US 5,634,731 A · Method and apparatus for thermal transfer printing

Abstract

For thermal transfer printing, a coloring material image is thermally migrated from a thermal transfer printing sheet having a coloring material layer thereon onto an image forming area of an image-receiving layer of an intermediate transfer recording medium. The image on the recording medium is then thermally transfer-printed under pressure on a printing sheet in an image transfer section. A detection mark is provided on the intermediate transfer recording medium. This detection mark is detected for positioning an image forming area of the recording medium relative to a thermal head of the printer. In a case where the image forming section and the image transfer section are arranged in a line, a buffer unit is provided in which the recording medium being fed continuously between the two sections is caused to take a detouring path whereby mutual influence of the two sections is prevented. A line heater can be used as heating means in the image transfer section.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method of thermal transfer printing, comprising the steps of:

providing an intermediate transfer recording medium made up of a substrate sheet and an image-receiving layer releasably attached to one surface of the substrate sheet, said image-receiving layer having an image forming area;
providing a thermal transfer sheet having a coloring material layer including a coloring material on one surface thereof;
passing said transfer recording medium and said thermal transfer sheet between heating means and platen means under pressure with said image-receiving layer facing said coloring material layer;
operating the heating means in accordance with image information to heat the coloring material layer to cause said coloring material to migrate from the coloring material layer to the image forming area of the image-receiving layer, thereby forming an image in the image forming area, the above steps constituting an image forming step;
superposing a printing sheet on the image-receiving layer, having the image formed therein, of the intermediate transfer recording medium;
applying heat and/or pressure to the printing sheet and the transfer recording medium to transfer-print the image in the image-receiving layer onto the printing sheet, said superposing and applying steps constituting an image transfer step;
and
determining position of said image forming area in said image forming step by detecting a detection mark provided on the intermediate transfer recording medium.

5 more elements

A method of thermal transfer printing, comprising the steps of:

providing an intermediate transfer recording medium made up of a substrate sheet and an image-receiving layer releasably attached to one surface of the substrate sheet, said image-receiving layer having an image forming area;
providing a thermal transfer sheet having a coloring material layer including a coloring material on one surface thereof;
passing said transfer recording medium and said thermal transfer sheet between heating means and platen means under pressure with said image-receiving layer facing said coloring material layer;
operating the heating means in accordance with image information to heat the coloring material layer to cause said coloring material to migrate from the coloring material layer to the image forming area of the image-receiving layer, thereby forming an image in the image forming area, the above steps constituting an image forming step;
superposing a printing sheet on the image-receiving layer, having the image formed therein, of the intermediate transfer recording medium;
applying heat and/or pressure to the printing sheet and the transfer recording medium to transfer-print the image in the image-receiving layer onto the printing sheet, said superposing and applying steps constituting an image transfer step;
and
determining position of said image forming area during said image forming step by detecting a detection mark provided on the intermediate transfer recording medium;
and
determining position of said image forming area during said image transfer step by detecting said detection mark.

7 more elements

An apparatus for thermal transfer printing, comprising:

means for feeding a thermal transfer sheet having a coloring material layer including a coloring material on one surface thereof;
first means for feeding an intermediate transfer recording medium made up of a substrate sheet and an image-receiving layer releasably attached to one surface of the substrate sheet in such a manner that the transfer recording medium will be conveyed together with the thermal transfer sheet along a first path with the image-receiving layer facing the coloring material layer;
first heating means provided alongside said first path to heat the coloring material layer in accordance with image information to cause the coloring material to migrate from the coloring material layer to an image forming area of the image-receiving layer, thereby forming an image in the image forming area;
first platen means for pressing said thermal transfer sheet and the intermediate transfer recording medium against said heating means;
first detection means for detecting a detection mark provided on said intermediate transfer recording medium and for positioning the image forming area of the transfer recording medium relative to said heating means when the image is formed in the image forming area;
means for feeding a printing sheet;
second means for further feeding the intermediate transfer recording medium in such a manner that the transfer recording medium will be conveyed together with the printing sheet along a second path with the image-receiving layer facing the printing sheet, said image-receiving layer having the image formed therein;
second heating means provided alongside said second path to heat the transfer recording medium to transfer the image-receiving layer to the printing sheet, thereby to transfer-print the formed image to the printing sheet;
second platen means for pressing the transfer recording medium and the printing sheet against the second heating means;
and
second detection means for detecting the detection mark on said intermediate transfer recording medium and for positioning the image forming area of the medium relative to said second heating means when the image-receiving layer is transferred from said medium to the printing sheet.

8 more elements

An apparatus for thermal transfer printing, comprising:

an image forming section and an image transfer section;
said image forming section including:
means for feeding a thermal transfer sheet having a coloring material layer including a coloring material on one surface thereof;
first means for feeding an intermediate transfer recording medium made up of a substrate sheet and an image-receiving layer releasably attached to one surface of the substrate sheet in such a manner that the transfer recording medium will be conveyed together with the thermal transfer sheet along a first path with the image-receiving layer facing the coloring material layer;
first heating means provided alongside the first path to heat the coloring material layer in accordance with image information to cause the coloring material to migrate from the coloring material layer to an image forming area of the image-receiving layer, thereby forming an image in the image forming area;
and
first platen means for pressing said thermal transfer sheet and the intermediate transfer recording medium against said first heating means;
said image transfer section including:
means for feeding a printing sheet;
second means for further feeding the intermediate transfer recording medium in such a manner that the transfer recording medium will be conveyed together with the printing sheet along a second path with the image-receiving layer facing the printing sheet;
second heating means provided alongside the second path to heat the transfer recording medium to transfer the image-receiving layer to the printing sheet, thereby to transfer-print the formed image to the printing sheet;
and
second platen means for pressing the transfer recording medium and the printing sheet against the second heating means;
said apparatus further comprising:
buffer means provided between said image forming section and said image transfer section in association with said intermediate transfer recording medium for adjusting the length of the medium between the two sections.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for thermal transfer printing

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Method and apparatus for thermal transfer printing

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Abstract

Claims25