Process for producing decorative sheets

A process for producing decorative sheets having a thermosetting resin surface, which process includes in sequence

• (1) forming a pattern on a paper for decorative use with an ink containing a vehicle resin and a curing inhibitor for a thermosetting resin;
• (2) impregnating the entire paper for decorative use including the pattern with said thermosetting resin to form an impregnated paper wherein a film of still uncured thermosetting resin is formed over the pattern;
• (3) assembling a laminated structure by so superposing the impregnated paper on a base material that the surface of the paper bearing the pattern will become the outer surface and further placing a planar shaping member on the paper;
• (4) subjecting the laminated structure to heating and pressing to cause the thermosetting resin at parts not contacted by the curing inhibitor in the pattern to cure, leaving the thermosetting resin contacted by the curing inhibitor in the pattern in still uncured state;
• and
• (5) peeling off the planar shaping member, under heat and after the termination of the pressing, thereby to form concavities in the film of the thermosetting resin by removing at least some of the still uncured resin due to adhesion of the uncured resin to the planar shaping member thus peeled-off, wherein the improvement comprises:
• selecting for the vehicle resin in the ink a resin having releasability from the thermosetting resin and, prior to step (2), causing the vehicle resin in the pattern formed in step (1) to harden, whereby the still uncured resin after step (4) is substantially restricted to the parts of the thermosetting resin directly over the pattern, and in step (5) substantially all of said uncured resin is released from the hardened vehicle resin and adheres to the planar shaping member.