PROCESS FOR THE REALIZATION OF TRANSFERABLE IMAGES SPECIALLY FOR WALLS

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a process for the: realization of transferable images on a surface as set forth in the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Generally, the walls of houses, gardens or buildings are usually painted with one or more continuous colours for each wall. In some valuable houses or premises the walls are decorated with simple, complex, monochrome or polychrome drawings. The simple decorations such as hems, lines, strips or simple figures are firstly drawn with a fine pencil stroke which can be erased (or are drawn with the same colour of the figure) and then are filled with the colour by means of a brush or a spray gun.

[0003] In case of decorations with brush and always in case of decorations with spray gun the outlines of the figure to be drawn are circumscribed by stencils so as to prevent the colour from smudging and to avoid haloes.

[0004] As for the more complex decorations, such as strips with geometric or curvilinear patterns, some stencils are being used, which are laid on the wall and coloured. The paint goes through the shaped holes of the stencil colouring the wall with the exact shape of the stencil.

[0005] In order to realize drawings with two or more colours it is necessary to use one stencil for each colour shortly after that the previous one is dried.

[0006] This kind of decorations is to be carried out by professional painters with the help of several stencils owing to the considerable exactness and ability required. In any case, even using the stencils it is impossible to carry out small decorations or to soften the colours. Said softened or small decorations have to be carried out manually by an expert painter or decorator.

[0007] Transfers are well known, that is, drawings painted on a sheet. of transfer paper. These drawings can be heat-transferred on various kind of materials by means of presses or calenders, but they can neither be transferred on rough surface nor have wide dimensions.

[0008] In GB-A 2 296 684 three different mural kits are described one of which comprises a paper sheet on which is printed a design outlet in reverse, using printing processes such as lithographic or silk screen. The print side of said paper sheet is pasted to a wall with a medium which partially loosens the ink from the paper sheet which, after a period of time, is peeled away from the wall leaving traces of the ink design outline. The distinct and separate areas may now be filled in by brushing with the desired paint colours.

[0009] In order to overcome to the above cited drawbacks a new process for decorations has been studied and carried out, which is characterized by the steps set forth in claim 1.

[0010] The new process allows to perform decorations with drawings, photographic images and processing-images realized by computers completely personalized.

[0011] The process for carrying out decorations or images transferred on a wall consists in the following phases.

[0012] Firstly, the image or the decoration to transfer on the wall is drawn by means of a computer. This phase can be performed scanning an existing image or modifying an existing image or realizing the image required by computer.

[0013] The digital image obtained is then processed, that is, its colours are corrected to balance the various chromatic differences between the monitor and the inks used, then the image is overturned in a specular way and if its dimensions are wide it can be divided into parts.

[0014] The image processed or divided is printed by means of proper electrostatic printer on a transfer paper using four colour inks (black, blue, red, yellow).

[0015] The image is not colour printed on supports or on separated sheets but all the colours are printed on the same support or transfer sheet.

[0016] An adhesive, preferably with polyvinyl alcohol, is laid on the toner spread on the transfer paper whereas, on the surface in which the image is to be painted, a thin adhesive binder layer having suitable chemical physical specifications - preferably equal or similar to the which ones of the inks used for the print of the image - is laid on.

[0017] Each transfer paper is placed on the wall in the right position so that the side with the image is turned towards the wall.

[0018] A pressure is performed on the transfer paper in order to get the ink of the image to adhere perfectly to the configuration of the wall and to transfer at the same time all the ink to the wall.

[0019] After this pressure operation the transfer paper is removed leaving the image, or the ink composing the image, on the adhesive binder spread on the wall.

[0020] If the image consists of many parts the process to be used for the other parts is the same as described until now.

[0021] Once all the parts of the image are applied on the wall, a transparent varnish is laid on the whole image so as to protect the ink and the image from dust and scratches and make the image more luminous.

[0022] The process above described offers many advantages as far as time, costs, resolution and dimensions are concerned.

[0023] The necessary time is limited to process the image by computer, to print it on a transfer paper, and to apply it on the chosen wall.

[0024] The costs for the image are moderate as it is not necessary to use expensive stencils or expensive printing systems.

[0025] The resolution obtained is very high as the digital printers can print continuous shading and single-coloured dots in the order of some split millimetres, which cannot be obtained by means of a normal typographic process and not even by a manual execution of the wall painting.

[0026] The actual dimensions of the image can be huge as the images with huge dimensions may be split up in several parts with smaller dimensions easier to handle.

[0027] The new process allows even a person who is not familiar with colours to obtain images with a simple application.

[0028] The new process allows to obtain complex decorations in a quick, simple and easy way, as well as photographic copies, and any simple and/or polychrome image, even with minute details, processed by computer; all these decorations and images can be performed on rough masonry surface.

[0029] If the decoration has to be removed, it can be easily covered with the same paint used for the wall or with a different one according to the user's preferences.

Claims

1. Process for the realisation of transferable images on a surface such as walls or the like, using a transfer paper onto which the image is printed in a specular way, the printed side of which is then pasted on said surface by means of an adhesive, whereupon the transfer paper is removed, characterized by the following steps:

a. processing the image in a computer,

b. printing the image in reverse onto said transfer paper,

c. spreading a layer of adhesive on the printed side of the transfer paper,

d. spreading a thin layer of binding agent on the surface to be decorated by the image,

e. positioning the printed transfer paper on the surface,

f. pressing the transfer paper against the surface,

g. removing the transfer paper.

2. Process according to claim 1 wherein the image transferred to the surface is coated by a transparent varnish.

3. Process according to claim 1 o 2, wherein the printing step is performed by means of an electrostatic printer.

4. Process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the adhesive layer in step c) contains polyvinyl alcohol.

Ansprüche

1. Verfahren zur Herstellung übertragbarer Bilder auf eine Oberfläche, beispielsweise von Wänden oder dergleichen, unter Verwendung eines Transferpapiers, auf welches das Bild spiegelbildlich gedruckt ist, wobei dann die bedruckte Seite mittels eines Klebstoffs auf die genannte Oberfläche geklebt und anschließend das Transferpapier abgezogen wird, gekennzeichnet durch die folgenden Schritte:

a. Erzeugen des Bildes in einem Computer,

b. Drucken des Bildes seitenverkehrt auf das Transferpapier,

c. Auftragen einer Klebstoffschicht auf die bedruckte Seite des Transferpapiers,

d. Auftragen einer dünnen Schicht eines Bindemittels auf die durch das Bild zu schmückende Oberfläche,

e. Positionieren des bedruckten Transferpapiers auf der Oberfläche,

f. Pressen des Transferpapiers gegen die Oberfläche,

g. Abziehen des Transferpapiers.

2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das auf die Oberfläche übertragene Bild mit einem transparenten Lack überzogen wird.

3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Druckphase unter Verwendung eines elektrostatischen Druckers durchgeführt wird.

4. Verfahren nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Klebstoffschicht gemäß Schritt c) Polyvinyl-Alkohol enthält.

Revendications

1. Procédé pour réaliser des images pouvant être reportées sur une surface, mur ou autre, en utilisant un papier de transfert sur lequel on reproduit l'image à l'envers pour appliquer le côté imprimé sur la surface par de la colle et pour ensuite retirer le papier de transfert, caractérisé par les étapes suivantes

a. réaliser l'image par ordinateur,

b. imprimer l'image à l'envers sur le papier de transfert,

c. appliquer une couche de colle sur le côté imprimé du papier de transfert,

d. appliquer une mince couche de liant sur la surface à décorer par l'image,

e. positionner le papier de transfert imprimé sur ladite surface,

f. presser le papier de transfert contre la surface,

g. retirer le papier de transfert.

2. Procédé selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par le fait que l'image transférée sur la surface est recouverte de laque.

3. Procédé selon la revendication 1 ou 2, caractérisé par le fait que la phase d'impression est effectuée en utilisant une imprimante électrostatique.

4. Procédé selon une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé par le fait que la couche de colle selon l'étape c) contient de l'alcool polyvinylique.