Heat transferable laminate

A heat transferable laminate of the type comprising a substrate affixed to a support member for transfer from the support member to an article upon application of heat to the support member while said article contacts the substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a release layer in contact with the support member and an ink design layer over the release layer,

• wherein the improved release layer comprises:
• components curable by exposure to ultraviolet light whereupon said components become cross linked, and the release further comprising a photoinitiator catalyst to initiate the cross linking of said components on exposure to ultraviolet light, the release not containing wax components, said release not subjected to curing until after transfer of said substrate to the article is effected, the release being thermoplastic during transfer and the release having the property enabling transfer of a sufficient portion of the release during transfer of the substrate to provide a coating of the release covering the transferred ink design on the article, the release subsequently cured by exposure to ultraviolet light resulting in an optically clear abrasion resistant protective coating over the transferred ink design on the article,
• wherein the improvement further comprises a barrier layer intermediate the release layer and the ink design layer, said barrier layer comprising a photoinitiator catalyst and components curable by exposure to ultraviolet light, said curing of components in the barrier layer effected after the barrier layer is coated over the release.