Image forming apparatus

Abstract

In an image forming apparatus having a particular area setting unit for setting an arbitrary area of a document image as a particular area, an image processing unit (scanner / IPU section) receives, when a particular area is specified, image data for the particular area, and generates a plurality of monitor image data having been subjected to image processing by setting a different image quality mode for each particular area, and further an image forming unit (printer section) receives the plurality of monitor image data and forms a plurality of monitor images on the same transfer material by arranging the monitor images at different positions on the transfer material.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for an electronic picture copying machine or the like based on a digital system in which adjustment of image quality can be made by switching a gradation conversion table γ or a color conversion coefficient or other parameters for each image quality mode, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus which can output images so that images for each mode can easily be checked. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Image forming apparatuses based on the conventional technology include a so-called copying machine for forming a image based on a read image, and a so-called printer for forming an image according to image data inputted from the outside, and for instance, in a color copying machine based on a digital system, there is provided a monitor copy mode in which an image is copied by a plurality of sheets side by side on one sheet of paper by changing a color tone of a portion thereof. The t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides an image forming apparatus that can create a monitor image for each individual document, allowing users to select the best image quality mode for their needs. Users can also easily select a mode for different types of documents, such as manufacturer or machine type. Additionally, users can execute color correction based on these parameters. The apparatus can produce a high-quality image that is faithful to the original document, regardless of the type of document or parameters set for printing. This ensures that the copied image is accurate and without any additional cost. The apparatus includes an image reader, image processor, image forming unit, and particular area setting unit. The image processor generates multiple monitor images with different image quality modes for each particular area, and the image forming unit allocates each monitor image to a different position on the same transfer material. This allows for easy visual checking and selection of the appropriate image quality mode for each area."

Problems solved by technology

Because the printers are produced by different manufacturers or color tastes of used color materials are different, and further the dither processing or a resolution of each printer are different, some times a copied image may not be a desired one in terms of faithfulness for a document according to the same image processing parameters.

However, sometimes the selected mode may not satisfy the user's intention.

In this case, sometimes an excellent image is obtained in other mode, but if it is tried to output an image for each mode, the work load becomes high and a long time is required, which is disadvantageous.

However, a user can not easily determine to which of the document types described above a document to be copied correspond, or in which image quality mode copying should be executed, which is very inconvenient.

Even if an image quality mode is selected, unless image processing is changed according to a manufacturer of a printer or a copying machine used for copying the document, some times an image faithful to the document can not be obtained.

For instance, in cases of a document with an ink jet, a silver-salt picture document, or a copied document, unless the document is corrected according to a manufacturer and a type of the machine, an image faithful to the document can not be obtained, which is disadvantageous.

In the case as described above, even if the guidance of “Please select a mode for the manufacturer of a printer or a copying machine used for preparing the document” or the like is displayed, generally the user can not easily determine the manufacturer of the printer or the copying machine used for preparing the document.

Also it is conceivable to output an image enabling a user to understand in which mode the image is prepared so that the user can easily determine a mode for obtaining an excellent image, but when an arbitrary area of the document to be outputted is specified by area processing, sometimes the image in the selected mode may not be accommodated within a specified form.

If the image can not be accommodated within a form, the entire image can not be processed according to the selected mode.

This means that, in a case of a sheet of form with a plurality of images formed thereon, different types of processing must be executed according to an area of the formed image, and this problem has not been solved in the conventional technology.

However, even in a case of the same document type, faithfulness of a copy obtained according to image processing parameters specified to a particular image quality mode does not always satisfy the user.

For instance, in a case of a document printed with an ink jet printer, as a color taste of a document or a dither processing varies according to each manufacturer of the printer, faithfulness of a copy prepared according to the same image processing parameters specific to the particular image quality mode does not always satisfy the user's needs.

Also there is a printer in which a resolution or a dither processing can be changed according to setting of the printer and 4 to 6 colors are available for printing, and faithfulness of a copy according to the same image processing parameters specific to the particular image quality mode does not always satisfy the user's needs.

In the case as described above, generally a color correction factor or a YMCK gradation factor correction table is changed according to a type of a document, but sometimes the faithfulness of color in an obtained copy is not satisfactory.

It is possible to prepare many gradation correction tables used for subjecting image data outputted from an image reader to gradation conversion for executing sufficient correction, but this kind of configuration causes increase in cost.

For this reason, there is no way but to use a circuit with a larger scale for preparing a memory space for a plurality of image areas on one sheet of a document, which causes cost increase.

If the configuration is employed in which a plurality of gradation conversion tables used for gradation conversion of image data outputted from an image reader are provided and an appropriate gradation conversion table is selected for use according to an image area inside a document, the image quality is improved, but the necessity of providing a number of gradation conversion tables causes cost increase.

Further, as gradation conversion characteristics varies according to a document type, unless an appropriate gradation conversion table is employed according to a document type, faithfulness of a reproduced image in colors to the document may be rather low.

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