Abstract: An image recording material which has a support and an image recording layer containing a crystalline polymer and an amorphous polymer on at least one surface of the support, wherein the image recording layer has a storage elastic modulus G? at 100° C. of 1×102 Pa to 1×105 Pa during a temperature increase at 5° C./min, a storage elastic modulus G? at 60° C. of 1×106 Pa or more during a temperature decrease at 5° C./min and a temperature difference of 18° C. or less between a temperature at which the storage elastic modulus G? during a temperature increase at 5° C./min reaches 1×105 Pa and a temperature at which the storage elastic modules G? during a temperature decrease at 5° C./min reaches 1×105 Pa, upon measurement of viscoelasticity by using a rheometer of plate-to-plate distance: 1.5 mm, diameter: 20 mm.

Abstract: Provided are an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet that comprises a support, a toner image-receiving layer on at least one side of the support, wherein the toner image-receiving layer is formed from a coating liquid for the toner image-receiving layer and the coating liquid for the toner image-receiving layer comprises an aqueous dispersion that comprises a crystalline polymer, and an image forming method that employs the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic image receiving sheet including a support, and at least two toner image receiving layers formed over at least one surface of the support, wherein a mixture mass ratio M of a crystalline polymer and an amorphous polymer in each of the toner image receiving layers is defined as [A/(A+B)], where A represents a mass of the crystalline polymer (g), and B represents a mass of the amorphous polymer (g), and a mixture mass ratio M1 of the outermost toner image receiving layer which is located farthest from the support, and a mixture mass ratio M2 of the highest inner toner image receiving layer, which has the highest mixture mass ratio among the inner toner image receiving layers located under the outermost toner image receiving layer, satisfy the relation: M1<M2.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a support for image recording material, which can record high quality images without causing blister, unevenness of recording and unevenness of fixation; various image recording materials using the support for image recording material; and an image recording method. Therefore, the present invention provides a support for image recording material, comprising a base paper and at least one polyolefin resin layer formed on both surfaces of the base paper, wherein a front surface polyolefin resin layer at the side of the polyolefin resin layer, on which an image recording layer is formed, is composed of two or more layers, and an average density of an outermost front surface polyolefin resin layer, which is located farthest from the base paper, is less than that of at least any front surface polyolefin resin layers other than the outermost front surface polyolefin resin layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic image receiving sheet including a support, and at least two toner image receiving layers formed over at least one surface of the support, wherein a mixture mass ratio M of a crystalline polymer and an amorphous polymer in each of the toner image receiving layers is defined as [A/(A+B)], where A represents a mass of the crystalline polymer (g), and B represents a mass of the amorphous polymer (g), and a mixture mass ratio M1 of the outermost toner image receiving layer which is located farthest from the support, and a mixture mass ratio M2 of the highest inner toner image receiving layer, which has the highest mixture mass ratio among the inner toner image receiving layers located under the outermost toner image receiving layer, satisfy the relation: M1<M2.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image-receiving sheet for electrophotography which contains a support, and a raw paper, wherein the support contains at least one layer of a polymer coating layer on both surfaces of the raw paper and at least one layer of a toner image-receiving layer on a surface of the support; and the tensile strength in the Z-axis direction of the raw paper defined in the JAPAN TAPPI Paper and Pulp Test Method No. 18-1 is 350 kN/m2 to 650 kN/m2. The present invention also provides an image forming process using the image-receiving sheet for electrophotography.

Abstract: The present invention provides a support for image recording material etc. that can record high-quality images far from occurrences of blister, uneven recording or uneven fixing. In order to attain the object, a support for image recording material is provided that comprises a raw paper, and at least one polyolefin resin layer on both sides of the raw paper, wherein two or more polyolefin resin layers are disposed at the front side where an image recording layer is to be disposed, polypropylene resin is included within at least one polyolefin resin layer at the front side other than the outermost polyolefin resin layer at the front side, and the content A (% by mass) of polypropylene resin within the at least one polyolefin resin layer at the front side other than the outermost polyolefin resin layer is higher than the content B (% by mass) of polypropylene resin within the outermost polyolefin resin layer at the front side.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a support for image recording material, which can record high quality images without causing blister, unevenness of recording and unevenness of fixation; various image recording materials using the support for image recording material; and an image recording method. Therefore, the present invention provides a support for image recording material, comprising a base paper and at least one polyolefin resin layer formed on both surfaces of the base paper, wherein a front surface polyolefin resin layer at the side of the polyolefin resin layer, on which an image recording layer is formed, is composed of two or more layers, and an average density of an outermost front surface polyolefin resin layer, which is located farthest from the base paper, is less than that of at least any front surface polyolefin resin layers other than the outermost front surface polyolefin resin layer.

Abstract: An image recording material which has a support and an image recording layer containing a crystalline polymer and an amorphous polymer on at least one surface of the support, wherein the image recording layer has a storage elastic modulus G? at 100° C. of 1×102 Pa to 1×105 Pa during a temperature increase at 5° C./min, a storage elastic modulus G? at 60° C. of 1×106 Pa or more during a temperature decrease at 5° C./min and a temperature difference of 18° C. or less between a temperature at which the storage elastic modulus G? during a temperature increase at 5° C./min reaches 1×105 Pa and a temperature at which the storage elastic modules G? during a temperature decrease at 5° C./min reaches 1×105 Pa, upon measurement of viscoelasticity by using a rheometer of plate-to-plate distance: 1.5 mm, diameter: 20 mm.

Abstract: Provided are an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet that comprises a support, a toner image-receiving layer on at least one side of the support, wherein the toner image-receiving layer is formed from a coating liquid for the toner image-receiving layer and the coating liquid for the toner image-receiving layer comprises an aqueous dispersion that comprises a crystalline polymer, and an image forming method that employs the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image-receiving sheet for electrophotography which contains a support, and a raw paper, wherein the support contains at least one layer of a polymer coating layer on both surfaces of the raw paper and at least one layer of a toner image-receiving layer on a surface of the support; and the tensile strength in the Z-axis direction of the raw paper defined in the JAPAN TAPPI Paper and Pulp Test Method No. 18-1 is 350 kN/m2 to 650 kN/m2. The present invention also provides an image forming process using the image-receiving sheet for electrophotography.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a forming unit configured to form a latent electrostatic image on a latent electrostatic image bearing member based on a digital image; a developing unit configured to develop the latent electrostatic image with a toner to form a visible image; a transferring unit configured to transfer the visible image to one of an electrophotographic image receiving roll and an electrophotographic image receiving sheet; and a smoothing and fixing unit configured to smooth and fix the transferred image on one of the electrophotographic image receiving roll and the electrophotographic image receiving sheet to thereby form a series of electrophotographic prints and an electrophotographic print. In the apparatus, the hardware including the media, printer and unit for aftertreatment optimally matches with the toner, and the apparatus can produce high-quality images equal to silver-halide photographs.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet which can be more easily and efficiently manufactured and shows excellent image quality and glossiness, to provide a process for manufacturing the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet, and to provide a process for image formation using the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet. An electrophotographic image-receiving sheet which includes a support and a toner image-receiving layer which is to be disposed on at least one surface of the support and contains a thermoplastic resin, in which the electrophotographic image-receiving sheet is formed by soft calender treatment using a metal roller having surface temperature of glass transition temperature (Tg) of the thermoplastic resin minus 30° C. or more and the glass transition temperature plus 50° C. or less, so that the metal roller contacts a surface of the toner image-receiving layer.

Abstract: The invention provides an image forming method, comprising transferring a toner image to an electrophotographic recording sheet, layering the electrophotographic recording sheet on a fixing belt and heating and pressing the sheet, and cooling the electrophotographic recording sheet and separating the sheet from the fixing belt. The electrophotographic recording sheet comprises a support comprising cellulose pulp-containing base paper and a toner image-receiving layer comprising a thermoplastic resin disposed on the support. A shrinkage percentage of the electrophotographic recording sheet in a CD direction in the heating step is 1.3% or less. The support preferably further comprises either a polyolefin-containing layer or a coating that contains at least one selected from the group consisting of kaolin, a pigment, a resin, a rubber latex, or a polymer material and that is provided on one or both surfaces of the base paper.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a recording material support having superior excellent surface smoothness and water resistance compared to the related art, to a process for efficiently manufacturing this recording material support, to a recording material which can form an image having excellent quality and gloss using this recording material support, and to process for image formation using this recording material. For this purpose, the recording material support comprising at least raw paper satisfies at least one condition selected from the Cobb size (30 seconds) of the surface on the side provided with the image-forming layer of the support, Oken type smoothness, Stökigt sizing degree, central square average roughness (SRa) and variation amount (?SRa) of SRa.

Abstract: To provide an electrophotographic method and apparatus for forming images stably having a good, agreeable, and natural texture in gloss equivalent to conventional silver halide photographic prints, an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet for use in the formation of such images and such an electrophotographic print, an image forming process produces an electrophotographic print by fixing a toner image on an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet using a belt fixing device of cooling and separating system. In the electrophotographic print, a specular glossiness GsP(45°) and a reflected light scattering index GsP(*45±3°) of a black print image on the toner image-bearing surface of the electrophotographic print satisfy specific conditions.

Abstract: To produce an electrophotographic print with high image quality and good texture and with minimized curling, a method produces an electrophotographic print by fixing a toner image on an image bearing surface of an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet using a belt fixing and smoothing apparatus including a hot-pressing device, a belt member, a cooling device, and a cooling-releasing section, smoothing the toner image, and releasing the sheet, in which an amount of curling C (mm) of the electrophotographic print is controlled to be more than ?0.10 L and less than +0.05 L, wherein L is a length (mm) of a short side of the electrophotographic print; a negative value (?) of the amount of curling C means that the electrophotographic print curls toward its back side not bearing the image; and a positive value (+) of the amount of curling C means that the electrophotographic print curls toward its image-bearing surface.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an image-receiving sheet for the electrophotography which can form an image having excellent glossiness, a little concave and convex (relief) and a high image quality compared to that of a silver salt photograph, is excellent in adhesion resistance and shelf stability, and can mitigate an environmental load during the production thereof, and also an image-forming process using the image-receiving sheet for the electrophotography. For this object, the present invention provides an image-receiving sheet for the electrophotography comprising a support and a toner image-receiving layer disposed on the support, wherein the toner image-receiving layer comprises a thermoplastic resin which is a polyester resin having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of higher than 60° C., a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 5,000 to 12,000 and the ratio (Mw/Mn) between the weight average molecular weight (Mw) and the number average molecular weight (Mn) of 1?Mw/Mn?3.

Abstract: To provide an relief smoothing apparatus that smoothes an image on a recording sheet which is obtained by forming a polyolefin resin coating layer on a base sheet and forming a receiving layer, in which a toner image is infiltrated, on the base sheet, including: plural tension rolls including a first roll; an endless; a second roll; and a heating source, the recording sheet, in which provided that a surface temperature of the first roll is represented by Tn [° C.], a Vicat softening temperature of the polyolefin resin is represented by Tv [° C.], and a time required for the recording sheet to pass through the nip portion is represented by t [sec], the following relationship is established: (Tv+55)×(1+{fraction (1/100)} t)?Tn?(Tv+20)/(1+{fraction (1/100)} t) [° C.].

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a forming unit configured to form a latent electrostatic image on a latent electrostatic image bearing member based on a digital image; a developing unit configured to develop the latent electrostatic image with a toner to form a visible image; a transferring unit configured to transfer the visible image to one of an electrophotographic image receiving roll and an electrophotographic image receiving sheet; and a smoothing and fixing unit configured to smooth and fix the transferred image on one of the electrophotographic image receiving roll and the electrophotographic image receiving sheet to thereby form a series of electrophotographic prints and an electrophotographic print. In the apparatus, the hardware including the media, printer and unit for aftertreatment optimally matches with the toner, and the apparatus can produce high-quality images equal to silver-halide photographs.