JPH0436941Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] The present invention relates to a novel color thermal transfer ribbon.

In recent years, thermal printers and thermal facsimile machines have been widely used due to their advantages of being easy to handle and capable of recording at high speed and with low noise, and various attempts have been made to make them color.
As an example, using color thermochromic two-color printing paper, in which thermosensitive coloring material inks of two colors (for example, blue and red) with different coloring temperatures are applied in layers on a paper base material, the temperature of the heating head that is brought into contact with this paper is used. There is a method of developing a desired color (blue or red) by appropriately controlling the color. However, although this method allows the desired color to be produced anywhere on the print paper, it requires special paper and requires temperature control of the heating head, making the printer itself expensive. It also uses more energy. Moreover, the two colors are mixed at the boundary between the layers, making it impossible to obtain a clear color, and the coloring part fades. There are many practical problems, such as lack of water resistance and a limit of two colors.

On the other hand, there is a method that uses a thermal transfer ribbon coated with thermal transfer ink on a ribbon base material and uses a heated head to transfer the ink to plain paper.This method is widely used because it is simple and inexpensive, but there are no attempts at color printing. Not done yet.

The present inventors have solved the above problem by using a thermal transfer ribbon partially coated with thermal transfer ink of the desired color when the form of the color print is fixed, and the heating conditions can be adjusted. The present invention was completed after discovering a new fact that two or more colors can be easily thermally transferred without changing depending on the color, and records with excellent fastness can be made.

Therefore, in the present invention, at least one type of small area-shaped thermal transfer ink layer provided discontinuously in the longitudinal direction of the ribbon and a background color thermal transfer ink layer provided in a portion other than the small area are arranged in a gap. are arranged on the ribbon substrate as mutually independent regions, each region being larger than the characters or figures in the transferred image, and small regions of the thermally transferable ink layer are arranged at regular intervals in the length direction of the ribbon. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a color thermal transfer ribbon that is repeatedly provided and used for multicolor transfer with a fixed color arrangement.

Next, the color thermal transfer ribbon of the present invention will be explained using the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view showing one embodiment of the color thermal transfer ribbon of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view for explaining the color thermal transfer ribbon of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 -
Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of a letterpress roll used for producing the color thermal transfer ribbon shown in Figure 1;
The figure is a schematic front view showing another embodiment of the color thermal transfer ribbon of the present invention.

1 and 2, 1 is a color thermal transfer ribbon of the present invention, 2 is a ribbon base material, and 3 is a small area-shaped thermal transfer ink layer provided on the ribbon base material (hereinafter referred to as
The small area ink layer 3 fuses and transfers a predetermined printed image only to the mark portion 6 of the card 5 to be printed.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a thermally transferable ink layer provided on the entire surface of the ribbon excluding the small area ink layer 3 and having a color different from that of the small area ink layer (hereinafter simply referred to as the entire surface ink layer).
The ink layer 4 on the entire surface is used to fuse and transfer printed images of predetermined different colors onto the character portion 7 of the card 5. For example, by using a red ink layer as the small area ink layer 3 and a blue ink layer as the entire surface ink layer 4, two
Color printing can be done. In FIGS. 1 and 2, 10 is a gap between the ink layer 3 in the form of a small area and the ink layer 4 on the entire surface except for it;
is provided to prevent the two inks from mixing.
Further, when printing a number of sheets, it is preferable to repeatedly provide the small area-shaped ink layer 3 in the length direction of the ribbon 1 at regular intervals.

In forming the ink layers 3 and 4 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 on the ribbon base material 2,
First, an ink layer 4 is coated on the entire surface of the ribbon substrate 2 with spaces left at equal intervals using a letterpress roll 8 partially having concave portions 81 as shown in FIG. 3, and then partially as shown in FIG. The color thermal transfer ribbon 1 is coated with a small area-shaped ink layer 3 so as to fill the space formed by the letterpress roll 8 with a letterpress roll 9 having convex portions 91, leaving a slight gap 10. Good too.

The ribbon base material 2 in the present invention preferably has appropriate heat resistance strength and excellent thermal conductivity, for example, has a thickness of 3 to 25 μm and a density of 0.9 to 25 μm.
A plastic film (polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, etc.) or paper (glassine paper, synthetic paper, laminated paper, etc.) of 1.4 g/cm ³ is preferably used.

The thermal transferable ink layers 3 and 4 each contain 1 to 20 parts, 20 to 80 parts, and 3 parts of a colorant, a binder agent, and a softener, respectively, based on 100 parts (parts by weight, the same applies hereinafter) of the total weight of the ink layers. An ink layer with a thickness of 1 to 10 μm formed by hot-melt coating or solvent coating on the base material 2 using the above-mentioned letterpress roll or solvent coating, etc. It is. As the colorant, in addition to the colorants forming red and blue, colorants of various other colors can also be used.

As a binder agent, the penetration level (JIS K
In order to improve the pressure sensitivity of the resulting ink layer, it is preferable to use a solid wax with a value of 10 to 30 (2530) (2530, the same applies hereafter). If necessary, easily meltable substances such as low molecular weight polyethylene, oxidized wax, and ester wax may be used in combination.

As the flexible material, materials that can be easily melted by heat, such as polyvinyl acetate, polystyrene, styrene-putadiene copolymers, cellulose esters, cellulose ethers, and acrylic resins, or lubricating oils are preferably used. Ru.

Furthermore, in the present invention, in order to impart good thermal conductivity and melt transferability to the thermally transferable ink attachments 3 and 4, a powdery thermally conductive substance and an extender pigment can be blended.

Examples of powdered thermally conductive substances include black pigments such as acetylene black, lamp black, graphite, aniline black, and Kettien Black (trade name), which have a thermal conductivity of 6.0×10 ^-4 to 25.0×10 ^-4
cal/sec・cm・℃, and aluminum,
A material with good thermal conductivity such as metal powder such as copper, tin or zinc is preferably used.

These thermally conductive substances and extender pigments are blended in proportions of 0 to 30 parts and 0 to 10 parts, respectively, based on 100 parts of the total amount of the ink layer.

The thermally transferable ink layers 3 and 4 thus obtained have a melting point of 50 to 50 to improve their melt transferability.
It is preferable that the viscosity at 100°C is 20 to 1000 cp (90°C), and since the ink layers 3 and 4 are soft, they become easily stained, so it is preferable that the ink layers are harder. It can be suitably used within the range of 50.

In the present invention, the ink layer 3 in the form of small areas may be formed using only one type of color different from the color of the ink layer 4 on the entire surface. The thermally transferable ink layer including the ink layer 4 on the entire surface usually has 2 to 3 layers.
It is preferable that there are 7 types, especially 4 types. This results in cards printed with various colors.

In addition, when using the color thermal transfer ribbon of the present invention, it is preferable to attach marks at predetermined intervals on the ears, so that it can be cut into, for example, B4 size or A4 size, or the folding position can be detected. It is very convenient and can be done easily.

The color thermal transfer ribbon of the present invention obtained as described above can be applied to cards such as commuter passes, seal certificates, pari-mutuel betting tickets, and cash vouchers in which the parts to be colored are determined, by facsimile, printer, etc. When performing color printing, etc., it is simple, inexpensive, energy saving, and can produce color printing with high clarity, fading resistance, and fastness, so it has no practical value. There is something big.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing one embodiment of the color thermal transfer ribbon of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view for explaining the color thermal transfer ribbon of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a letterpress roll used for producing the color thermal transfer ribbon shown in FIG. Main symbols in the drawings: 1,101...Color thermal transfer ribbon, 2...Ribbon base material, 3...Small area-shaped thermal transfer ink layer.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] At least one kind of small area-shaped thermal transfer ink layer provided discontinuously in the length direction of the ribbon and a base color thermal transfer ink layer provided in a portion other than the small area are mutually separated with a gap between them. The thermally transferable ink layer is arranged as an independent region on the ribbon base material, each region is larger than the characters or figures in the transferred image, and small regions of the thermally transferable ink layer are repeatedly provided at regular intervals in the length direction of the ribbon. , a color thermal transfer ribbon used for multicolor transfer with a fixed color arrangement.