Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Medium and processing means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-11
2003-11-11
Meier, Stephen D. (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Medium and processing means
C347S101000, C347S100000, C428S195100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06644802
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image-forming method for printing images by using sublimable dye ink, and a print medium and a sheet cartridge for use in the method.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, dye sublimation printers capable of printing color images on print media by using sublimable dye ink include two types, i.e. a thermal sublimation printer and an ink-jet type sublimation printer. The ink-jet type sublimation printer carries out printing by ejecting sublimable dye ink onto a print medium having an ink image-receiving layer formed on a surface thereof for receiving sublimable dye ink, and then heats the print medium to sublime/diffuse the droplets of the sublimable dye ink ejected onto the print medium, thereby forming an image. The ink image-receiving layer of the print medium is laminated on a surface of a medium body of the print medium by coating the same in the form of a layer.
However, in such a conventional image-forming method using the above print medium, since the laminated ink image-receiving layer has a surface identical in width to that of the medium body of the print medium, when printing is effected on the whole surface of the print medium from edge to edge (i.e. when so-called edge-to-edge printing is effected) by the ink jet printing method, ink droplets are liable to be deposited even on the end faces of the print medium. As a result, the print medium subjected to edge-to-edge printing is provided in a state of its end faces being stained unintentionally, which causes user discomfort. Apparently, it is possible to avoid this problem if the edge portions of the surface of the print medium are not used for printing. However, in this case, the unprinted edge portions are conspicuous for absence of a background color, which diminishes the value of the print medium as a product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an image-forming method which is capable of properly carrying out edge-to-edge printing on a medium, such as a card, without staining the end faces thereof, and a print medium and a sheet cartridge for use in the method.
To attain the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an image-forming method comprising the steps of:
printing an image on an ink image-receiving sheet by using a sublimable dye ink, thereby causing the sublimable dye ink to be held by the ink image-receiving sheet;
fixing the image in a surface of a medium body by heating the ink image-receiving sheet and the medium body overlaid to each other and thereby causing diffusion of the sublimable dye ink held in the ink image-receiving sheet in the surface of the medium body for color development; and
removing the ink image-receiving sheet from the medium body having the image formed thereon,
wherein the ink image-receiving sheet is larger in size than the surface of the medium body.
According to this image-forming method, when an image is printed on the print medium, the sublimable dye ink is impregnated into the ink image-receiving sheet and held in the same. Then, heating of the print medium in this state causes evaporation and diffusion of the sublimable dye ink from the ink image-receiving sheet deep into the surface layer of the medium body as migration particles having sizes at a molecular level, and color development to form an image thereon. Then, the ink image-receiving sheet is removed from the medium body to expose the surface of the medium body, whereby a highly durable medium body having the image formed thereon is easily provided.
Further, the ink image-receiving sheet capable of temporarily holding the sublimable dye ink is slightly larger than the medium body, so that by carrying out printing on an area slightly beyond the size of the medium body, print image can be transferred properly onto the whole or edge-to-edge surface of the medium body in the step of fixing the image.
In this connection, it is preferred that a lamp light source formed e.g. by a halogen lamp is used for heat treatment carried out in the step of fixing the image.
Preferably, the ink image-receiving sheet has a separator affixed to a surface thereof, for protection of the surface, and the image-forming method further including the step of peeling off the separator before the step of printing.
According to this preferred embodiment, since the ink image-receiving sheet keeps the separator on the printing surface thereof which serves as an image-receiving surface for receiving the sublimable dye ink, until printing is effected, it is possible to protect the printing surface of the ink image-receiving sheet properly until execution of the step of printing. Further, when print media are stored in a state stacked one upon another, it is possible to prevent an ink image-receiving sheet from sticking to another medium body, which facilitates management of the print media.
Preferably, the medium body has a fluorine film layer laminated on a surface thereof.
According to this preferred embodiment, when the ink image-receiving sheet is heated, the sublimable dye ink held in the ink image-receiving sheet passes through the fluorine film layer, followed by being diffused and fixed in the surface layer of the medium body. Then, after the ink image-receiving sheet is removed, the image fixed in the surface layer of the medium body is protected by the fluorine film layer as an outermost surface layer thereof. As a result, the image is properly protected by the fluorine film layer functioning similarly to a laminating film. At the same time, the surface of the medium body becomes not only weather-resistant, light-resistant, heat-resistant, rub or abrasion-resistant and chemical-resistant, but also glossy due to characteristics of the fluorine film layer.
Preferably, the ink image-receiving sheet is peelably affixed to the surface of the medium body.
According to this preferred embodiment, a print medium can be provided in a state of the ink image-receiving sheet laminated on the surface of the medium body thereof. This makes it possible to prevent the ink image-receiving sheet from being displaced from the medium body and hence to subject the print medium in a stable fashion to the step of printing and the step of fixing the image. Further, it is possible to peel the ink image-receiving sheet off the medium body with ease in the step of removing the ink image-receiving sheet.
More preferably, the ink image-receiving sheet is formed of a material which is made easy to peel off by heating.
According to this preferred embodiment, the ink image-receiving sheet overlaid and affixed to the medium body can be easily peeled off after being heated in the step of fixing the image. Therefore, the ink image-receiving sheet can be easily peeled off the medium body in the step of removing the ink image-receiving sheet. However, it cannot be peeled off easily before being heated, and hence it is possible to prevent degradation of ease of handling of the medium body and the ink image-receiving sheet.
More preferably, the ink image-receiving sheet is continuous with respect to a plurality of the medium bodies.
According to this preferred embodiment, a single ink image-receiving sheet is affixed to surfaces of a plurality of medium bodies in a manner covering the medium bodies. Therefore, the plurality of medium bodies can be collectively provided by a single unit. It should be noted that the plurality of medium bodies may be affixed to the single ink image-receiving sheet with predetermined spaces provided therebetween.
Further preferably, the plurality of medium bodies are integrally formed in a state separable from each other along cutting lines.
According to this preferred embodiment, since the plurality of medium bodies formed as a single unit can be easily separated from each other by being cut off or punched out along the cutting lines. Accordingly, this method is advantageous particularly in batch processing which is carried out by subjecting the plurality of medium bodies as a single unit to the step o
Hogan & Hartson LLP
Meier Stephen D.
Seiko Epson Corporation
Shah Manish
LandOfFree
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