Roll-shaped image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing and process for forming images thereon
AssigneeDai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
InventorsKenji Sakamoto, Kozo Odamura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A roll-shaped image receiving sheet usable in a thermal transfer printing process. The image-receiving sheet includes a plurality of indeterminatley spaced thermal transfer image-receiving areas, and a detection mark formed on the sheet corresponding to each image receiving area, the mark being adapted for detecting a starting-position for formation of a thermal transfer printing image on each of the image receiving areas.
Claims8
A roll-shaped image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing, comprising plural pairs of an image-receiving portion and an optically detectable penetrating hole, each of the image-receiving portion having a size capable of completing a printing of each color in one heating process and being formed continuously along a feeding direction of the roll-shaped image-receiving sheet with an interval therebetween, and each of the optically detectable penetrating hole being formed at portion other than the image-receiving portion in constant arrangement with respect to the corresponding image-receiving portion including a seal part comprising at least a color receptor layer, a substrate sheet and an adhesive layer in this order, and a release sheet put on an adhesive layer so as to be separated therefrom, said seal part being half-cut for peeling off said seal part from said sheet.
A process for forming an image onto a roll-shaped image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing, comprising the steps of:
- feeding, to a printer, a roll-shaped image-receiving sheet including plural pairs of an image-receiving portion and an optically detectable penetrating hole, each of the image-receiving portion having a size capable of completing a printing of each color in one heating process and being formed continuously along a feeding direction of the roll-shaped image-receiving sheet with an interval therebetween, and each of the optically detectable penetrating hole being formed at portion other than the image-receiving portion in constant arrangement with respect to the corresponding image-receiving portion;
- optically detecting the penetrating hole in the advancing roll-shaped image-receiving sheet by a detector disposed on a carrying passage in the printer;
- positioning a printing starting position of the image-receiving portion corresponding to the detected penetrating hole by stopping the penetrating hole to a predetermined position and then printing a first color through a thermal transfer printing;
- positioning a printing starting position of the image receiving portion on which the first color printing is made by rolling back the roll-shaped image-receiving sheet after the first color printing, optically detecting the penetrating hole detected in the former detection step and stopping the same on said predetermined position and then printing a second color through a thermal transfer printing;
- and
- repeating the step of printing the second color so as to print succeeding colors after the second color.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.