A heat transfer film having a) a carrier film, b) at least one coating layer arranged directly on the carrier film, and c) at least one hot-sealable polymer adhesive layer is disclosed. The coating layer is based on a non-aqueous, radiation-curable, liquid composition which contains at least 60 wt %, based on the total weight of the composition, of curable constituents selected from organic oligomers which have ethylenically unsaturated double bonds. Use of the heat transfer films for the dry coating of surfaces, production of such heat transfer films, and methods for coating or lacquering surfaces of objects using the heat transfer films are also disclosed.

A laminated film is provided which has excellent shape appearance at winding and also excellent processability and is capable of achieving higher glossiness of printed objects, the laminated film containing a substrate layer (layer A) composed of a biaxially oriented polyester film and a coating layer (layer B) on at least one side of the layer A, wherein the crystal size of the (100) plane of the layer A obtained by an X-ray diffraction measurement is 4.5 nm or more and less than 6.0 nm, a higher heat shrinkage ratio of the laminated film at 150 C. for 30 minutes between a heat shrinkage ratio in the longitudinal direction and a heat shrinkage ratio in the width direction at 150 C. for 30 minutes is 0.5 to 2.5%, the layer B is located on at least one outermost surface layer, and a surface opposite to the surface having the layer B has a center line average roughness (SRa) of 5 to 15 nm.

A thermal transfer sheet, which includes a transfer layer, is superposed on a transfer receiving article, and while the transfer layer is continuously transferred onto the article by a printer comprising a sheet supplying device, heating device, sheet winding device, measuring device located between the heating and sheet winding devices to measure the tensile strength of the thermal transfer sheet conveyed along a conveyance path, and release device located between the heating and the measuring devices, under conditions including an applied power for printing: 0.15 W/dot and a conveying speed for the thermal transfer sheet: 84.6 mm/sec., the transfer layer transferred on the article is released from a constituent member in contact with the transfer layer of the thermal transfer sheet, has a tensile strength measured by the measuring device of 0.1 N/cm or less.

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.

A transfer paper used for a transfer printing method using sublimation textile ink, comprising a base paper and one or more coating layer(s) provided on at least one side of the base paper, wherein an outermost coating layer positioned on the outermost side with respect to the base paper contains at least a pigment, a binder, a polyacrylic acid salt and an acetylene glycol derivative, has image deterioration resistance, good color development property and excellent adhesion property.

A hot-stamping foil which is transferred to a transfer target by applying a transfer thermal pressure, including: a carrier that is a base film or a coated base film; a laminated optical decoration having a laminated optical structure formed on the carrier; a sinking control layer which contains a soft resin and a deformation limiting agent and is formed on the laminated optical structure; and an adhesive layer which is formed on the sinking control layer, wherein the adhesive layer contains a resin component which contains a thermoplastic resin having a glass transition temperature lower than room temperature and defines the thickness of the adhesive layer, and spacer particles which have a particle size larger than the thickness of the adhesive layer and some of which protrude from the resin component, and wherein the spacer particles sink into the sinking control layer after transfer thermal pressing.

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 thermal transfer sheet and intermediate transfer medium, and a print forming method, capable of forming a thermal transfer image having good transferability when transferring a transfer layer including a receiving layer onto a transfer receiving article, and capable of improving the durability of a print obtained by transferring the transfer layer including the receiving layer, on which the thermal transfer image has been formed, onto a transfer receiving article. The thermal transfer sheet includes a substrate, primer layer and colorant layer, wherein the primer layer contains one or more selected from the group consisting of particles derived from colloidal inorganic particles, polyvinyl alcohol resins, polyvinyl pyrrolidone resins, and polyurethane resins. The intermediate transfer medium includes another substrate, a protective layer, and a receiving layer, wherein the protective layer and the receiving layer are layered in this order on one surface of the another substrate.

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 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.