Image forming device and image forming system

Abstract

To provide an image forming device and an image forming system which are suitable for forming both images to be transferred and to be non-transferred on a medium, using limited kinds of ink as much as possible.SOLUTION: A printer 10 comprises a recording head 6 that discharges three-color sublimation type ink constituted of cyan, magenta and yellow and usual ink of black color to a medium. A control part 8 executes: processing for forming an image to be transferred in which the recording head 6 discharges the sublimation type ink so that a color image to be transferred is formed on a paper Px; and processing for forming an image to be non-transferred in which the recording head 6 discharges the usual ink so that a single color image to be non-transferred is formed on the paper Px.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been image forming apparatuses that employ a method in which an image is formed on a transfer medium using transfer ink, and then the image is transferred from the transfer medium to another medium. The printing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an example of such an apparatus. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-188998 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In image forming devices that form images for transfer as described above, there is a demand for forming images that are not intended for transfer, such as images that represent standard phrases, on a medium in addition to the images for transfer. On the other hand, it is desirable to use as few ink types as possible to prevent the device from becoming too large.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to realize an image forming apparatus and an image forming system equipped with the same that are suitable for forming both transfer and non-transfer images on a medium while using as few types of ink as possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises a head that ejects three colors of transfer ink consisting of cyan, magenta, and yellow and black non-transfer ink onto a medium, a medium supply unit that supplies the transfer medium to the head, and a control unit, and the control unit executes a transfer image forming process that ejects the transfer ink from the head onto the transfer medium so as to form a transfer color image on one side of the transfer medium, and a non-transfer image forming process that ejects the non-transfer ink from the head onto the transfer medium so as to form a non-transfer monochrome image on the one side of the transfer medium while causing the medium supply unit to supply the transfer medium to the head.

[0007] The image forming system of the present invention is an image forming system comprising the image forming apparatus of the present invention and an external device capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus, wherein at least one of the image forming apparatus and the external device comprises a CMY data generation unit that generates CMY data representing the color image for transfer using gradation values ​​of cyan, magenta, and yellow so that black is represented by a mixture of cyan, magenta, and yellow, and the transfer image formation process is a process of ejecting the transfer ink from the head onto the transfer medium based on the CMY data generated by the CMY data generation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the transfer image is formed using three colors of transfer ink, and the non-transfer image is formed using black non-transfer ink. Therefore, even with a limited configuration using four colors of ink, the non-transfer image is less likely to be transferred to the destination medium when transferring the image. In other words, an apparatus suitable for forming both transfer and non-transfer images on a medium is realized while using as few types of ink as possible.

[0009] Furthermore, according to the image forming system of the present invention, an image to be transferred is appropriately formed on a medium using inks of three colors based on CMY data in which black is expressed as a mixture of three colors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the printer in FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a situation in which image data is generated by the PC in FIG. 1 and the control unit in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing another situation in which image data is generated by the PC of FIG. 1 and the control unit of FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is an example of the content of an image represented by the original image data of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 5 is an example of the content of an image represented by the composite image data of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer system according to a second embodiment, which is another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [First embodiment] A printer system 1 according to a first embodiment, which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the printer system 1 includes a dye-sublimation printer (hereinafter simply referred to as "printer") 10 and a PC 20. In the following description, the up-down direction is defined based on the state in which the printer 10 is installed so that it can be used (the state in Fig. 1), the front-rear direction is defined with the side of the housing 11 where the opening 13 is provided being the near side (front), and the left-right direction is defined when looking at the printer 10 from the near side (front).

[0012] The printer 10 is a device that performs both transfer and non-transfer image formation. The papers used for image formation in the printer 10 include image transfer paper Px and non-transfer paper Py. An image formed on transfer paper Px by transfer image formation is transferred from paper Px to another medium (such as a resin sheet or clothing). An image formed on paper Px or Py by non-transfer image formation is not used for transfer.

[0013] 1, the printer 10 includes a touch panel display 3, a paper feed tray 4, a paper output tray 5, a recording unit 6, a transport unit 7, and a control unit 8. The paper feed tray 4, the recording unit 6, the transport unit 7, and the control unit 8 are housed in a housing 11 of the printer 10. Within the housing 11, the paper feed tray 4 is disposed below the recording unit 6.

[0014] The touch panel display 3 displays characters, images, etc. on the screen. When a finger or the like touches the screen, the touch panel display 3 detects the contact position and outputs the detection result to the control unit 8. This allows the touch panel display 3 to accept various user inputs. The user inputs accepted by the touch panel display 3 are transmitted to the control unit 8.

[0015] The paper feed tray 4 is capable of supporting and storing a plurality of sheets of paper Px or sheets of paper Py in a stacked state. The paper feed tray 4 is insertable into and removable from the housing 11 in the front-rear direction. The paper feed tray 4 has a support surface 4a that supports the sheets of paper Px or Py.

[0016] The paper output tray 5 stores paper Px or Py on which an image has been formed by a recording head 63 (described later) of the recording unit 6. The paper output tray 5 is disposed above the front side of the paper feed tray 4, and moves back and forth together with the paper feed tray 4.

[0017] The recording unit 6 has a carriage 61 and a recording head 63. The carriage 61 is supported by two guide rails 67a, 67b. The two guide rails 67a, 67b are disposed at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction and extend in the left-right direction. The carriage 61 is disposed so as to straddle the two guide rails 67a, 67b. The carriage 61 can move back and forth in the left-right direction, which is the main scanning direction, along the two guide rails 67a, 67b by the driving force of a carriage drive motor 31 (see FIG. 2).

[0018] The recording head 63 is mounted on the carriage 61 and moves back and forth in the main scanning direction together with the carriage 61. The recording head 63 ejects ink supplied from an ink cartridge mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 9, as described below, from nozzles provided on a nozzle surface on the lower surface. This forms an image on the nozzle surface side of the paper Px or Py (corresponding to "one side" in the present invention).

[0019] The cartridge mounting section 9 is fitted with ink cartridges for both transfer dye-sublimation ink (corresponding to the "transfer ink" of the present invention) and non-transfer normal ink (corresponding to the "non-transfer ink" of the present invention). One of the ink cartridges, 90C, 90M, and 90Y, contains cyan, magenta, and yellow dye-sublimation ink, respectively. The dye-sublimation ink is used to form images for transfer. When paper Px on which an image has been formed with this ink is heated to an appropriate temperature using a heating device (such as an iron), the ink on the paper Px sublimes. This allows the image to be transferred from the paper Px to another medium. The other ink cartridge, 90K, contains black normal ink. The normal ink is not for transfer, and does not transfer even when heated, or transfers more slowly than the dye-sublimation ink.

[0020] The transport unit 7 transports the paper Px or Py inside the printer 10, and includes a paper feed roller 70, pairs of transport rollers 71 to 73, a platen 75, and a guide member 16. The paper feed tray 4 and the transport unit 7 correspond to the "medium supply unit" of the present invention.

[0021] The paper feed roller 70 is disposed at a position where it comes into contact with the uppermost paper sheet Px or Py among the papers Px or Py supported in the paper feed tray 4. The paper feed roller 70 is rotated by the driving force from the paper feed motor 33 (see FIG. 2), and sends out the paper sheet Px or Py in the paper feed tray 4 toward the rear. The paper sheet Px or Py sent out from the paper feed tray 4 by the paper feed roller 70 is sent into the conveying path 14 that extends from the paper feed tray 4 to the recording unit 6.

[0022] Each of the conveying roller pairs 71-73 includes two rollers that contact each other and are configured to convey the paper Px or Py while sandwiching it between the two rollers. One of the two rollers that make up each of the conveying roller pairs 71-73 is a drive roller that rotates when driven by the drive force of the conveying motor 34 (see FIG. 2). The other of the two rollers that make up each of the conveying roller pairs 71-73 is a driven roller that rotates as the drive roller rotates.

[0023] The conveying roller pair 71, 72 are arranged in the front-to-rear direction with the recording unit 6 sandwiched therebetween, with the conveying roller pair 71 being arranged behind the recording unit 6 and the conveying roller pair 72 being arranged in front of the recording unit 6. The conveying roller pair 71 sends the paper Px or Py sent from the paper feed tray 4 by the paper feed roller 70 along direction D to an image recording area F facing the nozzle surface of the recording head 63. An image is formed on the surface of the paper Px or Py sent to the image recording area F facing the nozzle surface of the recording head 63 by ink ejected from the recording head 63. The conveying roller pair 72 receives the paper Px or Py sent by the conveying roller pair 71 and sends it forward.

[0024] The pair of transport rollers 73 receives the paper Px or Py sent by the pair of transport rollers 72. The pair of transport rollers 73 discharges the received paper Px or Py onto the paper discharge tray 5.

[0025] The platen 75 is disposed below the recording unit 6 so as to face the nozzle surface of the recording unit 6. The platen 75 supports the paper Px or Py transported to the image recording area F. The guide member 16 defines a transport path 14 that feeds the paper Px or Py sent out from the paper feed tray 4 into the image recording area F.

[0026] The control unit 8 is responsible for overall control of the printer 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the control unit 8 is electrically connected to the carriage drive motor 31, the recording head 63, the paper feed motor 33, the transport motor 34, the touch panel display 3, and the like. The control unit 8 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81, a memory 82, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 83, and the like, which work together to control the operation of each of the components, such as the carriage drive motor 31, the recording head 63, the paper feed motor 33, the transport motor 34, and the touch panel display 3.

[0027] The memory 82 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, etc., and stores programs executed by the CPU 81, main unit settings 82a, and image data such as template data 82b used to form images on paper Px or Py, and original image data 82c. The memory 82 is used as a working area from which various programs are read and as a storage area for storing image data. The ASIC 83 rewrites image data, etc.

[0028] The main body settings 82a are data indicating various settings related to image formation. The settings include an instruction as to whether the paper to be used for image formation is paper Px or Py. The settings also include an instruction as to whether or not to form an image of a fixed phrase, which will be described later. The main body settings 82a can be changed by a user input via the touch panel display 3. The control unit 8 updates the stored contents related to the main body settings 82a in the memory 82 to the settings indicated by the user input (corresponding to the function of the "image formation setting unit" of the present invention).

[0029] If the user wishes to transfer an image, the user places paper Px in paper feed tray 4 and sets main unit setting 82a to indicate the use of paper Px. If the user does not wish to transfer an image, the user places paper Py in paper feed tray 4 and sets main unit setting 82a to indicate the use of paper Py. Furthermore, the user sets main unit setting 82a to indicate whether or not to form an image of a fixed text.

[0030] The image data stored in the memory 82 is image data relating to an image formed on paper Px or Py by ink ejected from the recording head 63. One of the image data, fixed phrase data 82b (corresponding to "fixed phrase image data" of the present invention), is data pre-stored in ROM. Fixed phrase data 82b is image data representing fixed phrases whose main content is to provide information to the user, such as precautions for use. Original image data 82c is image data representing the user's request for image formation, and is transmitted from the PC 20. Composite image data 82d is image data representing an image obtained by combining the fixed phrase indicated by the fixed phrase data 82b with the original image data 82c. CMY data 82e is data representing the gradation values ​​of cyan, magenta, and yellow as the pixel values ​​of the image. K data 82f is data representing the gradation value of a single color as the pixel value of the image. These image data will be described later.

[0031] The processing by the control unit 8 includes an image forming process, which is a process of forming an image on paper Px or Py by controlling the operation of each unit within the device. In the image forming process, the driving of the carriage drive motor 31, the recording head 63, the paper feed motor 33, and the transport motor 34 is controlled, so that the paper Px or Py indicated by the main body setting 82a is sent to the image recording area F, and appropriate ink is ejected from the recording head 63 at appropriate timing. In this way, an image is formed on the paper.

[0032] Image forming processes include a transfer image forming process for forming an image for transfer, and a non-transfer image forming process for forming an image for non-transfer. In the transfer image forming process, an image represented by image data acquired from the PC 20 is formed on paper Px using sublimation ink. In the non-transfer image forming process, an image representing a fixed phrase or the like is formed on paper Px using normal ink. Also, an image represented by image data acquired from the PC 20 is formed on paper Py using normal ink.

[0033] The PC 20 may be a personal computer (PC), smartphone, tablet PC, or the like, and corresponds to the "external device" of the present invention. The PC 20 is composed of hardware such as a CPU, a memory unit including memory and storage, an input unit that accepts user input, and software such as programs stored in the memory unit. Various functions are realized in the PC 20 through cooperation between the hardware and software. As a main function, the PC 20 generates original image data 82c according to user input accepted by the input unit and transmits it to the printer 10.

[0034] As described above, non-transfer images, such as images representing standard text, are formed on the paper Px in addition to the transfer images. For this reason, this embodiment employs a configuration that uses both dye-sublimation ink and standard ink. Meanwhile, to prevent the printer 10 from becoming too large, the types of ink used are limited to three colors for dye-sublimation ink: cyan, magenta, and yellow, and one color for standard ink: black.

[0035] Therefore, in the printer system 1 according to this embodiment, the following configuration is further adopted to enable appropriate image formation for both transfer and non-transfer using such limited types of ink.

[0036] First, the case where an image is formed on paper Px will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 6. When forming an image on paper Px, original image data 82c is generated in PC 20. The original image data 82c is data that expresses the content of the image in PDL (Page Description Language). The original image data 82c includes transfer data 84X and non-transfer data 84Y, as shown in Fig. 3 or 4.

[0037] The transfer data 84X represents a color transfer image (corresponding to a "transfer color image" of the present invention) that is the target of transfer image formation. The non-transfer data 84Y represents a monochrome non-transfer image (corresponding to a "non-transfer monochrome image" of the present invention) that is the target of non-transfer image formation. FIG. 5 is an example of an image represented by the original image data 82c. The image IM82c of FIG. 5 corresponds to the entire image represented by the original image data 82c, and includes not only the transfer image represented by the transfer data 84X but also a non-transfer image A represented by the non-transfer data 84Y. The non-transfer image A is an image representing a character string specified by the user via the input unit of the PC 20.

[0038] When the original image data 82c is sent from the PC 20 to the printer 10, the control unit 8 of the printer 10 stores the original image data 82c in the memory 82. In this way, the function of the control unit 8 to acquire the original image data 82c from the PC 20 corresponds to the function of the "designated image data acquisition unit" of the present invention. Also, the function of the PC 20 to transmit the original image data 82c to the printer 10 corresponds to the function of the "designated image transmission unit" of the present invention.

[0039] Next, the control unit 8 refers to the main unit settings 82a and determines whether or not to combine a fixed phrase. If the main unit settings 82a indicate that a fixed phrase should not be combined, the control unit 8 generates CMY data 82e and K data 82f from the original image data 82c, as shown in Fig. 3. The details of this will be described later.

[0040] When the main unit setting 82a indicates that a fixed phrase should be combined, the control unit 8 generates combined image data 82d by combining an image represented by the original image data 82c with an image represented by the fixed phrase data 82b, as shown in Fig. 4. The combined image data 82d is data that represents the content of the image in PDL. In addition to transfer data 84X included in the original image data 82c, the combined image data 82d also includes non-transfer data 84Y included in the original image data 82c and non-transfer data 84Z generated from the fixed phrase data 82b.

[0041] Figure 6 is an example of an image represented by the composite image data 82d. Image IM82d in Figure 6 corresponds to the entire image represented by the composite image data 82d, and includes the transfer image represented by the transfer data 84X as well as non-transfer images A and B represented by the non-transfer data 84Z. Non-transfer image A is the same as that represented by the original image data 82c. Non-transfer image B is an image corresponding to the standard text represented by the standard text data 82b. Non-transfer image B in Figure 6 is an image representing standard text, such as "The print result is light, but it will become darker when transferred" and "Please dispose of the paper according to instructions from your local government," which are precautions specific to forming an image for transfer.

[0042] 3 or 4, the control unit 8 generates CMY data 82e and K data 82f by performing an analysis process on the original image data 82c or the composite image data 82d (corresponding to the functions of the "CMY data generation unit" and the "monochrome image data generation unit" of the present invention). Both the CMY data 82e and the K data 82f are raster data that represent the content of the image indicated by the original image data 82c or the composite image data 82d using pixel values.

[0043] Specifically, the CMY data 82e is data that represents the transfer image represented by the transfer data 84X included in the original image data 82c or the composite image data 82d, using pixel values ​​consisting of the gradation values ​​of cyan, magenta, and yellow for each pixel. When generating the transfer data 84X, the control unit 8 represents the color of each pixel of the image represented by the transfer data 84X as a mixture of the three colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow, including black. The K data 82f is data that represents the non-transfer image represented by the non-transfer data 84Y of the original image data 82c or the non-transfer data 84Z of the composite image data 82d, using pixel values ​​consisting of the gradation values ​​of a single color for each pixel.

[0044] In the transfer image forming process, the control unit 8 causes the recording head 63 to eject each of the sublimation inks of cyan, magenta, and yellow corresponding to the gradation values ​​indicated by the CMY data 82e. As a result, the transfer image indicated by the CMY data 82e is properly formed on the paper Px. Furthermore, in the non-transfer image forming process, the control unit 8 causes the recording head 63 to eject black ink corresponding to the gradation value indicated by the K data 82f. As a result, the non-transfer image indicated by the K data 82f is properly formed on the paper Px.

[0045] When an image is formed on paper Py, image data representing a non-transfer image is sent from the PC 20 to the printer 10. The control unit 8 of the printer 10 converts the image data from the PC 20 into raster data represented by the monochromatic gradation values ​​of each pixel. Then, based on the raster data, the control unit 8 of the printer 10 ejects black regular ink from the recording head 63. As a result, the non-transfer image represented by the raster data is formed on the paper Py.

[0046] According to the embodiment described above, the transfer image is formed on the paper Px using three colors of sublimation ink, and the non-transfer image is formed on the paper Px using black regular ink. Therefore, even with a limited configuration using four colors of ink, when the transfer image is transferred from the paper Px to the destination medium, the non-transfer image is less likely to be transferred to the destination medium. In other words, a configuration suitable for forming both the transfer image and the non-transfer image on the paper Px is realized while using as few types of ink as possible.

[0047] The non-transfer image formed on the paper Px can include only the non-transfer image A specified by the user, as shown in image IM82c in Fig. 5. The non-transfer image can also include both the non-transfer image A specified by the user and the non-transfer image B corresponding to the fixed phrase data 82b, as shown in image IM82d in Fig. 6. The non-transfer image can also include only the non-transfer image B corresponding to the fixed phrase data 82b.

[0048] In addition, in this embodiment, based on the main body setting 82a set in response to user input, either paper Px, which is a medium for transfer, or paper Py, which is a medium for non-transfer, is used as appropriate, and either image formation for transfer or image formation for non-transfer is performed as appropriate.

[0049] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment, which is another embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to Fig. 7. A printer system 100 according to the second embodiment has many components in common with the printer system 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will mainly focus on the differences between the printer system 100 and the printer system 1, and the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment will be used for the common components, and their description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0050] The printer system 100 includes a printer 110 and a PC 120. The main differences between the printer 110 and the printer 10 are as follows.

[0051] The printer 110 has paper feed trays 104x and 104y and a control unit 108 instead of the paper feed tray 4 and the control unit 8. The paper feed trays 104x and 104y are capable of supporting and storing multiple sheets of paper Px or Py in a stacked state. The paper feed tray 104x is used to store sheets of paper Px, and the paper feed tray 104y is used to store sheets of paper Py. Each of the paper feed trays 104x and 104y can be inserted into and removed from the housing 11 in the front-to-rear direction. Each of the paper feed trays 104x and 104y has a support surface 4a that supports the sheets of paper Px or Py.

[0052] Paper feed rollers 170x and 170y are provided on the paper feed trays 104x and 104y, respectively. The paper feed rollers 170x and 170y are positioned so as to come into contact with the uppermost sheets Px and Py of paper Px and Py supported by the paper feed trays 104x and 104y, respectively. The paper feed rollers 170x and 170y are rotated by a driving force from a paper feed motor, and feed the sheets Px and Py in the paper feed trays 104x and 104y toward the rear. The sheets Px and Py fed from the paper feed trays 104x and 104y by the paper feed rollers 170x and 170y are fed into the conveyance path 14 extending from the paper feed trays 104x and 104y to the recording unit 6.

[0053] In this embodiment, whether to use paper Px or Py is determined in accordance with an instruction from PC 120. PC 120 may be a personal computer, smartphone, tablet PC, or the like, and corresponds to the "external device" of the present invention. PC 120 is composed of hardware such as a CPU, a memory unit including memory and storage, an input unit that accepts user input, and software such as programs stored in the memory unit. The PC 120 realizes the following functions through cooperation between the hardware and software: PC 120 generates image data in accordance with user input accepted by the input unit and transmits it to printer 10. This image data includes, together with original image data 82c, data instructing whether to use paper Px or Py.

[0054] Like the control unit 8, the control unit 108 includes a CPU 81, a memory 82, an ASIC 83, etc., which cooperate to control the operation of each part, such as the carriage drive motor 31, the recording head 63, and various motors. The control unit 108 performs at least one of a transfer image formation process and a non-transfer image formation process, similar to the first embodiment, on the paper sheet Px or Py specified by the image data from the PC 120.

[0055] According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, in response to image data instructions from PC 120, an appropriate one of paper Px and Py is used, and at least one appropriate one of transfer image formation processing and non-transfer image formation processing is executed.

[0056] <Modification> Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations should not be considered to be limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the above description of the embodiments, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0057] For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the CMY data 82e and K data 82f are generated in the printer 10 or 110 from the original image data 82c transmitted from the PC 20 or 120 to the printer 10 or 110, with or without passing through the composite image data 82d. Alternatively, the CMY data 82e and K data 82f may be generated in the PC 20 or 120 from the original image data 82c, with or without passing through the composite image data 82d. The CMY data 82e and K data 82f are transmitted from the PC 20 or 120 to the printer 10 or 110, and the printer 10 or 110 performs image formation processing based on the CMY data 82e and K data 82f. In this case, the "CMY data generation unit" and "monochrome image data generation unit" of the present invention are included in the PC 20 or 120.

[0058] Additionally, in the above-described embodiments, the present invention is applied to the printer system 1 or 101 including the printer 10 or 110, but is not limited to this. The present invention may also be applied to other inkjet image forming devices that eject dye-sublimation ink from a head, such as multifunction peripherals and copiers, or printer systems including these image forming devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1, 101 printer system 4, 104x, 104y paper trays 6 recording head 7. Conveyor 8, 108 Control unit 10, 110 printer 20, 120 PCs

Claims

1. a head that ejects three colors of ink for transfer, consisting of cyan, magenta, and yellow, and a black ink for non-transfer, onto a medium; a medium supply unit that supplies a medium for transfer to the head; and a control unit, The control unit a transfer image forming process in which the transfer ink is ejected from the head onto the transfer medium so as to form a transfer color image on one side of the transfer medium; a non-transfer image forming process in which the non-transfer ink is ejected from the head onto the transfer medium so as to form a non-transfer monochromatic image on the one surface of the transfer medium; The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the transfer is performed while the medium supply unit supplies the medium for transfer to the head.

2. a designated image data acquisition unit that acquires image data designated by a user; and a storage unit for storing standard image data. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the non-transfer monochrome image is at least one of an image indicated by standard image data in the memory unit and an image indicated by the user-specified image data acquired by the specified image data acquisition unit.

3. a CMY data acquisition unit that acquires CMY data representing the color image to be transferred using cyan, magenta, and yellow gradation values ​​so that black is expressed by a mixture of cyan, magenta, and yellow; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer image forming process is a process of ejecting the transfer ink from the head onto the transfer medium based on the CMY data acquired by the image data acquisition unit.

4. a monochrome image data acquisition unit that acquires monochrome image data that indicates the non-transfer monochrome image by monochrome gradation values, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the non-transfer image forming process is a process of ejecting the non-transfer ink from the head onto the transfer medium based on the monochrome image data acquired by the monochrome image data acquisition unit.

5. the medium that can be supplied to the head by the medium supply unit is either the medium for transfer or a medium for non-transfer, an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data from an external device; a storage unit that stores settings related to media that can be supplied by the media supply unit, The control unit When the image data indicates the use of the transfer medium or when the setting of the storage unit indicates the transfer medium, the transfer image forming process and the non-transfer image forming process are executed while the medium supply unit supplies the transfer medium to the head, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the image data indicates the use of the non-transfer medium or when the setting of the memory unit indicates the non-transfer medium, the non-transfer image forming process is executed while the medium supply unit supplies the non-transfer medium to the head.

6. the medium supply unit is capable of selectively supplying the transfer medium and the non-transfer medium to the head, an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data from an external device, The control unit When the image data indicates that the transfer medium is to be used, the transfer image forming process and the non-transfer image forming process are performed while the medium supply unit supplies the transfer medium to the head; The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the image data indicates the use of the non-transfer medium, the non-transfer image forming process is executed while the medium supply unit supplies the non-transfer medium to the head.

7. 10. An image forming system comprising the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 and an external device capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus, At least one of the image forming apparatus and the external device a CMY data generating unit that generates CMY data representing the color image to be transferred using cyan, magenta, and yellow gradation values ​​so that black is expressed by a mixture of cyan, magenta, and yellow; An image forming system characterized in that the transfer image forming process is a process of ejecting the transfer ink from the head onto the transfer medium based on the CMY data generated by the CMY data generating unit.

8. At least one of the image forming apparatus and the external device a monochrome image data generating unit that generates monochrome image data representing the non-transfer monochrome image by monochrome gradation values; The image forming system according to claim 7, characterized in that the non-transfer image forming process is a process of ejecting the non-transfer ink from the head onto the transfer medium based on the monochrome image data generated by the monochrome image data generating unit.

9. the external device includes a designated image transmission unit that transmits user-designated image data to the image forming device; the image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores standard image data, The image forming system according to claim 8, characterized in that the non-transfer monochrome image is at least one of an image indicated by standard image data in the memory unit and an image indicated by the user-specified image data transmitted to the image forming unit by the specified image data transmission unit.

10. At least one of the image forming apparatus and the external device an image formation setting unit that sets whether or not to generate an image based on the standard image data based on a user input; The monochrome image data generation unit The image forming system according to claim 9, characterized in that the monochrome image data is generated while selecting whether or not the image indicated by the standard image data is to be included in the non-transfer monochrome image depending on the settings made by the image forming setting unit.

Images