Abstract: The improved color image forming apparatus comprises a rotating member for rotationally scanning and transporting both an image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer and a colorant sheet having a peelable, thin colorant film, a holder for holding at least the image-recieving material on the rotating member, a lamenator for pressing the colorant sheet so that it adheres to the image-receiving material, a recording device for applying thermal energy to the image-receiving material and the colorant sheet, and a peel/transfer mechanism by which the colorant sheet that has been imagewise supplied with thermal energy by the recording device is peeled for transfer to form a monochromatic image on the image-receiving material. This procedure of monochromatic image formation is repeated for three or four colors to produce a full color image.

Abstract: A method of printing a liquid ink which is produced from a heat activated dye which is selected from a limited group of dyes which are capable of transfer at low energy. A printer which uses liquid ink, such as an ink jet printer, prints an image onto an intermediate substrate medium. The dyes contained in the ink are not substantially activated during the process of printing on to the medium. The image formed by the printed ink is transferred from the medium to a final substrate by the application of heat and pressure for a short period of time to activate the ink. The dye and dispersing/emulsifying agent(s) are selected from a limited group to produce an ink which permits thermal transfer at low energy, with the resulting image, as deposited on the final substrate, having an optical density of 1.0 or greater.

Abstract: A method of printing a liquid ink which is produced from a heat activated dye which is selected from a limited group of dyes which are capable of transfer at low energy. A printer which uses liquid ink, such as an ink jet printer, prints an image onto an intermediate substrate medium. The dyes contained in the ink are not substantially activated during the process of printing on to the medium. The image formed by the printed ink is transferred from the medium to a final substrate by the application of heat and pressure for a short period of time to activate the ink. The dye and dispersing/emulsifying agent(s) are selected from a limited group to produce an ink which permits thermal transfer at low energy, with the resulting image, as deposited on the final substrate, having an optical density of 1.0 or greater.

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.

Abstract: An ink transfer medium for toner is disclosed, comprising the following layers, in this order: a heat-generating resistive layer heated by input of electrical signal, a conductive layer, and an ink release layer having a toner layer on it, an adhesion from 0.2 g/mm to 40 g/mm as measured by the 90.degree. peeling off method and consisting of a viscoelastomer having a critical surface tension of 35 dyne/cm or less. It can be re-inked by attaching toner to the portions of the ink transfer medium from which the ink has been removed, using toner held in a toner holding means.

Abstract: A positive image is formed on one face of a ribbon by means of a selective thermal transfer of ink with the use of a thermal dot-line or dot-matrix printing head. The positive image is then transferred from the ribbon to an article with the use of a heating pad.

Abstract: An image transfer device for transferring a clear image to a transfer object includes transport device for a transferring film, an image writing device for transferring ink from a transfer ribbon onto the film by a thermal head, a stage for fixing a transfer object, a guiding means for a inked image of the film onto the object on the stage, a transfer roller for transferring the inked image to the object, and a peel roller disposed in the vicinity of the transfer roller for peeling the transferred film from the object.

Abstract: A process for image forming by heat transfer method is disclosed. The process comprises the steps of (1) transferring an ink image from an ink layer of an ink sheet, which comprises a support and an ink layer provided on the support, to a surface of an intermediate image receiving layer of an intermediate image receiving sheet, which comprises a support and an image receiving layer provided on the support, by imagewise heating the ink layer, and (2) re-transferring the ink image transferred on the intermediate image receiving layer to a secondary image receiving sheet,In the above process, the ink layer comprises a coloring material and a homopolymer or a copolymer comprising a repeating unit derived from a monomer represented by the following Formula 1 or a phthalic polyester formed by polymerization of phthalic acid and a polyol; ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms; R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.

Abstract: A process for thermal transfer printing method including the steps of forming a thermal transfer image in a dyeing layer of an intermediate sheet using a coloring layer of a transfer sheet and transferring the dyeing layer carrying the formed image from the intermediate sheet to an image receptor with a medium for applying heat and/or pressure, in which the medium is also used for fixing the transferred dyeing layer on the image receptor, and an thermal transfer printing apparatus having means for feeding an elongate intermediate sheet having a dyeing layer, means for cutting the elongate intermediate sheet, printing means for forming a thermal transfer image in the dyeing layer of intermediate sheet, and means for transferring the dyeing layer carrying the formed thermal transfer image to an image receptor, by which the printed image with low gloss is formed on the image receptor at a high printing speed.

Abstract: A thermal transfer recording apparatus that can arbitrarily perform any one of outputting operations of a sublimable dyestuff image, a thermoplastic ink image, and a mixed picture image which combines a sublimable dyestuff image with a thermoplastic ink image, on a plain recording paper is disclosed. The apparatus employs a dyeable layer which is carried on a substrate sheet usually shared by a plurality of sublimable dyestuff-carrying layers. The dyeable layer is first transferred to a first intermediate transfer medium having a certain mold releasing or parting property. Sublimable dyestuffs are then selectively transferred into the dyeable layer to form a sublimable dyestuff image thereon, which thereafter is transferred to the paper.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a thermal transfer printing process comprising:heating a thermal ink film with a printing head to print dye transferring images onto an intermediate sheet which comprises a substrate and a printing layer thereon,heaping an image receive sheet on said printing layer, andtransferring said printing layer onto the image receive sheet by pressure or heat;an improvement residing in that said printing layer is formed from polyvinyl acetal.The present invention also provides an intermediate sheet for the above thermal transfer printing process comprising a substrate and a printing layer on said substrate wherein said printing layer is formed from polyvinyl acetal.

Abstract: A thermal transfer recording method for recording, in which an intermediate transfer member having a recording layer formed on a polymeric layer is used in such a way that the intermediate transfer member and an ink sheet is placed one over the other, dye being thermally transferred from an ink material layer of the ink sheet to the recording layer. The intermediate transfer member and an image receiving medium are placed one over the other, and they are subjected to pressure and heat so that the recording layer is transferred from the intermediate transfer member onto the image receiving medium.