Non-smudging thermally imageable documents, method of making same and system for reducing the smudging of ink stamp pad images applied to such documents
AssigneeDocuSystems, Inc.
InventorsMark R. Popp, Ora W. Jones
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of making a smudge-resistant thermally imageable document by applying a non-blocking ink stamp image receptive coating to the protective top coating, so that the image will dry within thirty second or less, and while producing an optical image density of at least 1.0. An ink comprising a dye, at least 8% m-pyrol by weight, a glycol, alcohol and water will dry quickly when applied from a stamp ink pad impregnated with that formulation.
Claims21
A method of making a thermally imageable document which resists smudging of stamp ink images, comprising the steps of
- providing a thermally imageable document having a base sheet, a thermal imaging layer and an overlying protective top coating resistant to the intrusion of moisture and solvents thereby protecting the thermal imaging layer from moisture and solvents, and
- applying a non-blocking coating receptive to alcohols, glycols and water on a zone of said top coating to provide a Bekk smoothness of at least 50 seconds in the zone of the receptive coating, an optical image density of at least 1.00, when imaged, in the zone of the receptive coating, said receptive coating being absorptive of moisture and solvents such that an ink stamp image applied to said receptive coating from an ink stamp pad will dry to a smudge-resistant state within no more than about thirty seconds of its application to the receptive coating.
A thermally imageable document comprising a base sheet, a thermal imaging layer thereon, an overlying protective top coating resistant to the passage of moisture and solvents therethrough and for preventing the migration of moisture and solvents to the thermal imaging layer, thereby protecting the thermal imaging layer from moisture and solvents, and a non-blocking coating on a selected zone of said protective top coating, said non-blocking coating being receptive to alcohols, glycols and water, said non-blocking receptive coating having a Bekk smoothness of at least 50 seconds and providing, when imaged, an optical image density of at least 1.00 in the zone of the receptive coating, and said receptive coating being absorptive of moisture and solvents such that an ink stamp image applied to said receptive coating from an ink stamp pad will dry to a smudge-resistant state within no more than about thirty seconds of its application to the receptive coating.
A process for reducing the smudging of ink stamp images when such images are applied to a thermally imageable document from an ink stamp pad, said process comprising
- providing a thermally imageable document comprising a base sheet, a thermal imaging layer thereon and an overlying protective top coating resistant to the passage of moisture and solvents therethrough and for preventing the migration of moisture and solvents to the thermal imaging layer, thereby to protect the thermal imaging layer from moisture and solvents, said document having a non-blocking coating receptive of alcohols, glycols and water which covers a selected zone of said protective top coating, said non-blocking receptive coating having a Bekk smoothness at least as great as that of the overlying protective coating, and an optical image density, upon imaging, of at least 1.10 as measured by an XRITE 418 densitometer, and
- applying to said selected zone an ink stamp image from an ink stamp pad impregnated with an ink comprising a dye, at least eight percent m-pyrol by weight, a glycol, and alcohol and water,
- whereby said ink stamp image will dry to a smudge-resistant state within no more than about sixty seconds of its application to the receptive coating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.