Thermal dye diffusion coating and substrate

Abstract

A coating suitable for receiving an image by dye diffusion printing which includes a thermoplastic polymer having a glass transition temperature of at least about 30° C. and a powdered plasticizer having a melting point of at least about 80° C. The thermoplastic polymer may have a glass transition temperature of at least about 40° C. For example, the thermoplastic polymer may be a vinyl chloride-acrylate copolymer. The plasticizer may be an aromatic carboxylic acid ester, such as cyclohexane dimethanol dibenzoate. The average particle size of the powdered plasticizer may be no greater than about 20 micrometers. The weight ratio of the thermoplastic polymer to the plasticizer typically is in a range of from about 80:20 to about 40:60. Finally, the coating includes a release agent. The release agent may be present in a range of from about 0.5 to about 10 percent by weight, based on the weight of dry coating. The present invention also provides a coated substrate suitable for receiving an image by dye diffusion printing and a coating composition which is an aqueous dispersion of a thermoplastic polymer having a glass transition temperature of at least about 30° C., a powdered plasticizer having a melting point of at least about 80° C., and a release agent.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.