41results about "Generic and host data combination" patented technology

A print control system for controlling a print of print target data containing color specifying information includes a data distinguishing module (12) for distinguishing between pieces of element data contained in the print target data, and a color adjusting module (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) for adjusting a mix of color materials based on the color specifying information according to a category of the element data.

A video processing apparatus according to the present invention includes edge detecting means for detecting an edge direction of an image, coefficient selecting means for selecting a coefficient based on the edge direction detected by the edge detecting means, and filter means for filtering a frequency band by using a frequency characteristic corresponding to the coefficient selected by the coefficient selecting means, wherein the number of pixels of the image is enlarged twice.

An image forming apparatus forms an image by a plurality of dots, by forming a periphery of a stepped transition portion of a contour portion of at least a character and / or graphics of the image by dots having a smaller size than dots forming portions other than the stepped transition portion, and determining a method of forming the dots having the smaller size depending on an inclination of the contour portion.

Image systems and methods generate improved high addressability images. The generated image may be input into a printer for printing. An image is processed so that the location of an ink drop in a high addressability image is determined. The location of a printed subpixel, within a pixel, is determined by the magnitude of the grayscale value of an observed pixel, the magnitude of the error that has been previously accumulated, and a predetermined threshold value. The grayscale value of the observed pixel, accumulated error, and threshold value are used to determine a subpixel value. This subpixel value determines how soon another subpixel is fired after a previously fired subpixel. If the subpixel value is low, then another subpixel will be fired relatively soon after the previously fired subpixel. If the subpixel value is high, then the printer will wait a longer time before firing another subpixel. In other words the lower the subpixel value the sooner another subpixel prints. The image generating process may effectively weight the error on neighboring pixels to effectively generate images having both shadow and highlight regions.

A method and system for outputting data from a computer to an output device, such as a computer, defines a master document in which variable and static data areas are defined. A variable data area is marked and variable data is inserted thereinto to provide a data stream with variable and static data. The marking is used to remove the variable data from the static data. The separated variable and static data is transmitted to the output device such as the printer. The static data is stored at the printer and is not sent to the printer for subsequent documents. The variable data is joined with the static data document by document in the printer.

One invention form is a method using all input data for one or preferably plural colorants, one time to control colorant deposition in forming a pixel array on a printing medium, and at least one other time to control deposition of more of the same colorants. At least one "applying" includes choosing data-array pixels to deposit added colorant. The two data-usage times can be associated directly with depositing colorant in respective printer passes; or may be done at (or near) rendition, sending output data to printmasking for pass allocation. Selection preferably includes setting maximum density on the medium-and choosing locations for that density, best by analyzing data to find locally dense areas, e. g. counting neighboring pixels. Selecting also includes defining locations to receive particular density, and creating additional density levels based on densities in the data array. Another method form includes defining an augmentation array and applying it to control part of colorant deposition. Preferably also included is applying the original array to control other deposition of colorant. Applying the augmentation array preferably increases colorant deposition, relative to applying the original array, by less than 100% with non-linear response to data.

There is provided, even in case plural sheet sizes or plural sheet orientations are mixed within a document, a system capable of obtaining an output result close to that of a document not containing such mixed sheet sizes or sheet orientations without causing sheet discharge in the course of printing operation or data overflow from the print area, also providing an enlarging / reducing function to a device lacking such function, and providing a visually agreeable output result, all realized without modification in the conventional printer driver. A host computer is provided with a spool file manager for calculating the relative position of the logic page to the physical page, and a despooler for processing the layout data, obtained by enlarging or reducing the logic page, to a data format matching the graphic engine.

An apparatus for generating a character pattern includes a first memory for storing reference character font data as a coordinate point array, a second memory for storing parameter data in correspondence with at least character size data, and a generator for generating size data of a target character on the basis of the parameter data. Font data corresponding to an input character code is read out from the first memory and is developed into pattern data of a size corresponding to character size data converted by the generator. A method of generating a character pattern for the above apparatus is also disclosed.

An image processing method is disclosed. The image processing method includes the steps of detecting one or more dots near a step-shaped changing part of dots of which an outline part of a letter or graphics is composed, by using a reference pattern having a window size of “m×n” dots in which a number of dots “m” corresponds to resolution in the main scanning direction and a number of dots “n” corresponds to resolution in the sub scanning direction, converting the detected one or more dots near the step-shaped changing part that is nearly parallel to the main scanning direction into a dot whose size is smaller than that of dots of the step-shaped changing part, and not converting the detected one or more dots whose part is nearly parallel to the sub scanning direction.

A technique for printing black text on a colored background, in which the graphics are broken down into three categories: text, polygons (also referred to as line drawing or vectors), and images (also referred to as bitmaps or raster data) when the incoming graphic information is a Page Description Language (PDL) data file (e.g. Adobe Postscript-PS- or Hewlett-Packard PCL). If the object is not a text object, it is processed in a normal manner. If the object is a text object, a determination is made if the color of the object is black. If the object is not a black text object, it is processed in a normal manner. If the object is a black text object, special processing and rasterization techniques are applied. Thus, the invention exploits to advantage the fact that it is possible in most PDL instances to treat black text differently from other black objects.

In a printer which interprets a PDL document, develops the PDL document into dot image, and prints the dot image, a PDL document as input is transferred to an interpreter part, the interpreter part interprets the PDL document and develops the PDL document into a dot image whose size is equal to the document size, and transfers the dot image to a laid-out control part, the laid-out control part converts a size of the dot image to a designated sheet size and transfers to an output control part, the output control part transfers the dot image to a printer engine, and the printer engine prints the dot image on a sheet.

A method of generating halftone print data for overlapping end portions of a pair of consecutive printhead chips includes the step of generating continuous tone print data for an array of the printhead chips. An initial dither matrix to be applied to the continuous tone print data is generated. Overlap data representing an extent of overlap of the end portions is generated. The overlap data is applied to the initial dither matrix with a summation means to generate an output value. The output value is applied to the continuous tone print data.

An image forming apparatus forms an image by a plurality of dots, by forming a periphery of a stepped transition portion of a contour portion of at least a character and / or graphics of the image by dots having a smaller size than dots forming portions other than the stepped transition portion, and determining a method of forming the dots having the smaller size depending on an inclination of the contour portion.

An optical printer has a DMD as a spatial light modulator. An optical image corresponding to a picture frame is projected from the DMD onto a photographic paper in a variable size to print the picture frame in a designated print size. When a maximum print size is designated, image data stored in three color image memories is entirely converted into mirror drive data for driving all micromirrors of the DMD in accordance with the image data. When a smaller print size is designated, the image data is thinned to reduce the image data size in correspondence with the smaller print size. Also a smaller area of the DMD is selected as an active area in which micromirrors are driven in accordance with the thinned image data, to print a picture in the smaller print size.

In an exposure device according to the present invention, a plurality of exposure bands each containing multiple dots is formed on photographic paper by repeating main scanning in a main scanning direction based on image data that contains multiple pixels and the transfer of the photographic paper in a sub scanning direction. Of the multiple dots contained in each of two continuous exposure bands, the mean value of the pixel levels of two pixels corresponding to two dots with the same positional relationship for the main scanning direction is calculated to derive interpolation data. Thus, the region between the two dots neighboring in the sub scanning direction on the photographic paper is exposed on the basis of the interpolation data.

There is provided an image processing apparatus, operating as described below, employing an error distribution method to perform a halftone process intensively providing dots to achieve high resolution and a high level of tone representation simultaneously. The image processing apparatus, employing the error distribution method to convert an image represented by multiple values into an image provided in binary representation, employs a distribution weighting coefficient to distribute an error caused at a target pixel to a neighboring pixel. The distribution weighting coefficient simply decreases and ultimately attains zero as the distance from the target pixel increases, and the distance extending to attain zero is also set to vary with direction. Such a distribution weighting coefficient allows a halftone process providing dots intensively.

This invention pertains to ink jet printing and more particularly to inkjet printing of wide format substrates such as textiles, and to inks and inks sets suitable for use in such printing, wherein ink set including a first magenta ink; a second magnetic ink; a first cyan ink; a second cyan ink; a yellow ink; an orange ink; a green ink; and black ink.

An image processing apparatus which performs image processing for print processing, including: a pseudo halftone processing unit configured to perform pseudo halftone processing by dithering with respect to an input image, and generate a halftone image constituted by plural dots, and a threshold matrix holding unit configured to hold a threshold matrix used for the pseudo halftone processing, wherein in the threshold matrix, thresholds are arranged such that the halftone image has a density region in which dots to be formed depending on a density of the input image are not rotational symmetric on a 90° basis, and orientations of the dots differ from each other in the density region.

A color image forming apparatus includes an image signal input portion which supplies three image signals C, M and Y associated with cyan, magenta and yellow; an image signal conversion processing portion which converts the image signals C, M and Y into six image signals associated with thick C and thin C, thick M and thin M, and thick Y and thin Y, respectively, by using a thick / thin sorting table; and a color masking processing portion which performs color masking process, and outputs converted six image signals associated with thick C to thin Y. The converted six image signals undergo a black generation process, a UCR process and a black printing process, and a binarization processing thereafter. This makes it possible to produce color images of high quality with high reproducibility even if the hues of N color materials, which belong to the same color family and have different densities, such as thin cyan and thick cyan, differ from each other to some extent.

A image is printed from a source of drawing instructions. The image is reducible to pixels arranged in a plurality of ranked image lines. The system employs a storage device having compressed and uncompressed regions. Each region has a designated capacity and each is arranged to store pixels of one or more of the plurality of image lines. A drawing processor is coupled to the storage device and can be coupled to the source of drawing instructions for responding thereto. This drawing processor can store new pixels in the storage device for successively selected ones of the image lines. The drawing processor has a conditional device, a decompression device and an insertion device. The conditional device can compressively encode and move from the uncompressed region to the compressed region, a remote one of the image lines, if: a) the selected one of the image lines is in the compressed region, and b) the uncompressed region has reached its designated capacity. The decompression device can expansively decode the selected one of the image lines, if located in the compressed region. The insertion device can insert one or more new pixels according to the drawing instructions into the selected one of the image lines by storing the selected one in the uncompressed region. The printing system also has a printing engine coupled to the storage device for printing the plurality of image lines in rank order, decompressing compressed ones of the image lines from the compressed region before printing.

An image correcting method and apparatus is disclosed in which processing other than a smoothing process can be performed in accordance with conditions of a line such as correction of a line width with a small circuit size and at low cost. The disclosed dot image correcting method stores correction data corresponding to a correction dot pattern(s) in a window(s), determines whether or not a dot pattern coincides with a correction dot pattern, and when coincidence is detected, performs correction in accordance with corresponding correction data, characterized in that there are a plurality of windows, and correction data are stored corresponding to a combination of correction dot patterns in various windows, and determination is made as to whether or not dot patterns in a plurality of windows coincide with a combination of correction dot patterns in various windows, and when coincidence is detected, correction is performed in accordance with corresponding correction data.

A image is printed from a source of drawing instructions. The image is reducible to pixels arranged in a plurality of ranked image lines. The system employs a storage device having compressed and uncompressed regions. Each region has a designated capacity and each is arranged to store pixels of one more of the plurality of image lines. A drawing processor is coupled to the storage device and can be coupled to the source of drawing instructions for responding thereto. This drawing processor can store new pixels in the storage device for successively selected ones of the image lines. The drawing processor has a conditional device, a decompression device and an insertion device. The conditional device can compressively encode and move from the uncompressed region to the compressed region, a remote one of the image lines, if: a) the selected one of the image lines is in the compressed region, and b) the uncompressed region has reached its designated capacity. The decompression device can expansively decode the selected one of the image lines, if located in the compressed region. The insertion device can insert one or more new pixels according to the drawing instructions into the selected one of the image lines by storing the selected one in the uncompressed region. The printing system also has a printing engine coupled to the storage device for printing the plurality of image lines in rank order, decompressing compressed ones of the image lines from the compressed region before printing.

In a tandem type color printer, a second memory memorizes bitmap data sets in a second arrangement. In the second arrangement, each of the bitmap data sets is divided into a plurality of data units. In addition, the data units of all of the bitmap data sets are arranged on the basis of predetermined output order regardless of the colors. A first memory separately memorizes the bitmap data sets in a first arrangement different from the second arrangement. A data line control circuit reads out the bitmap data sets from the first memory when a first copy of a printed matter is made by the use of the bitmap data sets. In this time, the data line control circuit stores the bitmap data sets in the second memory with changing its arrangement. When a second or later copy of the printed matter is made, the data line control circuit reads out the bitmap data sets at high speed.

An image processing method is disclosed. The image processing method includes the steps of detecting one or more dots near a step-shaped changing part of dots of which an outline part of a letter or graphics is composed, by using a reference pattern having a window size of 'm x n' dots in which a number of dots 'm' corresponds to resolution in the main scanning direction and a number of dots 'n' corresponds to resolution in the sub scanning direction, converting the detected one or more dots near the step-shaped changing part that is nearly parallel to the main scanning direction into a dot whose size is smaller than that of dots of the step-shaped changing part, and not converting the detected one or more dots whose part is nearly parallel to the sub scanning direction.

A method of generating halftone print data for overlapping end portions of a pair of consecutive printhead chips in an array of two or more printhead chips where an end portion of a first printhead chip overlaps an end portion of a second printhead chip, each printhead chip including a plurality of ink ejection nozzles, includes generating continuous tone print data for the array of printhead chips, The continuous tone print data for said overlapping end portions is interpolated according to an algorithm such that ink ejection nozzle utilization decreases in each said overlapping end portion towards respective ends of the printhead chips.

In an exposure device according to the present invention, a plurality of exposure bands each containing multiple dots is formed on photographic paper by repeating main scanning in a main scanning direction based on image data that contains multiple pixels and the transfer of the photographic paper in a sub scanning direction. Of the multiple dots contained in each of two continuous exposure bands, the mean value of the pixel levels of two pixels corresponding to two dots with the same positional relationship for the main scanning direction is calculated to derive interpolation data. Thus, the region between the two dots neighboring in the sub scanning direction on the photographic paper is exposed on the basis of the interpolation data.

Input pixels are input to a thinning processing circuit. When thinning is performed at the thinning processing circuit, minimum values are selected in order to reduce the pixel data, whereby loss of thin lines is prevented. The thinned image data are input to a binarization processing circuit. Although the image having been thinned through selection of minimum values becomes dark as a whole, collapse of characters can be suppressed, because the binarization processing circuit dynamically changes a binarization threshold by employing, as the binarization threshold, the average of maximum and minimum values in each local region. In a density flat portion, the local maximum value and the local minimum value assume the same value. Therefore, when the difference between the local maximum value and the local minimum value is not greater than a predetermined range, binarization is performed by use of a fixed threshold value. Instead of local maximum and minimum values, a local average value may be used as a binarization threshold value.