Receiver sheet for thermal dye transfer printing

Details Receiver sheet for thermal dye transfer printing Receiver sheet for thermal dye transfer printing

1997-08-08

1999-08-10

Hess, Bruce H.

Record receiver having plural interactive leaves or a colorless

Having plural interactive leaves

427146, 428195, 4283044, 428480, 428910, 428913, 428914, B41M 5035, B41M 538

Patent

active

059359030

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. There are at least two types of printing flaws. The first type are regularly spaced flaws which are due to gaps appearing between the printed image of adjacent pixels. The regularly spaced flaws are believed to result from inadequate conformation of the donor sheet to the print head at the time of printing. The second type of flaws are smaller and irregularly spaced and are believed to be the result of imperfections in the surface of the receiver sheet. There is a requirement to eliminate both regularly and irregularly spaced printing flaws, without the need of an additional layer, and also to provide a very white receiver sheet to enhance the colours of the printed sheet.
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 a compatible donor sheet, the receiver sheet comprising a dye-receptive receiving layer to receive a dye thermally transferred from the donor sheet, and an opaque biaxially oriented supporting polyester substrate comprising (i) small voids, formed around inorganic filler particles, having a mean void size in the range from 0.3 to 3.5 .mu.m, and (ii) large voids, formed around organic filler particles, having a mean void size in the range from 5 to 21 .mu.m and less than 15% by number of the voids have a void size greater than 27 .mu.m.
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 biaxially oriented supporting polyester substrate comprising (i) small voids, formed around inorganic filler particles, having a mean void size in the range from 0.3 to 3.5 .mu.m, and (ii) large voids, formed around organic filler particles, having a mean void size in the range from 5 to 21 .mu.m and less than 15% by number of the voids have a void

REFERENCES:
patent: 5350733 (1994-09-01), Campbell et al.
patent: 5468712 (1995-11-01), Minato et al.

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