Patent ID: 8372232

Claim:
A method of applying an image to a substrate, the method comprising positioning a release sheet material adjacent to a transfer layer to form a laminate, wherein the release sheet material defines a printed area forming an image and a non-printed area, wherein the transfer layer overlies a base sheet to form a transfer sheet material, and wherein the transfer layer comprises a film-forming binder and thermoplastic particles; heating the laminate in both the printed area and non-printed area causing the transfer layer to fuse to the release sheet material in the printed area forming a fused portion of the transfer layer, wherein transfer coating remains unfused in the non-printed area of the release sheet material; separating the release sheet material and the fused portion of the transfer layer from the laminate to form an intermediary transfer material, wherein the fused portion of the transfer layer overlays the image on the intermediary transfer layer and the unfused, non-printed area of intermediary transfer material remain on the transfer sheet material; positioning the intermediary transfer material so that the remaining fused portion of the transfer layer is adjacent to the substrate and the image is between the transfer layer and the release sheet material; heating the intermediary transfer material to transfer the transfer layer and the image to the substrate; and removing the release sheet material from the substrate so that the image is exposed on the substrate, wherein the image overlies the transfer layer and the transfer layer overlies the substrate.