Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and program

An image forming method comprising:

• interposing a reforming sheet having a printing opening portion and a surface property reforming portion between a recording medium, and a thermal transfer sheet having an ink layer and a protective material layer;
• causing the recording medium, the thermal transfer sheet, and the reforming sheet to travel in a predetermined direction;
• aligning a printing position of the recording medium and the ink layer with the printing opening portion, and forming a printing layer by thermally transferring the ink layer onto the recording medium;
• aligning the printing position of the recording medium and the protective material layer with the printing opening portion, and forming a protective layer by thermally transferring the protective material layer onto the recording medium;
• and
• aligning the printing position of the recording medium and the protective material layer with the surface property reforming portion, and reforming surface properties of the protective layer by causing the surface property reforming portion to come into pressing contact with the recording medium through the thermally transferred protective material layer and heating the surface property reforming portion,
• wherein a temperature limitation area is set in an outer peripheral portion of an area where the surface properties are reformed, and
• heating of the surface property reforming portion in the temperature limitation area is restricted to be able to prevent adhesion of a protective material remaining in the protective material layer to the reforming sheet.

A program for executing an image forming method on a computer, the method comprising:

• interposing a reforming sheet having a printing opening portion and a surface property reforming portion between a recording medium, and a thermal transfer sheet having an ink layer and a protective material layer;
• causing the recording medium, the thermal transfer sheet, and the reforming sheet to travel in a predetermined direction;
• aligning a printing position of the recording medium and the ink layer with the printing opening portion, and forming a printing layer by thermally transferring the ink layer onto the recording medium;
• aligning the printing position of the recording medium and the protective material layer with the printing opening portion, and forming a protective layer by thermally transferring the protective material layer onto the recording medium;
• and
• aligning the printing position of the recording medium and the protective material layer with the surface property reforming portion, and reforming surface properties of the protective layer by causing the surface property reforming portion to come into pressing contact with the recording medium through the thermally transferred protective material layer and heating the surface property reforming portion,
• wherein a temperature limitation area is set in an outer peripheral portion of an area where the surface properties are reformed, and
• heating of the surface property reforming portion in the temperature limitation area is restricted to be able to prevent adhesion of a protective material remaining in the protective material layer to the reforming sheet.