Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, and image forming method

Abstract

In sublimation transfer printing using a color toner containing polyester resin, the present invention provides an image processing device that can bring the colors of an image formed on a polyester fabric closer to the original image without performing cumbersome color adjustment work. [Solution] An image processing apparatus for sublimation transfer printing of polyester fabric using a color toner T containing polyester resin, which corrects the colors from original image data and prepares corrected image data for output on an intermediate recording medium P, comprises a color correction calculation unit A that sets the color density in the corrected image data. When a toner layer is formed on the intermediate recording medium with a first color as the lower layer and a second color as the upper layer, the color correction calculation unit A sets the color density in the corrected image data such that the ratio of the color density of the second color in the corrected image data divided by the color density of the first color is smaller than the ratio of the color density of the second color in the original image data divided by the color density of the first color.

Claims

1. In sublimation transfer printing, an intermediate recording medium on which a color toner for printing containing polyester resin has been fixed to form an image is placed, and a polyester fabric is placed on top of it and heated to sublimate the dye in the color toner for printing and transfer the image formed on the intermediate recording medium to the polyester fabric, an image processing apparatus for correcting the colors from the original image data relating to the original image in order to copy the original image onto the polyester fabric, and preparing corrected image data to be used for image formation on the intermediate recording medium, wherein The system includes a color correction calculation unit that sets the color density in the corrected image data, Image processing apparatus characterized in that, when performing image formation in which a toner lower layer composed of a first color toner of a first color is formed on the intermediate recording medium and a toner upper layer composed of a second color toner of a second color is formed on the toner lower layer, the color correction calculation unit sets the color density in the corrected image data such that the ratio of the color density of the second color in the corrected image data to the color density of the first color is smaller than the ratio of the color density of the second color in the original image data to the color density of the first color.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, The system includes a color correction table that pre-records the ratio between the color density of the image formed on the intermediate recording medium and the color density of the image formed on the polyester fabric when the image formed on the intermediate recording medium is transferred to the polyester fabric. The image processing apparatus is characterized in that the color correction calculation unit sets the color density in the corrected image data by referring to the color correction table.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, The image processing apparatus is characterized in that the color correction calculation unit is set such that the ratio of the color density of the second color to the color density of the first color in the corrected image data becomes smaller as the polyester resin content in the second color toner increases.

4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, The color correction calculation unit is characterized in that it sets the ratio obtained by dividing the color density of the second color in the corrected image data by the color density of the first color when the color dots of the first color and the color dots of the second color in the image formed on the intermediate recording medium overlap, compared to when they do not overlap.

5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, The color correction calculation unit is characterized in that the ratio of the color density of the second color to the color density of the first color in the corrected image data becomes smaller as the sublimation rate of the dye contained in the first color toner decreases.

6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, The color correction calculation unit is characterized by changing the ratio obtained by dividing the color density of the second color in the corrected image data by the color density of the first color, according to the type of dye in the second color toner.

7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, The color correction calculation unit is characterized in that, when setting the color density of the corrected image data, it determines the color density of the second color first, and then determines the color density of the first color.

8. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, The color correction calculation unit is characterized in that it sets the color density in the corrected image data such that the ratio of the color density of the second color in the corrected image data to the color density of the first color becomes smaller as the thickness of the toner upper layer formed on the intermediate recording medium increases.

9. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, The image processing apparatus is characterized in that the color correction calculation unit sets the color density in the corrected image data on a color dot basis in the image formed on the intermediate recording medium.

10. An image processing apparatus according to claim 9, If there is no overlap between the first and second color dots, the color correction calculation unit does not perform color correction. An image processing apparatus characterized in that, if there is an overlap between the first and second color dots, the color correction calculation unit performs color correction.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit that fixes a textile color toner containing polyester resin onto an intermediate recording medium to form an image, An image forming apparatus further comprising a control unit that functions as an image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. An image forming process in which a color toner for printing containing polyester resin is fixed onto an intermediate recording medium to form an image, The process includes a sublimation transfer step in which the intermediate recording medium and the polyester fabric are placed on top of each other and heated to sublimate the dye in the color toner for printing, thereby transferring the image formed on the intermediate recording medium to the polyester fabric. An image forming method for preparing corrected image data to be used for image formation on an intermediate recording medium, by correcting the colors from the original image data relating to the original image in order to copy the original image onto a polyester fabric, The process includes a color correction table that pre-records the ratio between the color density of the image formed on the intermediate recording medium and the color density of the image formed on the polyester fabric when the image formed on the intermediate recording medium is transferred to the polyester fabric, and a color correction calculation step that sets the color density in the corrected image data based on the color density in the original image data. Image forming method characterized in that, when forming an image on the intermediate recording medium, which is composed of a first color toner, and which is composed of a second color toner, the color correction calculation step involves referring to the color correction table and setting the color density in the corrected image data such that the ratio of the color density of the second color in the corrected image data to the color density of the first color is smaller than the ratio of the color density of the second color in the original image data to the color density of the first color.

Images