Receiver sheet

Details Receiver sheet Receiver sheet

1995-09-25

1997-08-19

Hess, Bruce H.

Record receiver having plural interactive leaves or a colorless

Having plural interactive leaves

427152, 428195, 428480, 428500, 428913, 428914, B41M 5035, B41M 538

Patent

active

056588470

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to thermal transfer printing and, in particular, to a thermal transfer printing receiver sheet for use with an associated donor sheet.
Currently available thermal transfer printing (TTP) techniques generally involve the generation of an image on a receiver sheet by thermal transfer of an imaging medium from an associated donor sheet. The donor sheet typically comprises a supporting substrate of paper, synthetic paper or a polymeric film material coated with a transfer layer comprising a sublimable dye incorporated in an ink medium usually comprising a wax and/or a polymeric resin binder. The associated receiver sheet usually comprises a supporting substrate, of a similar material, preferably having on a surface thereof a dye-receptive, polymeric receiving layer. When an assembly, comprising a donor and a receiver sheet positioned with the respective transfer and receiving layers in contact, is selectively heated in a patterned area derived, for example from an information signal, such as a television signal, dye is transferred from the donor sheet to the dye-receptive layer of the receiver sheet to form therein a monochrome image of the specified pattern. By repeating the process with different monochrome dyes, usually cyan, magenta and yellow, a full coloured image is produced on the receiver sheet. Image production, therefore depends on dye diffusion by thermal transfer.
Although the intense, localised heating required to effect development of a sharp image may be applied by various techniques, including laser beam imaging, a convenient and widely employed technique of thermal printing involves a thermal print-head, for example, of the dot matrix variety in which each dot is represented by an independent heating element (electronically controlled, if desired).
Available TTP print equipment has been observed to yield defective imaged receiver sheets comprising inadequately printed spots of relatively low optical density which detract from the appearance and acceptability of the resultant print. These small defective areas, conveniently referred to as micro-dots, are believed to result from poor conformation of the donor sheet the print-head at the time of printing. The quality of the print is also affected by the gloss and whiteness of the receiver sheet. Improved quality prints could be achieved by using very white receiver sheets, which would provide a background to enhance the printed colours.
There can be difficulties in achieving adequate adhesion of the receiving layer to the substrate. Adhesion can be achieved, for example when employing thermoplastic polymeric materials, by coextrusion of the respective film-forming layers. However, coextrusion is a relatively complex technology, and there is limit to the types of receiving layers that can be suitably coextruded. Alternatively, adhesion can be achieved by pretreating the substrate, eg by etching with suitable organic solvents, prior to coating the receiving layer. The aforementioned organic solvent treatments can be considered to be undesirable due to the evolution of flammable and/or toxic vapours.
We have now devised a receiver sheet for use in a TTP process which reduces or substantially eliminates at least one or more of the aforementioned problems.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a thermal transfer printing receiver sheet for use in association with compatible donor sheet, the receiver sheet comprising an opaque supporting substrate having a deformation index, at a temperature of 200.degree. C. and under a pressure of 2 megaPascals, of at least 4.0%, the substrate having, on a surface thereof, an adherent layer comprising an acrylic resin, the adherent layer having, on a surface thereof remote from the substrate, a dye-receptive receiving layer to receive a dye thermally transferred from the donor sheet.
The invention also provides a method of producing a thermal transfer printing receiver sheet for use in association with a compatible donor sheet, which comprises forming an opaque supporting substrate havin

REFERENCES:
patent: 4908345 (1990-03-01), Egashira et al.
patent: 5236886 (1993-08-01), Tsuchiya et al.

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