Thermal transfer image printing method, apparatus, device, and storage medium

Abstract

The application discloses a heat transfer image printing method, device and equipment and a storage medium, and relates to the field of inkjet printing technology. The method comprises the following steps: generating a first color target which does not include a black component, adjusting a white ink channel curve of a printer, printing the first color target onto a heat transfer medium to obtain a to-be-transferred color target; transferring the to-be-transferred color target onto a black printing substrate to obtain a second color target; and obtaining a color management configuration file of the printer according to the second color target. After the color management configuration file is obtained, the printer prints a to-be-printed image onto the heat transfer medium according to the color management configuration file, and the obtained heat transfer image can utilize the base color of the black printing substrate to form an image, thereby saving ink cost and improving the heat transfer image quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of inkjet printing technology, and in particular to a thermal transfer image printing method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, when using heat transfer printing to print images on substrates such as T-shirts, the image to be printed is first printed onto a heat transfer medium such as heat transfer paper or film using inkjet printing. Specifically, a layer of colored ink (e.g., formed by spraying CMYK inks) is first sprayed onto the heat transfer medium, followed by a layer of white ink. This creates the image to be transferred. Finally, a powder-spraying process is performed, where a layer of heat transfer powder is applied to the image. The heat transfer powder and white ink adhere together, and then heat is applied to transfer the white ink and the colored inks on top to the substrate such as the T-shirt. When the substrate is black, using the substrate's base color directly as the black for the heat transfer image can save on ink costs. Therefore, black areas in a color image can be replaced with the black background of the substrate, while gray areas require white ink and a background color. Color areas are composed of cyan, magenta, yellow, and white ink plus a background color. Thus, the amount of white ink directly affects the quality of the final heat transfer image. If there is too little white ink, there will be insufficient heat transfer powder adhering to the white ink, preventing the white ink and its accompanying colored inks from properly detaching from the heat transfer medium and adhering to the substrate. This will result in a decreased image transfer rate and affect the quality of the transferred image. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a method, apparatus, device and storage medium for printing thermal transfer images, in order to solve the problem in the prior art that insufficient white ink leads to poor image transfer quality when performing thermal transfer on a black substrate.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for printing thermal transfer images, the method comprising:

[0005] Generate a first color target, wherein the first color target includes a colored ink layer and a white ink layer;

[0006] The colored ink layer is printed onto a heat transfer medium to obtain a colored ink target;

[0007] Increase the initial ink output of the printer's white ink channel and adjust the white ink channel curve accordingly;

[0008] According to the white ink channel curve, a white ink layer of the first color target is printed on the surface of the colored ink target to obtain the color target to be transferred.

[0009] The target color to be transferred is transferred onto a black substrate to obtain a second target color;

[0010] Obtain the printer's color management configuration file based on the second color target;

[0011] The image to be printed is printed onto the heat transfer medium according to the color management configuration file.

[0012] Preferably, the first color target includes a colored ink layer and a white ink layer, wherein the white ink layer includes multiple gray color blocks, and the colored ink layer includes multiple colored color blocks of different colors, wherein the color of the colored color blocks is composed of any one or more of a cyan component, a magenta component, a yellow component, and a white component.

[0013] Preferably, increasing the initial ink output of the printer's white ink channel and adjusting the white ink channel curve accordingly includes:

[0014] Obtain the white ink channel curve of the printer, wherein the X-axis of the coordinate system in which the white ink channel curve is located has a value range of 0% to 100%, the Y-axis has a value range of 0% to 100%, and the white ink channel curve includes an original start point and an original end point;

[0015] Adjust the Y-coordinate value of the original starting point so that the Y-coordinate value is a value A, where A is a real number greater than the Y-coordinate value of the original starting point;

[0016] To get a new start;

[0017] The new white ink channel curve is obtained by adjusting the white ink channel curve according to the new starting point and the original ending point.

[0018] Preferably, before adjusting the Y-coordinate value of the original starting point so that the Y-coordinate value is the value A, the method further includes:

[0019] Establish a lookup table between the value A and the heat transfer image transfer rate;

[0020] The value A is selected from the lookup table according to preset conditions.

[0021] Preferably, the value of A ranges from 15% to 20%.

[0022] Preferably, obtaining the printer's color management configuration file based on the second color target includes:

[0023] Obtain the color value of each color block in the first color target to obtain the first color data;

[0024] The second color data is obtained by collecting the color information of each color block in the second color target using a spectrophotometer.

[0025] The color management configuration file is obtained based on the first color data and the second color data.

[0026] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide a thermal transfer method, the method comprising:

[0027] A first thermal transfer image is obtained by printing an image to be printed onto a thermal transfer medium according to the thermal transfer image printing method as described in any of the first aspects.

[0028] Heat transfer powder is applied onto the first heat transfer image to obtain the second heat transfer image;

[0029] The second heat transfer image is transferred onto the surface of a black substrate.

[0030] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention provide a thermal transfer image printing apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

[0031] The first color target generation module is used to generate a first color target, wherein the first color target includes a colored ink layer and a white ink layer;

[0032] The first printing module is used to print the colored ink layer onto a heat transfer medium to obtain a colored ink target.

[0033] The white ink adjustment module is used to increase the initial ink output of the printer's white ink channel and adjust the white ink channel curve accordingly.

[0034] The second printing module is used to print a white ink layer of the first color target on the surface of the color ink target according to the white ink channel curve, so as to obtain the color target to be transferred.

[0035] The transfer module is used to transfer the color target to be transferred onto a black substrate to obtain a second color target.

[0036] The configuration file acquisition module is used to acquire the color management configuration file of the printer based on the second color target;

[0037] The third printing module is used to print the image to be printed onto the thermal transfer medium according to the color management configuration file.

[0038] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention provide a thermal transfer image printing apparatus, comprising: at least one processor, at least one memory, and computer program instructions stored in the memory, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, the method of the first aspect described above is implemented.

[0039] Fifthly, embodiments of the present invention provide a storage medium storing computer program instructions thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implement the method of the first aspect described above.

[0040] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0041] The thermal transfer image printing method, apparatus, device, and storage medium provided in this invention involve generating a first color target, wherein the first color target includes a colored ink layer and a white ink layer; printing the colored ink layer onto a thermal transfer medium to obtain a colored ink target; increasing the initial ink output of the printer's white ink channel and adjusting the white ink channel curve accordingly; printing the white ink layer of the first color target onto the surface of the colored ink target according to the white ink channel curve to obtain a target to be transferred; transferring the target to be transferred onto a black substrate to obtain a second color target; and obtaining the printer's color management configuration file based on the second color target. After obtaining the color management configuration file, the printer controls the CMYKW channels to print the image to be printed onto the thermal transfer medium according to the color management configuration file. The resulting thermal transfer image can utilize the background color of the black substrate to form the image, saving ink costs and achieving better transfer to the black substrate, thus improving the quality of the thermal transfer image. Attached Figure Description

[0042] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort, and these are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of the thermal transfer image printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the colored ink layer of the first color target in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the white ink layer of the first color target in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the white ink channel curve in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the new white ink channel curve according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a thermal transfer image printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a thermal transfer image printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present invention will now be described in detail. To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only configured to explain the present invention and are not configured to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can be practiced without some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is merely intended to provide a better understanding of the present invention by illustrating examples of the invention.

[0051] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0052] Example 1

[0053] This invention provides a method for printing thermal transfer images. The method controls an inkjet printer to print an image to be thermally transferred. After toner removal, the image is printed onto a black substrate, such as a black T-shirt or black fabric, using a heat-pressing method. Please refer to... Figure 1 The method specifically includes the following steps:

[0054] S1: Generate a first color target, wherein the first color target includes a colored ink layer and a white ink layer;

[0055] S2: Print the colored ink layer onto a heat transfer medium to obtain a colored ink target;

[0056] S3: Increase the initial ink output of the printer's white ink channel and adjust the white ink channel curve accordingly;

[0057] S4: Print the white ink layer of the first color target on the surface of the colored ink target according to the white ink channel curve to obtain the color target to be transferred.

[0058] S5: Transfer the color target to be transferred onto the black substrate to obtain the second color target;

[0059] S6: Obtain the color management configuration file of the printer based on the second color target;

[0060] S7: Print the image to be printed onto the heat transfer medium according to the color management configuration file.

[0061] Before printing an image on a heat transfer medium, a corresponding color management profile needs to be created. The printer controls the ink output of each color channel (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, White) according to the color management curve to print the image onto the heat transfer medium. The color management profile is typically created by printing color targets or color tables onto the heat transfer medium, then transferring the color targets from the heat transfer medium to a black substrate. A spectrophotometer is then used to scan each color patch in the color target transferred to the black substrate to obtain the color data of each patch. Considering that the image can be constructed using the black background of the substrate after transfer, when creating the color target (denoted as the first color target) used to generate the color management profile, a combination of white and black backgrounds is used to simulate gray, and cyan, magenta, yellow, white, and black backgrounds are used to simulate color. Because it is used for heat transfer, the generated first color target includes two layers: a colored ink layer and a white ink layer, where the black component in the colored ink layer is zero. Preferably, as follows... Figure 2 As shown, the colored ink layer comprises multiple color blocks of different colors, each composed of one or more of the following components: cyan, magenta, yellow, and white. The white ink layer, on the other hand, is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the black blocks represent full white ink output or white ink output at its maximum value, while the gray blocks represent an appropriate amount of white ink. When combined with the black background, this creates a gray effect.

[0062] After generating the first color target, the colored ink layer and the white ink layer from the first color target are printed sequentially onto the heat transfer medium. First, according to the ink channel curves of each color in the printer (i.e., cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and white ink channels), the colored ink layer is printed onto the heat transfer medium to obtain the colored ink target. Preferably, the black component of the colored ink layer is zero, so that no ink is output from the black channel when printing the colored ink layer, thus saving black ink. In other embodiments, the ink output of the black channel can be adjusted according to the actual situation.

[0063] When printing the white ink layer of the first color target, if the amount of white ink is low, there will not be enough thermal transfer powder to adhere to the image on the thermal transfer medium during the powder dispensing process. In this case, the color ink image will not easily detach from the thermal transfer medium during the transfer process. However, if the amount of white ink is appropriate, there will be enough thermal transfer powder to adhere to the white ink image during the powder dispensing process, and the color ink image on it can adhere well to the black substrate along with the white ink image.

[0064] In this embodiment of the invention, the ink output of the printer's white ink channel is appropriately increased to ensure better image transfer to the black substrate. Preferably, increasing the initial ink output of the printer's white ink channel and adjusting the white ink channel curve accordingly includes:

[0065] Obtain the white ink channel curve of the printer, wherein the X-axis of the coordinate system in which the white ink channel curve is located has a value range of 0% to 100%, the Y-axis has a value range of 0% to 100%, and the white ink channel curve includes an original start point and an original end point;

[0066] Adjust the Y-coordinate value of the original starting point so that the Y-coordinate value is a value A, where A is a real number greater than the Y-coordinate value of the original starting point;

[0067] To get a new start;

[0068] The new white ink channel curve is obtained by adjusting the white ink channel curve accordingly based on the new starting point and the original ending point.

[0069] The ink channel curves for each color on the printer are set by the user according to the actual situation. The white ink channel curve of the printer is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the X-axis of the coordinate system containing the white ink channel curve ranges from 0% to 100%, representing the input ink volume (concentration), and the Y-axis ranges from 0% to 100%, representing the output ink volume (concentration). Ideally, the white ink channel curve is a straight line with an original starting point coordinate of (0%, 0%) and an original ending point coordinate of (100%, 100%). In one embodiment, the white ink volume is appropriately increased by adjusting the original starting point of the white ink channel curve. The original starting point coordinate of (0%, 0%) in the white ink channel curve is adjusted to a new starting point (0%, A), where A is a real number greater than 0. The white ink channel curve is adjusted accordingly based on the new starting point and the original ending point to obtain a new white ink channel curve as shown. Figure 5 As shown. In other embodiments, if the original starting coordinates of the white ink channel curve are (0%, E), where E is a real number greater than 0, then the value of E is increased to be equal to A (A>E). The value of A can be determined according to the actual situation. The initial ink output of the adjusted white ink curve will be greater than the original initial ink output, thereby allowing the image to be better transferred to the black substrate. Preferably, the value of A ranges from 15% to 20%.

[0070] In one embodiment, before adjusting the Y-coordinate value of the original starting point so that the Y-coordinate value is the value A, the method further includes:

[0071] Establish a lookup table between the value A and the heat transfer image transfer rate;

[0072] The value A is selected from the lookup table according to preset conditions.

[0073] Theoretically, the larger the value of A, the greater the amount of white ink output when printing a white ink layer, the greater the adhesion rate of the heat transfer powder during powder removal, and the higher the image transfer rate (the ratio of the image on the heat transfer medium to the black substrate after heat pressing) during transfer. However, a larger value of A is not always better. If the black substrate is a textile material such as a T-shirt, the more white ink there is, the worse the breathability of the T-shirt. Therefore, the value of A should strike a balance between image transfer rate and breathability, that is, improve the image transfer rate without significantly affecting breathability. In one embodiment, the correspondence between white ink output and image transfer rate can be obtained by repeatedly printing test images on the heat transfer medium and transferring the test images to the black substrate, and establishing a correspondence or lookup table between the value of A and the image transfer rate. For example, the lookup table is shown in the table below:

[0074] Value A Image transfer rate 10％ 90％ 12％ 92.5％ 14％ 93.1％ 15％ 95％ 16％ 95.6％ 17％ 96.1％ …… ……

[0075] As shown in the table above, if the preset condition is that the image transfer rate needs to reach 95% or higher, then the value of A needs to be greater than or equal to 15%. If the preset condition is that the image transfer rate needs to reach 96% or higher, then the value of A needs to be greater than or equal to 16%. Using this lookup table, users can select the value of A according to their actual needs to ensure that the final image quality meets their requirements.

[0076] Based on value A, the original starting coordinates of the white ink channel curve are adjusted accordingly to obtain a new starting point. The adjusted white ink output curve, i.e., the new white ink channel curve, is then obtained based on the new starting point and the original ending point. Next, the printer's white ink channel is controlled to output ink and print the white ink layer of the first color target onto the surface of the color target, resulting in a white ink target. The color target and the white ink target together form the target to be transferred.

[0077] Heat transfer powder (powder shaker) is laid on the surface of the target (or white ink target) to be transferred. The heat transfer medium with the target to be transferred is pressed onto the black substrate by heat pressing. Then the heat transfer medium is peeled off, and the target to be transferred on the heat transfer medium is transferred onto the black substrate to obtain the second target.

[0078] Preferably, obtaining the printer's color management configuration file based on the second color target includes:

[0079] Obtain the color value of each color block in the first color target to obtain the first color data;

[0080] The second color data is obtained by collecting the color information of each color block in the second color target using a spectrophotometer.

[0081] The color management configuration file is obtained based on the first color data and the second color data.

[0082] The color values ​​of each color patch in the first color target are known. The RGB or CMYK values ​​of each color patch in the first color target can be obtained using image processing software such as Photoshop or RIP. Preferably, the first color data is CMYK data. A spectrophotometer is used to scan each color patch in the second color target on the black substrate to obtain its color information, thus obtaining the second color data. Preferably, the second color data is Lab color data. A mapping relationship is established between the first color data and the second color data to obtain the color management configuration file. The process of establishing the mapping relationship is existing technology and will not be described in detail here. Preferably, the color management configuration file is an ICC file.

[0083] After obtaining the color management configuration file, the printer controls the CMYKW channels to print the image to be printed onto the thermal transfer medium according to the color management configuration file. After the toner is shaken off, the image on the thermal transfer medium is transferred to the black substrate of the paper. This ensures that the image can be transferred to the black substrate well, while the background color of the black substrate can be used to form the image. This ensures image quality and saves ink costs.

[0084] In summary, the thermal transfer image printing method provided by this invention involves generating a first color target, wherein the first color target includes a colored ink layer and a white ink layer, and the black component of the colored ink layer is zero; printing the colored ink layer onto a thermal transfer medium to obtain a colored ink target; adjusting the white ink channel curve of the printer so that the initial ink output of the white ink channel is not zero; printing the white ink layer of the first color target on the surface of the colored ink target according to the white ink channel curve to obtain a color target to be transferred; transferring the color target to be transferred onto a black substrate to obtain a second color target; and obtaining the color management configuration file of the printer based on the second color target. After obtaining the color management configuration file, the printer controls the CMYKW channels to print the image to be printed onto the thermal transfer medium according to the color management configuration file. The resulting thermal transfer image can utilize the background color of the black substrate to form the image, saving ink costs and achieving better transfer to the black substrate, thus improving the quality of the thermal transfer image.

[0085] Example 2

[0086] Based on the above embodiment one, embodiment two of the present invention provides a heat transfer method, the method comprising:

[0087] The image to be printed is printed onto the thermal transfer medium according to the thermal transfer image printing method described in Example 1 to obtain a first thermal transfer image;

[0088] Heat transfer powder is applied onto the first heat transfer image to obtain the second heat transfer image;

[0089] The second heat transfer image is transferred onto the surface of a black substrate.

[0090] Specifically, according to the thermal transfer image printing method described in Embodiment 1, an image to be printed is printed onto a thermal transfer medium. The image to be printed includes a color ink layer and a white ink layer. During printing, the printer first controls the printer to output ink from the color ink layer of the image to be printed onto the surface of the thermal transfer medium according to the color management configuration file, obtaining a color ink image. Then, the white ink layer of the image to be printed is printed onto the surface of the color ink image, obtaining a white ink image. The color ink image and the white ink image are combined to form a first thermal transfer image. In order to ensure that the first thermal transfer image on the thermal transfer medium can be printed onto a black substrate, a powder-removing process is required. The image obtained after powder removal is the second thermal transfer image. Finally, the second thermal transfer image is transferred onto the black substrate. The thermal transfer method provided in this embodiment prints images on a black substrate, saving black ink and thus reducing costs, while also improving the image transfer quality.

[0091] Example 3

[0092] Please see Figure 6 This invention provides a thermal transfer image printing apparatus 200, the apparatus 200 comprising:

[0093] First color target generation module 201 is used to generate a first color target, wherein the first color target includes a colored ink layer and a white ink layer;

[0094] The first printing module 202 is used to print the colored ink layer onto a heat transfer medium to obtain a colored ink target.

[0095] The white ink adjustment module 203 is used to increase the initial ink output of the white ink channel of the printer and adjust the white ink channel curve accordingly.

[0096] The second printing module 204 is used to print a white ink layer of the first color target on the surface of the color ink target according to the white ink channel curve, so as to obtain the color target to be transferred.

[0097] The transfer module 205 is used to transfer the color target to be transferred onto a black substrate to obtain a second color target;

[0098] The configuration file acquisition module 206 is used to acquire the color management configuration file of the printer based on the second color target;

[0099] The third printing module 207 is used to print the image to be printed onto the thermal transfer medium according to the color management configuration file.

[0100] Preferably, the white ink adjustment module 203 includes:

[0101] The original curve acquisition unit acquires the white ink channel curve of the printer, wherein the X-axis of the coordinate system in which the white ink channel curve is located has a value range of 0% to 100%, and the Y-axis has a value range of 0% to 100%. The white ink channel curve includes an original start point and an original end point.

[0102] The starting point adjustment unit is used to adjust the Y coordinate value of the original starting point so that the Y coordinate value is a value A, where A is a real number greater than the Y coordinate value of the original starting point.

[0103] The "New Starting Point Acquisition Unit" is used to acquire a new starting point.

[0104] The new curve acquisition unit is used to adjust the white ink channel curve accordingly based on the new starting point and the original ending point to obtain a new white ink channel curve.

[0105] Preferably, the white ink adjustment module 203 further includes:

[0106] The lookup table building unit is used to build a lookup table between the value A and the heat transfer image transfer rate.

[0107] The selection unit is used to select the value A from the lookup table according to preset conditions.

[0108] Preferably, the configuration file acquisition module 206 includes:

[0109] The first color data acquisition unit is used to acquire the color value of each color block in the first color target to obtain the first color data;

[0110] The second color data acquisition unit is used to acquire the second color data by using a spectrophotometer to collect the color information of each color block in the second color target.

[0111] The configuration file acquisition unit is used to acquire the color management configuration file based on the first color data and the second color data.

[0112] In summary, the thermal transfer image printing apparatus provided in this embodiment of the invention generates a first color target, wherein the first color target includes a colored ink layer and a white ink layer; prints the colored ink layer onto a thermal transfer medium to obtain a colored ink target; increases the initial ink output of the printer's white ink channel and adjusts the white ink channel curve accordingly; prints the white ink layer of the first color target on the surface of the colored ink target according to the white ink channel curve to obtain a color target to be transferred; transfers the color target to be transferred onto a black substrate to obtain a second color target; and obtains the printer's color management configuration file based on the second color target. After obtaining the color management configuration file, the printer controls the CMYKW channels to print the image to be printed onto the thermal transfer medium according to the color management configuration file. The resulting thermal transfer image can utilize the background color of the black substrate to form the image, saving ink costs and achieving better transfer to the black substrate, thus improving the quality of the thermal transfer image.

[0113] Example 4

[0114] In addition, the thermal transfer image printing method of this invention can be implemented by a thermal transfer image printing device. Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the thermal transfer image printing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0115] The thermal transfer image printing apparatus may include a processor 301 and a memory 302 storing computer program instructions.

[0116] Specifically, the processor 301 may include a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits that can be configured to implement the embodiments of the present invention.

[0117] Memory 302 may include mass storage for data or instructions. For example, and not limitingly, memory 302 may include a hard disk drive (HDD), floppy disk drive, flash memory, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, magnetic tape, or Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, memory 302 may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media. Where appropriate, memory 302 may be internal or external to a data processing device. In a particular embodiment, memory 302 is a non-volatile solid-state memory. In a particular embodiment, memory 302 includes read-only memory (ROM). Where appropriate, the ROM may be a mask-programmed ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), an electrically rewritable ROM (EAROM), or flash memory, or a combination of two or more of these.

[0118] The processor 301 reads and executes computer program instructions stored in the memory 302 to implement any of the thermal transfer image printing methods in the above embodiments.

[0119] In one example, the thermal transfer image printing apparatus may also include a communication interface 303 and a bus 310. Wherein, as Figure 7 As shown, the processor 301, memory 302, and communication interface 303 are connected through bus 310 and complete communication with each other.

[0120] The communication interface 303 is mainly used to realize communication between various modules, devices, units and / or equipment in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0121] Bus 310 includes hardware, software, or both, that couples components of a thermal transfer image printing apparatus together. For example, and not limitingly, bus 310 may include an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or other graphics bus, an Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a Front Side Bus (FSB), HyperTransport (HT) interconnect, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an Infinite Bandwidth Interconnect, a Low Pin Count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a Microchannel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI-Express (PCI-X) bus, a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association Local (VLB) bus, or other suitable buses, or combinations of two or more of these. Where appropriate, bus 310 may include one or more buses. While specific buses are described and illustrated in embodiments of the invention, the invention contemplates any suitable bus or interconnect.

[0122] Example 5

[0123] Furthermore, in conjunction with the thermal transfer image printing method in the above embodiments, this invention can be implemented using a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium stores computer program instructions; when these computer program instructions are executed by the processor 301, they implement any of the thermal transfer image printing methods in the above embodiments.

[0124] It should be clarified that the present invention is not limited to the specific configurations and processes described above and shown in the figures. For the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions of known methods are omitted here. In the above embodiments, several specific steps are described and shown as examples. However, the method process of the present invention is not limited to the specific steps described and shown. Those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications, and additions, or change the order of steps, after understanding the spirit of the present invention.

[0125] The functional blocks shown in the above-described structural diagram can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. When implemented in hardware, they can be, for example, electronic circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), appropriate firmware, plug-ins, function cards, etc. When implemented in software, the elements of this invention are programs or code segments used to perform the required tasks. The programs or code segments can be stored on a machine-readable medium or transmitted over a transmission medium or communication link via data signals carried in a carrier wave. "Machine-readable medium" can include any medium capable of storing or transmitting information. Examples of machine-readable media include electronic circuits, semiconductor memory devices, ROM, flash memory, erasable ROM (EROM), floppy disks, CD-ROMs, optical disks, hard disks, fiber optic media, radio frequency (RF) links, etc. Code segments can be downloaded via computer networks such as the Internet, intranets, etc.

[0126] It should also be noted that the exemplary embodiments mentioned in this invention describe methods or systems based on a series of steps or apparatus. However, this invention is not limited to the order of the steps described above; that is, the steps can be performed in the order mentioned in the embodiments, or in a different order, or several steps can be performed simultaneously.

[0127] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, modules, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for printing thermal transfer images, characterized in that, The method includes: Generate a first color target, wherein the first color target includes a colored ink layer and a white ink layer; The colored ink layer is printed onto a heat transfer medium to obtain a colored ink target; Increase the initial ink output of the printer's white ink channel and adjust the white ink channel curve accordingly; According to the white ink channel curve, a white ink layer of the first color target is printed on the surface of the colored ink target to obtain the color target to be transferred. The target color to be transferred is transferred onto a black substrate to obtain a second target color; Obtain the printer's color management configuration file based on the second color target; The image to be printed is printed onto the heat transfer medium according to the color management configuration file.

2. The thermal transfer image printing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The white ink layer includes multiple gray blocks, and the colored ink layer includes multiple colored blocks of different colors. The color of each colored block is composed of one or more of the following components: cyan, magenta, yellow, and white.

3. The thermal transfer image printing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method of increasing the initial ink output of the printer's white ink channel and adjusting the white ink channel curve accordingly includes: Obtain the white ink channel curve of the printer, wherein the X-axis of the coordinate system in which the white ink channel curve is located has a value range of 0% to 100%, the Y-axis has a value range of 0% to 100%, and the white ink channel curve includes an original start point and an original end point; Adjust the Y-coordinate value of the original starting point so that the Y-coordinate value is a value A, where A is a real number greater than the Y-coordinate value of the original starting point; To get a new start; The new white ink channel curve is obtained by adjusting the white ink channel curve accordingly based on the new starting point and the original ending point.

4. The thermal transfer image printing method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Before adjusting the Y-coordinate value of the original starting point so that the Y-coordinate value is the numerical value A, the following steps are also included: Establish a lookup table between the value A and the heat transfer image transfer rate; The value A is selected from the lookup table according to preset conditions.

5. The thermal transfer image printing method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The value of A ranges from 15% to 20%.

6. The thermal transfer image printing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the printer's color management configuration file based on the second color target includes: Obtain the color value of each color block in the first color target to obtain the first color data; The second color data is obtained by collecting the color information of each color block in the second color target using a spectrophotometer. The color management configuration file is obtained based on the first color data and the second color data.

7. A heat transfer method, characterized in that, The method includes: The image to be printed is printed onto a heat transfer medium according to the heat transfer image printing method as described in any one of claims 1-6 to obtain a first heat transfer image; Heat transfer powder is applied onto the first heat transfer image to obtain the second heat transfer image; The second heat transfer image is transferred onto the surface of a black substrate.

8. A thermal transfer image printing apparatus, characterized in that, The device includes: The first color target generation module is used to generate a first color target, wherein the first color target includes a colored ink layer and a white ink layer; The first printing module is used to print the colored ink layer onto a heat transfer medium to obtain a colored ink target. The white ink adjustment module is used to increase the initial ink output of the printer's white ink channel and adjust the white ink channel curve accordingly. The second printing module is used to print a white ink layer of the first color target on the surface of the color ink target according to the white ink channel curve, so as to obtain the color target to be transferred. The transfer module is used to transfer the color target to be transferred onto a black substrate to obtain a second color target. The configuration file acquisition module is used to acquire the color management configuration file of the printer based on the second color target; The third printing module is used to print the image to be printed onto the thermal transfer medium according to the color management configuration file.

9. A thermal transfer image printing device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor, at least one memory, and computer program instructions stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

10. A storage medium storing computer program instructions thereon, characterized in that, The method as described in any one of claims 1-7 is implemented when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor.

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