JP2018140579A - Thermal transfer printer and image data generation program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal transfer printer that is able to sharply form, with a thermal transfer foil, a decorative image including a line image and a solid image.SOLUTION: A thermal transfer printer comprises: a supply mechanism for a thermal transfer foil; a displacement mechanism that changes relative positions of a thermal head and an object to be subjected to transfer; a driving part for the thermal head; and a control part that controls the driving part according to image data for forming a decorative image including a line image and a solid image. The thermal transfer foil is formed by stacking a base layer, a release layer, a foil forming layer, and an adhesive layer in order. The control part executes: a data acquiring process for acquiring first image data for forming one of a line image and a solid image and a second image data for forming the other image with a predetermined space left from the one image; a first driving process for controlling the driving part according to the first image data; and a second driving process that controls the driving part according to the second image data after the first driving process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printing apparatus that heats a thermal transfer foil and transfers a desired image onto an object to be transferred by a heat-driven thermal head. Specifically, the present invention relates to a thermal transfer printing apparatus that sequentially transfers a line image drawn by lines and a painted image drawn by painting the inside of the line image to a transfer object.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printing apparatuses having various configurations have been proposed as a thermal transfer printing apparatus that heats a thermal transfer foil by a thermal head and transfers a desired image to an object to be transferred. For example, the thermal printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a support that supports a standard-size transfer object such as a card, and a head unit that can move relative to the support. The head unit includes a thermal head and a mechanism for supplying and winding hot stamp foil as a thermal transfer foil. The hot stamp foil is composed of a base layer and a foil layer laminated on the base layer. The base layer is formed of a base film made of polyethylene terephthalate or the like. The foil layer is configured by laminating a release layer, a colored layer, a vapor deposition layer, and an adhesive layer in order. When the hot stamp foil is heated by the thermal head, the release layer of the foil layer is peeled off from the base layer, whereby the entire foil layer is transferred to the transfer object.

JP 2005-313386 A

  Line images and decorative images can be considered as images to be transferred to the transfer object. A line image is an image drawn by straight lines and curves. The decoration image is an image drawn by a line image and a paint image that fills the inside of the line image with a desired color. When the line image and the decoration image are compared, the decoration image is an image in which the depth can be felt, and is a good-looking image.

  Consider a case in which a decorative image is transferred to a transfer object using the thermal printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1. First, in accordance with image data forming one of the line image and the painted image, the hot stamp foil is heated and transferred by the thermal head, and one image is formed on the transfer object. Thereafter, the hot stamp foil is heated and transferred by the thermal head in accordance with the image data forming the other image of the line image and the painted image, and the other image is transferred to the transfer object on which one image is formed. It is formed.

  When the hot stamping foil is heated by the thermal head, the release layer of the foil layer is peeled off from the base layer, and the adhesive layer of the foil layer adheres to the transfer object. In a state where one image is first formed on the transfer object, the release layer of the foil layer forming one image is the uppermost layer. Next, when the foil layer forming the other image is transferred to the transfer object on which one image is formed, the adhesive layer of the foil layer forming the other image is the foil layer forming one image. There is a possibility of being placed in a state of being overlaid on the release layer. If the adhesive layer of the foil layer that forms the other image overlaps the release layer of the foil layer that forms one image, the contour portion of the other image is not adhered, so the contour portion of the other image There is a problem that the image becomes unclear and a beautiful decorative image cannot be formed on the transfer object.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a thermal transfer printing apparatus capable of clearly forming a decorative image including a line image and a painted image on a transfer object using a thermal transfer foil. For the purpose.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal transfer printing apparatus including a foil supply mechanism for supplying and winding a thermal transfer foil, a displacement mechanism for changing a relative position between a thermal head and a transfer object, and a thermal head. A heating unit, and a control unit that controls the driving unit according to image data for forming a decorative image including a line image and a paint image. The thermal transfer foil includes a base layer and a thermal head heating unit. The release layer that can be peeled off from the base layer, the foil constituting layer, and the adhesive layer that can be adhered to the transfer object are sequentially laminated, and the control unit includes a line image and an inner side of the line image. The first image data for forming one image of the painted image to be filled and the other image of the line image and the painted image are formed at a predetermined interval from the one image. Second image data A first drive process for controlling the drive unit according to the first image data, a second drive process for controlling the drive unit according to the second image data after execution of the first drive process, Execute.

  In the first aspect of the invention, the foil supply mechanism may be configured to wind up the thermal transfer foil by the driving force of a driving unit such as a motor, or may be configured to be manually wound up by the user. .

  In the first aspect of the invention, the foil supply mechanism may be configured to support one type of thermal transfer foil, or support a plurality of types of thermal transfer foil, with one selected thermal transfer foil facing the transfer target. It may be configured to be positioned in a manner.

  In the first aspect of the invention, the displacement mechanism may be configured such that the thermal head moves relative to the transfer object held at a predetermined position, or the transfer object is arranged at a predetermined position. The structure which moves may be sufficient.

  In the first aspect of the invention, the configuration of the foil constituent layer of the thermal transfer foil is not particularly limited. For example, the foil constituent layer may be composed of any one of a metal foil layer such as gold or silver, a color pigment layer of various colors, and a hologram layer for obtaining a hologram image. The foil constituent layer may be composed of a plurality of layers. For example, the foil constituent layer may be composed of a color pigment layer and a vapor deposition layer of a metal such as aluminum.

  In the first aspect of the invention, the data acquisition process may be a process in which the control unit receives and acquires the first image data and the second image data generated by means separate from the control unit. The processing itself may be obtained by generating the first image data and the second image data.

  In the first aspect of the invention, the predetermined interval is not particularly limited as long as the predetermined interval is configured between the line image and the painted image. For example, a configuration may be employed in which the painted image is formed small in order to leave a predetermined interval from the line image, or a configuration in which the line image is formed large in order to provide a predetermined interval from the painted image.

  In the first aspect of the invention, the predetermined interval is a characteristic of the thermal transfer foil such as the foil cutting property or the peelability, the size of the decorative image, the line thickness of the line image, and the roughness of the surface of the transfer object. The configuration may be set in consideration of various factors and automatically set based on various factors, or may be configured to be input and set by the user.

  A thermal transfer printing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a holding member that holds a transfer object at a predetermined printing position, and a displacement mechanism that moves the thermal head in a predetermined head moving direction with respect to the holding member. And a drive unit that heats and drives the thermal head, and a foil supply mechanism that supplies and winds up each thermal transfer foil of a plurality of types of thermal transfer foil, and holds a desired one of the plurality of types of thermal transfer foil A foil supply mechanism that movably supports a plurality of types of thermal transfer foils in a direction orthogonal to a predetermined head movement direction so as to face the member, a line image, and a painted image that fills the inside of the line image Each of the thermal transfer foils is a base layer and a release layer that can be peeled off from the base layer by heating of the thermal head. The foil constituting layer having a different color according to the type of the thermal transfer foil and the adhesive layer that can be adhered to the transfer object are sequentially laminated, and the control unit is one of the line image and the painted image. Acquisition of first image data for forming a second image data for forming the other image of the line image and the painted image at a predetermined interval from one image A process, a first drive process for controlling the drive unit according to the first image data, and a second drive process for controlling the drive unit according to the second image data after the first drive process is executed.

  In the second aspect of the invention, the foil supply mechanism has a configuration in which the user manually moves the thermal transfer foil to a position where one thermal transfer foil selected from a plurality of types of thermal transfer foils faces the object to be transferred. Alternatively, one of the thermal transfer foils respectively associated with the first image data and the second image data may be moved to a position facing the transfer object by the driving force of the driving means. There may be.

  In the second aspect of the invention, the thermal transfer foil may be two or more types. When there are three or more types of thermal transfer foil, at least one of the line image and the painted image is formed by two or more types of thermal transfer foil. For example, a red painted image portion and a blue painted image portion may be formed as the painted image.

  In the second aspect of the invention, the configuration of winding the thermal transfer foil in the foil supply mechanism, the configuration of the foil constituent layer of the thermal transfer foil, the processing method of the data acquisition process, and the setting method of the predetermined interval are the same as in the first aspect of the invention Further, it can be embodied in various modes.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the foil supply mechanism includes position holding means for holding a position where one desired thermal transfer foil faces the holding member in a direction orthogonal to a predetermined head movement direction.

  In this specific aspect, the position holding means may be configured to hold the position of the thermal transfer foil using a magnetic force of the magnet and a physical force such as a mechanical locking force as a holding force.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the first image data is image data that forms a line image, and the second image data is image data that forms a painted image.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the interval operation unit that can be operated to set the predetermined interval, the first image data, and the second image data are generated, and each image data is transmitted to the control unit. A generating unit. In this specific aspect, the data generation unit determines the size of the painted image inside the line image according to the predetermined interval set by the interval operation unit, and generates the second image data based on the determined size.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, a storage unit that stores a plurality of types of image patterns drawn by lines, and a selection operation that can be operated to select a desired image pattern from the plurality of types of image patterns. And a data generation unit that generates first image data and second image data, and transmits each image data to the control unit. In this specific aspect, the data generation unit is configured to select an original image acquisition process for acquiring an original image, a contour generation process for generating an outermost contour line of the original image, and an area selected inside the contour line. The image pattern is continuously arranged to create a line image composed of the contour line and the desired continuous image pattern, and the first image data is generated so that the created line image is drawn. The first data generation process is executed.

  In this specific aspect, the original image may be an image read by a scanner, an image downloaded via a communication line, or an image obtained by processing these images by a known method.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the data generation unit generates a painted image based on the line image, and generates second image data so that the created painted image is drawn. Execute the process.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the contour generation processing generates a contour line with a thickness line determined according to the resolution of the decoration image, and the first data generation processing is performed regardless of the resolution of the decoration image. A line image is created in a state where the line thickness of a desired continuous image pattern is kept constant.

  In this specific aspect, the resolution of the decoration image may be one fixed resolution or a configuration selected from a plurality of different resolutions.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the data generation unit includes a data generation unit that generates the first image data and the second image data and transmits the image data to the control unit, and the data generation unit generates the generated first image. A transmission operation unit operable to transmit image data designated among the data and the second image data to the control unit is included.

  An image data generation program according to a third aspect of the present invention is an image data generation program executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus that generates image data and transmits the image data to a thermal transfer printer. A foil supply mechanism for supplying and winding the foil, a displacement mechanism for changing the relative position between the thermal head and the transfer object, a drive unit for heating and driving the thermal head, and a decorative image including a line image and a paint image And a controller that controls the drive unit in accordance with image data for formation.The thermal transfer foil includes a base layer, a release layer that can be peeled off from the base layer by heating of the thermal head, a foil constituent layer, An adhesive layer capable of adhering to the transferred material is laminated in order, and the computer of the information processing apparatus acquires an original image acquisition process for acquiring image data of the original image. The first data generation process for generating the first image data based on the image data of the original image so that the line image is drawn, and the first image generation process so that the painted image is drawn at a predetermined interval from the line image. Based on the one image data, a second data generation process for generating the second image data and a transmission process for transmitting the first image data and the second image data to the control unit of the thermal transfer printer are executed.

  In the third aspect of the invention, each component of the thermal transfer printer and the processing executed by the computer are embodied in various aspects, similar to the first and second aspects of the invention and the specific aspects thereof. .

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the thermal transfer foil includes a base layer, a release layer that can be peeled off from the base layer by heating of the thermal head, a foil constituent layer, and an adhesive that can adhere to the transfer object. Layers are stacked in order. The control unit converts the first image data for forming one image of the line image and the painted image that fills the inside of the line image, and the other image of the line image and the painted image, Data acquisition processing for acquiring second image data for forming an image at a predetermined interval, first driving processing for controlling a drive unit of the thermal head according to the first image data, and first driving After the execution of the process, a second drive process for controlling the drive unit of the thermal head is executed according to the second image data. As a result, since the line image and the painted image are formed at a predetermined interval, a decorative image including the line image and the painted image can be clearly formed on the transfer object by the thermal transfer foil.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, the holding member holds the transfer object at a predetermined printing position. The displacement mechanism moves the thermal head in a predetermined head movement direction with respect to the holding member. The foil supply mechanism can move a plurality of types of thermal transfer foils in a direction orthogonal to a predetermined head moving direction so that a desired one of the plurality of types of thermal transfer foils is positioned facing the holding member. To support. Each thermal transfer foil includes a base layer, a release layer that can be peeled off from the base layer by heating a thermal head, a foil constituent layer that varies in color depending on the type of the thermal transfer foil, and an adhesive layer that can adhere to the transfer object. Are stacked in order. The control unit sets a predetermined interval between the first image data for forming one of the line image and the painted image and the other image of the line image and the painted image. Data acquisition processing for acquiring second image data for forming, first driving processing for controlling the driving unit of the thermal head according to the first image data, and second image data after execution of the first driving processing. And a second drive process for controlling the drive unit of the thermal head. As a result, when each image of the line image and the painted image is formed, the transfer object is held at a predetermined printing position, so that a predetermined interval can be accurately set between the line image and the painted image. In addition, a decorative image including a line image and a painted image can be clearly formed on the transfer object by the thermal transfer foil.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the position holding unit of the foil supply mechanism holds a position where one desired thermal transfer foil faces the holding member in a direction orthogonal to a predetermined head movement direction. As a result, one desired thermal transfer foil can be reliably held at a position facing the holding member.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the first image data is image data that forms a line image, and the second image data is image data that forms a painted image. As a result, since the painted image is formed after the line image is formed, even if the predetermined interval fluctuates, it is possible to clearly form the line image that draws the contour line and the boundary line of the decorative image.

  In a specific aspect of the present invention, the predetermined interval is set by operating the interval operation unit. The data generation unit determines the size of the painted image inside the line image according to the predetermined interval set by the interval operation unit, and generates the second image data based on the determined size. As a result, the user can adjust the predetermined interval by operating the interval operation unit according to the result of visually confirming the sharpness of the actually formed decoration image.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, a desired image pattern is selected from among a plurality of types of image patterns by operating the selection operation unit. The data generation unit continuously performs an original image acquisition process for acquiring an original image, an outline generation process for generating an outermost contour line of the original image, and a selected desired image pattern in an area inside the contour line. The first data generation processing for generating the first image data so that the line image composed of the contour line and the desired continuous image pattern is created and the created line image is drawn. And execute. As a result, the user can create a line image of a desired image pattern from the original image, and can easily increase the types of decorative images that can be formed.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the data generation unit generates a painted image based on the line image, and generates second image data so that the created painted image is drawn. Execute the process. As a result, since the painted image is created based on the line image, it is easy to maintain the arrangement relationship between the painted image and the line image in a fixed relationship.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the contour generation processing generates a contour line with a thickness line determined according to the resolution of the decoration image, and the first data generation processing is performed regardless of the resolution of the decoration image. A line image is created in a state where the line thickness of a desired continuous image pattern is kept constant. As a result, since the thickness of the contour image line is determined according to the resolution of the decorative image, the contour line can be clearly formed without changing the shape of the desired continuous image pattern.

  According to a specific aspect of the present invention, the data generation unit includes a transmission operation unit operable to transmit image data designated among the generated first image data and second image data to the control unit. Including. As a result, the user is positioned by operating the transmission operation unit at the stage of completing the operation of positioning one desired thermal transfer foil among the plurality of types of thermal transfer foils at a position corresponding to the holding member. The image data of the image formed by the thermal transfer foil can be transmitted, and a desired thermal transfer foil can be arbitrarily selected for each image.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the thermal transfer printer includes a foil supply mechanism that supplies and winds the thermal transfer foil, a displacement mechanism that changes a relative position between the thermal head and the transfer object, and a thermal head. And a control unit that controls the drive unit in accordance with image data for forming a decorative image including a line image and a paint image. The thermal transfer foil is configured by sequentially laminating a base layer, a release layer that can be peeled off from the base layer by heating of a thermal head, a foil constituent layer, and an adhesive layer that can adhere to a transfer object. The computer of the information processing apparatus includes: an original image acquisition process for acquiring image data of the original image; and a first data generation process for generating first image data based on the image data of the original image so that a line image is drawn A second data generation process for generating the second image data based on the first image data, and the first image data and the second image data so that the painted image is drawn at a predetermined interval from the line image. And transmission processing to be transmitted to the control unit of the thermal transfer printer. As a result, since the line image and the painted image are formed at a predetermined interval, a decorative image including the line image and the painted image can be clearly formed on the transfer object by the thermal transfer foil.

1 is a front view showing an overall configuration of a thermal transfer printer 2 of a thermal transfer printing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a plan view of the thermal transfer printer 2. FIG. This is a plan view of the thermal transfer printer 2 as viewed from above with the head unit 12 and the like removed. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a thermal transfer printer 2 and an information processing apparatus 3 that constitute a thermal transfer printing system 1. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a print control process executed by the thermal transfer printer 2. 5 is a flowchart illustrating image data generation processing executed by the information processing apparatus 3. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process of 1st production | generation mode. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process of 2nd generation mode. It is explanatory drawing which shows the change of the image processed with execution of 1st production | generation mode. It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows the line image in the circular range shown to (E) of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows the black-and-white inversion image in the circular range shown to (G) of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows the coating image in the circular range shown to (H) of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the change of the image processed with execution of 2nd generation mode. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the thermal transfer printer 2 shown in FIG. 3, showing a state in which the foil supply mechanism 14 is moved in the front-rear direction so that spacers 106 and 112 are positioned above the base 20. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the thermal transfer printer 2 shown in FIG. 3, showing a state in which the foil supply mechanism 14 is moved in the front-rear direction so that the take-up spool 102 and the supply spool 108 are positioned above the base 20. . It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows a part of decoration image comprised from the printed line image and the painting image.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a thermal transfer printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The thermal transfer printing system 1 includes a thermal transfer printer 2 and an information processing device 3. The thermal transfer printer 2 is a printer that uses a thermal transfer foil sheet having a foil of metal, hologram, pigment, etc., and transfers the foil onto a transfer object such as paper or a card by a thermal head for printing. The information processing apparatus 3 includes a computer that can communicate with the thermal transfer printer 2, and transmits image data and various commands to the thermal transfer printer 2. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the thermal transfer printer 2. The up and down direction and the left and right direction are directions indicated by arrows in FIG. 1, and the front and rear direction is a direction orthogonal to these directions, and each direction is similarly shown in other drawings in FIG.

[Mechanical configuration of thermal transfer printer 2]
In FIG. 1, the thermal transfer printer 2 includes a printer frame 10, a head unit 12, and a foil supply mechanism 14. The printer frame 10 includes a base 20, a pair of support plates 22 and 24, and a pair of transport guide shafts 26 and 28. The base 20 is made of a metal material and extends in the left-right direction. The pair of support plates 22 and 24 are respectively fixed to both left and right ends of the base 20 by fixing means such as screws, and extend upward from the base 20. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the thermal transfer printer 2 as viewed from above with the head unit 12 and the like removed. In FIG. 2, the pair of transport guide shafts 26 and 28 are respectively fixed to the upper ends of the support plates 22 and 24 by fixing means such as screws, and extend in the left-right direction at intervals in the front-back direction. Both conveyance guide shafts 26 and 28 support the head unit 12 so that the head unit 12 moves in the left-right direction.

  In FIG. 2, a pair of tables 30 and 32 are formed from a metal material, and are fixed to both front and rear end portions of the base 20 by fixing means such as screws. The platen sheet is formed from a synthetic resin material such as urethane rubber, and is adhered to the upper surface of the base 20. The upper surfaces of the tables 30 and 32 and the upper surface of the platen sheet bonded to the base 20 form the same plane extending in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

  The head unit 12 includes a transport motor 40, a transport mechanism 42, a lift motor 44, a lift mechanism 46, a thermal head 48, various sensors, and a control circuit board. In the present embodiment, the transport motor 40 and the lifting motor 44 are composed of step motors. The conveyor belt 50 is formed of a toothed belt, is stretched between the support plates 22 and 24, and extends in the left-right direction. Both end portions of the conveyor belt 50 are fixed to the upper portions of the support plates 22 and 24, respectively. The transport mechanism 42 includes a drive pulley having teeth that mesh with the teeth of the transport belt 50 and a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the transport motor 40 to the drive pulley. According to the rotation amount and rotation direction of the conveyance motor 40, the head unit 12 moves along the conveyance guide shafts 26 and 28 by a predetermined amount in the left-right direction.

  The elevating mechanism 46 is a mechanism for elevating and lowering the thermal head 48. The elevating mechanism 46 is fixed to the rotatable screw shaft 52, the elevating support member 54 supporting the thermal head 48, and the support member 54, and screwed to the screw shaft. And a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the lifting motor 44 to the screw shaft 52. The thermal head 48 moves up and down by a predetermined amount in the vertical direction according to the rotation amount and the rotation direction of the lift motor 44.

  The head unit 12 includes an origin sensor 70, a conveyance end sensor 72, a head upper end sensor 74, and a head lower end sensor 76. The origin sensor 70 detects that the head unit 12 has reached a predetermined origin position in the left-right direction by optically detecting the detection piece 70A fixed to the right support plate 22. The conveyance end sensor 72 detects that the head unit 12 has reached a predetermined conveyance end position in the left-right direction by optically detecting the detection piece 72A fixed to the left support plate 24.

  The head upper end sensor 74 optically detects that the support member 54 of the thermal head 48 has reached a predetermined upper end position in the vertical direction. The head lower end sensor 76 optically detects that the support member 54 of the thermal head 48 has reached a predetermined lower end position in the vertical direction.

  The foil supply mechanism 14 includes a pair of bearings 80 and 82, a pair of support shafts 84 and 86, a connecting body 88 that connects the rear ends of the support shafts 84 and 86, and four foil guide shafts 90 to 96. And a pair of shaft holders 98 and 100. The coupling body 88 and the pair of shaft holding bodies 98 and 100 are made of a metal material. The pair of bearings 80 and 82 are respectively fixed to the lower portions of the support plates 22 and 24 by fixing means such as screws at positions close to the rear end of the rear table 32. The pair of support shafts 84 and 86 are supported by both bearings 80 and 82 so as to move in the front-rear direction. When the connecting body 88 connects the rear end portions of the support shafts 84 and 86, the support shafts 84 and 86 can move integrally in the front-rear direction. The pair of shaft holders 98 and 100 are fixed to predetermined positions in the front-rear direction of the support shafts 84 and 86, respectively. The two foil guide shafts 90 and 92 are held by the connecting body 88 and the right shaft holding body 98 in a state of extending in the front-rear direction in parallel with the right support shaft 84. The remaining two foil guide shafts 94 and 96 are held by the connecting body 88 and the left shaft holding body 100 in a state of extending in the front-rear direction in parallel with the left support shaft 86.

  A supply spool for supplying the belt-shaped thermal transfer foil sheet is inserted through the left support shaft 86 and attached. A take-up spool for taking up the thermal transfer foil sheet is inserted through the right support shaft 84 and attached. In this embodiment, in order to use two types of thermal transfer foil sheets of different colors, the first take-up spool 102 and the second take-up spool 104 in FIG. The first supply spool 108 and the second supply spool 110 are mounted on the left support shaft 86 with the spacer 112 interposed therebetween. Each take-up spool and each supply spool have a cylindrical portion around which the thermal transfer foil sheet is wound, and flange portions fixed to both side ends of the cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion of each spool is attached to the support shafts 84 and 86 with a predetermined frictional resistance in the rotational direction.

  In order to prevent the take-up spools 102, 104 from falling off the right support shaft 84, a take-up set screw 114 is screwed onto the front end of the support shaft 84. In order to prevent the supply spools 108, 110 from falling off the left support shaft 86, a supply-side set screw 116 is screwed onto the front end portion of the support shaft 86. Both the winding spools 102 and 104 and the spacer 106 are held at predetermined positions in the front-rear direction of the right support shaft 84 in a state of being sandwiched between the right shaft holding body 98 and the set screw 114. Both supply spools 108 and 110 and the spacer 112 are held at predetermined positions in the front-rear direction of the left support shaft 86 while being sandwiched between the left shaft holder 100 and the set screw 116.

  In FIG. 1, the first thermal transfer foil sheet 122 is supplied from the first supply spool 108 and guided by the left foil guide shafts 94 and 96. The first thermal transfer foil sheet 122 guided by the both foil guide shafts 94 and 96 is guided by the right foil guide shafts 92 and 90 and taken up by the first winding spool 102. The first thermal transfer foil sheet 122 is held in a state of being pulled in the left-right direction between the left foil guide shaft 96 and the right foil guide shaft 92. Similarly, the second thermal transfer foil sheet 124 is supplied from the second supply spool 110 and guided by the left foil guide shafts 94 and 96. The second thermal transfer foil sheet 124 guided by the foil guide shafts 94 and 96 is guided by the right foil guide shafts 92 and 90 and taken up by the second winding spool 104. The second thermal transfer foil sheet 124 is held between the left foil guide shaft 96 and the right foil guide shaft 92 while being pulled in the left-right direction.

  In the present embodiment, the thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124 include a base layer, a release layer that can be peeled off from the base layer by heating of the thermal head 48, a foil constituent layer, and an adhesive layer that can adhere to the transfer target. It is configured by stacking in order, and the stacked configuration is known as described in Japanese Patent No. 4453945. The foil constituting layer is composed of any one of a metal foil layer such as gold or silver, a color pigment layer of various colors, and a hologram layer for obtaining a hologram image. In general, the characteristics of the thermal transfer foil sheet are different for each thermal transfer foil sheet, and examples of the characteristics include foil breakability and peelability. The foil breakability is a characteristic indicating the strength of breaking strength that breaks when three layers of a release layer, a foil constituent layer, and an adhesive layer, which are transfer layers transferred to a transfer object, are pulled. The peelability is a characteristic indicating the strength of peel strength at which the transfer layer peels from the base layer. When the breaking strength, which is a foil breakability, is large, the amount that the transfer layer extends when the transfer layer breaks is relatively large. Further, when the peel strength, which is peelability, is large, the amount that the transfer layer extends when the transfer layer peels from the base layer becomes relatively large. For this reason, when an image is printed using a thermal transfer foil sheet having a large foil breakability or peelability, lines such as contour lines constituting the image tend to be thick.

  Magnet sheets 126 and 128 are bonded and fixed to the front end surface and the rear end surface of the right bearing 80, respectively. Magnet sheets 130 and 132 are bonded and fixed to the front end surface and the rear end surface of the left bearing 82, respectively. The front magnet sheets 126 and 130 can adsorb both shaft holding bodies 98 and 100 by magnetic force, and the rear magnet sheets 128 and 132 can adsorb the connecting body 88 by magnetic force.

  In this embodiment, the transfer object is a standard size card such as a credit card. A card holding member 134 is provided to hold the card on the platen sheet of the base 20. FIG. 3 shows the thermal transfer printer 2 as viewed from above with the head unit 12, the conveyance guide shafts 26 and 28, the conveyance belt 50, etc. removed from FIG. In FIG. 3, the card holding member 134 is disposed at the center position of the base 20 in the left-right direction. The card holding member 134 has a rectangular holding opening 136 and a semicircular attaching / detaching opening 138. The holding opening 136 has a shape into which the card is fitted, and holds the card. The detachable opening 138 is formed so that the user inserts a fingertip when the user inserts and removes the card from the holding opening 136. The macnet sheet is adhered and fixed to the back surface of the card holding member 134. The user can attract the card holding member 134 to the base 20 and the tables 30 and 32 by the magnetic force of the magnet sheet.

  Triangular marks 140 and 142 are arranged on the upper surfaces of both tables 30 and 32 at the center position in the left-right direction of both tables 30 and 32. Triangular marks 144 and 146 are arranged at the center position in the front-rear direction of the base 20 on the upper surface of the platen sheet of the base 20. Triangular marks 148 and 150 are arranged on the upper surface of the card holding member 134 at the center position in the left-right direction of the holding opening 136 at positions in the front-rear direction so as to be close to the marks 140 and 142, respectively. Triangular marks 152 and 154 are arranged on the upper surface of the card holding member 134 at the center position in the front-rear direction of the holding opening 136 and in the left-right direction so as to be close to the marks 144 and 146, respectively. The user can attach the card holding member 134 to a predetermined position of the base 20 and the tables 30 and 32 while looking at these marks.

[Electrical configuration of thermal transfer printing system 1]
The electrical configuration of the thermal transfer printing system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the thermal transfer printing system 1. In FIG. 4, the thermal transfer printer 2 mainly includes a control processing unit 200, a program memory 210, a work memory 220, and an interface 230. The control processing unit 200 includes a CPU and a data processing circuit such as a gate array. The program memory 210 fixedly stores various programs such as a main processing program and a printing control processing program for controlling the overall operation of the thermal transfer printer 2 and various setting values. The work memory 220 temporarily stores various data sent from the outside through the interface 230 and the calculation processing result of the control processing unit 200. The print control process program executes the print control process shown in FIG.

  The control processing unit 200 is connected to the external information processing apparatus 3 through the interface 230 and the LAN 240. The information processing apparatus 3 is composed of a personal computer, can create various image data, and transmit the image data to the control processing unit 200 together with a print command.

  The control processing unit 200 includes an operation panel (not shown), a head drive circuit 250, a lift drive circuit 252, a transport drive circuit 254, a lamp drive circuit 256, an origin sensor 70, a transport end sensor 72, a head upper end sensor 74, and a head lower end sensor 76. Connected to each. The head drive circuit 250 heats and drives the thermal head 48 in accordance with a print control command and image data supplied from the control processing unit 200. The lift drive circuit 252 rotates the lift motor 44 in accordance with a rotation control command from the control processing unit 200. The transport driving circuit 254 rotates the transport motor 40 in accordance with a rotation control command from the control processing unit 200. The lamp driving circuit 256 causes the ready lamp 260 to continuously light up or blink according to the lighting control command from the control processing unit 200. The ready lamp 260 is disposed in the head unit 12.

  The information processing apparatus 3 mainly includes an arithmetic processing unit 300, a program memory 310, a work memory 320, an image memory 330, an operation unit 340, and a display unit 350. The arithmetic processing unit 300 includes a data processing circuit such as a CPU. The program memory 310 fixedly stores various programs such as a main processing program that controls the overall operation of the information processing apparatus 3 and an image data generation processing program, and various setting values. The work memory 320 temporarily stores the arithmetic processing result of the arithmetic processing unit 300. The image memory 330 is composed of a nonvolatile memory capable of reading and writing data, and stores various types of continuous pattern image data used to create a line image. The operation unit 340 includes an input operation unit that can be operated, such as a keyboard and a mouse. The display unit 350 includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display, and displays a screen necessary for creating image data. The image data generation processing program executes the image data generation processing shown in FIG. The image data generation processing program includes a subroutine for executing the first generation mode shown in FIG. 7 and a subroutine for executing the second generation mode shown in FIG.

[Operation and Action of Embodiment]
The operation and action of the thermal transfer printing system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference mainly to FIGS. The operation of the thermal transfer printing system 1 will be described separately for the print control process of the thermal transfer printer 2 and the image data generation process of the information processing apparatus 3.

≪Print control processing≫
When the power of the thermal transfer printer 2 is turned on, the control processing unit 200 reads the print control processing program from the program memory 210 and starts executing the print control processing shown in FIG. The process at each step shown in FIG. 5 is a process executed by the control processing unit 200.

  Initial setting is executed (SA1). For example, a predetermined storage area of the work memory 220 is cleared. Further, a continuous lighting command is supplied to the lamp driving circuit 256. In accordance with the continuous lighting command, the lamp driving circuit 256 causes the ready lamp 260 to light continuously.

  An origin return command is supplied to the transport drive circuit 254 so that the head unit 12 returns to the origin (SA2). In accordance with the origin return command, the transport driving circuit 254 drives the transport motor 40 so that the head unit 12 is moved rightward in FIG. When the origin sensor 70 mounted on the head unit 12 detects the detection piece 70A and supplies a detection signal to the control processing unit 200, the control processing unit 200 supplies a transport stop command to the transport drive circuit 254. In accordance with the conveyance stop command, the conveyance drive circuit 254 stops the driving of the conveyance motor 40. As a result, the head unit 12 is positioned at the origin position determined in the vicinity of the right support plate 22.

  It is determined whether reception of image data has been started (SA3). Specifically, it is determined whether the control processing unit 200 has started receiving image data from the information processing apparatus 3 through the interface 230. When it is determined that the reception of image data has not started (SA3: NO), the process of step SA3 is repeated. When it is determined that reception of image data has started (SA3: YES), the process proceeds to step SA4, and the received image data is temporarily stored in the work memory 220.

  A blinking command for the ready lamp 260 is supplied to the lamp driving circuit 256 (SA4). The lamp drive circuit 256 causes the ready lamp 260 to blink in accordance with the blinking command.

  It is determined whether the reception of the image data has been completed (SA5). When it is determined that the reception of the image data has not ended (SA5: NO), the process returns to step SA4, and the received image data is temporarily stored in the work memory 220. The user can recognize that image data is currently being received by seeing the ready lamp 260 blinking. When it is determined that the reception of the image data has been completed (SA5: YES), the process proceeds to step SA6, and the control processing unit 200 stops supplying the blinking command and supplies the continuous lighting command to the lamp driving circuit 256. To do. The user can recognize that the reception of the image data is completed by seeing that the ready lamp 260 has changed from the blinking state to the continuous lighting state.

  The received image data is converted into print data (SA6). Specifically, the image data temporarily stored in the work memory 220 is converted into print data for heating and driving a large number of heating elements of the thermal head 48 and temporarily stored in the work memory 220.

  It is determined whether or not conversion to print data has been completed (SA7). If it is determined that the conversion to print data has not been completed (SA7: NO), the process returns to step SA6. When it is determined that the conversion to print data has been completed (SA7: YES), the process proceeds to step SA8.

  The first print data temporarily stored in the work memory 220 is read (SA8). The first print data includes machining origin data for positioning the head unit 12 at the machining origin position.

  A machining origin positioning command for moving the head unit 12 to the machining origin position is supplied to the conveyance drive circuit 254 (SA9). The transport driving circuit 254 drives the transport motor 40 in accordance with the processing origin positioning command so that the head unit 12 is moved from the origin position determined in the vicinity of the right support plate 22 to the processing origin position.

  A command to lower the thermal head 48 is supplied to the lift drive circuit 252 (SA10). The lift drive circuit 252 drives the lift motor 44 in accordance with the drop command so that the support member 54 of the thermal head 48 is lowered. When the head lower end sensor 76 detects that the support member 54 has reached a predetermined lower end position and supplies a detection signal to the control processing unit 200, the control processing unit 200 supplies a stop command to the elevation drive circuit 252. To do. In accordance with the stop command, the lift drive circuit 252 stops the drive of the lift motor 44. As a result, the support member 54 of the thermal head 48 is positioned at a predetermined lower end position, and the thermal head 48 comes into contact with the surface of the card held by the card holding member 134 via the thermal transfer foil sheet. .

  It is determined whether the print data has been completed (SA11). Specifically, it is determined whether or not all the print data temporarily stored in the work memory 220 has been read. When it is determined that the print data has not ended (SA11: NO), the process proceeds to step SA12. When it is determined that the print data has been completed (SA11: YES), the process proceeds to step SA15.

  When it is determined that the print data has not ended (SA11: NO), a transport command is supplied to the transport drive circuit 254 so that the head unit 12 is moved leftward in FIG. 1 at a predetermined transport speed. (SA12). In accordance with the conveyance command, the conveyance drive circuit 254 drives the conveyance motor 40. Immediately after the start of printing, the head unit 12 starts moving toward the left from the processing origin position.

  A print command for the thermal head 48 is supplied to the head drive circuit 250 (SA13). The head drive circuit 250 heats and drives the thermal head 48 according to the print data included in the print command. Immediately after the start of printing, the head drive circuit 250 heats and drives the thermal head 48 according to the first print data.

  The next print data is read from the print data temporarily stored in the work memory 220 (SA14). After execution of step SA14, the process returns to step SA11. Steps SA11 to SA14 are repeated until all print data is read.

  When it is determined that the print data has been completed (SA11: YES), a thermal head 48 stop command is supplied to the head drive circuit 250 (SA15). In accordance with the stop command, the head drive circuit 250 stops the heating drive of the thermal head 48.

  A command for raising the thermal head 48 is supplied to the raising / lowering drive circuit 252 (SA16). The lift drive circuit 252 drives the lift motor 44 in accordance with the lift command so that the support member 54 of the thermatsu head 48 is lifted. When the head upper end sensor 74 detects that the support member 54 has reached a predetermined upper end position and supplies a detection signal to the control processing unit 200, the control processing unit 200 supplies a stop command to the elevation drive circuit 252. To do. In accordance with the stop command, the lift drive circuit 252 stops the drive of the lift motor 44. As a result, the support member 54 of the thermal head 48 is positioned at a predetermined upper end position, and the thermal head 48 is separated from the surface of the card held by the card holding member 134.

  An origin return command is supplied to the transport drive circuit 254 so that the head unit 12 returns to the origin (SA17). In accordance with the origin return command, the transport driving circuit 254 drives the transport motor 40 so that the head unit 12 is moved rightward in FIG. When the origin sensor 70 mounted on the head unit 12 detects the detection piece 70A and supplies a detection signal to the control processing unit 200, the control processing unit 200 supplies a transport stop command to the transport drive circuit 254. In accordance with the conveyance stop command, the conveyance drive circuit 254 stops the driving of the conveyance motor 40. As a result, the head unit 12 is positioned at the origin position determined in the vicinity of the right support plate 22.

≪Image data generation process≫
In the information processing apparatus 3, when the user operates the operation unit 340 to start the program, the arithmetic processing unit 300 reads the image data generation processing program from the program memory 310, and performs the image data generation processing shown in FIG. Start execution. The process of each step shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 is a process executed by the arithmetic processing unit 300.

  Initial setting is executed (SB1). For example, a predetermined storage area of the work memory 320 used for the image data generation process is cleared.

  It is determined whether or not the first generation mode has been selected (SB2). In the present embodiment, there are a first generation mode and a second generation mode as modes for generating image data. The first generation mode is a mode in which a line image is created based on a desired continuous pattern selected by the user, and image data of the line image and the painted image is generated. The second generation mode is a mode for generating image data of a completed line image and a painted image. In step SB 2, the generation mode selection screen is displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing device 3. The user can select either the first generation mode or the second generation mode by operating the operation unit 340 while viewing the generation mode selection screen. In the present embodiment, the line image is an image drawn only by lines, and the fill image is an image that fills an area surrounded by lines constituting the line image.

  When it is determined that the first generation mode is selected (SB2: YES), the process proceeds to step SB3. When it is determined that the second generation mode is selected (SB2: NO), the process proceeds to step SB4. Detailed processing in the first generation mode and the second generation mode will be described later.

  It is determined whether transmission of the first image is instructed (SB5). When it is determined that the transmission of the first image has been instructed (SB5: YES), the process proceeds to step SB6. When it is determined that transmission of the first image is not instructed (SB5: NO), the process proceeds to step SB7. In step SB5, a transmission instruction screen for instructing transmission of the first image is displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing apparatus 3. The user can instruct transmission of the first image by operating the operation unit 340 while viewing the transmission instruction screen. In this embodiment, when not instructing transmission of the first image, the user operates the operation unit 340 to switch the transmission instruction screen for the first image to the transmission instruction screen for the second image.

  When it is determined that the transmission of the first image is instructed (SB5: YES), the first image data temporarily stored in the work memory 320 is transmitted to the thermal transfer printer 2 (SB6).

  When it is determined that transmission of the first image has not been instructed (SB5: NO), it is determined whether transmission of the second image has been instructed (SB7). When it is determined that the transmission of the second image has been instructed (SB7: YES), the process proceeds to step SB8. When it is determined that transmission of the second image is not instructed (SB7: NO), the process returns to step SB5. In step SB7, a transmission instruction screen for instructing transmission of the second image is displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing device 3. The user can instruct transmission of the second image by operating the operation unit 340 while viewing the transmission instruction screen. In the present embodiment, when the second image transmission instruction is not instructed, the user operates the operation unit 340 to switch the second image transmission instruction screen to the first image transmission instruction screen.

  When it is determined that the transmission of the second image is instructed (SB7: YES), the second image data temporarily stored in the work memory 320 is transmitted to the thermal transfer printer 2 (SB8).

  It is determined whether or not the transmission of the two image data has been completed (SB9). When it is determined that transmission of both the first image data and the second image data has been completed (SB9: YES), the image data generation process ends. When it is determined that the transmission of the first image data and the second image data has not ended (SB9: NO), the process returns to step SB5.

  In the present embodiment, the first image is a line image, and the second image is a painted image. In step SB5 or step SB7, the user selects either the first image or the second image by operating the operation unit 340 while viewing the image selection screen displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing device 3. The transmission instruction can be performed.

≪First generation mode≫
It is determined whether an image interval is designated (SC1). Specifically, an input screen for inputting the image interval is displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing apparatus 3. The input screen displays a range of intervals that can be input. In the present embodiment, the range of intervals that can be input is displayed by the number of pixels, for example, a range from “0” pixels to “10” pixels. The user determines various factors such as the characteristics of the thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124 used for printing, the size of the decorative image to be printed, the line thickness of the line image, and the roughness of the surface of the transfer object. Considering this, by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing apparatus 3, the number of pixels as an image interval is input, and the operation unit 340 is operated to determine the input number of pixels. The user designates the image interval by an operation such as inputting the number of pixels.

  As the characteristics of the thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124, for example, foil cutting property and releasability can be considered. When using a thermal transfer foil sheet with high foil breakability and releasability, lines such as contour lines that make up the image tend to be thicker, so the image interval between the line image and the painted image A large number of pixels is input as the number of pixels. Usually, the optimum image interval is determined by performing test printing a plurality of times.

  The input image interval is temporarily stored in the work memory 320 (SC2). After execution of step SC2, it is determined whether a continuous pattern has been selected (SC3). When it is determined that the continuous pattern has been selected (SC3: YES), the process proceeds to step SC4. When it is determined that the continuous pattern is not selected (SC3: NO), the process returns to step SC3. In step SC <b> 3, thumbnail images of various types of continuous pattern image data stored in the image memory 330 are displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing apparatus 3. The user selects a desired thumbnail image by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing device 3 while viewing various types of thumbnail images. By selecting a desired thumbnail image, the user can select a continuous pattern. For convenience of explanation, the present embodiment will be described assuming that the hexagonal continuous pattern shown in FIG. 9A is selected as the desired continuous pattern.

  It is determined whether or not the size of the selected continuous pattern has been changed (SC4). When it is determined that the size of the continuous pattern has been changed (SC4: YES), the process proceeds to step SC5. When it is determined that the size of the continuous pattern has not been changed (SC4: NO), the process proceeds to step SC6. In step SC <b> 4, the size change screen is displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing apparatus 3. The user inputs a desired size change rate, for example, an enlargement rate or a reduction rate, by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing device 3 while viewing the size change screen. By inputting a desired size change rate, the user can change the size of the continuous pattern. When the size of the continuous pattern is not changed, that is, when the initial size of the continuous pattern is designated, the user instructs “no change” in the size change screen.

  A continuous pattern changing process is executed (SC5). Specifically, the continuous pattern of the initial size is changed according to a desired size change rate, and the image data of the changed continuous pattern is temporarily stored in the work memory 320. In the present embodiment, the hexagonal size of the continuous pattern shown in FIG.

  The original image is read (SC6). Specifically, before the execution of the image data generation process shown in FIG. 6 is started, the user temporarily stores at least one desired original image in the work memory 320. As a desired original image, a color image such as a color photograph or a color illustration is temporarily stored in the work memory 320 by scanning or downloading from the Internet. In step SC <b> 6, the original image selection screen is displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing apparatus 3. The user selects a desired original image by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing device 3 while viewing the original image selection screen. The image data of the selected desired original image is read from the temporary storage area of the work memory 320 and read into the image processing storage area of the work memory 320. For convenience of explanation, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that a circular color image representing a full moon is read as a desired original image.

  It is determined whether or not the arrangement of the selected desired original image has been confirmed (SC7). When it is determined that the arrangement of the desired original image is confirmed (SC7: YES), the process proceeds to step SC8. When it is determined that the arrangement of the desired original image has not been determined (SC7: NO), the process of step SC7 is repeated. In step SC <b> 7, an arrangement confirmation screen for confirming the arrangement of the original image is displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing apparatus 3. On the arrangement confirmation screen, a range area image indicating a printable range in which the card holding member 134 is arranged is fixedly displayed at a predetermined position on the screen, and a desired original image is displayed movably on the screen. The user operates the operation unit 340 of the information processing apparatus 3 to determine a desired arrangement position of the original image while moving the position of the original image arranged with respect to the range area image.

  When it is determined that the arrangement of the desired original image is confirmed (SC7: YES), the processing origin position is calculated and temporarily stored in the work memory 320 (SC8). Specifically, between a reference position serving as a reference in the desired original image whose arrangement position is determined in step SC7 and a predetermined origin position adjacent to the right support plate 22 in FIG. A distance is calculated, and based on this distance, machining origin data indicating a machining origin position that is a position where printing of a desired original image is started is generated and temporarily stored in the work memory 320.

  Image data of a desired original image which is a color image is converted into grayscale image data (SC9). A method for converting a color image into a gray scale image is well known, and a detailed description of the conversion method is omitted. In the present embodiment, the image data of a color image is converted into 256 gradation gray scale image data according to the intensity of the color image, and temporarily stored in the work memory 320.

  The grayscale image is converted into a two-tone image (SC10). The converted two-gradation image is temporarily stored in the work memory 320. A method of converting a grayscale image into a two-tone image is also well known, and a detailed description of the conversion method is omitted. For convenience of explanation, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the two-tone image is a monochrome image shown in FIG.

  The selected continuous pattern is arranged in the selection range of the two-tone image (SC11). In step SC <b> 11, a range selection screen for displaying a two-tone image is displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing device 3. The user selects a range for arranging the continuous pattern by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing apparatus 3 while viewing the two-tone image on the range selection screen. For example, the user uses an operation unit such as a mouse of the operation unit 340 and clicks a black range in the two-tone image shown in FIG. Select a range. The continuous pattern is arranged in the selected black range in a state where it is repeatedly drawn. FIG. 9C shows a state in which a hexagonal continuous pattern is arranged in a black range.

  The line thickness is set according to the print resolution (SC12). The set line thickness is temporarily stored in the work memory 320. In the present embodiment, since a certain resolution such as 600 DPI is set in advance as the print resolution, for example, the line thickness is set based on this certain resolution. Normally, the higher the certain resolution is set, the thinner the line is.

  A contour line is created based on the two-tone image and the set line thickness (SC13). The created contour image data is temporarily stored in the work memory 320. In step SC13, an edge portion of the two-tone image is detected in order to specify the outer shape of the black range which is the selection range of the two-tone image. By detecting the edge portion, the outer shape in the black range is specified. By drawing the specified outer shape with a line having a set thickness, an outline in a black range is created. FIG. 9D shows an image of the created contour line.

  The image in which the continuous pattern is arranged and the image of the contour line are synthesized (SC14). After execution of step SC14, the image data of the synthesized image is temporarily stored in the work memory 320 as first image data (SC15). As shown in FIG. 9E, the synthesized image is a line image drawn only with lines. In this line image, only the line part is drawn in black, and the other part is drawn in white. In FIG. 9E, the circular area in which the line image is drawn and the area outside the circular area and inside the outer rectangle are the image forming area of one line image. The first image data is data for drawing the entire range of the image forming range.

  The first image data which is the image data of the synthesized image is reversed in black and white (SC16). The image data of the black / white inverted image is temporarily stored in the work memory 320. FIG. 9F shows an image that has been reversed in black and white.

  The area outside the contour line of the black-and-white inverted image is converted to white (SC17). The image data of the converted image is temporarily stored in the work memory 320. FIG. 9G shows the image converted in step SC17.

  The black area inside the boundary line of the black / white inverted image is reduced by the image interval temporarily stored in step SC2 (SC18). The image data of the reduced image is temporarily stored in the work memory 320 as second image data (SC19). FIG. 9H shows a reduced image as compared with the black range shown in FIG. After the execution of step SC19, the process of the first generation mode ends. In FIG. 9H, the circular range in which the painted image is drawn and the range outside the circular range and inside the outer frame rectangle are the image forming range of one painted image. The second image data is data for drawing the entire image forming range.

(Image reduction processing in step SC18)
The image reduction process in step SC18 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 shows an enlarged image within the circular range shown in FIG. 9E, FIG. 11 shows an enlarged image within the circular range shown in FIG. 9G, and FIG. Fig. 9 shows an enlarged image within a circular range shown in Fig. 9H.

  In FIG. 10, one side of each hexagon in a line image in which a large number of hexagons are combined is composed of a thick line and two thin lines. The width of one side of each hexagon is the width WA. In FIG. 10, the outline of the line image is indicated by a line SL. In FIG. 11, a large number of hexagonal images GB filled with black are arranged. An interval between two adjacent hexagonal images GB is an interval WB, which is the same size as the width WA. The hexagonal outline of each image GB corresponds to the “borderline of the inverted black and white image” in step SC18. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, there is an image of a line constituting each side of the hexagon between two adjacent hexagonal images GB. In step SC18, this line image is displayed. Since it has a width smaller than a predetermined width, it is determined that it is not a painted image and is deleted.

  One side of each hexagon of the line image shown in FIG. 10 is arranged between two adjacent hexagonal images GB shown in FIG. 11, but the interval WB is the same size as the width WA. The hexagonal outline of each image GB may overlap with one side of each hexagon of the line image. In order to avoid this overlapping of images, in this embodiment, the size of the hexagonal outer shape of each image GB is reduced by the number of pixels corresponding to the image interval.

  In FIG. 12, a hexagonal image GC filled with black is an image reduced from the image GB. The interval between two adjacent hexagonal images GC is the interval WC. Since the size of the hexagonal outer shape of each image GB is reduced by the number of pixels corresponding to the image interval, the interval WC becomes larger than the width WA by twice the number of pixels corresponding to the image interval. In this case, the image interval is a value corresponding to (WC-WA) / 2. As a result, when the one side part of each hexagon of the line image is arranged between the intervals WC, the one side part of each hexagon and the outline of the reduced hexagonal image GC are arranged. A gap having the number of pixels corresponding to the image interval is formed.

≪Second generation mode≫
It is determined whether an image interval is designated (SD1). The process of step SD1 is executed in the same manner as the process of step SC1.

  The input image interval is temporarily stored in the work memory 320 (SD2). After execution of step SD2, the original image is read (SD3). Specifically, before the execution of the image data generation process shown in FIG. 6 is started, the user temporarily stores at least one desired original image in the work memory 320. As a desired original image, a color image such as a color illustration drawn only by lines is temporarily stored in the work memory 320 by scanning or downloading from the Internet. In step SD <b> 3, an original image selection screen is displayed on the display unit 350 of the information processing apparatus 3. The user selects a desired original image by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing device 3 while viewing the original image selection screen. The image data of the selected desired original image is read from the temporary storage area of the work memory 320 and read into the image processing storage area of the work memory 320.

  It is determined whether or not the arrangement of the selected desired original image is confirmed (SD4). When it is determined that the arrangement of the desired original image has been confirmed (SD4: YES), the process proceeds to step SD5. When it is determined that the arrangement of the desired original image has not been determined (SD4: NO), the process of step SD4 is repeated. The process of step SD4 is executed similarly to the process of step SC7.

  When it is determined that the arrangement of the desired original image is determined, the processing origin position is calculated and temporarily stored in the work memory 320 (SD5). The process of step SD5 is executed in the same manner as the process of step SC8.

  Image data of a desired original image which is a color image is converted into grayscale image data (SD6). The grayscale image is converted into a two-tone image (SD7). Steps SD6 and SD7 are executed in the same manner as steps SC9 and SC10. For convenience of explanation, in this embodiment, the two-tone image is assumed to be a black and white image shown in FIG. 13A and a line image shown in FIG.

  The converted two-gradation image data is temporarily stored in the work memory 320 as first image data (SD8).

  The first image data, which is image data of a two-tone image, is reversed in black and white (SD9). The image data of the black / white inverted image is temporarily stored in the work memory 320. FIG. 13B shows an image that has been reversed in black and white, and corresponds to the image shown in FIG.

  The area outside the contour line of the black-white inverted image is converted to white (SD10). The image data of the converted image is temporarily stored in the work memory 320. (C) of FIG. 13 shows the image converted in step SD10, and corresponds to the image shown in (G) of FIG.

  The black range inside the boundary line of the black-white inverted image is reduced by the image interval temporarily stored in step SD2 (SD11). The image data of the reduced image is temporarily stored in the work memory 320 as second image data (SD12). The process of step SD11 is performed similarly to the process of step SC18. FIG. 13D shows a reduced image as compared with the black range shown in FIG. 13C, and corresponds to the image shown in FIG. After the execution of step SD12, the process of the second generation mode ends.

≪Specific printing mode≫
A specific printing mode using the thermal transfer printing system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 14 to 16. As specific printing modes, a printing mode using two types of thermal transfer foil sheets and a printing mode using only one type of thermal transfer foil sheet will be described. FIG. 14 shows a state in which the foil supply mechanism 14 is moved in the front-rear direction so that the spacers 106 and 112 are positioned above the base 20. FIG. 15 shows a state in which the foil supply mechanism 14 is moved in the front-rear direction so that the take-up spool 102 and the supply spool 108 are positioned above the base 20. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a part of a decorative image composed of a printed line image and a painted image.

(Printing mode using two types of thermal transfer foil sheets)
Thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124 are used as two types of thermal transfer foil sheets. The user attaches the supply spool 110 and the take-up spool 104 wound with the thermal transfer foil sheet 124 to the support shafts 86 and 84, and supplies the supply spool 108 and the take-up spool wound with the thermal transfer foil sheet 122. 102 is mounted on both support shafts 86 and 84. When each spool is mounted, the user also mounts the spacers 106 and 112 on both the support shafts 84 and 86.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the user moves the foil supply mechanism 14 in the front-rear direction so that the spacers 106 and 112 are positioned above the base 20. In the state shown in FIG. 14, the user inserts a standard-size card, which is a transfer object, into the holding opening 136 of the card holding member 134 from the space in the front-rear direction between the two thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124. .

  The information processing apparatus 3 creates first image data for drawing a line image and second image data for drawing a painted image, and temporarily stores them in the work memory 320. In a state where each image data is created, the user uses the thermal transfer foil sheet 124 to print a line image, and as shown in FIG. The foil supply mechanism 14 is moved in the front-rear direction so as to be positioned above. The state shown in FIG. 3 is maintained by the rear magnet sheets 128 and 132 attracting the coupling body 88 by magnetic force.

  The user instructs the transmission of the first image data by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing apparatus 3 in order to transmit the first image data for drawing the line image to the thermal transfer printer 2. In the information processing apparatus 3, the processes of steps SB 5 and SB 6 shown in FIG. 6 are executed, and the first image data is transmitted from the information processing apparatus 3 and temporarily stored in the work memory 220 of the thermal transfer printer 2. The thermal transfer printer 2 prints a line image on a card according to the first image data.

  Next, the user feeds the foil so that the take-up spool 102 and the supply spool 108 are positioned above the base 20, as shown in FIG. The mechanism 14 is moved in the front-rear direction. The state shown in FIG. 15 is held by the front magnet sheets 126 and 130 attracting the two shaft holding bodies 98 and 100 by magnetic force.

  The user instructs the transmission of the second image data by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing device 3 in order to transmit the second image data for drawing the painted image to the thermal transfer printer 2. In the information processing apparatus 3, the processes of steps SB 7 and SB 8 shown in FIG. 6 are executed, and the second image data is transmitted from the information processing apparatus 3 and temporarily stored in the work memory 220 of the thermal transfer printer 2. The thermal transfer printer 2 prints a painted image on a card on which a line image has already been printed in accordance with the second image data. As a result, the decorative image composed of the line image and the painted image is printed on the card which is the transfer object shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 16, a hexagonal painted image GP1 filled with black and a hexagonal line image GP2 formed of thick and thin lines are drawn in succession. An interval between two adjacent paint images GP1 is an interval WP. Each hexagonal side portion of the line image GP2, that is, each side portion composed of one thick line and two thin lines is arranged between the intervals WP. Each of the two thin lines is arranged with an interval KP corresponding to the image interval from the outline of each painted image GP1. Usually, when an image is transferred to a card, the foil constituting layer of each thermal transfer foil sheet is broken while being stretched. For this reason, the interval WP in the state printed by the transfer is smaller than the interval WC shown in FIG. 12, but the number of pixels corresponding to the image interval is set so that the line image GP2 does not overlap the painted image GP1. .

  After the printing using both the thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124 is completed, the user manually rotates the take-up spools 102 and 104 by the length of the sheet used for printing in preparation for the next printing. The two heat transfer foil sheets 122 and 124 are wound up.

(Printing mode using one type of thermal transfer foil sheet)
One of the thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124 is used as one type of thermal transfer foil sheet. Here, the thermal transfer foil sheet 122 will be described as being used. First, as shown in FIG. 14, the user moves the foil supply mechanism 14 in the front-rear direction so that the spacers 106 and 112 are positioned above the base 20. In the state shown in FIG. 14, the user inserts a new card of a fixed size as a transfer object into the holding opening 136 of the card holding member 134 from the space in the front-rear direction between the two heat transfer foil sheets 122 and 124. Fit.

  The information processing apparatus 3 creates first image data for drawing a line image and second image data for drawing a painted image, and temporarily stores them in the work memory 320. In a state where each image data is created, the user uses the thermal transfer foil sheet 122 to print a line image, and as shown in FIG. The foil supply mechanism 14 is moved in the front-rear direction so as to be positioned above. The state shown in FIG. 15 is maintained by the rear magnet sheets 128 and 132 attracting the coupling body 88 by magnetic force.

  The user instructs the transmission of the first image data by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing apparatus 3 in order to transmit the first image data for drawing the line image to the thermal transfer printer 2. In the information processing apparatus 3, the processes of steps SB 5 and SB 6 shown in FIG. 6 are executed, and the first image data is transmitted from the information processing apparatus 3 and temporarily stored in the work memory 220 of the thermal transfer printer 2. The thermal transfer printer 2 prints a line image on a card according to the first image data.

  After the printing of the line image using the thermal transfer foil sheet 122 is completed, the user returns to the state shown in FIG. 15 before and after the foil supply mechanism 14 in order to print the painted image using the same thermal transfer foil sheet 122. Maintain directional position. In this state, the user winds the thermal transfer foil sheet 122 by manually rotating the take-up spool 102 by the length of the sheet used for printing the line image in preparation for printing the coating image.

  The user instructs the transmission of the second image data by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing device 3 in order to transmit the second image data for drawing the painted image to the thermal transfer printer 2. In the information processing apparatus 3, the processes of steps SB 7 and SB 8 shown in FIG. 6 are executed, and the second image data is transmitted from the information processing apparatus 3 and temporarily stored in the work memory 220 of the thermal transfer printer 2. The thermal transfer printer 2 prints a painted image on a card on which a line image has already been printed in accordance with the second image data. As a result, a decorative image composed of a line image and a painted image is printed on a card that is a transfer object.

[Effect of the embodiment]
In the present embodiment, the image interval between the line image and the painted image is determined by the processing of Steps SC1 and SC2 or Steps SD1 and SD2, so that the thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124 to be used have characteristics such as foil breakability and peelability. Is set in consideration of at least. As a result, as shown in FIG. 16, the boundary line of the painted image, which is the outline of the hexagonal painted image GP1, and the boundary line of the line image, which is a thin line constituting each side portion of the hexagonal line image GP2. A gap corresponding to the set image interval can be provided between the outer shape and the outer shape of the hexagonal painted image GP1 and each side portion of the hexagonal line image GP2 is printed clearly without overlapping. be able to.

  In this embodiment, since the first image data for drawing a line image is transmitted to the thermal transfer printer 2 before the second image data for drawing a painted image, the line image is printed on the card that is the transfer object first. Thereafter, a painted image is printed on the card. As a result, even if the foil constituent layer of the thermal transfer foil sheet that draws the line image is reliably transferred to the card by the adhesive layer and the printing position of the coating image GP1 is shifted, each side portion of the hexagonal shape of the line image GP2 is configured. One thick line and two thin lines can be clearly printed.

  In the present embodiment, the user can arbitrarily determine the transmission order of the first image data and the second image data and the usage order of the two types of thermal transfer foil sheets. As a result, without changing the program for executing the processing shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the printing order of the images and the type of the thermal transfer foil sheet used for printing each image, for example, the color of the foil, can be changed. Can be changed easily.

  In the present embodiment, the image memory 330 stores various types of continuous pattern image data. By the process of step SC3, the user can select a desired continuous pattern from among many types of continuous patterns. The desired continuous pattern selected by the process of step SC11 is arranged in the selection range with the black range shown in FIG. 9B as the selection range. As a result, the user can create a desired line image with a desired continuous pattern.

  In the present embodiment, a desired line image including a desired continuous pattern is created by the processing of steps SC12 to SC14. As a result of the processing in step SC12, the outline of the desired line image, for example, the thickness of the outline SL of the line image shown in FIG. 10, is set according to the print resolution of the decoration image. As a result, the thickness of the contour line SL changes according to the printing resolution, and the higher the printing resolution, the thinner the contour line SL, and the clearer the contour line Sl can be printed. On the other hand, a desired continuous pattern line, for example, the thickness of one thick line and the thickness of two thin lines constituting each side portion of the hexagon of the line image shown in FIG. Therefore, the initial outer shape of a desired continuous pattern can be maintained.

  In the present embodiment, the second image data that draws a painted image is created by performing image processing on the first image data that draws a line image by the processing of steps SC16 to SC19 or the processing of steps SD9 to SD12. . As a result, it is possible to accurately create image data of a painted image having an outer shape that matches the shape of the line image.

<Correspondence of configuration>
The thermal transfer printing system 1 is an example of a thermal transfer printing apparatus of the present invention. The thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124 are examples of the thermal transfer foil of the present invention. The foil supply mechanism 14 is an example of the foil supply mechanism of the present invention. The thermal head 48 is an example of the thermal head of the present invention. The conveyance motor 40 and the conveyance mechanism 42 are examples of the displacement mechanism of the present invention. The head drive circuit 250 is an example of a drive unit that heats and drives the thermal head of the present invention. The control processing unit 200 of the thermal transfer printer 2 is an example of a control unit of the present invention. The card holding member 134 is an example of a holding member that holds the transfer object of the present invention. The magnet sheets 126 to 132 are an example of the position holding means of the present invention. The operation unit 340 operated to input the image interval is an example of the interval operation unit of the present invention. The arithmetic processing unit 300 of the information processing apparatus 3 is an example of the data generation unit of the present invention. The image memory 330 is an example of a storage unit of the present invention. The operation unit 340 operated to select a desired continuous pattern is an example of the selection operation unit of the present invention. The operation unit 340 operated to instruct transmission of the first image or the second image is an example of the transmission operation unit of the present invention. The processes in steps SA3 to SA5 are an example of the data acquisition process of the present invention. Step SA13 executed when the thermal transfer printer 2 receives the first image data is an example of the first driving process of the present invention. Step SA13 executed when the thermal transfer printer 2 receives the second image data is an example of the second drive process of the present invention.
The process of step SC6 is an example of the original image acquisition process of the present invention. The process of step SC13 is an example of the contour generation process of the present invention. The process of steps SC15 and SC16 or the process of step SD8 is an example of the first data generation process of the present invention. The process of steps SC16 to SC19 or the process of steps SD10 to SD12 is an example of the second data generation process of the present invention. Steps SB6 and SB8 are examples of the transmission processing of the present invention. The numerical value of (WC-WA) / 2 corresponding to the image interval is an example of a predetermined interval between the line image and the painted image of the present invention.

<Modification>
The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. An example of the modification will be described below.

(1) In this embodiment, first image data and second image data are generated, and two types of thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124 are used corresponding to each image data. However, three or more types of image data may be generated and three or more types of thermal transfer foil sheets may be used. For example, when setting different colors for different types of painted images for each image, multiple types of image data are generated for multiple types of painted images, and multiple types of thermal transfer foil sheets are used. Also good.

(2) In the present embodiment, the user inputs the image interval by operating the operation unit 340 of the information processing device 3 by the processing of steps SC1 and SC2 or the processing of steps SD1 and SD2. Although there is, it is not limited to this structure. For example, according to the combination of the thermal transfer foil sheet used for the line image and the thermal transfer foil sheet used for the painting image, an interval storage unit for storing a predetermined image interval is provided, which is used by the user. When the thermal transfer foil sheet is designated, the image interval may be read from the interval storage unit in accordance with the designated combination of the thermal transfer foil sheets.

(3) In the present embodiment, each image data of the first image data and the second image data is transmitted to the thermal transfer printer 2 at different timings according to a transmission instruction by the user, but is not limited to this configuration. . For example, the first image data and the second image data may be transmitted to the thermal transfer printer 2 at the same time, and the user may select the image data according to the thermal transfer foil sheet to be used. Further, if the correspondence relationship between the image data of the first image data and the second image data and the thermal transfer foil sheet to be used is stored in advance, the thermal transfer corresponding to the transmitted image data according to this correspondence relationship. The foil sheet may be automatically selected and moved to a position facing the transfer object.

(4) In the present embodiment, the range outside the outline of the black / white inverted image is converted to white by the process of step SC17 or the process of step SD10, and (G) in FIG. 9 or (C) in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, in the image shown in (F) of FIG. 9, a process of extracting an image that is in the black area shown in FIG. 9B and exists in the selection range selected by the user is executed. By doing so, the image shown in FIG. 9G may be created.

(5) In this embodiment, each thermal transfer foil sheet of the thermal transfer foil sheets 122 and 124 is configured to include a base layer, a release layer, a foil constituent layer, and an adhesive layer, but is not limited to this configuration. . For example, the thermal transfer foil sheet may have a configuration in which an overcoat layer is laminated between a release layer and a foil constituent layer.

(6) In the present embodiment, the external information processing apparatus 3 capable of communicating with the thermal transfer printer 2 is configured to generate the first image data and the second image data, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the thermal transfer printer 2 may be configured to have a function of generating first image data and second image data. Alternatively, the thermal transfer printer 2 downloads image data of a desired combination from an external information providing server in which many types of combinations of first image data for drawing line images and second image data for drawing painted images are stored. It may be configured to have a function of storing information.

(7) In this embodiment, the original image is a circular image shown in FIG. 9B, and the line image is an image including a hexagonal continuous pattern shown in FIG. It is not limited to these images. For example, images of various shapes such as the outer shape of animals and plants, the outer shape of mountains and buildings may be used as the original image, and the continuous pattern may be a pattern including not only a straight line but also a complicated curve. Good.

(8) In this embodiment, the print resolution is preset to a fixed resolution, but the information processing apparatus 3 may be configured to select the print resolution from a plurality of resolutions. In this modification, the thickness of the contour line SL is set according to the selected print resolution in the process of step SC12.

(9) In the present embodiment, a standard-sized card is adopted as the transfer object, but it is not limited to a card. For example, a clear file or paper having a size larger than that of the card may be employed as the transfer object.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal transfer printing system 2 Thermal transfer printer 3 Information processing apparatus 14 Foil supply mechanism 40 Conveyance motor 42 Conveyance mechanism 48 Thermal head 122, 124 Thermal transfer foil sheet 126, 128, 130, 132 Magnet sheet 134 Card holding member 200 Control processing unit 250 Head drive Circuit 330 Arithmetic processing unit 330 Image memory 340 Operation unit

Claims (10)

A foil supply mechanism for supplying and winding the thermal transfer foil;
A displacement mechanism that changes the relative position of the thermal head and the transfer object;
A drive unit for heating and driving the thermal head;
A control unit that controls the drive unit according to image data for forming a decorative image including a line image and a paint image,
The thermal transfer foil is configured by sequentially laminating a base layer, a release layer that can be peeled off from the base layer by heating of the thermal head, a foil constituent layer, and an adhesive layer that can be adhered to the transfer object,
The control unit
Between the first image data for forming one image of the line image and the painted image that fills the inside of the line image, and the other image of the line image and the painted image A data acquisition process for acquiring second image data for forming at a predetermined interval in
A first driving process for controlling the driving unit according to the first image data;
A thermal transfer printing apparatus that executes a second drive process for controlling the drive unit according to the second image data after the execution of the first drive process. A holding member for holding the transfer object in a predetermined printing position;
A displacement mechanism for moving the thermal head in a predetermined head movement direction relative to the holding member;
A drive unit for heating and driving the thermal head;
A foil supply mechanism for supplying and winding up each thermal transfer foil of a plurality of types of thermal transfer foils, wherein a predetermined one of the plurality of types of thermal transfer foils is positioned so as to face the holding member. A foil supply mechanism that movably supports a plurality of types of thermal transfer foil in a direction orthogonal to the head moving direction;
A control unit that controls the drive unit according to image data for forming a line image and a decorative image including a painted image that fills the inside of the line image;
Each thermal transfer foil includes a base layer, a release layer that can be peeled off from the base layer by heating a thermal head, a foil constituent layer that varies in color depending on the type of the thermal transfer foil, and an adhesive layer that can adhere to the transfer object. Are stacked in order,
The control unit
Forming the first image data for forming one of the line image and the painted image and the other image of the line image and the painted image at a predetermined interval from the one image. Data acquisition processing for acquiring the second image data;
A first driving process for controlling the driving unit according to the first image data;
A thermal transfer printing apparatus that executes a second drive process for controlling the drive unit according to the second image data after the execution of the first drive process.   The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the foil supply mechanism includes a position holding unit that holds a position where one desired thermal transfer foil faces the holding member in a direction orthogonal to a predetermined head movement direction.   The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first image data is image data for forming a line image, and the second image data is image data for forming a painted image. An interval operation unit operable to set a predetermined interval;
A data generation unit that generates first image data and second image data, and transmits the image data to the control unit, and
The data generation unit determines the size of the painted image inside the line image according to the predetermined interval set by the interval operation unit, and generates the second image data based on the determined size. The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to any one of the above. A storage unit for storing a plurality of types of image patterns drawn by lines;
A selection operation unit operable to select a desired image pattern from a plurality of types of image patterns;
A data generation unit that generates first image data and second image data, and transmits the image data to the control unit, and
The data generator
An original image acquisition process for acquiring an original image;
A contour generation process for generating the outermost contour line of the original image;
A line image composed of the contour line and the continuous desired image pattern is created by continuously arranging the desired image pattern selected in the area inside the contour line, and the created line image 6. The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first data generation process for generating first image data is executed such that the first image data is generated.   The thermal transfer according to claim 6, wherein the data generation unit creates a painted image based on the line image, and executes a second data generation process for generating the second image data so that the created painted image is drawn. Printing device. The contour generation process generates a contour line with a thickness line determined according to the resolution of the decorative image,
8. The thermal transfer according to claim 6, wherein the first data generation processing creates a line image in a state in which a line thickness of a continuous desired image pattern is maintained constant regardless of the resolution of the decoration image. Printing device. A data generation unit that generates the first image data and the second image data, and transmits the image data to the control unit;
9. The data generation unit includes a transmission operation unit operable to transmit image data designated among the generated first image data and second image data to the control unit. The thermal transfer printing apparatus described in 1. An image data generation program executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus that generates image data and transmits it to a thermal transfer printer,
Thermal transfer printer
A foil supply mechanism for supplying and winding the thermal transfer foil;
A displacement mechanism that changes the relative position of the thermal head and the transfer object;
A drive unit for heating and driving the thermal head;
A control unit that controls the drive unit according to image data for forming a decorative image including a line image and a paint image,
The thermal transfer foil is configured by sequentially laminating a base layer, a release layer that can be peeled off from the base layer by heating of the thermal head, a foil constituent layer, and an adhesive layer that can be adhered to the transfer object,
The computer of the information processing device
An original image acquisition process for acquiring image data of the original image;
A first data generation process for generating first image data based on image data of an original image so that a line image is drawn;
A second data generation process for generating second image data based on the first image data so that a painted image is drawn at a predetermined interval from the line image;
A transmission process for transmitting the first image data and the second image data to the control unit of the thermal transfer printer;
An image data generation program for executing

Images