Abstract: A transfer film comprising a base film, a transfer layer, and a transfer auxiliary layer formed between the base film and the transfer layer so as to be in contact with at least the transfer layer, this transfer auxiliary layer having a melting point or a glass transition temperature lower than that of the transfer layer, wherein at least a portion of the transfer layer can be thermally transferred onto a substrate.

Abstract: The invention relates to a donor for thermal imaging comprising a base and dye layer, wherein said dye layer comprises yellow dye and binder in a ratio of 0.6 to 0.7, and said base has a thickness of between 3 and 5 micrometers.

Abstract: A thermal transfer sheet is equipped with an approval information of being approved as applicable to the predetermined printer. When the thermal transfer sheet is set on a printer and a determinator determines that the approval information is correct for the printer, the printer is interlocked with the determinator to actuate in the state where the thermal transfer sheet is set thereon. A front part of a thermal transfer sheet may be provided with a mark coded from the approval information. The mark may be formed of a material detectable with the light in a visible region or invisible region, a magnetic material, an electrically conductive material, a material responsive to microwave or a resonance circuit. The approval information may be recorded on an approval card, a resonance circuit or IC card which makes a pair with a thermal transfer sheet. In addition, a host system as a determinator may be connected to a facsimile as a printer via a communication circuit.

Abstract: Articles having a component with a surface defining microstructured features can be formed using thermal transfer elements. One example of a suitable thermal transfer element includes a microstructured layer having a surface defining microstructured features imposed on the microstructured layer. The thermal transfer element is configured and arranged for the transfer of at least a portion of the microstructured layer to a receptor while substantially preserving the microstructured features of that portion.

Abstract: A black matrix can be formed by thermal transfer on a receptor substrate for use, for example, in a display application. This black matrix can be used, for example, as a color filter black matrix or a TFT (thin film transistor) black matrix to provide contrast and/or to separate adjacent electrically-conducting components.

Abstract: A transfer sheet for an ink jet printer comprises a support, and a transfer layer which is capable of separating from the support and contains a hot-melt adhesive particle, and the hot-melt adhesive particle comprises a first porous hot-melt adhesive fine particle having an oil absorption of not less than 50 ml/100 g. The transfer layer may further comprise a second hot-melt adhesive fine particle having an oil absorption of less than 50 ml/100 g, a film-forming resin component, and a dye fixing agent. The hot-melt adhesive fine particle may comprise a nylon fine particle, and the average particle size thereof may be 1 to 100 mm.

Abstract: A thermal transfer recording material comprising a support having thereon an image transferring layer containing a coloring material represented by Formula (I), Formula (I): wherein each R11 and R12 is independently a substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic group; R13 is a substituent and n is an integer of 0 to 4, provided that when n is 2 or more, a plurality of R13s are the same or different; R14 is an alkyl group; and each R15 and R16 is independently an alkyl group having 3 to 8 carbon atoms.

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: In a thermal ink-transfer recording material comprising a support, and a primer layer and a thermal transferring ink layer which are superposed on the support in this order, the thermal transferring ink layer comprising a binder and a colorant dispersed in the binder, the primer layer is constituted of at least two types of resins that are not compatible with each other so that the recording material is separable at the interface between the support and the primer layer.

Abstract: A donor element adapted for use in making an OLED device including a donor support element; a light-absorbing layer disposed over the donor support element, which in response to light, produces heat; a host material layer disposed over the light-absorbing layer; and a dopant layer disposed over the host material layer such that when the donor element is placed in a transfer relationship with the OLED device and when light is absorbed by the light-absorbing layer, heat is produced that causes the vaporization transfer of host materials and dopant materials from the light-absorbing layer to cause at least partial mixing in the OLED device.

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: The invention provides a heat-sensitive recording material including, as a heat-fusible substance, a derivative of a higher fatty acid in which one or more hydrogen atoms in an alkyl group are replaced with hydroxyl groups, and a preferable derivative of the higher fatty acid is a derivative of 12-hydroxystearic acid. The invention also provides a heat-sensitive recording method, which includes the steps of applying thermal energy via a thermal head having an uppermost layer whose carbon content is 90% or higher, to a heat-sensitive recording material.

Abstract: The present invention provides a security element which is low in cost, is difficult to forge or alter, and can be applied to objects where a high level of security is required. The security element comprises at least a substrate and a fluorescent colorant layer provided on the substrate, wherein the fluorescent colorant layer comprises N species of fluorescent colorants Fn, wherein N is an integer of 2 or more and n is an integer of not less than one and not more than N, in the same layer, and the fluorescent colorant Fn absorbs light with a wavelength of &lgr;n and emits fluorescence with a wavelength of &lgr;n+1.