Description of the prior art At present, mainly silk-screen printing, offset and various modifications of thermographic transfer printing (thermal printing) are used for decoration of the surface of ceramic, glass and metal substrates with an image (note: thermographic transfer printing/thermal printing/is a method based in principle on a transfer of an image with the aid of a transfer film onto a substrate surface).

A disadvantage of the widely known method of decorating product surface, namely that of silk-screen printing, is a complicated preparation and the necessity to use a special equipment. Consequently, taking into account economic considerations, the silk-screen printing cannot be used in piece manufacture or in small series production of original products. Other shortcomings are problems with the colour register, due to which prints in photo-quality cannot be made, and problems connected with hygiene and ecology of manufacture, particularly as regards ink and solvent fumes generated during the production process, disposal of ink remains, etc.

An image of a better quality (what is known as photo-quality) can be attained by employing the offset printing. However, even in offset printing the economy is a limiting factor. Due to high demands posed by both technology and equipment, use of offset can be considered only if large product series, in the order of ten thousands of units, are to be produced.

From the above facts it is apparent that virtually the only technology suitable for decorating surface of smaller-series products, original in appearance, is thermographic transfer printing (thermal printing). In known methods of thermographic transfer printing (thermal printing), transfer films are used, onto which the required image motif (for instance a video camera shot, a photograph transferred into computer memory with a scanner, etc.) are printed on printers- primarily of sublimation, laser or ink types. Subsequently, the printed transfer film is pressed onto the appropriate substrate in a heat press or a manual fixture with ink particles creating the image, which adheres onto the surface of the adhesive layer coated onto the substrate. in comyisou witli tile silk-screen pli"li"g and offset the use uf allie uidina ! printing techniques is economically more advantageous. However, a shortcoming of these methods is not always a sufficiently good quality and primarily low resistance of the image created by the image transfer to damage.

A higher resistance of the image to damage can only be achieved by subsequent coating of the image with a protection transparent layer or covering (laminating) the image with a protective polymeric film. It is, however, evident that such treatment complicate the image transfer process thus increasing the amount of work required, demands placed on both material and equipment and, consequently, also the product price.

Nature of the invention The aforesaid shortcomings of the prior art in the field of product decoration can be eliminated to a significant degree by employing a semi-finished product for image anchoring and a method of anchoring the image thereon according to the present invention. The nature of the invention can be described as follows: the semi-finished product for anchoring the image comprises a substrate (base material) coated with an anchoring layer of curable saturated polyester polymer containing a latent hardener with the saturated polyester having acid number 5 up to 100 mg KOH/g and softening temperature exceeding 50 °C.

Advantageously, the polymeric anchoring layer is transparent and at least 10 pm. thick.

The substrate is primarily a material selected from a group of materials including glass, metal, both natural and artificial stones, ceramic and polymeric materials.

The nature of the method of anchoring the image on the semi-finished product according to the present invention can be described as follows: at first, the image depicted on the transfer film is transferred onto the surface of the anchoring layer of the semi-finished product by pressing the aforesaid film onto the surface of the anchoring layer for a period of 40 up to 1 minute at the temperature of 80 up to 250 °C; subsequently, the second stage of the process follows, in which the particles forming the image first diffuse into the structure of the anchoring layer while the semi-finished product is heated to a temperature of 100 up to 250 °C for two to twenty minutes and, subsequently, the aforesaid particles are fixed in the anchoring layer by curing.

Note: the above times of image transfer and fixation depend to a great extent on the temperature used, type, thickness and thermal conductivity of the substrate, thickness and material of the flexible mat, design of press and the baking oven.

The major advance in the art of the invention is high resistance of the image to <BR> <BR> surface damage as wet) as ik high durabimy. The above resistance and durability, which are much higher than those of the images created by the present techniques of silk-screen printing, offset as well as thermographic transfer printing (thermal printing), are given by the fact that the image is not formed by ink particles on the substrate surface (or its adhesive interlayer) but is fixed in the structure of the anchoring layer comprising the semi-finished product.

In addition, the image created in this way is characterised by its three- dimensional relief structure making contours (outlines) of the picture details more distinct. Such effect cannot be attained so easily employing other known methods of decorating product surfaces (i. e. silk screen printing, offset, and thermographic transfer printing).

Besides, the preparation of the semi-finished product as well as the method of anchoring the image thereon are simpler and economically more advantageous in comparison with the above mentioned techniques available for image decoration of product surfaces at present.

The transfer of a chosen image on the semi-finished product according to the present invention can be even done, if an instruction is followed, by the customer himself. What he only needs is an image printed or copied onto a common transfer film, the semi-finished product according to this invention supplied by the manufacturer as required by the customer (primarily as regards the type of the base material-substrate) and instructions describing essentially a modification of the common method of image anchoring on the semi-finished product according to the present invention. The whole process of image transfer and anchoring can be done utilizing a simple, e. g. a common daylight press and an oven.

Invention embodiments Embodiment 1 In this embodiment the semi-finished product for image anchoring comprises a ceramic tile the surface of which is coated with an image anchoring layer of curable saturated polyester containing a latent curing agent (hardener). The anchoring layer is transparent and 150 up to 250 pm thick.

In the embodiment of the method of image anchoring in the semi-finished product specified above, first a transfer film with an image was prepared.

Specifically, a mirror-like inverted image was copied onto a common transfer film (the CPM 6.0 type Magic Touch film) using a colour laser copier or printer (RICOH Aficio Colour).

Subsequently, the transfer film with the image thus prepared was deposited onto lle anchoring layer of the ceramic tile and covered with a flexible silicone rubber mat. The assembly was then pressed in a press with the upper platen heated to the temperature of 200 °C for 1.5 up to 2 minutes. As a result, the image located on the transfer film (or, as a matter of fact, pigment particles forming the image) was transferred onto the surface of the anchoring layer.

After release of the press, the transfer film was removed from the tile and the second stage of the process followed. In the second stage the tile was placed into an oven heated to the temperature of 220 °C for a period of 3 to 5 minutes.

In the oven first plastification of the anchoring layer and difusion of the particles forming the image into its structure (immersion of the image into the mass of the anchoring layer) took place. Subsequently, the anchoring layer was cured due to a change in the molecular structure of the material comprising the anchoring layer. As a result, the particles forming the image in the anchoring layer were fixed.

The process described above resulted in a ceramic tile provided with an image having a three-dimensional relief structure anchored in the anchoring layer with a smooth and glossy surface resisting to surface damage, variations of temperatures and effect of common chemicals.

Embodiment 2 In this case the semi-finished product for image anchoring was a metal sheet on the surface of which a layer of base bakable acrylic coat of white colour was applied and provided with a coat of the anchoring layer prepared from curable saturated polyester containing a latent curing agent (hardener). The anchoring layer was transparent and 30um thick.

In the embodiment of the method of image anchoring in the semi-finished product specified above, first a transfer film with an image was prepared.

Specifically, a mirror-like inverted image was copied onto a common transfer film (ForEver Multitrans) using a colour laser copier or printer (RICOH Aficio Colour).

Subsequently, the transfer film with the image thus prepared was deposited onto the anchoring layer applied on the metal sheet and covered with a flexible silicone rubber mat. The assembly was then pressed in a press with the heated upper platen at the temperature of 90 °C for 8 up to 10 minutes. As a result, the image located on the transfer film (or, as a matter of fact, pigment particles forming the image) was transferred onto the surface of the anchoring layer.

After release of the press, the transfer film was removed from the metal sheet and the second stage of the process followed. In the second stage the metal sheet was placed into an oven heated to the temperature of 160 °C for a period of 15 minutes. In the oven first plastification of the anchoring layer and difusiun of the particles forming the image into its structure (immersion of the image into the mass of the anchoring layer) took place. Subsequently, the anchoring layer was cured due to a change in the molecular structure of the material comprising the anchoring layer. As a result, the particles forming the image in the anchoring layer were fixed.

The process described above resulted in a metal sheet provided with an image having a three-dimensional relief structure anchored in the anchoring layer with a smooth and glossy surface resisting to surface damage, variations of temperatures and effect of common chemicals.