Process for controlling the gloss of a thermal dye transfer image
US6184181A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 1999 |
| Grant date | Feb 6, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 30, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T428/249994
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A process of controlling the gloss of a thermal dye transfer image comprising: PA1 (a) imagewise-heating a dye-donor element comprising a support having thereon a dye layer comprising an image dye in a binder, the dye-donor being in contact with a dye-receiving element, thereby transferring a dye image to an image-receiving layer of the dye-receiving element to form the dye transfer image; and PA1 (b) thermally transferring a protection layer on top of the transferred dye image, the protection layer being applied from an element which contains unexpanded synthetic thermoplastic polymeric microspheres, the microspheres having a particle size in the unexpanded condition of from about 5 to about 20 .mu.m, the protection layer being transferred using a given energy level in order to expand the microspheres until a desired gloss level is obtained.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.