JP-2026075479-A - Thermal recording medium and image recording method

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a thermal recording medium that improves the abrasion resistance of the color ink layer by the thermal head and improves printing defects caused by the accumulation of ink residue on the thermal head due to the abrasion of the color ink layer. [Solution] A thermal recording medium comprising a support, a thermal recording layer disposed in a portion of the upper surface of the support, a color ink layer disposed in a portion of the upper surface of the support, a first protective portion disposed in at least a portion of the upper surface of the color ink layer, and a second protective portion disposed on at least the upper surface of the thermal recording layer. [Selection Diagram] Figure 1B

Inventors

• 野田 和正
• 松永 佳明

Assignees

• 株式会社リコー

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20241022

Claims (13)

1. Support and A thermal recording layer is disposed in a portion of the upper surface of the support, A color ink layer is disposed in a portion of the upper surface of the support, A first protective portion is disposed in at least a portion of the upper surface of the color ink layer, A second protective portion is disposed on at least the upper surface of the thermal recording layer, A thermal recording medium characterized by having the following features.
2. The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first protective portion or the second protective portion is disposed on the side surface of the color ink layer.
3. The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first protective portion or the second protective portion is disposed on the side surface of the thermal recording layer.
4. The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the color ink layer is disposed in a portion of the upper surface of the support, in a region different from the thermal recording layer which is disposed in a portion of the upper surface of the support.
5. The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the thermal recording layer is disposed in a portion of the upper surface of the color ink layer.
6. The first protective portion is arranged on at least the upper surface of the thermal recording layer. The second protective portion is positioned in a region of at least a part of the upper surface of the first protective portion that is facing at least a part of the thermal recording layer. The thermal recording medium according to claim 5.
7. The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the composition of the material of the first protective part and the composition of the material of the second protective part are the same.
8. The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first protective section and the second protective section are arranged in a continuous manner.
9. The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first protective portion does not contain an ultraviolet-curable resin.
10. The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the haze of the support is 5% or less.
11. The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the haze of the first protective section is 10% or less.
12. The thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the second protective portion contains wax and pigment.
13. An image recording method characterized by recording an image on a thermal recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 12 using a thermal head.

Description

This invention relates to a thermal recording medium and an image recording method. Conventionally, thermal recording media are widely known, which have a thermal recording layer on a support made of paper, synthetic paper, etc., utilizing the color reaction between electron-donating compounds and electron-accepting compounds. Conventional thermal recording media are manufactured by applying a thermal recording layer-forming liquid, which is made by mixing electron-donating compounds and electron-accepting compounds with resins such as polyvinyl alcohol, pigments such as calcium carbonate, and dispersants such as surfactants, and then dispersing the mixture into fine particles. This liquid is then applied to the entire surface of the support using coating methods such as air knife coaters, bar coaters, blade coaters, curtain coaters, and gravure printing, and then dried. Conventional thermal recording media, such as those described above, have a thermal recording layer forming solution applied to the entire surface of the support. This results in wasted thermal recording layer forming solution on areas that are not printed, leading to cost and environmental problems. Furthermore, when using thermal recording media with transparent supports as packaging materials for various containers such as PET bottles, forming the thermal recording layer across the entire surface of the support makes it difficult to see inside the packaging. Additionally, when heat-sealing thermal recording media into containers, if the thermal recording layer is formed across the entire surface of the support, the heating during heat sealing can cause discoloration. Therefore, a thermal recording medium has been proposed that, for example, by applying a thermal recording layer forming solution to a portion of the support where printing is required, the amount of thermal recording layer forming solution in the non-printed areas can be reduced, thereby reducing costs and environmental impact. Furthermore, when using a transparent support, the inside of the packaging material can be viewed from the areas of the support without a thermal recording layer. Additionally, color development due to heating during heat sealing can be reduced. (See Patent Document 1). Furthermore, as a technique for providing a thermal recording layer on a portion of a support, for example, a thermal film has been proposed in which a thermal layer is partially provided on at least one surface of the substrate, and a protective layer is applied to the entire surface of the thermal layer (see Patent Document 2). This proposed thermal film can suppress wear of the thermal head protective layer due to contact with the thermal film during printing. Furthermore, as a technique to improve the abrasion resistance of printed materials through a protective layer, for example, it has been proposed to overprint a UV-curable transparent varnish onto the printing ink (see Patent Document 3). Figure 1A is a schematic top view showing an example of a thermal recording medium according to the first embodiment.Figure 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line IB-IB in Figure 1A.Figure 2A is a schematic top view showing an example of a thermal recording medium according to the second embodiment.Figure 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the IIB-IIB line in Figure 2A.Figure 3A is a schematic top view showing an example of a thermal recording medium according to the third embodiment.Figure 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line IIIB-IIIB in Figure 3A.Figure 4A is a schematic top view showing an example of a thermal recording medium according to the fourth embodiment.Figure 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the IVB-IVB line in Figure 4A.Figure 5A is a schematic top view showing an example of a thermal recording medium according to the fifth embodiment.Figure 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line VB-VB in Figure 5A.Figure 6A is a schematic top view showing an example of a thermal recording medium according to the sixth embodiment.Figure 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the VIB-VIB line in Figure 6A.Figure 7A is a schematic top view showing an example of a thermal recording medium according to the seventh embodiment.Figure 7B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line VIIB-VIIB in Figure 7A.Figure 8A is a schematic top view showing an example of a thermal recording medium according to the eighth embodiment.Figure 8B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line VIII-VIIIIB in Figure 8A.Figure 9A is a schematic top view showing an example of a thermal recording medium according to the ninth embodiment.Figure 9B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the IXB-IXB line in Figure 9A.Figure 10A is a schematic top view showing an example of a thermal recording medium according to the tenth embodiment.Figure 10B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line XB-XB in Figure 10A.Figure 11A is a sche