A method for manufacturing a wear and tear-indicating product includes mixing an elastomeric material, an ink affinitive material and an ink repulsive material, followed by molding to obtain an ink receiving sheet; disposing a sublimation transfer paper including a sublimation ink on the ink receiving sheet; heat pressing the sublimation transfer paper, so that the sublimation ink is released from the sublimation transfer paper and permeates into the ink receiving sheet, so as to obtain a colored ink receiving sheet formed with multiple color indicating areas that contain the ink affinitive material and sublimation ink permeating thereinto; removing the sublimation transfer paper from the colored ink receiving sheet.

A method is provided for printing to a target. The method includes printing a first image to the target. The first image is printed with a metallic material. The method also includes printing a second image to the target over the first image. The second image is printed with a colored semi-transparent material.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a new polymer coating for low temperature plastics and plastic foams that allows for the application of disperse dyes in a sublimation process that preserves the original properties of the underlying plastic substrate. The composition includes an optically clear synthetic organic polymer base holding two layers, a first reflective layer supported by the low temperature plastic substrate that includes IR radiation reflecting additives, and a second layer supported by the first layer having light scattering particulate additives. The disperse dyes utilized in the invention may include additives to absorb IR radiation provided by an external IR source positioned above the disperse dyes causing the dyes to sublimate and diffuse quickly into the light scattering layer. The combination of these layers allows for diffusion of the disperse dye ink into the light scattering layer while protecting the low temperature plastic below.

The invention relates to a process for partial colouring, in particular colour laser engraving, of plastic parts, preferably of thermoplastic parts, very particularly preferably of thermoplastic parts comprising a layer construction, comprising the steps of: i) providing a plastic part (A) having at least one surface; ii) laying a colour tape atop at least one portion of the at least one surface of the plastic part (A) to obtain a surface of the plastic part (A) covered with the colour tape; iii) irradiating the plastic part (A) from ii) with focused, preferably nonionizing, electromagnetic radiation (C) on at least one portion of the surface of the plastic part (A) covered with the colour tape, wherein the partial colouring is effected essentially only at the sites on the plastic part (A) irradiated in step iii), wherein the wavelength range of the focused, preferably nonionizing, electromagnetic radiation (C) is in a range from 200 to 20 000 nm, preferably in a range from 300 to 18 000 nm, particularly preferably in a range from 350 to 16 000 nm.

Printing process in which a substrate to be printed is disposed opposite an ink carrier having an ink layer, the ink layer being irradiated regionally by a laser beam, said layer accelerating by absorption of the laser beam in the substrate direction, wherein for laser absorption the ink layer comprises reflective particles, a solvent, and a soluble polymer, wherein the reflective particles have an aspect ratio>25, the aspect ratio being defined as the average particle size/average particle thickness.

An ink set which is used for sublimation transfer includes a first ink, and a second ink. The first ink has a color after transfer of |a*|10 and |b*|10 in a CIELAB color space, and contains a first disperse dye dispersed by a first dispersion resin. The second ink has a color after transfer of |a*|>10 or |b*|>10 in the CIELAB color space, and contains a second disperse dye dispersed by a second dispersion resin. A glass transition temperature of the first dispersion resin and is different than that of the second dispersion resin.

Card substrate printers, such as credential production devices, are generally configured to print images to plastic substrates to form identification cards, driver's licenses, credit cards, and other items. The image printing process that is performed by the printer may be a direct-to-card printing operation, in which a print unit prints an image directly to a surface of the substrate. Alternatively, the image printing process may involve a reverse-image printing process, during which a print unit prints an image to an intermediate substrate, such as a transfer film, and the printed image is transferred from the intermediate substrate to a surface of the card substrate to complete the printing process.

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.

A method is provided for printing to a target. The method includes printing a first image to the target. The first image is printed with a metallic material. The method also includes printing a second image to the target over the first image. The second image is printed with a colored semi-transparent material.

A thermal transfer printer includes a first supply unit configured to supply an intermediate transfer medium in which, on one surface of a first base, a transfer layer including a receiving layer is disposed, a second supply unit configured to supply a thermal transfer sheet in which, on one of surfaces of a second base, a colorant layer and a particle layer are disposed, a printing unit configured to heat the thermal transfer sheet, to transfer a colorant from the colorant layer to the receiving layer to form an image, and to transfer the particle layer onto the receiving layer, a third supply unit configured to supply a transfer-receiving body, and a transfer unit configured to place the intermediate transfer medium and the transfer-receiving body on top of each other such that the transfer-receiving body faces the particle layer on the receiving layer, and to heat the intermediate transfer medium.