Image receiver media and imaging process
OwnerMing Xu, Dimple Patel +1inventors
InventorsMing Xu, Dimple Patel, Alexander Tokarev
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Abstract
An image is formed on a transfer medium comprising a hydrophilic tackifier. Any portion of the image that is dimensionally insufficient to permanently adhere the image to the receiver substrate is determined, and a colorless liquid ink comprising water is applied to cover and surround the portion of the image that is dimensionally insufficient to permanently adhere the image to the receiver substrate. When heat is applied to the image to transfer the image layer to a receiver substrate, water in the image layer swells the image layer and the hydrophilic tackifier becomes sufficiently tacky to permanently adhere the image to the receiver substrate.
Claims14
A transfer imaging method comprising the steps of:
- forming an image by applying a liquid ink in the form of the image on a transfer medium, the transfer medium comprising a hydrophilic tackifier;
- determining a portion of the image that is dimensionally insufficient to permanently adhere the image to the receiver substrate;
- applying a colorless liquid ink comprising water to cover and surround the portion of the image that is dimensionally insufficient to permanently adhere the image to the receiver substrate, wherein the liquid ink and the colorless ink form an image layer comprising water;
- applying heat to the image and transferring the image layer to a receiver substrate to form the image on the receiver substrate;
- whereupon water from the image layer swells the image layer when heated and the hydrophilic tackifier becomes sufficiently tacky to permanently adhere the image to the receiver substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.