Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing program

Abstract

To develop a technique that can execute image processing corresponding to both an image including a color other than a special color and an image represented in the special color, to print the images.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus acquires image data including first image data representing a first image in a plurality of colors including a color other than a special color and second image data representing a second image in the special color, acquires a representative coloring material amount indicating the amount of a plurality of coloring materials used for printing a representative color included in the special color with a printer, converts the first image data into first coloring material amount data representing the color of the first image in the amount of the plurality of coloring materials used in the printer on the basis of a color conversion profile, converts the second image data into second coloring material amount data representing the color of the second image in the amount of the plurality of coloring materials used in the printer on the basis of the representative coloring material amount, and combines the first coloring material amount data with the second coloring material amount data to generate third coloring material amount data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for printing an image including a plurality of plates. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which image data is divided into color plates including cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, a white plate, and a varnish plate, and a preview image is generated based on the amount of ink used for printing each plate, and a preview is performed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-32012 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When an image including colors other than spot colors and an image expressed in spot colors are described in different formats, it is not possible to print each image using a common image processing, and therefore there has been a demand for the development of a technology that allows printing by executing corresponding image processing for each of an image including colors other than spot colors and an image expressed in spot colors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An image processing device for achieving the above-mentioned object includes an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data including first image data expressing a first image with a plurality of colors including colors other than spot colors, and second image data expressing a second image with the spot colors; a representative color material amount acquisition unit that acquires representative color material amounts indicating the amounts of a plurality of color materials used to print a representative color included in the spot colors with a printing device; a conversion unit that converts the first image data into first color material amount data expressing the colors of the first image with the amounts of a plurality of color materials used in the printing device based on a color conversion profile, and converts the second image data into second color material amount data expressing the colors of the second image with the amounts of a plurality of color materials used in the printing device based on the representative color material amounts; a synthesis unit that synthesizes the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data to generate third color material amount data; and a transmission unit that transmits print data based on the third color material amount data to the printing device.

[0006] An image processing method for achieving the above-mentioned object includes acquiring image data including first image data expressing a first image with multiple colors including colors other than spot colors, and second image data expressing a second image with the spot colors, acquiring representative color material amounts indicating the amounts of multiple color materials used to print a representative color included in the spot colors with a printing device, converting the first image data into first color material amount data expressing the colors of the first image with the amounts of the multiple color materials used with the printing device based on a color conversion profile, converting the second image data into second color material amount data expressing the colors of the second image with the amounts of the multiple color materials used with the printing device based on the representative color material amounts, combining the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data to generate third color material amount data, and transmitting print data based on the third color material amount data to the printing device.

[0007] An image processing program for achieving the above-mentioned object causes a computer to function as an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data including first image data expressing a first image with multiple colors including colors other than spot colors, and second image data expressing a second image with the spot colors; a representative color material amount acquisition unit that acquires representative color material amounts indicating the amounts of multiple color materials used to print representative colors included in the spot colors with a printing device; a conversion unit that converts the first image data into first color material amount data expressing the colors of the first image with the amounts of multiple color materials used with the printing device based on a color conversion profile, and converts the second image data into second color material amount data expressing the colors of the second image with the amounts of multiple color materials used with the printing device based on the representative color material amounts; a synthesis unit that synthesizes the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data to generate third color material amount data; and a transmission unit that transmits print data based on the third color material amount data to the printing device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image processing device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of image processing based on image data. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing image processing. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing image processing. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart of a printing process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Here, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) Image processing device configuration: (1-1) Image processing device configuration: (1-2) Printer configuration: (2) Image processing: (3)Printing process: (4) Other embodiments:

[0010] (1) Image processing device configuration: 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image processing device 100 is a device that cooperates with a printing device 200. The image processing device 100 is capable of communicating with the printing device 200. The image processing device 100 performs image processing based on image data to generate print data, and transmits the generated print data to the printing device 200. The printing device 200 executes printing based on the received print data.

[0011] The printing device 200 prints an image on a printing medium using color materials. Although the color materials are not limited, the printing device 200 according to this embodiment is an inkjet printer that uses ink as the color materials. Although the colors of the color materials are not limited, the printing device 200 according to this embodiment is capable of printing using each of the colors cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), black (K), green (G), gray (Gy), red (R), and orange (Or).

[0012] Image data representing an image to be printed expresses the image using multiple channels (color components). The image data may include multiple images with different numbers of channels. Specifically, the image data may include first image data in which the color of each pixel is specified by the gradation values ​​of three channels, RGB (Red, Green, Blue), and second image data in which the color of each pixel is specified by the gradation value of one channel.

[0013] In the first image data, the color of each pixel is expressed by a combination of three-channel gradation values, and any color within the color gamut can be specified. The second image data is data representing an image expressed with spot colors. That is, in the second image data, each pixel is associated with a one-channel gradation value, and the gradation value is a value corresponding to the relative density difference from the gradation value of the representative color. The representative color is a color that represents the spot color, and is expressed by a three-channel (RGB) gradation value.

[0014] The special color is used when outputting an image in a predetermined specific color. In this embodiment, the special color includes a plurality of colors with different densities, and the representative color is one of them. The gradation value of one channel included in the second image data indicates a relative density when the representative color is used as a reference. For example, if the gradation value of one channel is expressed as 0 to 255 and the gradation value of a certain pixel is X, the amount of color material of an arbitrary pixel is specified by multiplying the amount of color material indicating the representative color by X / 128. In addition, hereinafter, the representative color is also referred to as Sp. Furthermore, since the first image includes substantially any color within the color gamut, and the special color is also a color within the color gamut, the first image may include the special color and a color other than the special color.

[0015] As described above, the image represented by the image data may include a first image represented by the first image data and a second image represented by the second image data. That is, the image data may include a plurality of images having different numbers of color channels for expressing the image. In this specification, each image having different numbers of color channels for expressing the image is also called a plate. In addition, since the first image is expressed in substantially any color by each channel of RGB, the first image is called a color plate. Furthermore, since the second image is composed of a specific representative color Sp and a color having a different density from the representative color Sp, and is expressed in spot colors, which are a limited number of colors, the second image is called a spot color plate.

[0016] (1-1) Image processing device configuration: The image processing device 100 includes a processor 120, a non-volatile memory 130, a UI unit 140, and a communication unit 150. The processor 120 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. (not shown), and can execute various programs recorded in the non-volatile memory 130 to control each unit of the image processing device 100. The processor 120 may be configured as a single chip or may be configured as a plurality of chips. Also, for example, an ASIC may be adopted instead of the CPU, or a configuration in which the CPU and the ASIC work together may be used.

[0017] The UI unit 140 includes a display (display device) that displays any image. The UI unit 140 also includes input units such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touchpad. The processor 120 can acquire input contents according to operations on the input units of the UI unit 140. The communication unit 150 includes a communication interface for communicating with external devices according to various wired or wireless communication protocols. The image processing device 100 can communicate with the printing device 200 via the communication unit 150. Note that a keyboard, a mouse, a display, and the like may be connected via the communication unit 150, and the processor 120 may input and output various types of information via these devices.

[0018] In this embodiment, a user of the image processing device 100 specifies image data to be printed by operating the UI unit 140. In this embodiment, the user can also adjust the colors to be printed by operating the UI unit 140. To realize this function, the processor 120 can execute an image processing program (not shown) recorded in the non-volatile memory 130. When the image processing program is executed, the processor 120 functions as an image data acquisition unit 120a, a display control unit 120b, a representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c, a conversion unit 120d, a synthesis unit 120e, and a transmission unit 120f.

[0019] The image data acquisition unit 120a is a part of the processor 120 having a function of acquiring image data. The user operates the UI unit 140 and designates the image data to be printed by designating a file stored in the non-volatile memory 130 or the like. In this embodiment, the image data includes at least one of first image data and second image data. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of image processing for image data according to this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the image data includes first image data expressing colors in three channels of RGB, and second image data expressing colors in one channel corresponding to a spot color. The image processing will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 as needed.

[0020] The display control unit 120b is a part of the processor 120 having a function of controlling the UI unit 140 to perform various displays. In this embodiment, the display includes a color setting unit for setting the color of the image data. The color setting unit is a setting that can affect the color of the image printed by the printing device 200, and in this embodiment, the content of the user interface displayed in the color setting unit changes according to the image data and the user's selection.

[0021] That is, when the image data includes the first image data but does not include the second image data, it is not necessary to set the spot color. Therefore, in this case, a color conversion profile designation section (described in detail below) that is a user interface for setting the color in the first image is displayed. On the other hand, a color material amount designation section (described in detail below) that is a user interface for setting the color in the second image is not displayed.

[0022] When the image data includes the second image data but does not include the first image data, color settings related to spot colors may be implemented. Therefore, in this case, a color material amount designation section, which is a user interface for setting colors in the second image, is displayed. The color conversion profile designation section may or may not be displayed for setting color conversion of the representative color Sp, for example.

[0023] 2, when the image data includes the first image data and the second image data, both the setting for an arbitrary color and the setting for a color for a spot color can be implemented. Therefore, in this case, a color conversion profile designation section and a color material amount designation section are displayed. However, in this embodiment, the display control section 120b causes the UI section 140 to display the color conversion profile designation section when the user selects the first image data (color version), and causes the UI section 140 to display the color material amount designation section when the user selects the second image data (spot color version).

[0024] Through the above user interface, processor 120 accepts color-related settings set by the user operating UI unit 140, and performs image processing related to the colors of image data based on the settings (described in detail below).

[0025] The representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c is a part of the processor 120 having a function of acquiring representative color material amounts indicating the amounts of multiple color materials used to print a representative color Sp included in the spot color by the printing device 200. In this embodiment, the representative gradation value which is the gradation value indicating the representative color Sp is included in the header of the image data. For example, when the representative gradation value indicating the representative color Sp of the spot color is (R, G, B) = (16, 33, 139), the representative gradation value is included in the header of the image data.

[0026] The representative gradation value indicating the representative color Sp is a value expressing a special color in the RGB color space, which is the color space of the first image data. Therefore, in order to print the representative color Sp by the printing device 200, it is necessary to specify the amount of color material. In this embodiment, the representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c acquires the gradation value after the representative gradation value is converted based on the color conversion profile by the conversion unit 120d described later as the representative color material amount. As described above, the printing device 200 uses color materials of each color of CMYKGGyROr, so in this embodiment, the representative color material amount after color conversion is specified by the gradation value for each color of CMYKGGyROr. In FIG. 2, the dashed arrow indicates the specification of the representative color material amount by the above-mentioned color conversion.

[0027] In this embodiment, the representative color material amount can be directly specified by the user without being based on the color conversion profile. That is, the representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c can acquire, as the representative color material amount, the gradation value of each color input by the user operating the UI unit 140 while visually checking a color material amount designation unit included in the color setting unit 13 in Fig. 6 described later. In Fig. 2, the dashed arrow indicates the determination of the representative color material amount as described above.

[0028] The conversion unit 120d is a part of the processor 120 that has a function of converting image data into color material amount data. Here, the color material amount data is a gradation value that indicates the amount of color material of each color used by the printing device 200. In this embodiment, the image data is expressed in three channels of RGB or one channel of a spot color, while the color material amount data is expressed in eight channels of CMYKGGyROr. Therefore, the conversion unit 120d performs conversion in a different manner depending on the type of image data.

[0029] The first image data expressed in three channels of RGB is converted based on a color conversion profile. That is, the conversion unit 120d converts the first image data into first color material amount data based on the color conversion profile stored in the non-volatile memory 130 as shown in FIG. 2. The color conversion profile can be generated by various known techniques. In this embodiment, the data of the three RGB channels is color-converted into data of four CMYK channels by a predetermined function. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the data of the four CMYK channels is converted into first color material amount data of eight CMYKGGyROr channels by a LUT (Look Up Table).

[0030] On the other hand, the second image data expressed in one channel of the spot color is converted into second color material amount data that expresses the color of the second image with the amount of multiple color materials used in the printing device based on the amount of the representative color material. The spot colors include the representative color Sp and colors other than the representative color Sp, but the amount of color material when printing the representative color Sp is obtained as the representative color material amount as described above. On the other hand, the gradation value of one channel indicated by the second image data indicates the relative density when the representative color is used as the standard. Therefore, by multiplying the gradation value of the representative color material amount by (the gradation value of each pixel / the median value of the gradation value), it can be converted into the amount of color material for each pixel. For example, if the gradation value of one channel is expressed as 0 to 255, and the gradation value of a pixel is X, and the representative color material amount is (C1, M1, Y1, K1, G1, Gy1, R1, Or1), the amount of color material for printing the color of the pixel is obtained by multiplying each of (C1, M1, Y1, K1, G1, Gy1, R1, Or1) by X / 128. As described above, the conversion unit 120d multiplies the representative color material amount by a relative value specified based on the gradation value of one channel to obtain second color material amount data that expresses the color of the second image. That is, in this embodiment, in a state where the representative color material amount is obtained, the second image data is converted to the second color material amount data without being based on the color conversion profile.

[0031] The synthesis unit 120e is a part of the processor 120 having a function of synthesizing the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data to generate third color material amount data. The image data is data for printing an image in which the first image and the second image are superimposed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the synthesis unit 120e synthesizes the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data to generate third color material amount data indicating the amount of color material for printing the image in which the first image and the second image are superimposed by the printing device 200. Note that, in this embodiment, the synthesis is a process of obtaining the sum of the gradation value indicated by the first color material amount data and the gradation value indicated by the second color material amount data for each pixel and for each color, but the synthesis may be performed by various methods. For example, the synthesis may be a process of multiplying at least one of the gradation value indicated by the first color material amount data or the gradation value indicated by the second color material amount data by a weighting coefficient to obtain the sum of both.

[0032] In addition, when the image data includes only the first image data or the second image data, there is no need to combine them. Therefore, for example, when the image data includes the first image data and does not include the second image data, the first color material amount data and the third color material amount data generated from the first image data are the same data. When the image data includes the second image data and does not include the first image data, the second color material amount data and the third color material amount data generated from the second image data are the same data.

[0033] The transmission unit 120f is a part of the processor 120 having a function of transmitting print data based on the third color material amount data to the printing device. The print data is data in a form that can be printed by the printing device 200. In this embodiment, printing is performed based on halftone data that indicates whether or not a color material is recorded for each pixel, and indicates the size of the color material (the size of the ink droplet) in one of three stages if the color material is recorded. Therefore, the transmission unit 120f performs halftone processing to convert the third color material amount data into halftone data, and transmits the obtained halftone data to the printing device 200. The halftone processing may be performed by a known method. When the print data including the halftone data is transmitted to the printing device 200, the printing device 200 prints an image indicated by the halftone data. The processor 120 may have a halftone processing unit that converts the third color material amount data into halftone data, separate from the transmission unit 120f.

[0034] According to the above configuration, color conversion is performed in a manner corresponding to the color expression method in each of the first image data and the second image data, and color material amount data can be specified. Therefore, it is possible to execute image processing corresponding to each of an image including colors other than spot colors and an image expressed in spot colors, and print them.

[0035] (1-2) Printer configuration: The printing device 200 includes a processor 220, a non-volatile memory 230, a UI unit 240, a communication unit 250, and a printing unit 260. The processor 220 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. (not shown), and can execute various programs recorded in the non-volatile memory 230 to control each unit of the printing device 200. The processor 220 may be configured as a single chip or multiple chips. For example, an ASIC may be used instead of the CPU, or a configuration in which the CPU and the ASIC work together may be used.

[0036] The communication unit 250 includes a communication interface for communicating with external devices according to various wired or wireless communication protocols. The communication unit 250 also includes an interface for communicating with various removable memories attached to the printing device 200. The printing device 200 can communicate with the image processing device 100 via the communication unit 250.

[0037] In this embodiment, the printing unit 260 can execute printing on various types of printing media using an inkjet method in accordance with instructions from the processor 220. The printing unit 260 includes a transport mechanism for transporting the printing medium and a print head for ejecting ink droplets onto the printing medium. As described above, the print head of this embodiment can eject eight color materials: C, M, Y, K, G, Gy, R, and Or. Also, in this embodiment, ink droplets of three sizes, large, medium, and small, can be ejected from the nozzles of the print head.

[0038] The UI unit 240 includes a touch panel display and various keys and switches. The touch panel display includes a display panel that displays various information based on the control of the processor 220 and a touch detection panel overlaid on the display panel, and detects touch operations by a human finger or the like. The processor 220 can acquire the contents of a user's operation via the UI unit 240. The processor 220 can also display various information on the display of the UI unit 240 and notify the user of the information.

[0039] The processor 220 can execute a print program (not shown) recorded in the non-volatile memory 230. The print program causes the processor 220 to realize a function for printing print data. When the preview image display program is executed, the processor 220 functions as a receiving unit 220a and a processing unit 220b.

[0040] The receiving unit 220a is a part of the processor 220 having a function of receiving print data transmitted from the image processing device 100. The receiving unit 220a acquires print data from the image processing device 100 via the communication unit 250 and records it in the non-volatile memory 230. The processing unit 220b is a part of the processor 220 having a function of controlling the printing unit 260 to execute printing. In other words, the processing unit 220b drives the printing unit 260 based on the print data acquired from the image processing device 100 to execute printing.

[0041] (2) Image processing: 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing image processing executed by processor 120. Image processing is started in response to a trigger such as a user inputting a start instruction by operating UI unit 140. When image processing is started, processor 120 displays a user interface by the function of display control unit 120b (step S100).

[0042] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface 10. The user interface 10 according to this embodiment includes an image instruction section 11, a preview image display section 12, and a color setting section 13. In Fig. 5, the image instruction section 11, the preview image display section 12, and the color setting section 13 are surrounded by thick frames for the sake of explanation, but in reality, these frames may not be thick, and may have the same thickness as other lines. A print instruction button 14 is provided above the image instruction section 11.

[0043] The image instruction unit 11 is a user interface that displays image data selected as the print target and allows the user to specify one of the plates (either the first image data or the second image data) included in the selected image data as the processing target. The preview image display unit 12 is a user interface that displays a preview image of the image to be printed. The color setting unit 13 is a user interface that allows the user to make settings related to the color of the image data. Note that the example of the user interface 10 shown in FIG. 5 is not the initial screen of the user interface 10. On the initial screen, the image data is not displayed in the print job list of the image instruction unit 11, and the plates are not displayed in the plate list. Also, on the initial screen, the preview image is not displayed in the preview image display unit 12. On the initial screen, the color setting unit 13 may or may not display default information.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 3, in a state in which the initial screen is displayed in step S100, the display control unit 120b accepts the designation of image data (step S105). That is, the user operates the UI unit 140 to designate image data to be printed from among image data stored in the non-volatile memory 130 or the like. The display control unit 120b accepts the designation and displays the file name of the designated image data at the top of the image designation unit 11. Fig. 5 shows an example in which image data with the file name Data A is designated.

[0045] Furthermore, the display control unit 120b displays the version list (step S110). Specifically, when the first image data is included in the specified image data, the display control unit 120b displays the character string "color version" in the version list, clearly indicating to the user that the first image data is included. When the second image data is included in the image data, the display control unit 120b displays the character string "spot color version" in the version list, clearly indicating to the user that the second image data is included. Note that the character string displayed in the version list may be any character string that allows the user to identify the version, and may be set arbitrarily in the image data.

[0046] Next, processor 120 sets the type of image data included in the image data, i.e., the number of plates, to the value of a constant max, and initializes variable i to 1 (step S115). Here, variable i is a number indicating the plates included in the image data, and for example, if the image data includes one piece of first image data and one piece of second image data, plate number 1 is the first image data and plate number 2 is the second image data, but if two or more types of spot color plates are included, they may become print second image data number 3 or more.

[0047] The processor 120 determines the type of the ith plate (step S120). If it is determined that the type of the ith plate is a color plate, the conversion unit 120d converts the color of each pixel based on the color conversion profile and acquires the color material amount (step S125). Specifically, the conversion unit 120d refers to the nonvolatile memory 130 and acquires the color conversion profile used for the conversion. Then, the RGB gradation value of each pixel of the first image data included in the image data is converted to a CMYKGGyROr gradation value. That is, the conversion unit 120d acquires the first color material amount data. The acquired first color material amount data is stored in the nonvolatile memory 130 or the like. Note that, when step S125 is executed for the first time, the conversion unit 120d performs conversion using a default color conversion profile, but after the user designates a color conversion profile by a color conversion profile designation unit described later, the designated color conversion profile is used.

[0048] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S120 that the type of the i-th plate is a spot color plate, the processor 120 determines whether the representative color material amount has been specified (step S130). That is, the processor 120 determines whether the user has already specified the representative color material amount by a process described later. If it is not determined that the representative color material amount has been specified, the conversion unit 120d converts the representative color based on the color conversion profile, and the representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c acquires the converted value as the representative color material amount (step S135). That is, the conversion unit 120d acquires the color conversion profile by referring to the non-volatile memory 130, and converts the representative gradation value, which is the RGB gradation value of the representative color included in the header of the image data, into a CMYKGGyROr gradation value. The converted gradation value is acquired as the representative color material amount by the representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c. The acquired representative color material amount is stored in the non-volatile memory 130 or the like. If a color conversion profile has been specified by the user through processing described below, the conversion unit 120d performs color conversion by referring to the specified color conversion profile. However, if a color conversion profile has not been specified by the user, the conversion unit 120d performs color conversion by referring to a default color conversion profile.

[0049] If it is determined in step S130 that the representative color material amount has been specified, step S135 is skipped. If step S135 is executed, or if it is determined in step S130 that the representative color material amount has been specified, the conversion unit 120d converts the colors other than the representative color based on the representative color material amount to obtain the color material amount (step S140). That is, the conversion unit 120d obtains the color material amount of the colors other than the representative color by multiplying the representative color material amount of each color by the gradation value of each pixel / 128. Note that the representative color material amount when step S135 is skipped is a value directly specified by the user through a process described later. The conversion unit 120d regards the data expressing the color with the obtained color material amount as the second color material amount data, and stores it in the non-volatile memory 130 or the like.

[0050] When step S125 or step S140 is executed, processor 120 determines whether variable i is equal to max (step S145). If it is determined in step S145 that variable i is not equal to max, processor 120 increments variable i and repeats the processes from step S120 onward.

[0051] If it is determined in step S145 that the variable i matches max, the synthesis unit 120e synthesizes the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data (step S150) to obtain third color material amount data. Note that the synthesis is realized by the sum of gradation values ​​indicating the amount of color material, but in this embodiment, the synthesis is performed so that the amount of color material does not exceed the upper limit color material amount. Specifically, the synthesis unit 120e obtains the sum of the gradation value indicated by the first color material amount data and the gradation value indicated by the second color material amount data for each pixel and for each color. As a result, a gradation value indicating the amount of color material for printing the image data for each color of color material is obtained.

[0052] The amount of color material that can be printed on the printing medium is set to an upper limit for each color, and also to an upper limit for the total amount of color material for all colors. Such an upper limit for the amount of color material is set in order to prevent ink bleeding on the printing medium when there is an upper limit on the amount of ink droplets discharged by the print head or when there is an excess of color material. Therefore, the synthesis unit 120e executes a process for comparing the sum of the gradation values ​​of each color with the upper limit for each color for all pixels. As a result of the comparison, for pixels where the sum of the gradation values ​​of each color exceeds the upper limit for each color, the amount of color material is converted to be equal to or less than the upper limit. This conversion may be performed by various methods, and only the colors that exceed the upper limit for the amount of color material may be changed to the upper limit for the amount of color material, or the colors that exceed the upper limit for the amount of color material may be changed to the upper limit for the amount of color material while maintaining the ratio of each color.

[0053] After performing the above process for each color, the conversion unit 120d further sums the gradation values ​​of all colors for each pixel. Then, the conversion unit 120d performs a process for all pixels in which the summed gradation value is compared with the upper limit color material amount for all colors in total. As a result of the comparison, for pixels in which the summed gradation value exceeds the upper limit color material amount, the color material amount is converted to be equal to or less than the upper limit color material amount. This conversion may also be performed by various methods. For example, the color material amount may be changed so that the summed gradation value becomes the upper limit color material amount while maintaining the ratio of each color. As described above, in this embodiment, the conversion is performed so as not to exceed the upper limit color material amount, and the third color material amount data is generated.

[0054] When the third color material amount data is generated, the display control unit 120b displays a preview image on the display device of the UI unit 140 (step S155). Specifically, the display control unit 120b generates a third preview image for displaying an image indicated by the third color material amount data on the display device based on the third color material amount data generated in step S150. The third preview image is defined by data for displaying an image indicated by the third color material amount data on the display device.

[0055] Various methods can be used to generate the third preview image. For example, an LUT that converts the gradation values ​​of each color of CMYKGGyROr constituting the third color material amount data into RGB gradation values ​​can be generated in advance. In this case, the processor 120 can acquire RGB gradation values ​​from the gradation values ​​of each color of CMYKGGyROr based on the LUT, and add the acquired RGB gradation values ​​or multiply them by a weighting coefficient and add them. The third preview image is acquired by performing the above process for each pixel.

[0056] When the third preview image is acquired, display control unit 120b controls the display device of UI unit 140 to display the third preview image as a preview image. In the example shown in Figures 5 and 6, the preview image is displayed within the frame of preview image display unit 12. Of course, display control unit 120b may reduce or enlarge the third preview image in order to display the preview image within the frame of preview image display unit 12.

[0057] According to the above configuration, the user can recognize the colors of the image data that will be printed by the printing device 200 with the current color settings. Therefore, the user can check before printing whether the image will be printed in the colors desired by the user.

[0058] Next, as shown in Fig. 4, the display control unit 120b determines whether the image data includes multiple versions (step S200). That is, the display control unit 120b refers to the header of the image data specified in step S105 and identifies the type of data included in the image data from the first image data and the second image data. If the type of data included in the image data is both the first image data and the second image data, the display control unit 120b determines that the number of versions is multiple. If the type of data included in the image data is either the first image data or the second image data, the display control unit 120b determines that the number of versions is single.

[0059] If it is determined in step S200 that the image data includes a plurality of plates, the display control unit 120b accepts the designation of the plate (step S205). The character string displayed in the plate list in step S110 becomes an option for the user. That is, the character string displayed in the plate list functions as a selection unit for selecting either the first image data or the second image data. The user can operate the UI unit 140 to select either one of the character strings displayed in the plate list. When a selection is made, the display control unit 120b accepts the designation of the plate. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the selected plate is displayed in black text, and the unselected plate is displayed in grayed-out text. Therefore, FIG. 5 shows a state in which a color plate is selected. FIG. 6 shows a state in which a spot color plate is selected in a user interface similar to that in FIG. 5. Of course, only one plate in which the type of data included in the image data is either the first image data or the second image data is displayed in the plate list.

[0060] In step S200, if it is determined that the image data contains a single plate, or if step S205 is executed, the display control unit 120b determines the type of the specified plate (step S210). Specifically, if the image data contains a single plate, the display control unit 120b determines whether the type of the plate is a color plate or a spot color plate. If the image data contains multiple plates, the display control unit 120b determines whether the type of the plate specified in step S205 is a color plate or a spot color plate.

[0061] If it is determined in step S210 that the type of plate is a color plate, the display control unit 120b causes the color setting unit 13 to display a user interface including a color conversion profile designation unit (step S215). That is, if a color plate is selected by the user, or if the image data is composed of only a color plate (first image data), a user interface including a color conversion profile designation unit is displayed in the color setting unit 13. Note that the state in which the color plate is selected corresponds to the state in which the first image data is selected in the selection unit.

[0062] The color conversion profile designation section is a user interface for setting colors in the first image, and in this embodiment includes a button B1 for instructing the start of designation of a color conversion profile. In addition to the button B1 as the color conversion profile designation section, various buttons are provided in the color setting section 13, and the user can operate the UI section 140 to select each button, thereby causing the color setting section 13 to display the user interface assigned to each button.

[0063] When step S215 is executed and button B1 is selected, display control unit 120b controls UI unit 140 to display a screen on which a color conversion profile can be specified in color setting unit 13. In color setting unit 13 shown in FIG. 5, button B1 is selected and a screen on which a color conversion profile can be specified is displayed. Specifically, character strings of an input profile and an output profile are displayed in color setting unit 13, and each profile can be specified by a pull-down menu. When a user operates UI unit 140 to specify display of a pull-down menu, display control unit 120b displays color conversion profiles stored in non-volatile memory 130 or the like so as to be selectable. A user can operate UI unit 140 to specify a color conversion profile.

[0064] When a color conversion profile is specified by the user, the display control unit 120b accepts the specified color conversion profile as the one to be used (step S220). The color conversion profile to be used is stored in the non-volatile memory 130 or the like and is referred to during color conversion. Furthermore, when steps S125 and S135 are executed again, conversion is performed based on the specified color conversion profile.

[0065] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S210 that the type of plate is a spot color plate, the display control unit 120b causes the color setting unit 13 to display a user interface including a color material amount designation unit (step S225). That is, when a spot color plate is selected by the user, or when the image data is composed of only a spot color plate (second image data), a user interface including a color material amount designation unit is displayed in the color setting unit 13. Note that the state in which the spot color plate is selected corresponds to the state in which the second image data is selected in the selection unit.

[0066] The color material amount designation unit is a user interface for setting colors in the second image, and in this embodiment includes a user interface for designating the amounts of multiple color materials to be used by the printing device 200 when printing a spot color. The user interface displayed on the color setting unit 13 in Fig. 6 is the color material amount designation unit. In this example, since there is one button displayed on the right side of the color setting unit 13, the user interface displayed on the color setting unit 13 when a spot color plate is selected is the same type of user interface as the user interface shown in Fig. 6.

[0067] The color material amount designation unit shown in FIG. 6 includes an input unit for inputting values ​​corresponding to the amounts of color materials for each of a plurality of color materials when printing a representative color. Specifically, the color material amount designation unit displays character strings indicating each color, namely, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), black (K), green (G), gray (Gy), red (R), and orange (Or). Also, a box for inputting a numerical value is associated with the character string of each color, and the user can modify the numerical value in the box by operating the UI unit 140. In this example, the numerical value is a percentage value indicating the amount of color material, where 100% is the upper limit of the amount of color material that can be recorded on the print medium, and 0% means that no color material is recorded on the print medium. Here, since the number and type of color materials used differ depending on the model and specifications of the printing device, the character strings indicating each color in the color material amount designation unit displayed in the color setting unit 13 differ depending on the printing device that executes the print job.

[0068] When the user inputs the numerical value, the representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c acquires the representative color material amount (step S230). That is, the representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c converts the percentage numerical value input in step S225 into the representative color material amount indicating the amount of color material of each color, using a LUT (not shown) or the like stored in the non-volatile memory 130 or the like.

[0069] When step S220 or step S230 is executed, processor 120 repeats the processes from step S115 onward. Note that, when the user does not make any corrections in step S220 or step S230, processor 120 may return to step S115 without accepting any corrections.

[0070] If the user makes corrections in step S220 or step S230, the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data are generated based on the corrected color conversion profile and representative color material amounts in the processes from step S115 onward. Therefore, when step S155 is executed again, a preview image reflecting the results of the user's corrections is displayed on the display device of the UI unit 140.

[0071] According to the above process, the representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c can accept a user's modification of the representative color material amount. That is, if the color of the preview image displayed on the preview image display unit 12 is different from the user's intention, the user can modify the amount of color material by specifying a color conversion profile in step S215 or specifying the color material amount in step S225. Therefore, the user can adjust the amount of color material so as to output a desired color.

[0072] Furthermore, in the above processing, if the image data is composed of the first image data and does not include the second image data, a color conversion profile can be specified by the color conversion profile specification unit. Therefore, by specifying the color conversion profile, it is possible to adjust the amount of color material when printing the first image indicated by the first image data. Therefore, it is possible to easily adjust the color of the first image, which generally includes multiple colors.

[0073] On the other hand, when the image data is composed of first image data and second image data, a color conversion profile designation unit and a color material amount designation unit can be used. More specifically, when the first image data is selected, the color conversion profile can be designated by the color conversion profile designation unit. On the other hand, when the second image data is selected, the amount of color material can be designated by the color material amount designation unit.

[0074] Therefore, by specifying the color conversion profile, the amount of coloring material when printing the first image indicated by the first image data can be adjusted. Therefore, the color of the first image, which generally includes multiple colors, can be easily adjusted. In addition, by specifying the amount of coloring material when printing the spot color by the coloring material amount specifying unit, the amount of coloring material when printing the second image expressed in the spot color indicated by the second image data can be adjusted. Therefore, the amount of coloring material for printing the spot color can be adjusted by specifying the amount of coloring material for only one color. With the above configuration, in an image in which an image including a color other than the spot color and an image expressed in the spot color may be mixed, the amount of coloring material used for printing can be adjusted in a manner corresponding to the type of each image. As a result, the color of each image can be efficiently adjusted.

[0075] (3)Printing process: 3 and 4 is being executed, the processor 120 can receive various interrupts. In this embodiment, one of the interrupts is a print process. That is, when the user operates the UI unit 140 to issue an instruction using the print instruction button 14, it is determined that a print instruction has been issued, and the print process shown in FIG. 7 is started.

[0076] When the printing process is started, the transmitting unit 120f generates print data based on the third color material amount data acquired in step S150 (step S300). That is, the transmitting unit 120f executes halftone processing based on a known method, converts the third color material amount data into halftone data, and generates print data. When the print data is generated, the transmitting unit 120f transmits the print data to the printing device 200 (step S305). With the above configuration, it is possible to cause the printing device 200 to print an image indicated by the image data.

[0077] (4) Other embodiments: The above embodiment is an example for implementing the present invention, and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, the image processing device may be a printing device or a multifunction device equipped with a printing function. The image processing device may also be a personal computer, tablet terminal, smartphone, etc. that functions as an image processing device that generates a print job. Furthermore, alternative means may be adopted in the various image processes described above. For example, in the above embodiment, the preview image is generated based on color material amount data, but the preview image may also be generated based on halftone data.

[0078] Furthermore, the manner of acquiring the representative color material amount is not limited to the manner in which the representative tone value is converted by a color conversion profile or the manner in which the amount of color material for each color is specified by the user, as in the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, the representative color material amount may be specified based on a color patch. Such a manner can be realized, for example, by storing in advance in a storage unit such as the non-volatile memory 130 the amount of color material used for each of a plurality of color patches having different amounts of color material.

[0079] In this configuration, the representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c accepts the identification number of a color patch that the user inputs to the identification number input unit by operating the UI unit 140. Then, the representative color material amount acquisition unit 120c acquires the amount of color material used to print the color patch of the accepted identification number as the representative color material amount based on the information stored in the storage unit. With this configuration, the user can specify the representative color material amount while checking the actual print color using the color patch.

[0080] The storage unit only needs to be able to store the amount of color material used for each of a plurality of color patches having different amounts of color material. In other words, the storage unit only needs to be configured so that the amount of color material used in a color patch can be specified by referring to the information stored in the storage unit based on a selected color patch. The color patch may be a color sample prepared in advance, or may be printed by a printing device. In the latter case, it is preferable that a color patch including a plurality of spot colors is printed. With this configuration, the user can select a desired spot color as a representative color from a plurality of color patches.

[0081] Furthermore, the preview image displayed in step S155 is not limited to the third preview image. For example, the processor 120 may be configured to generate a second preview image for displaying the second image indicated by the second color material amount data on the display device, and display the second preview image on the display device. In this case, the second preview image can be displayed within the frame of the preview image display unit 12. The second preview image can be generated from the second color material amount data by a process similar to the process used to generate the third preview image from the third color material amount data. This configuration allows the user to adjust the color of a spot color that is more likely to require accuracy in printing than general colors, based on the preview image.

[0082] Of course, it may be possible to preview a first preview image for displaying the first image indicated by the first color material amount data on a display device, or it may be possible to preview a desired image from among the first preview image, the second preview image, and the third preview image, or it may be possible to preview multiple images simultaneously.

[0083] Furthermore, the user may be notified that the amount of color material exceeds the upper limit of the amount of color material. Such a configuration can be realized by a configuration in which the processor 120 compares the amount of color material indicated by the third color material amount data with the upper limit of the amount of color material, and displays a warning on the display device when the amount of color material indicated by the third color material amount data exceeds the upper limit of the amount of color material. The warning may be in various forms, and the pixels whose amount of color material exceeds the upper limit of the amount of color material may be clearly indicated, or the warning may be issued without clearly indicating the pixels. Of course, the warning may be issued together with the display of a preview image. With the above configuration, the user can easily recognize whether or not printing is possible with the current color settings.

[0084] The image data acquisition unit may acquire image data including first image data expressing a first image in a plurality of colors including colors other than the spot color, and second image data expressing a second image in the spot color. That is, the image data acquisition unit may acquire image data showing a first image expressed in any color within a color gamut and a second image expressed in a specific spot color. The image data may be data that can include these images, and the format is not limited. Therefore, the image data is not limited to a configuration in which the first image and the second image are distinguished as images of different versions. For example, the image data may be data in which data of a total of four channels including the first image data of three channels constituting the first image and the second image data of one channel constituting the second image is described without being distinguished.

[0085] The spot color is a color specified in advance from among colors that can be expressed by a printing device, and may be one color or multiple colors. When the spot color is multiple colors, a representative color and its similar colors, for example, a color that has the same gradation value and ratio as the representative color but at least one of density and brightness is different, are included in the spot color. In addition, multiple representative colors may exist, resulting in multiple spot colors. For example, when two types of corporate colors of a specific color are used in a certain printing, it can be said that multiple representative colors exist. In this case, multiple colors that differ in at least one of density and brightness for each representative color may be included in the spot color. In addition, in this case, multiple plates corresponding to each of the multiple representative colors may exist. Furthermore, the format of the second image data is not limited to the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment, and the spot color may be described in an image format such as RGB or CMYK.

[0086] On the other hand, colors other than spot colors are any colors that exist within the color gamut and are different from the spot colors. Therefore, the first image can be expressed using any color within the color gamut. The color gamut may be the color gamut of any device such as a display device or a printing device, but in any case, all colors that can be expressed in a specific image format such as RGB or CMYK can be used in the first image. Only some of the colors included in the color gamut are included in the spot colors.

[0087] The representative color material amount acquisition unit may acquire a representative color material amount indicating the amount of a plurality of color materials used to print the representative color included in the spot color by the printing device. In other words, the representative color material amount acquisition unit may acquire a representative color material amount that is an index of the amount of color materials to be used to print the spot color. The representative color is one of the spot colors and may be determined in advance. For example, a corporate color or one color in a color sample may be the representative color of the spot color. The representative color material amount is the amount of color materials to be used to print the representative color, but since the color development in the printing device may differ for each individual, it is not always possible to print the representative color accurately by a certain value of the representative color material amount. In this sense, the representative color material amount can be said to be the amount of color materials for printing the representative color or a color similar to the representative color. The representative color material amount may be modifiable.

[0088] The coloring material may be any material for expressing color, and various coloring materials may be used. For example, if the printing device is an inkjet printer, the coloring material is ink. If the printing device is an electrophotographic printer, the coloring material is toner. The amount of coloring material may be specified in various ways. For example, the amount of coloring material may be specified by a gradation value that is a value within a predetermined value range as in the above-mentioned embodiment, or the amount of coloring material may be specified by a density in which a state in which no coloring material is used is set to 0% and a state in which the coloring material is used to the maximum extent is set to 100%.

[0089] The conversion unit only needs to be able to convert the first image data into first color material amount data that expresses the colors of the first image in the amounts of multiple color materials used in the printing device based on the color conversion profile, and convert the second image data into second color material amount data that expresses the colors of the second image in the amounts of multiple color materials used in the printing device based on the representative color material amounts. In other words, the conversion unit only needs to be able to perform color conversion to obtain the amounts of color materials based on information corresponding to each of the first image data and the second image data.

[0090] The color conversion profile may be known information used in color conversion, and may be an LUT or a function. Furthermore, the color conversion may be performed as long as it can convert the first image data into the first color material amount data, and if the format of the first image data is different, the color conversion mode may also be different. For example, the color conversion profile referenced in the color conversion may be different when the first image data is expressed in RGB and when it is expressed in CMYK. Of course, the color conversion profile may be different depending on the printing conditions such as the input device, the printing device, and the printing medium.

[0091] The combining unit only needs to be able to combine the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data to generate the third color material amount data. That is, the image data is data showing an image obtained by combining the first image and the second image, and the print target when printing is performed based on the image data is the combined image. Therefore, the combining unit only needs to combine the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data to generate the third color material amount data for printing the combined result of the first image and the second image. The combination may be performed by various methods, and the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data may be simply added together, or may be multiplied by a weighting coefficient and added together. In addition, various corrections, such as a correction to prevent the upper limit of the color material from being exceeded, may be performed.

[0092] The transmitting unit only needs to be able to transmit print data based on the third color material amount data to the printing device. In other words, the transmitting unit only needs to be able to cause the printing device to print an image indicated by the third color material amount data. If further processing is required to perform printing, the transmitting unit may perform further processing on the third color material amount data. For example, if printing is performed using data that has been subjected to halftone processing on the third color material amount data, the transmitting unit may perform halftone processing. On the other hand, if halftone processing can be performed on the printing device, the transmitting unit only needs to transmit the third color material amount data to the printing device.

[0093] Furthermore, as in the present invention, the present invention can be applied as a program or method executed by a computer. The above-mentioned system, program, and method may be realized as a single device or may be realized by using parts of multiple devices, and include various aspects. In addition, the present invention can be modified as appropriate, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the present invention can be realized as a recording medium of a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium of the program may be a magnetic recording medium or a semiconductor memory, and any recording medium developed in the future can be considered in the same way. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 10...user interface, 11...image instruction section, 12...preview image display section, 13...color setting section, 14...print instruction button, 100...image processing device, 120...processor, 120a...image data acquisition section, 120b...display control section, 120c...representative color material amount acquisition section, 120d...conversion section, 120e...combining section, 120f...transmission section, 130...non-volatile memory, 140...UI section, 150...communication section, 200...printing device, 220...processor, 220a...receiving section, 220b...processing section, 230...non-volatile memory, 240...UI section, 250...communication section, 260...printing section

Claims

1. an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data including first image data expressing a first image with a plurality of colors including colors other than the spot colors, and second image data expressing a second image with the spot colors; a representative color material amount acquisition unit that acquires representative color material amounts indicating amounts of a plurality of color materials used to print the representative color included in the spot color by a printing device; a conversion unit that converts the first image data into first color material amount data that expresses the color of the first image with the amounts of a plurality of color materials used in the printing device based on a color conversion profile, and converts the second image data into second color material amount data that expresses the color of the second image with the amounts of a plurality of color materials used in the printing device based on the representative color material amounts; a synthesis unit that synthesizes the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data to generate third color material amount data; a transmission unit that transmits print data based on the third color material amount data to the printing device; An image processing device comprising:

2. the image data includes a representative gradation value corresponding to the representative color, the conversion unit converts the representative tone value into amounts of a plurality of color materials used in the printing device based on the color conversion profile; the representative color material amount acquisition unit acquires the amount of the color material obtained by the conversion as the representative color material amount; The image processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the representative color material amount acquisition unit is capable of accepting a correction of the representative color material amount by a user; the conversion unit converts the second image data into the second color material amount data based on the corrected representative color material amount. The image processing device according to claim 1 .

4. A storage unit is further provided for storing the amount of color material used for each of a plurality of color patches having different amounts of color material, The representative color material amount acquisition unit acquires, as the representative color material amount, an amount of a color material used in the color patch selected from the plurality of color patches. The image processing device according to claim 1 .

5. the first image data is data expressing the plurality of colors by gradation values ​​of a plurality of channels; the second image data is data expressing the characteristic color by a gradation value of one channel; The image processing device according to claim 1 .

6. a display control unit that generates a second preview image for displaying the second image indicated by the second color material amount data on a display device, and causes the second preview image to be displayed on the display device; The image processing device according to claim 1 .

7. comparing the amount of color material indicated by the third color material amount data with an upper limit color material amount; When the amount of color material indicated by the third color material amount data exceeds the upper limit of the color material amount, the third color material amount data is generated by converting the amount of color material to be equal to or less than the upper limit of the color material amount; a display control unit that generates a third preview image for displaying an image indicated by the converted third color material amount data on a display device, and causes the third preview image to be displayed on the display device; The image processing device according to claim 1 .

8. comparing the amount of color material indicated by the third color material amount data with an upper limit color material amount; a display control unit that displays a warning on a display device when the color material amount indicated by the third color material amount data exceeds the upper limit color material amount. The image processing device according to claim 1 .

9. Acquire image data including first image data expressing a first image with a plurality of colors including colors other than the spot colors, and second image data expressing a second image with the spot colors; acquiring representative color material amounts indicating amounts of a plurality of color materials used to print the representative color included in the spot color by a printing device; converting the first image data into first color material amount data that expresses the colors of the first image in amounts of a plurality of color materials used in the printing device based on a color conversion profile; and converting the second image data into second color material amount data that expresses the colors of the second image in amounts of a plurality of color materials used in the printing device based on the representative color material amounts; generating third color material amount data by combining the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data; transmitting print data based on the third color material amount data to the printing device; Image processing methods.

10. Computer, an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data including first image data expressing a first image with a plurality of colors including colors other than the spot colors, and second image data expressing a second image with the spot colors; a representative color material amount acquiring unit that acquires representative color material amounts indicating amounts of a plurality of color materials used to print a representative color included in the spot color by a printing device; a conversion unit that converts the first image data into first color material amount data that expresses the color of the first image with the amounts of a plurality of color materials used in the printing device based on a color conversion profile, and converts the second image data into second color material amount data that expresses the color of the second image with the amounts of a plurality of color materials used in the printing device based on the representative color material amounts; a synthesis unit that synthesizes the first color material amount data and the second color material amount data to generate third color material amount data; a transmission unit that transmits print data based on the third color material amount data to the printing device; An image processing program that acts as a

Images