Transfer Printing with Clear Ink for Uniform Hot-Melt Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink jet printing methods face issues with transfer unevenness and increased costs due to the use of non-water-repellent transfer sheets and limited flexibility in printing conditions, particularly when transferring images without a white ink layer, leading to quality deterioration and unnecessary image transfer to non-designated areas.
Innovation Solution
A printing method using a combination of colored and clear inks, where the clear ink is applied to regions with low ink coverage to enhance hot melt resin adherence, thereby improving image transfer quality and preventing transfer unevenness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a white ink layer is formed on the image printed with color inks, then the image can be appropriately represented on dark-colored transfer-receiving medium, but unnecessary portions such as margins are transferred which impairs the design and texture of the transfer-receiving medium
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of different regions on the transfer medium. The clear ink is selectively applied only to low gradation regions (areas with less color ink coverage) rather than uniformly across the entire image area. This localized application ensures that sufficient resin adherence is provided where needed (in low ink coverage areas) while avoiding unnecessary material application in high coverage areas, thereby preventing unwanted transfer of margins and preserving the design integrity of the transfer-receiving medium.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs partial action by applying clear ink only to specific regions (low gradation areas) rather than the entire image. This partial application is sufficient to achieve the desired effect of improving resin adherence in critical areas without the excessive action of coating the whole surface, thus avoiding transfer of unnecessary portions while still achieving adequate image representation.
2Loss of substance
If the hot melt layer is formed in accordance with the image without forming on the entire surface of the transfer medium, then only necessary parts for representing the image can be transferred, but transfer unevenness occurs in low gradation regions due to insufficient resin adherence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses transfer unevenness by applying local quality through selective clear ink application. Low gradation regions, which have insufficient color ink and thus poor resin adherence, receive additional clear ink to compensate. This localized enhancement ensures uniform transfer quality across the entire image without requiring excessive resin or material application in high gradation regions, thereby maintaining both material efficiency and transfer uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of ink composition by introducing clear ink as an additional component. This parameter change allows modification of the local ink properties in low gradation regions, improving resin adherence and ensuring uniform transfer quality without changing the overall printing process or requiring excessive material application across the entire image.
3Manufacturing precision
If clear ink is applied to low gradation regions, then hot melt resin adherence is enhanced and transfer unevenness is reduced, but the complexity of the printing process increases due to multiple ink types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the clear ink to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a binder enhancement agent in low gradation regions, provides additional adhesion promoter where color ink is sparse, and maintains compatibility with the existing color ink system. This multi-functionality allows a single clear ink formulation to address multiple issues (resin adherence, transfer uniformity) without requiring multiple specialized ink types or complex process changes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method ensures better image transfer by increasing hot melt resin adherence in low gradation regions, reducing transfer unevenness, and maintaining image quality without the need for a white ink layer, while utilizing cost-effective and flexible printing conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the clear ink is further ejected from the clear ink head to at least a part of a region to which the colored ink is ejected from the colored ink head in the printing stage
Implementation Method 2
heated and pressurized in a state where the hot melt layer is further formed on the entire surface of the transfer medium to transfer the image from the transfer medium to the transfer-receiving medium
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2(a)~2(c)
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is a printing method for drawing an image on a transfer-receiving medium by transferring the image printed on a transfer medium (50) to the transfer-receiving medium, the method including: a printing stage of printing the image on the transfer medium (50) with a printing unit (14), which is a printing device; a hot melt resin adhering stage of causing hot melt resin powder to adhere to the transfer medium (50); and a transfer stage of transferring the image from the transfer medium (50) to the transfer-receiving medium, in which the printing unit (14) includes a colored ink head that ejects a colored ink and a clear ink head that ejects a clear ink, and in the printing stage, the clear ink is further ejected from the clear ink head to at least a part of a region to which the colored ink is ejected from the colored ink head in the transfer medium (50).