Abstract: A control section 9 of a thermal printer 1 performs CMYK/RGB-gray conversion, gradation conversion, halftone conversion for an input image data 3, and performs shift processing and rotation processing in accordance with the resolution and the number of lines of the thermal printer 1. The control section 9 performs heat-accumulation correction processing for the image data subjected to the halftone processing, and the image data subjected to the shift processing and the rotation processing, and then prints a hairline image. When a circular hairline is printed, the control section 9 defines a pattern of circular hairlines, and produces a horizontal hairline pattern.

Abstract: A method of controlling the luminance of a transmissive board at the moment of transmissive illumination by providing the steps of determining a criterion number of ink transfers by roughly controlling the luminance of the highest luminance at the moment of transmissive illumination to closely reflect the lowest transmissive luminance on the board, determining the criterion area-ratio by the minor control of the luminance on the board so that the higher luminance most closely reflects the luminance of the lowest luminance on the board, and equalizing the luminance of all luminance on the board so that all luminance is controlled to be the lowest luminance of the transmissive board at the time of transmissive illumination by a light source by the transfer of ink according to a prepared processing number. Also provided is the transmissive board wherein the transmissive luminance is controlled by the method of the invention.

Abstract: A variable display structure having a first transmission layer that transmits only a first wavelength light and a second transmission layer that transmits only a second wavelength light are provided on a base layer. The variable display structure displays a first shape or a second shape, depending on the wavelength of emitted light. A first light adjustment layer located at overlapping portions where the first shape and the second shape overlap with each other, and a second light adjustment layer to cover the entire layer face of the base layer, are further formed on the base layer. The transmission characteristics of the second light adjustment layer are the same as the transmission characteristics of the first transmission layer.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer for film capable of thermal transfer printing on a plastic film. The thermal transfer printer for film is provided with a conveyance for conveying the plastic film along a predetermined path, an ink ribbon moving mechanism which includes a holder for holding a plurality of ink ribbons 11 and moves an ink ribbon selected arbitrarily from the plurality of ink ribbons to a print position arranged on the predetermined path, and a print head which prints on the plastic film by heating the ink ribbon moved to the print position.

Abstract: A control section 9 of a thermal printer 1 performs CMYK/RGB-gray conversion, gradation conversion, halftone conversion for an input image data 3, and performs shift processing and rotation processing in accordance with the resolution and the number of lines of the thermal printer 1. The control section 9 performs heat-accumulation correction processing for the image data subjected to the halftone processing, and the image data subjected to the shift processing and the rotation processing, and then prints a hairline image. When a circular hairline is printed, the control section 9 defines a pattern of circular hairlines, and produces a horizontal hairline pattern.

Abstract: A control section 9 of a thermal printer 1 performs resolution conversion, gradation conversion, and CMYK color separation for input image data 3. After that, for image data of each color, the control section 9 performs shift processing for double-tone printing, to thereby obtain two types of image data. The control section 9 performs dot conversion and reverse shift processing for these image data, and prints the two types of image data in a superposed state. In the shift processing, the control section 9 shifts the image data of each color by the number of pixels corresponding to the resolution of the thermal printer 1 and the number of lines per inch. At that time, the image data of each color may be shifted by the corresponding number of pixels which differs among the colors. Further, for some colors, single-tone printing is performed, rather than double-tone printing, to thereby reduce the number of times of overprinting.

Abstract: A method for controlling luminance of a transmissive board at the moment of transmissive illumination, in a short time, at a low cost. The luminance of a control object is made the target luminance by a rough control step of printing ink having a constant light transmittance on a front side or a back side of the control object in a transmissive board. The rough control step is repeated a number times within a range such that the luminance does not exceed the target luminance. The ink is printed on the front side or the back side by controlling the amount of the ink to be printed to a unit area in accordance with a luminance difference between the target luminance and the control luminance which is not eliminated in the rough control step.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer for film capable of thermal transfer printing on a plastic film. The thermal transfer printer for film is provided with a conveyance for conveying the plastic film along a predetermined path, an ink ribbon moving mechanism which includes a holder for holding a plurality of ink ribbons 11 and moves an ink ribbon selected arbitrarily from the plurality of ink ribbons to a print position arranged on the predetermined path, and a print head which prints on the plastic film by heating the ink ribbon moved to the print position.

Abstract: A gradation representing method capable of representing a wide range of high-quality gradation is provided. A gradation representing method of a predetermined unit region 1 by changing area ratio of ink to be recorded in the unit region 1, wherein the gradation of the unit region 1 is represented by recording a first ink recorded at an area ratio of almost 100% in the unit region and a second ink with changing area ratio are recorded overlappedly in the unit region 1.

Abstract: There are provided a thermal transfer film which can yield an image formed object possessing excellent fastness or resistance properties such as excellent abrasion resistance and lightfastness, has good sensitivity in transfer, and is free from blocking during storage in a roll form, a thermal transfer recording medium, and a method for image formation using them. The thermal transfer film comprises: a substrate; and one or a plurality of layers provided on one side of the substrate, the one or plurality of layers including at least a thermal transfer layer, the thermal transfer layer being located on the uppermost surface of the thermal transfer film, the thermal transfer layer comprising at least two polyester resins different from each other in number average molecular weigh.

Abstract: There are provided a thermal transfer film which can yield a thermally transferred print possessing excellent fastness or resistance properties such as excellent abrasion resistance, lightfastness, and alteration preventive property, is less likely to cause damage to an object, is free from a deterioration in quality of the print, and does not incur an increase in production cost, a method for image formation using the thermal transfer film, and an image formed object. The thermal transfer film according to the present invention comprises a substrate and one or a plurality of layers including a thermal transfer layer provided on one side of the substrate, the thermal transfer layer being located on the uppermost surface of the thermal transfer film, a convex being provided on a part of the thermal transfer layer.

Abstract: There are provided a method for image formation which can produce an image formed object possessing excellent fastness or resistance properties such as excellent abrasion resistance, lightfastness, and alteration preventive properties, is less likely to cause damage to an object, is free from a deterioration in image quality, and does not incur an increase in production cost, and an image formed object. In the method for image formation, an intermediate transfer recording medium comprising a substrate and a light transparent protective layer provided on the substrate, and a first thermal transfer recording medium comprising a substrate and a light transparent ink layer provided on the substrate are first provided. The intermediate transfer recording medium and the first thermal transfer recording medium are put on top of each other. The assembly is imagewise heated to form a light transparent image on the light transparent protective layer in the intermediate transfer recording medium.

Abstract: There are provided a method for image formation which can produce an image formed object possessing excellent fastness or resistance properties such as excellent abrasion resistance, lightfastness, and alteration preventive properties, is less likely to cause damage to an object, is free from a deterioration in image quality, and does not incur an increase in production cost, and an image formed object. In the method for image formation, an intermediate transfer recording medium comprising a substrate and a light transparent protective layer provided on the substrate, and a first thermal transfer recording medium comprising a substrate and a light transparent ink layer provided on the substrate are first provided. The intermediate transfer recording medium and the first thermal transfer recording medium are put on top of each other. The assembly is imagewise heated to form a light transparent image on the light transparent protective layer in the intermediate transfer recording medium.

Abstract: There are provided a thermal transfer film which can yield an image formed object possessing excellent fastness or resistance properties such as excellent abrasion resistance and lightfastness, has good sensitivity in transfer, and is free from blocking during storage in a roll form, a thermal transfer recording medium, and a method for image formation using them. The thermal transfer film comprises: a substrate; and one or a plurality of layers provided on one side of the substrate, the one or plurality of layers including at least a thermal transfer layer, the thermal transfer layer being located on the uppermost surface of the thermal transfer film, the thermal transfer layer comprising at least two polyester resins different from each other in number average molecular weigh.

Abstract: There are provided a thermal transfer film which can yield a thermally transferred print possessing excellent fastness or resistance properties such as excellent abrasion resistance, lightfastness, and alteration preventive property, is less likely to cause damage to an object, is free from a deterioration in quality of the print, and does not incur an increase in production cost, a method for image formation using the thermal transfer film, and an image formed object. The thermal transfer film according to the present invention comprises a substrate and one or a plurality of layers including a thermal transfer layer provided on one side of the substrate, the thermal transfer layer being located on the uppermost surface of the thermal transfer film, a convex being provided on a part of the thermal transfer layer.

Abstract: A thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprises a substrate sheet and a dye receptor layer disposed on at least one surface side of the substrate sheet, the dye receptor layer comprising a copolymer comprising styrene compound monomer and acrylic compound monomer and a plasticizer selected from the group consisting of phosphoric ester compounds, phthalic acid ester compounds, trimellitic acid ester compounds and dibasic aliphatic acid ester compounds. The thermal transfer image-receiving sheet is capable of forming an image excellent in density of coloring, sharpness/clearness and durability in various aspects, in particular light resistance.

Abstract: A thermal transfer image receiving sheet comprising a substrate sheet and a dye receptive layer formed on at least one side of said substrate sheet, wherein a hydrophilic porous layer comprising a thermoplastic resin and hydrophilic porous particles, and an electric conductive releasing layer comprising cationic acrylic resin and cellulose acetate, are formed in this order on the opposite side of the surface on which is formed said dye receptive layer of said substrate sheet.

Abstract: An image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing comprises a substrate, a color receptor layer formed on one surface of the substrate, and a back surface layer formed on an other surface of the substrate. The back surface layer comprises thermoplastic resin and hydrophilic porous microsilica which is obtained by a wet process and has a pore volume of from 0.2 to 3.0 ml/g. It is possible to write with any kind of writing means on the back surface layer, and a stamp can be stuck thereon. When printing information is recorded on the color receptor layer of the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing, the image-receiving sheet therefor is converted into a printed material which may be used as a picture postcard.

Abstract: A thermal transfer image-receiving sheet having a dye-receiving layer, which is excellent in reaction rate of a release agent, coating strength of a release layer and releasability from a thermal transfer sheet. The thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprises a substrate sheet and a dye-receiving layer provided on at least one surface of the substrate sheet, wherein the dye-receiving layer contains a release agent mixture comprising an addition-polymerizable silicone and a hydrogen-modified silicone or wherein the dye-receiving layer has on its surface a release layer comprising an addition-polymerizable silicone and a hydrogen-modified silicone. The present invention relates also to a process for producing the above thermal transfer image-receiving sheets.

Abstract: A thermal transfer image-receiving sheet having a dye-receiving layer, which is excellent in reaction rate of a release agent, coating strength of a release layer and releasability from a thermal transfer sheet. The thermal transfer image-receiving sheet comprises a substrate sheet and a dye-receiving layer provided on at least one surface of the substrate sheet, wherein the dye-receiving layer contains a release agent mixture comprising an addition-polymerizable silicone and a hydrogen-modified silicone or wherein the dye-receiving layer has on its surface a release layer comprising an addition-polymerizable silicone and a hydrogen-modified silicone. The present invention relates also to a process for producing the above thermal transfer image-receiving sheets.