A recording medium, including: an ink-receiving layer configured to receive an ink for inkjet recording; and a transparent sheet having a total luminous transmittance of 50% or more, wherein the recoding medium has a layered structure in which the transparent sheet and the ink-receiving layer are sequentially stacked, and the ink-receiving layer includes a gap-absorption-type ink-receiving layer including a composition including at least inorganic fine particles and polyvinyl alcohol having a weight-average polymerization degree of 2,000 or more and 5,000 or less and a saponification degree of 70 mol % or more and 90 mol % or less.

There are disclosed methods for producing curable elastomeric compositions comprising carbon black particles, as well as their corresponding cured products. Such compositions, once cured, can be used for the preparation of numerous articles of wide industrial applicability.

An apparatus and methods of decorating a metallic container are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration or indicia on a predetermined portion of an outer surface of a metallic container body. The decorator includes at least one digital print unit, a transfer blanket, and a support element. The digital print unit transfers a decorating material to the transfer blanket to form a decoration on the transfer blanket. The support element then moves a metallic container into contact with the transfer blanket. In this manner, the decorating material is transferred to an exterior surface portion of the metallic container to decorate the metallic container. In one embodiment, the digital print unit is an electrophotographic system which transfers a toner material to the transfer blanket. In another embodiment, the digital print unit includes an inkjet print head which transfers an ink to the transfer blanket. Optionally, the decorator may include two or more support elements.

Provided are a combination of a thermal transfer sheet and an intermediate transfer medium which is capable of accurately transferring only a transfer layer of the intermediate transfer medium desired to be transferred onto a transfer receiving article in the production of a print, and a thermal transfer sheet which is used in combination with an intermediate transfer medium. Also provided are a method for producing a print, comprising accurately transferring only a transfer layer of an intermediate transfer medium desired to be transferred onto a transfer receiving article, and a thermal transfer printer which is used in this method for producing a print. In the thermal transfer sheet which is used in combination with an intermediate transfer medium, inhibit layer 2 is disposed on substrate 1, and the inhibit layer 2 contains a carnauba wax.

An image formation apparatus according to an embodiment may include: a first image formation section configured to form a first image of a developer containing a lustrous pigment; a second image formation section configured to form a second image of a dyeing developer; and a transfer section configured to transfer the first image and the second image on a medium such that the first image and the second image are stacked to each other on the medium.

An intermediate transfer medium that allows formation of high-density images on a transfer layer while suppressing printing unevenness and provides good foil cutting properties of the transfer layer, a combination of the intermediate transfer medium and a thermal transfer sheet, and a method for forming a print using the intermediate transfer medium. In an intermediate transfer medium having a transfer layer on a substrate, the transfer layer has a single layer structure including only a receiving layer or a layered structure including the receiving layer. When the transfer layer has the layered structure, the receiving layer is located furthest from the substrate among layers constituting the transfer layer. The receiving layer contains a binder resin having a number average molecular weight of 8000-32000 and a release agent. The content of the release agent based on the total mass of the receiving layer is 6% by mass or more.

A thermal transfer sheet includes a substrate and a transfer layer, in which the transfer layer after transfer has a reduced peak height (Spk) of 0.6 μm or more. A method for producing a printed material using a thermal transfer sheet including a particle layer disposed on a substrate and an image-receiving sheet including a thermal protrusion-and/or-recess forming layer and a receiving layer stacked in that order on a second substrate, the receiving layer including an image that has been formed, includes the steps of heating the image-receiving sheet to form a protrusion and/or a recess at the image-receiving sheet, and heating the thermal transfer sheet to transfer the particle layer to at least part of the protrusion of the image-receiving sheet.

A process for producing a digital printed heat transfer, the process comprising the steps of: 1) obtaining a substrate having a release layer; 2) applying a primer suitable for electrophotographic toner to the release layer; 3) digitally-printing electrophotographic toner to define a graphic within a defined region of a substrate inclusive of both printed and unprinted areas within that region; 4) digitally printing a tacky viscoelastic binder in registration with the printed areas of the digitally-printed graphic; 5) applying a polyurethane-based powder adhesive to the defined region of said substrate; 6) removing loose powder adhesive that does not adhere to the defined regions of said graphic; and 7) fusing and bonding the adhesive to the digital printed graphic. The binder precisely secures the adhesive powder to the printed graphical areas. The result is then cooled to set the image for use as a heat transfer.

A substrate for an inkjet printer is described herein. The substrate comprises a material selected to provide high contrast reflected light and having a print material receiving surface with a neutral response to the print material.

A thermal transfer printing apparatus includes a first supply unit (70) supplying an intermediate transfer medium (10) including a receiving layer disposed on one surface of a support member, a second supply unit (51) supplying a thermal transfer sheet (20) including a colorant layer disposed on one surface of a substrate, a printing unit (50) heating the thermal transfer sheet (20) based on image data and printing an image by transferring ink from the colorant layer to the receiving layer, and a transfer unit (60) transferring, onto a transfer-receiving body (40), at least part of the intermediate transfer medium (19) including the receiving layer having the image printed thereon. The printing unit (50) prints an image in each corresponding one of a plurality of sub-regions into which the intermediate transfer medium (10) is divided in a transverse direction.