The thermal transfer sheet according to the present invention that has in the order mentioned, a substrate, a release layer, a colored layer, and an adhesion layer; and is characterized in that the colored layer contains a colorant and a polyester-based resin; the adhesion layer contains a polyester-based resin; a ratio of the thickness of the release layer to the total thickness of the colored layer and the adhesion layer (the thickness of the release layer/(the thickness of the colored layer+the thickness of the adhesion layer)) is not less than 2/3 and not more than 3/2; and the total thickness of the release layer, the colored layer, and the adhesion layer is not less than 1.0 m and not more than 2.0 m.

An image forming method including preparing a thermal transfer sheet having a dye layer on a substrate, the dye layer containing a sublimable dye, preparing a decorative seal having a seal base material on a release sheet, the seal base material having a layered structure of an adhesive layer and a film layered in this order from the release sheet side, the film containing a resin having a dyeing affinity to the sublimable dye contained in the dye layer, and the film having an elongation percentage of not less than 150% and not more than 400% when determined by a test method in conformity with JIS-K-7127:1999, and thermally transferring the sublimable dye in the dye layer onto the seal base material by sublimation thermal transfer process, thereby forming a thermal transfer image on the seal base material.

Provided is a thermoplastic resin film comprising a base layer (A) containing a thermoplastic resin and a coating layer (B) provided on at least one surface of the base layer (A), the coating layer (B) containing components derived from (a) an emulsion containing resin particles formed from an olefin-based copolymer and (b) an ethyleneimine-based resin, wherein the thermoplastic resin film is characterized in that a volume-average particle size of the resin particles contained in the emulsion is from 0.1 to 0.72 m. The thermoplastic resin film has good coloring performance during printing using gold ink and/or silver ink, has conventional transferability and adhesiveness even in hot melt transfer, and shows little generation of paper dust.

A thermal transfer image-receiving sheet of the present disclosure is characterized by including a substrate, a heat-sensitive recess-forming layer, and a receiving layer, in which the heat-sensitive recess-forming layer has a thickness of 40 m or more, and a recess to be formed by application of an energy of 0.27 mJ/dot from a side of the receiving layer through a film including a 1-m-thick back layer disposed on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) film having a thickness of 4 m has a depth of 5 m or more.

A visual security feature is provided that is disposed on a target. The visual security feature includes two substantially transparent layers. At least one of the two substantially transparent layers is present in an image-wise pattern.

The present invention provides a thermal transfer sheet which can provide a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet capable of forming a printed product of high designability, provides a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet capable of forming a printed product of high designability and a method for forming a printed product, and provides a printed product of high designability.

In a thermal transfer sheet 100 in which a transfer layer 10 is provided on a substrate 1, the transfer layer 10 has a layered structure in which a receiving layer 2, an intermediate layer 3, and a masking layer 4 are layered in this order from the side of the substrate 1, and the intermediate layer 3 contains inorganic particles.

There is provided a heat-sensitive transfer recording medium which is able to better suppress the occurrence of abnormal transfer during high-speed printing using a high-speed printer of sublimation transfer type and is able to improve transfer sensitivity in high-speed printing. The heat-sensitive transfer recording medium includes a base (10), a heat-resistant lubricating layer (20) formed on one surface of the base (10), an underlying layer (30) formed on the other surface of the base (10), and a dye layer (40) formed on a surface of the underlying layer (30), which is on the other side of a surface facing the base (10). In the heat-sensitive transfer recording medium, the underlying layer (30) has a major component that is a copolymer of polyester having a sulfonic group on a side chain and acrylic having at least one of a glycidyl group and a carboxyl group.

A method for manufacturing a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet support that can be used to obtain a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet that maintains its gloss and that has excellent handleability and high condition uniformity while preventing the formation of air bubbles in an adhesive layer. A resin is supplied to one side of a substrate, which is passed between a cooling roller A and a rubber roller A. A porous film is stacked on another side of the substrate through a resin, and the substrate is passed between a cooling roller B and a rubber roller B. The cooling rollers A and B have surfaces with a ten-point average roughness (Rz) of 5 to 30 m and 0 to 20 m, respectively. The rubber rollers A and B have a rubber hardness (durometer (Type A)) of 60 to 95 and 50 to 80, respectively.

Provided is a support for a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet, capable of obtaining a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet that has favorable stability against curl and is excellent in the texture of a print surface in the case of print under the environmental conditions of high temperature and high humidity. A support for a thermal transfer image-receiving sheet according to the present invention includes a porous layer composed of a porous film, a first polyolefin resin layer, a substrate layer, and a second polyolefin resin layer that are layered in the order mentioned, in which the first polyolefin resin layer has a density of 0.93 g/cm.sup.3 or less; and the second polyolefin resin layer has a density of more than 0.93 g/cm.sup.3.

A method for enabling D2T2 printing onto non-D2T2 printable substrates uses a diffusible primer material provided on a dye-sheet or ribbon. The primer comprises a polymer, a release agent and a plasticizer. The release agent and the plasticizer are diffused into the substrate, while the polymer remains on the dye-sheet or ribbon. Printing of the primer onto the PC substrate is controlled via a computer image program corresponding to a colored image. This computer image program also controls the printing of the colored image at the primed locations. Accordingly, image-wise treatment of a plastic material via the primer selectively renders the PC substrate surface D2T2 printable at the point of personalization, providing for a 100% PC full card body having the colored image.