Abstract
In laser thermal transfer printing using dye sublimation type medium, a high definition and continuous tone image can be obtained easily because a laser light is focused to small spot and heat energy can be controlled by the pulse width modulation of laser light. In this report, we focus on the laser light absorbing layer of double layered dye donor sheet. Carbon black, metal-phthalocyanine pigment and dye, metal complex organic compound, and cyanine dye are used as light-heat conversion materials. As experimental results of dye transfer from dye donor layer to receiving sheet by laser heating, each sample exhibits different dye transfer characteristics according to kind of light-heat conversion materials. By the measurement of absorption spectra of laser light absorbing layers after laser heating, it becomes clear that the phenomena such as the decomposition reaction and the crystal phase transformation of light-heat conversion materials are caused by laser heating. We have concluded that it is necessary for a high heat generation efficiency to have no change of IR light absorption by laser heating.
