Abstract: A thermal transfer recording medium 1 according to the present invention is to obtain a reliable printed matter with no space between picture information and a protective film thereof and has a melting type transfer portion 161 including a melting type primer layer 181 whose main component is styrene vinyl acetate copolymer and a melting type ink layer 171. Since styrene vinyl acetate copolymer softens or melts by heating to lose mechanical strength thereof, the melting type transfer portion 161 is transferred with ease from a base sheet 11 by heating to form a printing layer 47. On the surface of the printing layer 47, a residual resin 49 formed of material of the melting type primer layer 181 is exposed; however, since styrene vinyl acetate copolymer sticks well to a thermoplastic resin existing on the surface portion of a protective portion 251, there is no space generated between the protective portion 251 and the printing layer 47.

Abstract: The invention relates to a laminate consisting of a multilayer transparent film and a multilayer opaque film, which has an intermediate layer. The base layer of the transparent film contains a pigment, which absorbs illumination in the wavelength range of a laser. The laminate can be marked and inscribed using a laser.

Abstract: To provide an image-forming material, an image formation method and a method for manufacturing a color proof, where even when laser recording is performed with a higher energy by multi-beam laser light, a light-to-heat conversion substance or a decomposition product thereof is prevented from transferring to the image-forming layer and at the same time, a transfer image having sufficiently high image density, high resolution, and no layer fogging can be formed on an image-receiving sheet. An image-forming material comprising an image-receiving sheet having at least an image-receiving layer and a thermal transfer sheet comprising a support having thereon at least a light-to-heat conversion layer and an image-forming layer, wherein the light-to-heat conversion layer of the thermal transfer sheet comprises a homopolymer and/or a copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone.

Abstract: A multicolor image-forming material comprises: an image-receiving sheet having an image-receiving layer and a support; and at least four thermal transfer sheets each including a support, a light-to-heat converting layer and an image-forming layer, in which each of the thermal transfer sheets has a different color, wherein a multicolor image is formed by: superposing the image-forming layer in each of the at least four thermal transfer sheets on the image-receiving layer, such that the image-forming layer is opposed to the image-receiving layer; irradiating the image-forming layer with a laser beam; transferring the irradiated area of the image-forming layer onto the image-receiving layer to form an image; and transferring the image on the image-receiving layer onto an actual printing paper, and each of the at least four thermal transfer sheets has a recording area being defined by a product of a length of 515 mm or more and width of 728 mm or more, and each of the at least four thermal transfer sheets is larg

Abstract: An element for making patterns on an electroconductive substrate, the element comprising a support, on which is disposed: a) a conductive layer containing an electrically conductive polymer, a polyanion and a conductivity enhancing agent; and b) a mixing layer containing a thermally mobile material; wherein, upon imagewise heating the mixing layer, the thermally mobile material mixes with the conductive layer, thereby causing the initial surface resistivity (SR) of the conductive layer to imagewise increase from an initial value SRi, which is lower than 105?/square, to SRi?, ? being at least 102.

Abstract: The present invention is drawn to the thermal transfer overcoating of images printed on porous media, and methods of overcoating images printed on porous media. Upon use of the systems and methods of the present invention, a thermally coated print is generated that can comprise a porous media substrate having printed thereon a digitally produced image. The digitally produced image and the porous media substrate is thermally coated by an adhesive protective layer, wherein the adhesive protective layer has a tangent d that is greater than 1 and melt viscosity less than 1×105 Pa.·sec. as applied above its phase transition temperature. Thus, the voids in the porous media substrate can be substantially filled, and further, substantially no tags remain on the print.

Abstract: A thermal sheet transfer having on a support, an image formation layer wherein the image formation layer includes as a colorant, an organic pigment having a melting point not less than 310° C.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a recording material in which an ink receiving layer containing at least a resin and a pigment is provided on a substrate, the recording material being characterized in that the ink receiving layer is porous, apparent density thereof is 0.2 to 0.8 g/cm3 and heat conductivity of the ink receiving layer and the substrate is 0.1 to 0.25 W/m·K. The recording material can produce highly precise image even if the amount of heat generated at the head is small and the printing pressure is low, i.e., the recording material has excellent dot reproduction and excellent dot transfer of highlighted portions.

Abstract: A multicolor image-forming material which comprises an image-receiving sheet comprising a support having thereon a coating layer including at least an image-receiving layer, and a plurality of heat transfer sheets each comprising a support having coating layers including at least a light-to-heat converting layer and an image-forming layer, wherein the ratio of the optical density (OD) of the image-forming layer in each heat transfer sheet to the layer thickness, OD/layer thickness (&mgr;m unit), is 1.50 or more, the recording area of a multicolor image of the heat transfer sheet is 515 mm or more multiplying 728 mm or more, the definition of a transferred image is 2,400 dpi or more, the coating layer in the image-receiving sheet and/or the coating layers in each heat transfer sheet has at least one layer containing a dispersant and a matting layer having an average particle size of from 0.

Abstract: A multi-color image-forming material is disclosed comprising image-receiving sheets each having an image-receiving layer and heat transfer sheets for at least four colors, including yellow, magenta, cyan and black, each having at least a light-to-heat conversion layer and an image-forming layer on a support, the heat transfer sheets and the image-receiving sheets being respectively laminated such that the image-forming layer of the heat transfer sheet and the image-receiving layer of the image-receiving sheet are opposed to each other, whereby the irradiation with laser beam causes the area irradiated with laser beam on the image-forming layer to be transferred onto the image-forming layer in the image-receiving sheet to effect image recording, wherein the thickness of the image-forming layer in the heat transfer sheets is from 0.01 &mgr;m to 1.5 &mgr;m and the width of lines in laser-transferred image is from 0.8 to 2.0 times a half of the half-width (i.e.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer material which has an image forming layer of low fusible viscosity, which has an excellent transferring sensitivity, which is able to form a high quality image, and in which leakage of a thermally fusible substance is not caused so that there is hardly any contamination of hardware such as an image forming device by the thermally fusible substance.

Abstract: Disclosed is a heat transferable protective overcoat comprising a hydroxyphenyl triazine compound in a polymeric binder. Such an overcoat provides UV protection without degrading sunlight protection.