Printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function

Abstract

To provide a thermal transfer printer that can efficiently recover a thermal transfer ink layer of a thermal transfer ink ribbon without providing a device for heating the thermal transfer ink layer to a high temperature with good workability and prevent information leakage from a used thermal transfer ink ribbon.SOLUTION: A printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function includes: a thermal transfer ink ribbon supply mechanism that supplies a thermal transfer ink ribbon having a base material and a thermal transfer ink layer on the base material; a body to be transferred supply mechanism that supplies a body to be transferred; a printing mechanism that performs thermal transfer printing by a thermal head through the thermal transfer ink ribbon; and a thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism having a cooling section for cooling the thermal transfer ink ribbon after the printing to 0°C or lower and folding-back section for folding back the thermal transfer ink ribbon.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer that has a function of separating and recovering the thermal transfer ink from a substrate of a used thermal transfer ink ribbon, and that can prevent information leakage from the used thermal transfer ink ribbon. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, thermal transfer ink ribbons used in thermal transfer printers have a thermal transfer ink layer coated on a substrate such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film. When the thermal transfer printer is in use, the heat from the thermal head melts the thermal transfer ink layer, transferring it from the substrate to the target object. Therefore, used thermal transfer ink ribbons often have untransferred thermal transfer ink layers remaining on the substrate, but are discarded without being reused. Promoting the reuse of plastics and other materials is essential to reduce environmental impact and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

[0003] Furthermore, if used thermal transfer ink ribbons are discarded as they are, there is a risk that information may be leaked from the afterimage of the print. From the perspective of ensuring confidentiality, it is necessary to take some kind of measure to prevent information leakage when removing used thermal transfer ink ribbons from the printer. In other words, there is a demand for thermal transfer printers that have the function of recovering the thermal transfer ink (or substrate) from used thermal transfer ink ribbons and the function of preventing information leakage from used thermal transfer ink ribbons.

[0004] As a thermal transfer printer having the function of recovering thermal transfer ink from a used thermal transfer ink ribbon, for example, there is a thermal transfer ink recovery device that has a heater downstream of the thermal transfer printing device that heats and melts the ink layer on the transfer sheet after thermal transfer, a scraping blade that is in contact with the transfer sheet to scrape off the melted ink, and a collection container that collects the scraped ink (Patent Document 1).

[0005] Examples of thermal transfer printers that have the function of preventing information leakage from residual images on used thermal transfer ink ribbons include a thermal transfer printer (Patent Document 2) that has a mechanism for folding a used ink ribbon so that the ink layers face each other, and then fusing and fixing the opposing ink layers of the folded ink ribbon to each other and winding it up; a thermal transfer recording device (Patent Document 3) that presses a heating element against the outermost ink ribbon wound up in a winding section to fix the ink ribbon to the ink ribbon located inside the outermost ink ribbon, or that scrambles or erases residual images to make them illegible; and a thermal transfer system (Patent Document 4) that uses a pair of heating elements to transfer an erasure pattern to the outermost ink ribbon wound up in a winding section, thereby effectively erasing the transferred pattern remaining on the ink ribbon.

[0006] However, in Patent Document 1, the thermal transfer ink layer is heated and melted before being scraped off from the substrate, which requires a large amount of energy, particularly when the melting point of the thermal transfer ink layer is high, and the scraped off thermal transfer ink may harden in the collection container, making it difficult to remove. Patent Documents 2-4, like Patent Document 1, not only require a large amount of energy to heat and melt the thermal transfer ink layer, but also have no function whatsoever for recovering the thermal transfer ink (or substrate) from a used thermal transfer ink ribbon. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Actual Publication Showa 62-11651 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2008-80796 [Patent Document 3] JP 8-192562 [Patent Document 4] Patent Publication No. 2019-147269 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a thermal transfer printer that can efficiently and easily recover the thermal transfer ink layer of a thermal transfer ink ribbon without providing a device for heating it to a high temperature, and that can prevent information leakage from used thermal transfer ink ribbons. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The means for achieving the object of the present invention will be specifically described below.

[0010] The first invention is a printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function, which includes a thermal transfer ink ribbon supply mechanism that supplies a thermal transfer ink ribbon having a substrate and a thermal transfer ink layer on the substrate, a transfer recipient supply mechanism that supplies a transfer recipient, a printing mechanism that performs thermal transfer printing using a thermal head via the thermal transfer ink ribbon, a cooling unit that cools the thermal transfer ink ribbon to below 0°C after printing, and a thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism that includes a folding unit for folding back the thermal transfer ink ribbon.

[0011] The second invention is a printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function according to the first invention, characterized in that the folded portion has an edge with an angle of 90° or less, or in the case of a roll shape, the angle between the inlet direction and outlet direction of the thermal transfer ink ribbon is 90° or less.

[0012] The third invention is a printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function described in the first invention, characterized in that a scraping portion for scraping off the thermal transfer ink is provided in the folding portion and abuts against the thermal transfer ink ribbon.

[0013] The fourth invention is a printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function according to the first, second, and third inventions, characterized in that a heating section for heating the thermal transfer ink ribbon is provided before a cooling section for cooling the thermal transfer ink ribbon.

[0014] The fifth invention is a printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function according to the first, second, or third invention, which is used for thermal transfer printing with a thermal transfer ink ribbon, in which the substrate of the thermal transfer ink ribbon is a PET film, the thermal transfer ink layer is formed by laminating multiple inks in layers on the substrate, and at least one layer or multiple layers of the thermal transfer ink layer that do not directly contact the substrate contain wax, and the total solid content of the thermal transfer ink layer contains 30% or more of wax.

[0015] The sixth invention is a printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function according to the fifth invention, characterized in that a heating section for heating the thermal transfer ink ribbon to a temperature above the melting point of the wax is provided before the cooling section for cooling the thermal transfer ink ribbon.

[0016] The seventh invention is a printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function according to the first, second, or third invention, which is used for thermal transfer printing with a thermal transfer ink ribbon in which the substrate of the thermal transfer ink ribbon is a PET film, the thermal transfer ink layer is formed by laminating one or more inks in layers on the substrate, and the total solid content forming the thermal transfer ink layer contains 30% or more of an elastomer with a glass transition temperature of 0°C or lower. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function of the present invention allows the thermal transfer ink layer of a used thermal transfer ink ribbon to be recovered in its solid state without the need for a device that heats it to a high temperature, thereby enabling the thermal transfer ink layer to be recovered efficiently and with good workability, and furthermore making it possible to prevent information leakage from the used thermal transfer ink ribbon. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the angle formed between the approach direction and the delivery direction of the thermal transfer ink ribbon according to claim 2. FIG. [Figure 3]10 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism of the printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function described in claim 3. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism of the printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function according to claim 4. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function according to the present invention will be described in detail.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function according to the present invention. The printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function of the present invention includes a thermal transfer ink ribbon supply mechanism that supplies a thermal transfer ink ribbon having a substrate and a thermal transfer ink layer on the substrate, a receiver supply mechanism that supplies a receiver, a printing mechanism that performs thermal transfer printing on the receiver using a thermal head via the thermal transfer ink ribbon, and a means for separating and recovering the thermal transfer ink from the thermal transfer ink ribbon after printing, the means including a cooling unit that cools the thermal transfer ink ribbon transported from the printing unit, a folding unit that folds the thermal transfer ink ribbon immediately after the cooling unit, a thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism with a recovery container below the folding unit that recovers the thermal transfer ink that has fallen off the thermal transfer ink ribbon, and a thermal transfer ink ribbon take-up mechanism that winds up the thermal transfer ink ribbon after the thermal transfer ink has fallen off. Note that for clarity, the width and length of each part are shown schematically in Figure 1 compared to the actual embodiment. Furthermore, the thermal transfer ink ribbon supply mechanism, printing mechanism, and thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism are arranged in a straight line, but transport rolls, guide rolls (none of which are shown), etc. may also be installed, and the transport path may be configured appropriately.

[0021] The printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function of the present invention is characterized primarily by the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism among the above-mentioned mechanisms. The thermal transfer ink ribbon supply mechanism, the transfer object supply mechanism, the printing mechanism, and the thermal transfer ink ribbon take-up mechanism are not particularly limited, and the same mechanisms as those used in conventionally known thermal transfer printers can be used. The thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism will be described in more detail below.

[0022] The thermal transfer ink ribbon is unwound from the thermal transfer ink ribbon supply mechanism, and the transfer target material is unwound from the transfer target material supply mechanism, and transported to a printing mechanism equipped with a platen roll and thermal head. The thermal transfer ink ribbon and transfer target material, which are arranged opposite each other, pass between the platen roll and thermal head in a state of pressure contact, and printing is performed. After passing the thermal head, the thermal transfer ink ribbon after printing is transported to a thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism, where the thermal transfer ink not used in printing is recovered. Furthermore, the thermal transfer ink ribbon after the thermal transfer ink has fallen off is transported to a thermal transfer ink ribbon take-up mechanism and taken up.

[0023] The cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism must be able to cool the thermal transfer ink ribbon to a temperature of 0° C. or below, preferably -10° C. or below, and more preferably -20° C. or below. The thermal transfer ink ribbon is cooled by contacting a cooling / heating plate with the back side, ink side, or both sides of the thermal transfer ink ribbon, or by installing a housing with an inlet and outlet and capable of cooling the inside.

[0024] A folding section is provided immediately after the cooling section to fold the thermal transfer ink ribbon within a range that maintains the cooling effect. The thermal transfer ink in a thermal transfer ink ribbon tends to lose adhesion to the substrate at low temperatures. Therefore, the folding section is provided to apply stress to the thermal transfer ink ribbon immediately after cooling, causing the thermal transfer ink to fall off the substrate. The sharper the folding angle, the greater the effect of the thermal transfer ink falling off the substrate. Therefore, the folding section preferably has an edge with an angle of 90° or less, or, in the case of a roll, the angle between the entry direction and the exit direction of the thermal transfer ink ribbon (A in Figure 2) is preferably 90° or less. Furthermore, if the radius of the folding section is too large, the effect of the thermal transfer ink falling off the substrate is reduced. Therefore, the shape of the folding section, the edge radius in the case of an edge, or the roll radius in the case of a roll, is preferably 1.5 mm or less, more preferably 1.0 mm or less, and even more preferably 0.5 mm or less. Materials such as metal, glass, and plastic can be used without any particular restrictions.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the folded portion may be provided with a scraping portion in contact with the thermal transfer ink ribbon to scrape off the thermal transfer ink. By providing a scraping portion, it becomes possible to more effectively recover the thermal transfer ink, which tends to fall off the substrate, especially when the folded portion is in roll form. The scraping portion can be a scraping blade made of metal, plastic, or the like, or a brush roll made of metal, fiber, resin, or the like.

[0026] A collection container is installed below the folded section to collect the thermal transfer ink that has fallen off the substrate. The thermal transfer ink to be collected is solid, so it can be easily removed and collected without adhering to the collection container and making it difficult to remove, as is the case when the thermal transfer ink is melted and collected.

[0027] The substrate of the thermal transfer ink ribbon, from which the thermal transfer ink has fallen off after passing through the folded portion, is wound up and collected by a thermal transfer ink ribbon winding mechanism.

[0028] Among the various thermal transfer ink ribbons, a hot-melt ink ribbon can be suitably used as the thermal transfer ink ribbon used in the printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function of the present invention. Typically, a thermal transfer ink ribbon has a heat-melt thermal transfer ink layer on a substrate provided with a heat-resistant slip layer. The thermal transfer ink layer is a single layer, or a laminate of multiple layers such as a release layer, a colored ink layer, and an adhesive layer as needed. A PET film with a thickness of 2 to 12 μm is usually used as the substrate. The thermal transfer ink layer is a mixture of a thermoplastic resin, a binder such as wax, and a colorant such as a pigment or dye.

[0029] In particular, when the thermal transfer ink ribbon substrate is a PET film, the thermal transfer ink layer is formed by laminating multiple inks on the substrate, and one or more layers of the thermal transfer ink layer that do not directly contact the substrate contain at least wax, and the wax content of the total solid content of the thermal transfer ink layer is 30% or more, preferably 50% or more, and more preferably 70% or more, of the total solid content of the thermal transfer ink layer, the thermal transfer ink can be more effectively recovered in the printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function of the present invention. Furthermore, when using a thermal transfer ink ribbon of this configuration, as shown in Figure 4, a heating unit that can heat the thermal transfer ink ribbon to a temperature above the melting point of the wax is provided before the cooling unit, and the thermal transfer ink layer is heated and then cooled, thereby enabling even more effective thermal transfer ink recovery. This is because the wax in the layer of the thermal transfer ink layer that does not directly contact the substrate melts, dissolving the wax into the layer that is in direct contact with the substrate, increasing the wax content in that layer, further reducing the adhesion between the substrate and the thermal transfer ink layer when cooled to below 0°C. As the wax, conventionally used waxes such as polyethylene wax, carnauba wax, paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, montan wax, oxide wax, synthetic wax, etc. can be used, and two or more of these can also be mixed as needed.

[0030] Furthermore, when the substrate of the thermal transfer ink ribbon is a PET film and the thermal transfer ink layer contains 30% or more, preferably 50% or more, and more preferably 70% or more of an elastomer with a glass transition temperature of 0°C or lower based on the total solid content of the thermal transfer ink layer, the printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function of the present invention can more effectively recover the thermal transfer ink by lowering the temperature of the cooling section below the glass transition temperature of the elastomer. This is because the elastomer contained in the thermal transfer ink layer is rubbery and flexible at room temperature, but when cooled below its glass transition temperature, it loses its rubbery properties and flexibility, becoming unable to conform to the substrate at the folded portion and prone to falling off the substrate. Examples of elastomers that can be used include conventional elastomers such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), polyurethane, polyester, polyester urethane, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SBS), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer (SIS). These can also be mixed in combination as needed. [Example]

[0031] The printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. Hereinafter, when the amount of each material is expressed as "parts," it means "parts by weight" unless otherwise specified.

[0032] <Making thermal transfer ink ribbon> A thermal transfer ink ribbon was prepared by providing a thermal transfer ink layer of the following composition on one side of a 4.5 μm thick PET film having a heat-resistant lubricating layer on the other side.

[0033] (Thermal transfer ink ribbon 1) A coating liquid for the colored ink layer, consisting of 70 parts polyethylene wax (melting point 80°C), 15 parts ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (melting point 73°C), and 15 parts carbon black, was applied by gravure coating so that the coating thickness after drying would be 2 μm, and the resulting material was heated and dried to form a colored ink layer, producing thermal transfer ink ribbon 1.

[0034] (Thermal transfer ink ribbon 2) An adhesive layer coating liquid composed of 80 parts of carnauba wax (melting point 83°C) and 20 parts of terpene phenol resin (softening point 100°C) was applied onto the colored ink layer of the thermal transfer ink ribbon 1 using a gravure coating method so that the coating thickness after drying would be 1 μm, and the coating was heated and dried to form an adhesive layer, thereby producing thermal transfer ink ribbon 2.

[0035] (Thermal transfer ink ribbon 3) A release layer coating solution consisting of 70 parts polyethylene wax (melting point 80°C), 15 parts ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (melting point 73°C), and 15 parts terpene phenol resin (softening point 100°C) was applied by bar coating to a dry thickness of 0.5 μm and then heated and dried to form a release layer. A colored ink layer coating solution having the same composition as that of thermal transfer ink ribbon 1 was applied to the release layer by gravure coating to a dry thickness of 1.5 μm and then heated and dried to form a colored ink layer. An adhesive layer coating solution consisting of 30 parts carnauba wax (melting point 83°C), 20 parts ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (melting point 73°C), and 50 parts terpene phenol resin (softening point 100°C) was applied to the colored ink layer by gravure coating to a dry thickness of 1 μm and then heated and dried to form an adhesive layer, producing thermal transfer ink ribbon 3.

[0036] (Thermal transfer ink ribbon 4) A colored ink layer coating solution consisting of 10 parts polyethylene wax (melting point 100°C), 20 parts ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (melting point 73°C), 50 parts petroleum resin (softening point 100°C), and 20 parts carbon black was applied by gravure coating to a dry thickness of 1.5 μm and then heated and dried to form a colored ink layer. A coating solution for an adhesive layer consisting of 80 parts polyethylene wax (melting point 100°C) and 20 parts polyester resin (Mn 15000, Tg 67°C) was applied by gravure coating to a dry thickness of 0.6 μm and then heated and dried to form an adhesive layer, producing thermal transfer ink ribbon 4.

[0037] (Thermal transfer ink ribbon 5) A colored ink layer coating solution consisting of 40 parts (30% of the total solids in the ink layer) of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (melting point 73°C, glass transition temperature -28°C), 40 parts of petroleum resin (softening point 100°C), and 20 parts of carbon black was applied by gravure coating to a dry thickness of 1.5 μm and then heated and dried to form a colored ink layer. A coating solution consisting of 100 parts of polyester resin (Mn 15000, Tg 67°C) was applied by gravure coating to a dry thickness of 0.5 μm and then heated and dried to form an adhesive layer, producing thermal transfer ink ribbon 5.

[0038] <Printing and thermal transfer ink recovery test> Using the thermal transfer ink ribbons 1 to 5 (100 mm width x 100 m winding length), printing and thermal transfer ink recovery tests were carried out for each of the examples and comparative examples. (Printing method) Printing speed: 4inch / sec Print resolution: 300 dpi Printing energy: 0.15mJ / dot Transfer target: Yupo Corporation VES85 Printing pattern: A predetermined printing pattern consisting of characters and barcodes

[0039] Example 1 A printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function as shown in Figure 1 was prepared, and the temperature of the cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism was set to 0°C. A metal plate with an edge at a 90° angle and an edge radius of 1.0 mm was used at the folded section. The edge of the metal plate was placed 30 mm from the outlet of the cooling section so that it was perpendicular to the running direction of the thermal transfer ink ribbon as shown in Figure 1. The thermal transfer ink ribbon 1 was run along the edge of the metal plate to conduct printing and thermal transfer ink recovery tests.

[0040] Example 2 A printing and thermal transfer ink recovery test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the temperature of the cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism was changed to -10°C.

[0041] Example 3 A printing and thermal transfer ink recovery test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the temperature of the cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism was changed to -20°C.

[0042] Example 4 Printing and thermal transfer ink recovery tests were carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that thermal transfer ink ribbon 1 was changed to thermal transfer ink ribbon 2 and the folded portion was changed to a metal plate with an edge having an angle of 90° and an edge radius of 0.5 mm.

[0043] Example 5 Printing and thermal transfer ink recovery tests were carried out in the same manner as in Example 4, except that a heating section as shown in Figure 4 was installed before the cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism, and the temperature of the heating section was set to 90°C to heat the thermal transfer ink ribbon 2.

[0044] Example 6 A thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism with the configuration shown in Figure 3 was prepared, the temperature of the cooling section was set to 0°C, a metal roll with a roll radius of 1.5 mm was used in the turning-back section, the distance from the outlet of the cooling section until the thermal transfer ink ribbon and the metal roll first came into contact was 30 mm, the angle between the inflow and outflow directions of the thermal transfer ink ribbon was 70°, and the running direction of the thermal transfer ink ribbon was perpendicular to the axial direction of the roll. Furthermore, a nylon brush roll was installed in the turning-back section in contact with the thermal transfer ink ribbon as a scraping section to scrape off the thermal transfer ink, and a printing and thermal transfer ink recovery test was carried out using thermal transfer ink ribbon 3.

[0045] Example 7 Printing and thermal transfer ink recovery tests were carried out in the same manner as in Example 6, except that a heating section as shown in Figure 4 was installed before the cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism, and the temperature of the heating section was set to 90°C to heat the thermal transfer ink ribbon 3.

[0046] Example 8 Printing and thermal transfer ink recovery tests were carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that thermal transfer ink ribbon 1 was changed to thermal transfer ink ribbon 4, a heating section as shown in Figure 4 was installed before the cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism, and the temperature of the heating section was set to 110°C to heat thermal transfer ink ribbon 4.

[0047] Example 9 Printing and thermal transfer ink recovery tests were carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that thermal transfer ink ribbon 1 was changed to thermal transfer ink ribbon 5 and the temperature of the cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism was changed to -40°C.

[0048] (Comparative Example 1) A printing and thermal transfer ink recovery test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the temperature of the cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism was changed to 10°C.

[0049] (Comparative Example 2) A printing and thermal transfer ink recovery test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 4, except that the temperature of the cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism was changed to 10°C.

[0050] (Comparative Example 3) A printing and thermal transfer ink recovery test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 7, except that the temperature of the cooling section of the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism was changed to 10°C.

[0051] <Ink recovery rate evaluation> From the results of the ink recovery tests of Examples 1 to 9 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3, the ink recovery rate was calculated using the following formula 1. The amount of ink remaining before ink recovery was calculated by performing printing without using the thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism and calculating the applied amount and area of ​​the thermal transfer ink ribbon (width 100 mm × winding length 100 m = 10 m 2 ) calculated from the total ink amount {total ink application amount (g / m 2 )×10(m 2 The evaluation results were shown in Table 1, which was based on the following evaluation criteria. (Formula 1) Ink recovery rate (%) = {amount of ink recovered ÷ amount of ink remaining before ink recovery} x 100 (Evaluation criteria) ◎: Ink recovery rate is 70% or more ○: Ink recovery rate is 30% or more but less than 70% ×: Ink recovery rate is less than 30%

[0052] <Evaluation of residual images on used thermal transfer ink ribbons> The thermal transfer ink ribbons after the tests in Examples 1 to 9 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 were unwound and visually evaluated for residual images of the thermal transfer ink. The results were evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria and are shown in Table 1. ◎: No afterimage or completely unreadable ○: There are some areas where afterimages are slightly visible, but they are unreadable ×: Afterimage is legible

[0053] [Table 1] [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10: Thermal transfer ink ribbon 20: Transferee 30: Thermal head 40: Platen roll 50: Cooling section 60: Thermal transfer ink 70: Folded section 80: Ink collection container 90: Thermal transfer ink ribbon after ink recovery 100: scraping section 110: Heating part A: The angle between the inlet and outlet directions of the thermal transfer ink ribbon

Claims

1. A printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function, comprising: a thermal transfer ink ribbon supply mechanism that supplies a thermal transfer ink ribbon having a substrate and a thermal transfer ink layer on the substrate; a transfer recipient supply mechanism that supplies a transfer recipient; a printing mechanism that performs thermal transfer printing using a thermal head via the thermal transfer ink ribbon; a cooling unit that cools the thermal transfer ink ribbon to 0°C or below after printing; and a thermal transfer ink recovery mechanism that has a folding unit for folding back the thermal transfer ink ribbon.

2. 2. A printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function as described in claim 1, characterized in that the folded portion has an edge with an angle of 90° or less, or, in the case of a roll shape, the angle between the inlet direction and the outlet direction of the thermal transfer ink ribbon is 90° or less.

3. 2. The printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function according to claim 1, wherein the folded portion is provided with a scraping portion in contact with the thermal transfer ink ribbon for scraping off the thermal transfer ink.

4. 4. The printer with a thermal transfer ink recovery function according to claim 1, wherein a heating section for heating the thermal transfer ink ribbon is provided before a cooling section for cooling the thermal transfer ink ribbon.

5. 4. The printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the substrate of the thermal transfer ink ribbon is a PET film, the thermal transfer ink layer is formed by laminating a plurality of inks in layers on the substrate, the thermal transfer ink layer contains at least wax in one or more layers that do not directly contact the substrate, and the wax content of the total solid content forming the thermal transfer ink layer is 30% or more.

6. 6. The printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function according to claim 5, further comprising a heating section for heating the thermal transfer ink ribbon to a temperature exceeding the melting point of the wax, provided before the cooling section for cooling the thermal transfer ink ribbon.

7. The printer with thermal transfer ink recovery function according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3 is used for thermal transfer printing with a thermal transfer ink ribbon, the substrate of which is a PET film, the thermal transfer ink layer being formed by laminating one or more inks in layers on the substrate, and the total solid content forming the thermal transfer ink layer containing 30% or more of an elastomer having a glass transition temperature of 0°C or less.

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