Provided is a thermal transfer sheet which has satisfactory printability and provides a printed matter having excellent boiling resistance. Disclosed is a thermal transfer sheet which is provided with a substrate, at least a transferable protective layer and a transferable color layer in this order on one side of the substrate, and is provided with a back face layer on the other side of the substrate, characterized in that the transferable protective layer contains a cyclic olefin-based polymer having a glass transition temperature of 100 C. or more as a main component and further contains an incompatible resin with the cyclic olefin-based polymer, and the transferable color layer contains a colorant and a phenolic resin having a softening point of 100 C. or more.

Provided is a thermal transfer sheet that can form a good image on both a transfer object made of a polyethylene terephthalate and a transfer object made of a polypropylene, as well as can form an image with high alcohol resistance. The thermal transfer sheet of the present invention includes a substrate, and a transfer layer including a colored layer and an adhesive layer, in which the adhesive layer has a phase-separated structure formed by a polyester and a polyolefin that are incompatible with each other, and in which the percentage of the region formed by one of the polyester and the polyolefin to the total area (100%) of the adhesive layer is 55% or more and 85% or less.

There is provided a transfer sheet with improvement in smudges and blurs of a transfer layer when printed matters are produced even after storing the transfer sheet under high temperatures. The transfer sheet according to the present invention comprises a substrate, and in the order a peel layer and a transfer layer on the substrate, wherein the peel layer contains a binder resin, a silicone oil and/or a wax component and the total contents of the silicone oil and the wax component in the peel layer is 0.1 mass % or more and 15 mass % or less, based on the solid content of mass of the binder resin.

A thermal transfer ink ribbon includes a backcoat layer, a ribbon base layer formed on the backcoat layer, a release layer formed on the ribbon base layer and containing resin and wax, an ink layer formed on the release layer and containing a first resin and a second resin, an aluminum layer formed on the ink layer, and an adhesive layer formed on the aluminum layer and containing resin and wax. The first resin is transparent or translucent and contains at least one of polyester resin, styrene-acrylic resin, and polyethylene resin. The second resin is transparent or translucent and contains at least one of polyurethane resin, polypropylene resin, acrylic resin, and methacrylic resin.

A panel includes a thermoset material, and an image comprising sublimation ink. The sublimation ink is absorbed in the thermoset material. The rigid component may be a rigid structure formed by the thermoset material. The panel may be for a bath or shower enclosure.

The thermal transfer sheet according to the present invention that has, in the order mentioned, a substrate, a colored layer, and an adhesion layer; and wherein the colored layer contains a colorant, polyester-based resin A, and polyester-based resin B; the number average molecular weight of the polyester-based resin A is not less than 15,000; the number average molecular weight of the polyester-based resin B is not more than 5,000; a content ratio by mass of the polyester-based resin A to the polyester-based resin B (polyester-based resin A/polyester-based resin B) in the colored layer is not less than 2/3 and not more than 9/1; and the adhesion layer includes a polyester-based resin.

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.

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.