Thermal dissolution ink transfer for full-color printing

A thermal dissolution ink-transfer printing (TDIP) method for full-color image reproduction was developed. The TDIP method employs a thermo-melting ink sheet, a thermal head, and synthetic acceptor paper. The acceptor paper can hold a solvent in the many minute pores on its surface. The TDIP operates by dissolving the ink with the solvent. The amount of ink dissolved is controlled by the modulation of energy applied to the thermal head. The printing energy for each color of the TDIP was 1 J/cm/sup 2/. It was possible to obtain a high-quality full-color image by triple overlay printing of yellow, magenta, and cyan colored ink layers.<
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