An apparatus for texturing a plastic substrate, while forming a dye sublimation image in the plastic substrate, wherein the plastic substrate has a first side and a second side, is provided. A textured cover is on a side of a platen, wherein the platen is on a first, untextured side of the textured cover. A first side of the dye carrier is on a second, textured side of the textured cover, and wherein the plastic substrate is supported on a second side of the dye carrier, wherein a first side of the plastic substrate is supported by the dye carrier, wherein the textured side of the textured cover has a texture to be transferred to the plastic substrate. A membrane is on the second side of the plastic substrate. A vacuum pump provides a vacuum between the membrane and the platen. A heater is positioned to heat the plastic substrate.

A carrying case for a portable electronic device is disclosed. Generally speaking, the protective case for a portable electronic device comprises a body section having a back surface and upturned sides, and a rim affixed to an edge of the upturned sides of the body sections, the rim defining an open area. Preferably, the body section is comprised of contrasting colors and forms a cavity defined by the back surface and the upturned sides. Further, the body section and the rim are preferably formed of the same material. A second protective section may be used to form a protective shell-like structure about the electronic device.

Various of the disclosed embodiments concern printing systems configured to deposit flexible dye sublimation inks onto flexible transfer materials. Together, the flexible ink and transfer material allow images to be transferred onto complex-shaped, i.e. non-planar, surfaces of a substrate. The flexible ink may be, for example, a thermoformable UV dye sublimation ink or a superflexible UV dye sublimation ink. In order to transfer an image onto the substrate, the transfer material is pressed onto the surface of the substrate. The substrate, transfer material, or both are heated to a temperature sufficient to cause the ink to sublimate. During the sublimation process, dye is able to permeate the substrate and form a transferred image. The flexible ink formulation may also include a soluble or solvent-sensitive component. In such embodiments, a solvent can be jetted onto the substrate and/or transfer material to remove residual ink.

Various of the disclosed embodiments concern printing systems configured to deposit flexible dye sublimation inks onto flexible transfer materials. Together, the flexible ink and transfer material allow images to be transferred onto complex-shaped, i.e. non-planar, surfaces of a substrate. The flexible ink may be, for example, a thermoformable UV dye sublimation ink or a superflexible UV dye sublimation ink. In order to transfer an image onto the substrate, the transfer material is pressed onto the surface of the substrate. The substrate, transfer material, or both are heated to a temperature sufficient to cause the ink to sublimate. During the sublimation process, dye is able to permeate the substrate and form a transferred image. The flexible ink formulation may also include a soluble or solvent-sensitive component. In such embodiments, a solvent can be jetted onto the substrate and/or transfer material to remove residual ink.

Provided is a textile printing paper for use in a paper printing method, the textile printing paper being excellent in color development on a printing substrate, transferred unevenness suppressing property and strike-through resistance while satisfying the requirements for adhesiveness of a printed paper to a printing substrate. The textile printing paper comprises a base paper and a glue layer on a surface of the base paper, the base paper having a sizing degree of 10 g/m.sup.2 to 40 g/m.sup.2 as measured according to JIS P 8140:1998.

An image recording method includes an intermediate image-forming step of forming an intermediate image by applying an ink to an intermediate transfer body, a temperature adjusting step, and a transfer step of transferring the intermediate image onto a recording medium in this order. The ink contains polymer particles and a surfactant which is at least one selected from a compound represented by general formula (1) and a compound represented by general formula (2). In the temperature adjusting step, a temperature of the intermediate image is adjusted to a temperature higher than or equal to a minimum film-forming temperature of the polymer particles. A temperature of the intermediate image in the transfer step is lower than the minimum film-forming temperature of the polymer particles.

The present invention relates to inkjet printable transfer media for transferring a sublimation dye and/or another functional active ingredient to a surface of an article by means of heat in a thermoformable process, to methods for preparing such inkjet printable transfer media and for providing at least a part of a surface of an article with sublimation dye and/or another functional active ingredient as well as the use of such inkjet printable transfer media in different technical fields.

The invention relates to a thermal sublimation paper which can be printed with inks containing a sublimatable dye, in particular ink-jet inks, in which paper a hydrophilic thermal transfer layer to be printed is formed on a porous base paper. Thermoplastic particles with an average particle size of between 0.3 and 5 μm and a melting point of between 35° C. and 190° C. are present in the thermal transfer layer. This thermal sublimation paper can be advantageously produced as follows: an aqueous coating slip is applied to a porous base paper having a Cobb value of between 55 and 150 g/m.sup.2, in particular between 70 and 150 g/m.sup.2, in a paper-making or coating machine, online or offline, said aqueous coating slip containing thermoplastic particles and constituents suitable for forming a hydrophilic thermal transfer layer, and a drying step is subsequently carried out in order to obtain the thermal sublimation paper. The thermal sublimation paper can be used advantageously to mint flat materials, in particular films and textiles.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for transferring an image onto a textile substrate using dye sublimation, the apparatus comprising: a flat support structure on which the textile substrate is laid with an ink transfer substrate; a heating element that rotates and applies heat while pulling the textile substrate and ink transfer substrate from the flat support structure towards the heating element; and a chevron-shaped brush with the vertex of the chevron pointing away from the heating element wherein the textile substrate and ink transfer substrate pass under the chevron-shaped brush before contacting the heat element. Also provided is a method for transferring an image onto a textile substrate using dye sublimation.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for transferring an image onto a textile substrate using dye sublimation, the apparatus comprising: a flat support structure on which the textile substrate is laid with an ink transfer substrate; a heating element that rotates and applies heat while pulling the textile substrate and ink transfer substrate from the flat support structure towards the heating element; and a chevron-shaped brush with the vertex of the chevron pointing away from the heating element wherein the textile substrate and ink transfer substrate pass under the chevron-shaped brush before contacting the heat element. Also provided is a method for transferring an image onto a textile substrate using dye sublimation.