The purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer sheet which can prevent a kick and a scumming, and can form a photographic tone color image of high quality with a continuous tone image by sublimation transfer, while expanding the range of choices for colorants to be included in a colorant layer; a coating liquid for colorant layer to be used for forming the colorant layer of this thermal transfer sheet; a method for manufacturing this thermal transfer sheet; and image forming method employing this thermal transfer sheet. The problem is solved by a thermal transfer sheet (1) in which at least a colorant layer (3) is layered on a substrate sheet (2), wherein the colorant layer (3) contains a predetermined solvent, a colorant (10x) dispersible in the predetermined solvent, a dispersant, and a binder resin, and the dispersant being one or more selected from the group consisting of polyether-based dispersants, graft type polymer dispersants, acryl-based block type polymer dispersants, urethane-based polymer dispersants and azo-based dispersants.

The invention relates to recording material for dye sublimation printing comprising base paper (1) having a front and a rear side, at least one synthetic resin layer (4) on at least the rear side of the base paper (1), a dye-receiving layer (2) which is arranged on the front side of the base paper (1), at least one plastic film (3) which is arranged between the base paper (1) and the dye-receiving layer (2) and optionally a barrier layer which is arranged between the plastic film (3) and the dye-receiving layer (2), wherein the synthetic resin layer (4) has an elastic modulus of at least 0.8 GPa.

To provide a coating liquid for release layer with which a release layer having a small variation in the performance difference can be stably formed, to provide a method for producing a thermal transfer sheet using this coating liquid for release layer, and to provide a thermal transfer sheet having stable releasability. A thermal transfer sheet having a substrate, a release layer provided on the substrate, and a transfer layer provided on the release layer, wherein the transfer layer is provided peelably from the release layer, and the release layer contains a silsesquioxane.

A direct thermal and thermal transfer label combination is provided. The label includes a substrate, and the substrate includes a thermal print coating applied to a front side of the substrate. The label also includes a liner attached to a backside of the substrate along a first side of the liner. Further, an aqueous resin-based thermal transfer coating is applied to a second side of the liner. The front side of the label is capable of being imaged through direct thermal printing while the second side of the liner represents an opposite side of the label that is capable of being imaged through thermal transfer printing.

A thermal transfer sheet includes a dye layer disposed on a first surface of a substrate film. The dye layer includes a decolorizable dye. The decolorizable dye has a color difference ?E*ab between a color A and a color B of 10 or less, where the color A is a color of a transfer-receiving body before the decolorizable dye is transferred to the transfer-receiving body, the color B is a color of a portion of the transfer-receiving body with the decolorizable dye having been transferred thereto, and the color of the portion is a color after the portion is irradiated by a xenon lamp at an irradiation intensity of 1.2 (W/m.sup.2) for 50 hours, the portion having a reflection density of 0.5 or greater before being irradiated by the xenon lamp.

Provided is a thermal transfer image receiving sheet that is thin, resistant to curling, has favorable image quality and has opacity. A thermal transfer image receiving sheet of the present invention at least comprises an ink receiving layer, a first support, an adhesive layer and a second support laminated in that order, wherein the first support and the second support are provided with a foamed layer and a non-foamed skin layer laminated on both sides of the foamed layer.

A stratified support item for printing on a surface with sublimation inks is disclosed. The surface may include, for example, clothing items, such as T-shirts, sweatshirts or the like. The stratified support item includes a thermo-adhesive layer configured to adhere to the surface and at least one finish layer configured to receive said sublimation inks. The finish layer includes a powder, which is comprised of at least one from the group of (i) a polyester powder, and (ii) a polyamide powder, incorporated in a matrix of polymeric material.

The present invention relates to a dye-sublimation paper for printing with a solution containing at least one dye-sublimation dye, comprising a base paper having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, characterised in that the first surface is a hornified surface, in that a further layer for binding and/or fixing the dye-sublimation dye is applied to the first surface, and in that the dye-sublimation paper has a roughness on the coated side of ?4.5 ?m, measured according to ISO 8791-4, and a grammage of ?30 g/m.sup.2, measured according to ISO 536, and to a method for the production thereof, and to a dye-sublimation paper obtainable by this method.

A thermal transfer recording medium which includes a dye layer having storage stability and sufficient color development properties, and enables improvement in image quality of the printed matter. The thermal transfer recording medium according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, a heat-resistant lubricating layer provided on a first surface of the substrate, and a dye layer provided on a second surface of the substrate, wherein the dye layer includes a dye, a binder A, and a binder B which contains at least one of polyvinyl butyral and polyvinyl acetal, a solubility parameter of the binder A is within a range of 9.5 (cal/cm.sup.3).sup.1/2 or more and 12.0 (cal/cm.sup.3).sup.1/2 or less, and a melting viscosity of the binder A at 200 C. is 400 Pa sec or less.

The invention relates to a transfer material for the dye sublimation transfer method (sublimation paper) for printing an inkjet print image, comprising a substrate and an ink receiving layer, which layer contains a pigment and a binding agent, on the front face of the transfer material, the ink receiving layer being porous and thermoplastic particles being arranged on the ink receiving layer. The porous ink receiving layer, together with the thermoplastic particles arranged thereon, have an air permeance according to Bendtsen of greater than 100 ml/min and the thermoplastic particles have a diameter of 0.3 m to 5 m and a melting point of 60 C. to 170 C.