ) ₁₆ COOCH = _CH 2 12 Sachikku acid vinyl

[0091]

Embedded image

(R ¹ and R ² are alkyl groups, and the total number of carbon atoms is 7. That is, R ¹ + R ² = C ₇ H ₁₆ ). It may be a polymer obtained by polymerizing seeds, a polymer obtained by copolymerizing two or more kinds of vinyl carboxylate, or an arbitrary component ratio of vinyl ester carboxylate and another monomer copolymerizable therewith. May be a copolymer of

Examples of the monomer unit which can be used in combination with the polymerization unit represented by the above general formula include ethylenically unsaturated olefins such as ethylene, propylene, isobutylene, butadiene and isoprene, for example, styrene, α-methyl Styrene, p-methylstyrene, p-
Styrenes such as chlorostyrene, for example acrylic acid, acrylic acid such as methacrylic acid, for example, itaconic acid, maleic acid, unsaturated aliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as maleic anhydride, for example, diethyl maleate, dibutyl maleate,
Diesters of unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as di-2-ethylhexyl maleate, dibutyl fumarate, di-2-ethylhexyl fumarate, for example, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, acrylic acid Phenyl, α-methyl methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, α-methylene aliphatic monocarboxylic acid esters such as ethyl methacrylate, for example, acrylonitrile, nitriles such as methacrylonitrile, for example, amides such as acrylamide, for example, acrylanilide Anilides such as p-chloroacrylanilide, m-nitroacrylanilide and m-methoxyacrylanilide, for example, methyl vinyl ether, ethyl vinyl ether, isobutyl vinyl ether, β-chloroethyl vinyl ether Vinyl ethers, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, vinylidene cyanide, such as 1-methyl-1-methoxyethylene, 1,1-dimethoxyethylene, 1,2-ethylene, 1,1
Ethylene derivatives such as -dimethoxycarbonylethylene and 1-methyl-1-nitroethylene, for example, N-vinyl such as N-vinylpyrrole, N-vinylcarbazole, N-vinylindole, N-vinylpyrrolidene and N-vinylpyrrolidone There are vinyl monomers such as compounds. These monomer units are present in the polymer compound in a structure in which the unsaturated double bond is cleaved.

Particularly preferred as the polymer compound used in the present invention is a compound having a vinyl acetate polymerized unit in the molecular structure. Among them, those having 40 to 95% by weight of vinyl acetate polymerized units, number average molecular weight (MN)
However, those having a weight average molecular weight (MW) of 500 to 150,000 are preferred.

More preferably, a polymer compound having a vinyl acetate polymer unit (particularly 40 to 95% by weight) and a carboxylic acid vinyl ester polymer unit having a longer chain than vinyl acetate is preferable, and a number average molecular weight (MN) is particularly preferable. Is 2,000
0-60,000, weight average molecular weight (MW) of 10,000
It is preferably from 00 to 150,000.

In this case, the monomer constituting the polymer compound having a vinyl acetate polymerized unit by copolymerizing with vinyl acetate is arbitrary as long as it can form a copolymer. You can choose arbitrarily from your body.

The copolymers which can be used as the polymer compound in the present invention are listed below by showing their monomer components. However, as a matter of course, the present invention is not limited to the following example.

1 vinyl acetate-ethylene 2 vinyl acetate-styrene 3 vinyl acetate-crotonic acid 4 vinyl acetate-maleic acid 5 vinyl acetate-2-ethylhexyl acrylate 6 vinyl acetate-di-2-ethylhexyl maleate 7 vinyl acetate-methyl vinyl ether Reference Signs List 8 vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride 9 vinyl acetate-N-vinylpyrrolidone 10 vinyl acetate-vinyl propionate 11 vinyl acetate-vinyl pivalate 12 vinyl acetate-vinyl versatate 13 vinyl acetate-vinyl laurate 14 vinyl acetate-vinyl stearate 15 Vinyl acetate-vinyl versatate-ethylene 16 Vinyl acetate-vinyl versatate-2-ethylhexyl acrylate 17 Vinyl acetate-vinyl versatate-vinyl laurate 18 Vinyl acetate-bar Vinyl tic acid - crotonic acid 19 vinyl propionate - vinyl versatate 20 vinyl propionate - vinyl versatate - crotonic acid 21 pivalate - vinyl stearate - maleic acid

The photosensitive composition of the present invention can be used to form an image forming material. For example, it can be used as a colored image forming material for use as a color proof. In this case, the image forming layer of the colored image forming material, that is, the colored photosensitive layer, is removed in an image form by development following imagewise exposure to form a colored image portion.

Dyes and / or pigments are added to the colored photosensitive layer as a coloring agent. In particular, when used for color proofing, pigments and dyes having the same color as the required ordinary colors, that is, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are required, but other metal powders, white pigments, and fluorescent pigments are required. Also used. When applying the present invention to a color proof, many pigments and dyes known in the art can be used, as described below.

(CI stands for color index). Victoria Pure Blue (CI 42595) Auramine (CI 41000) Katilon Brilliant Flavin (CI Basic 1)
3) Rhodamine 6GCP (CI 45160) Rhodamine B (CI 45170) Safranin OK70: 100 (CI 50240) Erioglaucine X (CI 42080) Fast Black HB (CI 26150) No. 1201 Lionol Yellow (CI 2109
0) Lionol Yellow GRO (CI 21090) Shimla First Yellow 8GF (CI 2110
5) Benzidine Yellow 4T-564D (CI 2109)
5) Shimla Fast Red 4015 (CI 1235)
5) Lionol Red 7B4401 (CI 15830) Fastgen Blue TGR-L (CI 7416)
0) Lionol Blue SM (CI 26150) Mitsubishi Carbon Black MA-100 Mitsubishi Carbon Black # 30, # 40, # 50

When a colorant is used in the present invention, the ratio of the colorant / the components other than the colorant in the colored photosensitive layer may be determined by a person skilled in the art in consideration of the target optical density and the removability of the colored photosensitive layer in a developing solution. It can be determined by a known method. For example, in the case of a dye, its content is preferably 5% by weight.
In the case of a pigment, the content is preferably 5% to 90% by weight.

The thickness of the colored photosensitive layer is determined by a method known to those skilled in the art according to the target optical density, the type of coloring agent (dye, pigment, carbon black) used in the colored photosensitive layer and its content. but it is, preferably typically the is used in the range of ^{0.1g / m 2 ~5g / m 2} .

In the practice of the present invention, a plasticizer, a coating property improver and the like may be further added to the photosensitive composition, if necessary. Examples of the plasticizer include various low molecular compounds such as phthalates, triphenyl phosphates and maleates, and examples of the coating improver include surfactants such as a fluorine-based surfactant and ethyl cellulose polyalkylene ether. Nonionic activators and the like.

A protective layer can be used in the image forming material of the present invention, if necessary. Any known protective layer can be used. It is preferable to dissolve or disperse in a developer during development. Specifically, polyvinyl alcohol, celluloses and the like can be used.
However, the gas permeability is appropriately selected according to the type of the image forming layer to be used. That is, when a photosensitive composition that generates gas upon exposure, such as o-quinonediazide, is used for the image forming layer, it is preferable to provide a protective layer having good gas permeability, and a photopolymerizable photosensitive composition In the case of using an image-forming layer such as an object whose image formation is inhibited by oxygen in the air at the time of exposure, it is preferable to provide a protective layer having low gas permeability.

The thickness of the protective layer is preferably about 0.01 to 5 μm, particularly 0.03 to 1 μm, due to its effect and influence on the developing solution.
m is preferable.

As the developer used for developing the image forming material of the present invention, any developer having a developing effect of developing the image forming material can be used. Specific examples thereof include a developer and a developing method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-233759.

[0108]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described below together with comparative examples. However, the present invention is not limited by the examples described below. In addition, "part" represents "part by weight" unless otherwise specified. <Preparation of a support having a heat-softening layer and a release layer> Coextrusion using a resin having the contents shown in Table 1 onto a 75 μm-thick polyethylene terephthalate film (Lumilar T-60: manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) It was produced according to a lamination method. A commercially available thermosetting anchor agent was applied on 75 μm PET, and laminated immediately thereafter.

At this time, the 75 μm thick PET and 25
The resin forming the heat-softening layer and the release layer shown in Table 1 was extruded between the PET having a thickness of μm and the PE by a melt extrusion method.
Laminating was performed by cooling while sanding at T. Further, the 25 μm-thick PET was peeled off to obtain the image forming material of the present invention.

Examples 1 to 17 and Comparative Examples 1 to 8 (Examples of Claims 3 and 4) Colored photosensitive layer dispersions having the following compositions were prepared. The dispersion was performed by passing through a valve homogenizer at 5 kgf / cm ² .

[Coloring Photosensitive Layer Dispersion] Esterified product of p-cresol novolak resin and naphthoquinone-1,2-diazide-4-sulfonic acid chloride 0.616 g ・ Vinyl acetate-vinyl versatate copolymer (weight ratio) 80:20, weight average molecular weight = 50,000, 50% methanol solution) 8.768 g-The following pigment <the following amount>-35.2 g of methyl ethyl ketone

<Pigment> Black: 0.99 g of carbon black MA-100 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation)

On a release layer of a support having a heat-softening layer and a release layer shown in Table 1, the above dispersion was dried to a film thickness of 1.
It was applied to a thickness of 8 μm and dried to obtain a photosensitive colored image forming material of an Excel art photographic material (black plate) type.

The heat-softening layer and the release layer did not change at all even when the colored photosensitive layer dispersion was applied and dried, and there was no problem in production.

A color separation net positive film was adhered to the polyethylene terephthalate film surface of the obtained photosensitive colored image forming material so that the developed image would be an inverted image when viewed from the photosensitive layer side, and a distance of 50 cm with a 4 kW metal halide lamp. Image exposure for about 60 seconds.
Development was carried out by immersion at 30 ° C. for 30 seconds and rubbing with a sponge, washing out the developing solution with running water, and then drying to obtain a black image colored image from which the exposed portions had been removed.

[Developer] Konica PS plate developer SDP-1 (manufactured by Konica) 40 ml Perex NB-L (surfactant: Kao Atlas Co., Ltd.) 100 ml distilled water 400 ml

Next, the image surface of the black plate image and mat paper (New Age: manufactured by Shin-Oji Paper Co., Ltd.) were brought into close contact with each other, and as shown in Table 1, the space between a pair of heated nip rolls was 5 kgf / kg.
cm ² under a pressure of 0.5 cm / min. After passing through at a speed of, the support was immediately peeled off. Peeling was easily performed at the interface between the cushion layer and the colored image, and the black image was transferred onto the mat paper. Subsequently, only the colored image portion was transferred onto the mat paper. That is, the paper surface of the non-image portion was exposed, and no background stain was observed in the non-image portion. Table 1 shows the results of evaluation of the temperature stability (60 ° C., 90 ° C.) of image transferability and mold release property at the time of image formation, and the evaluation results of small point 2% reproducibility.

(4) Image portion transferability A 40% flat original (175 L / inch) is imagewise exposed and developed on the black image forming material obtained in each of the examples and comparative examples to form a flat halftone colored image. 10 cm when transferred onto the final support at the temperature indicated in the table.
The evaluation was made based on the average number of halftone dots of transfer failure occurring in × 10 cm (five arbitrary locations). The smaller the number, the better the transferability of the image area.

○ -0 ○ △ -1 to 5 △ -6 to 30 × -31 to more

(4) Non-image area peeling property The entire surface of the colored image forming material obtained in each of the examples and comparative examples was exposed and developed to produce an exposed and developed colored image forming material having an entire non-image area. Was subjected to transfer / release layer peeling at the temperatures shown in the table on the final support, and the surface properties of the final support were evaluated according to the following criteria.

○-Easy peeling without any change in the image receiving paper surface (peeling force 3
(less than kgf / m) ○ △-Peelable without any change on the receiving paper surface, but somewhat difficult (peeling force of 3 kgf / m or more) △-Peelable, but some surface of the receiving paper changes (surface peeling, roughening, etc.) ). △ × − Peelable, but part of the release layer is transferred onto the image receiving paper. × − Adhesion between the image receiving paper and the release layer is strong and cannot be released.

Incidentally, “%” in Table 1 represents “wt%, that is, weight%”. EVA is a vinyl acetate copolymer,
The numerical value of% represents the vinyl acetate content (% by weight).

<Example of Small Point Reproducibility> The same Table 1 shows the results of an experiment conducted based on the following small point reproducibility evaluation.

Small-Point Reproducibility After exposure so that the clear sensitivity becomes 3.0 steps, a developed image of a UGRA microdot 150L patch obtained by development processing is observed with a loupe and evaluated based on the following evaluation criteria. did.

：: 2% small point is completely reproduced. Δ: Slight thinning is observed in the entire 2% small point.

×: Most of the 2% small points have disappeared.

[0127]

[Table 1]

Examples 18 to 34, Comparative Examples 9 to 17 (Examples of Claims 1 to 3) Examples 1 to 3 were prepared in the same manner as in the above <Preparation of support having thermosoftening layer and release layer>. 17 and Comparative Examples 1 to 8, transfer sheets were prepared by laminating a heat-softening layer and a release layer shown in Table 1 on a PET support. Next, a recording material was prepared according to the following procedure.

<Preparation of Recording Material> A 100 μm-thick PET (polyethylene terephthalate film, T100G, # 100) manufactured by Diafoil Hoechst was used as a support, and a coating solution having the following composition was coated thereon by a reverse roll coater and dried. After drying, an intermediate layer having a thickness of 6 μm was formed.

(Intermediate Layer Coating Solution) SEBS (Clayton G1657, manufactured by Shell Chemical Co., Ltd.) 14 parts Tack Fire (Super Ester A100, manufactured by Arakawa Chemical Co., Ltd.) 6 parts Methyl ethyl ketone 10 parts Toluene 80 parts On the other hand, a coating solution having the following composition was wire-bonded. 25μm thick PET made by Diafoil Hoechst by bar coating
(T100G, # 25), dried and dried at a wavelength of 83
A light-to-heat conversion layer having a transmittance of 0 nm and an absorptance of 0.8 was formed.
The coating weight of this light-to-heat conversion layer was 0.55 g / m ² .

(Coating solution for photothermal conversion layer) PVA (Gohsenol EG-30, manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Co.) 6 parts Carbon black dispersion (SD-9020, manufactured by Dainippon Ink) 4 parts (solid content conversion) Surfactant 0.2 parts of water 490 parts Next, the light-to-heat conversion layer is aligned with the cushion layer, and the two are bonded together by roll touch. Then, PET having a thickness of 25 μm is peeled off, and PET (T100G, # 100) / cushion layer / A recording sheet comprising a light-to-heat conversion layer was obtained.

On the light-to-heat conversion layer of the above-mentioned sheet, a colorant layer coating solution having the following composition was applied by wire bar coating and dried to form a colorant layer having a dry film thickness of 0.45 μm.

(Coloring Material Layer Coating Solution) Magenta Pigment Dispersion (Methyl Ethyl Ketone Dispersion of Brilliant Carmine 6B) 40 parts (in terms of pigment) Styrene / acrylic resin (Hymer SBM73F, manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Co., Ltd.) 51 parts EVA (EV40Y, Mitsui) 5 parts Fluorinated surfactant (Surflon S-382, manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) 1 part Methyl ethyl ketone 1300 parts Methyl isobutyl ketone 300 parts The color material layer of the recording material and the release layer of the transfer sheet The recording material and the transfer sheet were brought into close contact with each other. Further, after exposing and drawing from the PET support side of the recording material at 4000 dpi using a semiconductor laser of 500 mW, when the transfer sheet is peeled off, an image composed of the exposed color material layer is formed on the release layer of the transfer sheet. Was. The energy required for image formation was 200 mJ / cm ² .

With each of the transfer sheets, an image could be formed on the release layer. These were used in Examples 1-1.
When the image area was transferred to matte paper in the same manner as in Example 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 8, Examples 18 to 34 and Comparative Example 9
In Examples 1 to 17, results corresponding to Examples 1 to 17 and Comparative Examples 1 to 8 were obtained. That is, Example 18 corresponds to Example 1, Example 19 corresponds to Example 2, Comparative Example 9 corresponds to Comparative Example 1, Comparative Example 10 corresponds to Comparative Example 2, and Corresponding results were obtained as well.

[0135]

According to the present invention, excellent printing approximation, wide image transfer temperature latitude, good image portion transferability, excellent non-image portion releasability, and high small point reproducibility are obtained. Is obtained.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Agency reference number FI Technical display location G03F 7/26 521 B41M 5/26 A

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image forming material comprising an image transfer sheet having a heat-softening layer and a release layer sequentially provided on a support, wherein the heat-softening layer and the release layer are limited to the following. Thermal softening layer: made of a resin having a Vicat softening point of 35 to 60 ° C. and a film thickness of 20 to 100 μm. Release layer: composed of a resin having a Vicat softening point of 70 to 85 ° C. and a thickness of 5 to 25 μm. 2. An image forming method comprising: forming an image on an image forming material comprising an image transfer sheet having the following structure, and transferring the image under pressure and heat onto an image receiving sheet. An image forming material comprising an image transfer sheet in which a thermosoftening layer and a release layer are sequentially provided on a support, and the thermosoftening layer and the release layer are limited to the following. Thermal softening layer: made of a resin having a Vicat softening point of 35 to 60 ° C. and a film thickness of 20 to 100 μm. Release layer: composed of a resin having a Vicat softening point of 70 to 85 ° C. and a thickness of 5 to 25 μm. 3. An image-forming material comprising a support, on which at least a heat-softening layer, a release layer from which the image-forming layer can be peeled off, and an image-forming layer are sequentially coated, wherein the image-forming layer is transferable. The heat softening layer has a VICAT softening temperature (JIS-K7
206) It is made of resin at 35 to 60 ° C., has a thickness of 20 to 100 μm, and has a release layer of VICAT.
An image-forming material comprising a resin having a softening temperature (JIS-K7206) of 70 to 85 ° C and a thickness of 5 to 25 µm. 4. A support, on which at least a heat-softening layer, a release layer from which the image-forming layer can be peeled off, and an image-forming layer are sequentially coated, and the heat-softening layer is coated with a VICAT softening temperature (JIS-K).
7206) It is made of a resin at 35 to 60 ° C., has a thickness of 20 to 100 μm, and the release layer is made of VICA.
After exposing and developing an image forming material composed of a resin having a T softening temperature (JIS-K7206) of 70 to 85 ° C. and having a thickness of 5 to 25 μm, an image portion formed by the image forming layer is formed on a transfer receiving medium. An image forming method, comprising transferring the image under pressure and heat.