Thermal print assembly

Example 1

[0078] Print Assembly I-1P includes a dye-receiving layer and a dye-donor layer. The dye-receiving layer was made of CAP-482-20 prepared by dissolving 5.04 gm of CAP-482-20 in 74.96 gm of dichloromethane, coating the solution onto a 100-micron thick Estar® polyester support at a dry thickness coverage of 5 microns, and drying at room temperature. The dye-donor layer was made by dissolving 5.04 gm of polymer PC-1 in 74.96 gm of dichloromethane, adding 0.24 gm of the dye Magenta #1, whose structure is given below, coating the solution onto the dried dye-receiving layer at a dry thickness coverage of 5 microns, drying overnight at room temperature, and then drying at 60° C. for several hours.

[0079] The dye was partitioned between the dye-donor layer and the dye-receiving layer by placing the print assembly between two heated platens and holding the assembly at 140° C. under a pressure of 0.35 to 0.70 MPa for 10 minutes. The print assembly was removed from between the heated pl

Example 2

Dye-Donor Element I-1

[0087] A dye-donor element was prepared by coating the following layers in the order recited on a first side of a 4.5 micron poly(ethylene terephthalate) support:

[0088] (1) a subbing layer of a titanium alkoxide (Tyzor TBT® from E.I DuPont de Nemours and Company) (0.16 g / m2) from n-propyl acetate and n-butyl alcohol solvent mixture, and

[0089] (2) a dye-donor layer containing the cyan dyes illustrated below in the following amounts: cyan dye #1 at 0.093 g / m2, cyan dye #2 at 0.084 g / m2, and cyan dye #3 at 0.21 g / m2; ethyl cellulose (EC-461, Scientific Polymer Products, Inc.) binder at 0.22 g / m2; and divinyl benzene beads at 0.0084 g / m2 coated from a solvent mixture of 75 wt. % toluene, 20 wt. % methanol, and 5 wt. % cyclopentanone.

[0090] Dye donor element I-1 contains, in addition to the cyan dye #1 found in Table 1, two additional cyan dyes having similar structures and solubilities.

[0091] On a second side of the support, a slipping laye

Example 3

Dye-Donor Element I-9

[0101] A dye-donor element was prepared the same as dye-donor element I-1 except that the dye-donor layer contained the magenta dyes illustrated below as follows: Magenta dye #1 at 0.0700 g / m2, Magenta dye #2 at 0.0642 g / m2, and Magenta dye #3 at 0.1462 g / m2, ethyl cellulose (Ethocel 45, Dow Chemical Company) binder at 0.2967 g / m2, and 2 micron divinyl benzene beads at 0.0054 g / m2 coated from a solvent mixture of 75 wt. % toluene, 20 wt. % methanol and 5 wt. % cyclopentanone.

[0102] Dye donor element I-9 contains, in addition to the magenta dyes #1 and #3 found in Table 1, one additional magenta dye having similar structure and solubility.

Dye-Donor Elements I-10 Through I-13 and Comparative Element C-5

[0103] Dye-donor elements I-10 through I-13 and comparative element C-5 were prepared the same as dye-donor element I-9, except that the ethyl cellulose (Ethocel 45) in the dye-donor layer was replaced by the polymers listed in Table 4.

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