Patent ID: 8182631
Filing Date: 2012-05-22
Classification: B44C

Abstract:
1. An image-forming method, comprising the steps of: providing a heat-sensitive transfer sheet having a thermal transfer layer containing a thermal transferable dye; providing a heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet having at least one heat insulation layer containing hollow polymer particles and at least one receptor layer containing at least one latex polymer, in this order on a support; superposing the heat-sensitive transfer sheet on the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet so that the thermal transfer layer of the heat-sensitive transfer sheet and said at least one receptor layer of the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet are brought into contact with each other; feeding the heat-sensitive transfer sheet and the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet through between a thermal head and a rotatable platen roller, while being sandwiched between the thermal head and the rotatable platen roller so that the heat-sensitive transfer sheet is positioned at the thermal head side, with the thermal head having heating elements which supply a heat energy according to an image signal and which are aligned in a main scan direction, thereby to move the heat-sensitive transfer sheet and the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet in a sub scan direction approximately perpendicular to the main scan direction; supplying an image data to the heating elements of the thermal head; and peeling off the heat-sensitive transfer sheet from the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet, at a given distance from the heating elements, thereby to form an image on the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet, wherein the thermal head has a glaze formed in a convex shape, with the glaze being provided with the heating elements, and wherein a position of a convex vertex of the glaze is shifted to an upstream side in the sub scan direction, with respect to a position of the center of the heating elements.