Transfer printing process

Abstract

A coated media is printed with ink. The area of the media which is not covered with ink is cured by exposure to radiation, and the printed image is transferred to a final substrate. The media is coated with a radiation curable coating. Upon exposure to electron beam or ultraviolet radiation, the coating in the exposed, non-imaged, area cures, and becomes permanently bonded to the base sheet. The ink layer of the imaged area effectively blocks, absorbs and/or reflects the radiation and does not allow polymerization under the imaged area. The image is transferred to a final substrate by placing the image in contact with the final substrate, followed by the application of energy. The image is permanently bonded to the final substrate. No overprint, or non-imaged area, that is visible or which may be felt by touching, is transferred to the final substrate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.