Information processing device, information processing method and program

Abstract

To further widen a range of glossiness that can be achieved by a printing device.SOLUTION: Glossiness of an image to be formed is set. Respective discharge quantities of transparent ink and first reaction liquid for coagulating the transparent ink with respect to first discharge quantities of color ink which is discharged in forming the image are set on the basis of the glossiness. The discharge quantities of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid are set so that a ratio of the discharge quantities of the first reaction liquid to the discharge quantities of the transparent ink with respect to the first discharge amounts of color ink, which are set on the basis of first glossiness, becomes equal to or less than a ratio of the discharge quantities of the first reaction liquid to the discharge quantities of the transparent ink which are set on the basis of second glossiness which is lower in glossiness than the first glossiness.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] When using an inkjet printing device, the surface shape of the ink layer formed on the printing medium varies depending on the amount of ink ejected onto the printing medium, and the glossiness also varies depending on the surface shape. In particular, for printing media that are difficult to absorb ink, the ink applied to the printing medium does not penetrate and remains, so the impact of the ejection amount on the surface shape is greater. Therefore, there is a technology that controls the glossiness to a desired level by further applying a transparent ink. In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the glossiness is controlled by the change in gloss caused by the difference in the amount of clear ink ejected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-254612 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the minimum glossiness that can be controlled is determined by the shape of the clear ink on the printing medium, and therefore there is a problem that if the desired glossiness is too low, there may not be an amount of clear ink ejected that can achieve that glossiness.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to broaden the range of gloss levels that can be achieved by a printing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the object of the present invention, for example, an information processing apparatus according to one embodiment has the following configuration: That is, the information processing apparatus includes a first setting means for setting the glossiness of an image to be formed, and a second setting means for setting the respective ejection amounts of transparent ink and reactive liquid for a first ejection amount of color ink to be ejected in forming the image based on the glossiness, wherein the second setting means sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and reactive liquid such that the ratio of the ejection amount of the reactive liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on the first glossiness, for the first ejection amount of color ink, is equal to or less than the ratio of the ejection amount of the reactive liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a second glossiness that is lower than the first glossiness. Effect of the Invention

[0007] To make a wider range of gloss levels achievable by a printing device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a printing apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an ejection port formation substrate of a print head. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a recording head according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a method of processing image data by a printing device. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a multi-pass printing method. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 6A and 6B are diagrams showing the relationship between the ejection amount of reaction liquid and color ink. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a pass mask used in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the gloss level depending on the reaction liquid ratio. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a change in glossiness depending on a reaction liquid ratio. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a table showing the relationship between the gloss level and each ejection amount according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents displayed by a display unit / operation unit. [Figure 14] 6 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the gloss value and the brightness ratio of an image. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a gloss sensor. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a printing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a test pattern. [Figure 19] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a printing process and a gloss level measurement process according to a third embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a recording head according to a third embodiment. [Figure 21] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a pass mask used in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a table showing the relationship between the gloss level and each ejection amount according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] [Embodiment 1] The information processing device according to the first embodiment sets the glossiness of an image to be formed, and sets the respective ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid with respect to the color ink of a first ejection amount to be ejected in forming the image based on the glossiness. Hereinafter, the ratio of the ejection amount of the reaction liquid with respect to the ejection amount of the transparent ink used in forming the image may be simply referred to as the "reaction liquid ratio". Hereinafter, the information processing device sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid with respect to the color ink of the first ejection amount so that the reaction liquid ratio set based on the first glossiness is equal to or less than the reaction liquid ratio set based on a second glossiness that is lower than the first glossiness. The information processing device according to the present embodiment can set the respective ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid used in the image forming process by, for example, an inkjet printing device 100 (hereinafter, simply referred to as the printing device 100).

[0011] [Printing device] Hereinafter, a printing device 100 that forms (prints) an image using settings by an information processing device according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the printing device 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 1(a) is a perspective view showing a part of the printing device 100 in an exploded state to explain the internal mechanism of the printing device 100, and Fig. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view of the printing device 100.

[0012] An example of an image formation (printing) process by the printing device 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a print medium 12 is transported in the -Y direction as a sub-scanning motor (not shown) is driven. A guide shaft 13 is disposed so as to extend in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the print medium 12. A carriage 11 carrying a recording head 40 disposed opposite to a platen 10 moves back and forth (reciprocating scan) along the X-axis in the figure as driven by a main scanning motor (not shown) while being supported by the guide shaft 13. The recording head 40 mounted on the carriage 11 ejects ink onto the print medium in accordance with print data while the carriage 11 is moving and scanning, thereby printing onto the print medium.

[0013] The printing device 100 of this embodiment employs a so-called bidirectional printing method in which ink is ejected to print on the print medium when the recording head 40 moves along the forward path and when it moves along the return path. When the recording head 40 performs a single print scan, the print medium 12 is transported a predetermined distance by a sub-scanning motor (not shown).

[0014] When a print operation command is input from an externally connected host computer (external device), the print medium 12 is fed to a position where it can be printed by the recording head 40 mounted on the carriage 11. Thereafter, the main scanning of the recording head 40 while ejecting ink in response to a print signal and the conveying operation of the print medium a predetermined distance are alternately repeated, and an image is formed by causing the recording head 40 to scan a unit area on the print medium multiple times. Furthermore, the image formed on the print medium 12 on the platen 10 is conveyed along the conveying direction, and hot air is applied by a heating mechanism consisting of a hot air fan 14, and the image is heated and fixed by heating the print medium (for example, to 100°C).

[0015] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the printing device 100 including an information processing device 20 that controls the printing device 100 used in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment includes a gate array 204, a CPU 201, a ROM 202, and a RAM 203. The printing device 100 also includes a hot air fan 14, an interface 206, a printhead driver 207, a printhead 40, a main scanning motor driver 209, a main scanning motor 210, a sub-scanning motor driver 211, a sub-scanning motor 212, a main scanning encoder 213, a sub-scanning encoder 214, and a display unit / operation unit 215.

[0016] The interface 206 is used to input data from a device external to the printing device 100 (for example, the external device 205). In this embodiment, the interface 206 acquires image data from the external device 205. The ROM 202 functions as a memory for storing programs related to the control processing of the printing device executed by the CPU 201 and the processing of image data, and stores the dither mask or pass mask and threshold value table used in the first embodiment. The RAM 203 also stores various data used to control the printing device (such as image data or a print signal supplied to the print head).

[0017] The gate array 204 supplies a print signal to the print head 40 and also transfers data between the interface 206, the CPU 201, and the RAM 203. The print head driver 207 drives the print head 40 in response to a print signal output from the information processing device 20 to eject ink. In addition, the main scanning motor driver 209 and the sub-scanning motor driver 211 drive the main scanning motor 210 and the sub-scanning motor 212 in response to a signal output by the information processing device 20 with reference to signals from the main scanning encoder 213 and the sub-scanning encoder 214, and perform a transport operation of the carriage 11 and the print medium 12. The gate array 204 and the CPU 201 of the information processing device 20 convert image data received from the external device 205 via the interface 206 into print data and store it in the RAM 203. In addition, the information processing device 20 drives the motor drivers 209 and 211 and the print head driver 207 in synchronization with each other to perform the main scanning of the carriage, the printing operation of the print head, and the transport operation of the print medium. As a result, a print image corresponding to the print data is formed on the print medium. The hot air fan 14 is driven by a signal output from the information processing device 20 to heat the print medium.

[0018] The display unit / operation unit 215 is a user interface of the printing device of this embodiment. The display unit / operation unit 215 includes a display unit such as a display, and an operation unit such as a keyboard and a mouse. For example, the display unit / operation unit 215 can be used when a user specifies a desired glossiness to change the glossiness of an output image. The display unit / operation unit 215 is not limited to this example, and may be, for example, a unit in which a display unit and an operation unit are integrated, such as a touch panel, or may be a unit in which a display unit and an operation unit are provided separately.

[0019] In this embodiment, the information processing device 20 is built into the printing device 100 and controls each process performed by the printing device 100. In other words, some or all of the various information processes described below as being performed by the printing device 100 are performed by the information processing device 20. However, the relationship between the information processing device 20 and the printing device 100 is not particularly limited as described above, and each of them may be a separate device. For example, the information processing device 20 may be configured to generate settings based on glossiness for the ejection amounts of the clear ink and the reaction liquid relative to the color ink with a first ejection amount, as shown in FIG. 12, and the printing device 100 that has acquired such settings performs printing.

[0020] [Head configuration] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the ejection port forming substrate 30 of the print head 40 used in the first embodiment, as viewed from the ejection port side. In the print head 40, an ejection port row for one color is formed by 1024 ejection ports 31 arranged in the Y direction at a density of 1200 per inch. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the direction in which the ejection ports are arranged is a direction intersecting the X-axis direction in which the print head 40 scans.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the recording head 40 observed from the discharge port surface. In the first embodiment, six discharge port array forming substrates shown in FIG. 4 are mounted, and each of them includes a black discharge port array 41K, a cyan discharge port array 41C, a magenta discharge port array 41M, a yellow discharge port array 41Y, a transparent ink discharge port array 41CL, and a reaction liquid discharge port array 41Rct. The recording head 40 according to the first embodiment discharges inks including color inks and transparent ink. In addition to these inks, the recording head according to the present embodiment discharges a reaction liquid that reacts with solids such as coloring materials or resin particles contained in the ink and promotes their aggregation. In particular, when printing is performed on a printing medium (such as a resin sheet) that does not (does not easily) absorb liquid, the reaction liquid and the ink are mixed on the printing medium to promote thickening due to solid aggregation, thereby enabling good image formation with reduced beading. The droplets discharged from each discharge port of the recording head used in the first embodiment are about 4 ng, and the droplets can be discharged at a maximum driving frequency of 21 kHz.

[0022] [Ink composition] Next, the composition of the ink and the water-soluble resin fine particle ink used in this embodiment will be described. In the following, when "parts" and "%" are expressed, they are based on mass unless otherwise specified.

[0023] Both the ink containing a pigment used in this embodiment and the water-soluble resin fine particle ink containing no or only a small amount of pigment contain a water-soluble organic solvent. The water-soluble organic solvent according to this embodiment is preferably one having a boiling point of 150°C or more and 300°C or less, from the viewpoint of wettability and moisture retention of the head face surface. In addition, from the viewpoint of the function of a film-forming assistant for the resin fine particles and swelling solubility in the printing medium on which the resin layer is formed, this water-soluble organic solvent is particularly preferably a ketone compound such as acetone or cyclohexanone, a propylene glycol derivative such as tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether, or a heterocyclic compound having a lactam structure represented by N-methyl-pyrrolidone or 2-pyrrolidone. From the viewpoint of ejection performance, the content of the water-soluble organic solvent is preferably 3 wt% or more and 30 wt% or less. Specific examples of the water-soluble organic solvent include alkyl alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol, sec-butyl alcohol, and tert-butyl alcohol; amides, such as dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide; ketones or ketoalcohols, such as acetone and diacetone alcohol; ethers, such as tetrahydrofuran and dioxane; polyalkylene glycols, such as polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol; ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,2,6-hexylene glycol, and the like. Examples of the alkylene glycol include alkylene glycols in which the alkylene group contains 2 to 6 carbon atoms, such as Santriol, thiodiglycol, hexylene glycol, and diethylene glycol; lower alkyl ether acetates, such as polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate; lower alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols, such as glycerin, ethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether, diethylene glycol methyl (or ethyl) ether, and triethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether; polyhydric alcohols, such as trimethylolpropane and trimethylolethane; N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, 2-pyrrolidone, and 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone.As these water-soluble organic solvents, any of the above may be used alone, or a mixture of two or more of these may be used.

[0024] Deionized water may be used as the water. In addition to the above components, the ink and water-soluble resin fine particle ink used in the present invention may contain surfactants, defoamers, preservatives, antifungal agents, etc., in order to provide desired physical properties as required. In this embodiment, the ink, reaction liquid, and water used in image formation may be any of those used in known image formation techniques.

[0025] [Preparation of resin particle dispersion] The ink used in the first embodiment contains water-soluble resin particles for adhering the printing medium and the coloring material to improve the abrasion resistance (fixability) of the printed image. The resin particles are melted by heat, and a heater is used to form a film of the resin particles and to dry the solvent contained in the ink. The "resin particles" according to the present embodiment means polymer particles that exist in a dispersed state in water. Specific examples of the resin particles include acrylic resin particles synthesized by emulsion polymerization of monomers such as (meth)acrylic acid alkyl esters or (meth)acrylic acid alkyl amides, styrene-acrylic resin particles synthesized by emulsion polymerization of (meth)acrylic acid alkyl esters or (meth)acrylic acid alkyl amides and styrene monomers, polyethylene resin particles, polypropylene resin particles, polyurethane resin particles, and styrene-butadiene resin particles. The resin particles may be core-shell type resin particles in which the polymer composition is different between the core and shell of the resin particles, or resin particles obtained by emulsion polymerization around acrylic particles synthesized in advance as seed particles to control the particle size. Furthermore, the resin particles may be hybrid resin particles in which different resin particles, such as acrylic resin particles and urethane resin particles, are chemically bonded together.

[0026] Furthermore, the term "polymer microparticles dispersed in water" refers to the form of resin microparticles obtained by homopolymerizing or copolymerizing multiple types of monomers having a dissociative group, that is, a so-called self-dispersing resin microparticle dispersion. Examples of the dissociative group include a carboxyl group, a sulfonic acid group, or a phosphoric acid group, and examples of the monomer having the dissociative group include acrylic acid or methacrylic acid. Furthermore, the "polymer microparticles dispersed in water" may be a so-called emulsion dispersion type resin microparticle dispersion in which resin microparticles are dispersed by an emulsifier. As the emulsifier, a material having an anionic charge can be used regardless of whether it is a low molecular weight or a high molecular weight.

[0027] The resin particle dispersion liquid used in the first embodiment can be obtained by first adding the following three additive liquids little by little while stirring in a state of being heated to 70°C under a nitrogen gas-filled condition, and polymerizing for 5 hours. The additive liquids used here are a mixture containing a hydrophobic monomer consisting of 28.5 parts of methyl methacrylate, a hydrophilic monomer consisting of 4.3 parts of sodium p-styrenesulfonate and 30 parts of water, and a mixture containing a polymerization initiator consisting of 0.05 parts of potassium persulfate and 30 parts of water. In this way, a 20% by mass resin particle dispersion liquid can be obtained.

[0028] The method for preparing each ink and reaction liquid will be described below. Here, the method for preparing each ink and reaction liquid that can be used in the printing device 100 will be specifically described.

[0029] [Black Ink] (1) Preparation of dispersion First, an anionic polymer P-1 [styrene / butyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (polymerization ratio (weight ratio) = 30 / 40 / 30), acid value 202, weight average molecular weight 6500] was prepared. This was neutralized with an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution and diluted with ion-exchanged water to prepare a homogeneous 10% by mass aqueous polymer solution.

[0030] 600 g of the polymer solution, 100 g of carbon black, and 300 g of ion-exchanged water were mixed and mechanically stirred for a predetermined time, and then non-dispersed matter including coarse particles was removed by centrifugation to obtain a black dispersion. The pigment concentration of the obtained black dispersion was 10% by mass.

[0031] (2) Ink preparation In preparing the ink, the above black dispersion liquid was used, and the following components were added to it to obtain a predetermined concentration. After thoroughly mixing and stirring these components, the mixture was filtered under pressure using a microfilter with a pore size of 2.5 μm (manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation) to prepare a pigment ink with a pigment concentration of 2% by mass. 20 parts of the above black dispersion 40 parts of the above resin particle dispersion Zonyl FSO-100 (fluorosurfactant manufactured by DuPont) 0.05 parts 2-Methyl-1,3-propanediol 15 parts 2-Pyrrolidone 5 parts Acetylene glycol EO adduct (Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 0.5 parts Ion-exchanged water Remainder

[0032] [Cyan ink] (1) Preparation of dispersion First, an AB type block polymer having an acid value of 250 and a number average molecular weight of 3000 was produced by a conventional method using benzyl acrylate and methacrylic acid as raw materials, neutralized with an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution, and diluted with ion-exchanged water to prepare a homogeneous 50% by mass aqueous polymer solution.

[0033] 200g of the above polymer solution, 100g of CI Pigment Blue 15:3, and 700g of ion-exchanged water were mixed and mechanically stirred for a predetermined time, and then non-dispersed matter including coarse particles was removed by centrifugation to obtain a cyan dispersion. The pigment concentration of the obtained cyan dispersion was 10% by mass.

[0034] (2) Ink preparation In preparing the ink, the above cyan dispersion was used, and the following components were added to it to obtain a predetermined concentration. After thoroughly mixing and stirring these components, the mixture was filtered under pressure using a microfilter with a pore size of 2.5 μm (manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation) to prepare a pigment ink with a pigment concentration of 2% by mass. 20 parts of the above cyan dispersion 40 parts of the above resin particle dispersion Zonyl FSO-100 (fluorosurfactant manufactured by DuPont) 0.05 parts 2-Methyl-1,3-propanediol 15 parts 2-Pyrrolidone 5 parts Acetylene glycol EO adduct (Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 0.5 parts Ion-exchanged water Remainder

[0035] [Magenta ink] (1) Preparation of dispersion First, an AB type block polymer with an acid value of 300 and a number average molecular weight of 2500 was produced by a conventional method using benzyl acrylate and methacrylic acid as raw materials, neutralized with an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution, and diluted with ion-exchanged water to prepare a homogeneous 50% by mass aqueous polymer solution.

[0036] 100g of the polymer solution, 100g of CI Pigment Red 122, and 800g of ion-exchanged water were mixed and mechanically stirred for a predetermined time, and then non-dispersed matter including coarse particles was removed by centrifugation to obtain a magenta dispersion. The pigment concentration of the obtained magenta dispersion was 10% by mass.

[0037] (2) Ink preparation In preparing the ink, the above magenta dispersion was used, and the following components were added to it to obtain a predetermined concentration. After thoroughly mixing and stirring these components, the mixture was filtered under pressure using a microfilter with a pore size of 2.5 μm (manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation) to prepare a pigment ink with a pigment concentration of 3% by mass. 30 parts of the above magenta dispersion 40 parts of the above resin particle dispersion Zonyl FSO-100 (fluorosurfactant manufactured by DuPont) 0.05 parts 2-Methyl-1,3-propanediol 15 parts 2-Pyrrolidone 5 parts Acetylene glycol EO adduct (Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 0.5 parts Ion-exchanged water Remainder

[0038] [Yellow ink] (1) Preparation of dispersion First, the anionic polymer P-1 was neutralized with an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution and diluted with ion-exchanged water to prepare a homogeneous 10% by mass aqueous polymer solution.

[0039] 300g of the polymer solution, 100g of CI Pigment Yellow 74, and 600g of ion-exchanged water were mixed and mechanically stirred for a predetermined time, and then non-dispersed matter including coarse particles was removed by centrifugation to obtain a yellow dispersion. The pigment concentration of the obtained yellow dispersion was 10% by mass.

[0040] (2) Ink preparation The following components were mixed and thoroughly stirred to dissolve and disperse, and then pressure filtered through a microfilter (manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation) with a pore size of 1.0 μm to prepare a pigment ink with a pigment concentration of 3% by mass. 30 parts of the above yellow dispersion 40 parts of the above resin particle dispersion Zonyl FSO-100 (fluorosurfactant manufactured by DuPont) 0.025 parts 2-Methyl-1,3-propanediol 15 parts 2-Pyrrolidone 5 parts Acetylene glycol EO adduct (Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 1 part Ion-exchanged water Remainder

[0041] [Transparent ink] In preparing the transparent ink according to this embodiment, the following components were added to a predetermined concentration. After thoroughly mixing and stirring these components, they were pressure filtered through a microfilter (manufactured by FUJIFILM Corporation) with a pore size of 2.5 μm to prepare a transparent ink with a resin microparticle concentration of 12% by mass. 60 parts of the above resin particle dispersion Zonyl FSO-100 (fluorosurfactant manufactured by DuPont) 0.05 parts 2-Methyl-1,3-propanediol 15 parts 2-Pyrrolidone 5 parts Acetylene glycol EO adduct (Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 0.5 parts Ion-exchanged water Remainder

[0042] [Reaction solution] The reaction liquid according to the present embodiment contains a reactive component that reacts with the pigment contained in the ink and aggregates or gels the pigment. Specifically, this reactive component is a component that can destroy the dispersion stability of the ink when mixed on a printing medium with an ink having a pigment stably dispersed in an aqueous medium by the action of an ionic group. Although the reaction liquid according to the present embodiment will be described using magnesium sulfate, a different solution may be used as long as it can be used in the same manner. For example, various water-soluble organic acids or polyvalent metal salts may be used as the reactive component of the reaction liquid. In this case, the content of the organic acid or polyvalent metal salt is preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 90.0% by mass or less, and more preferably 1.0% by mass or more and 70.0% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the composition contained in the reaction liquid.

[0043] [Preparation of reaction solution] In this embodiment, as described above, magnesium sulfate (manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) was used, and the following components were mixed to prepare a reaction solution. Magnesium sulfate 2 parts 2-Pyrrolidone 5 parts 2-Methyl-1,3-propanediol 15 parts Acetylene glycol EO adduct 0.5 parts (Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) Ion-exchanged water Remainder

[0044] [Information processing method and printing method] In the first embodiment, the printing device 100 prints an image according to a multi-pass printing method that prints an image in a unit area on a printing medium by multiple scans. Here, in each of the multiple scans, the printing device 100 ejects ink and reaction liquid according to print data that specifies whether or not to eject ink and reaction liquid for each of multiple pixels.

[0045] In the first embodiment, the printing device 100 generates print data corresponding to each of a plurality of scans from image data by using a dither pattern and a mask pattern. A general method of processing image data when forming an image in 8 passes using a dither pattern and a mask pattern is described below. For simplicity, a case where the image data is 8-bit data capable of expressing 256 gradation values ​​from 0 to 255 is described here. Also, here, both the dither pattern and the mask pattern are assumed to have a size corresponding to an 8 pixel x 8 pixel area equivalent to a unit area.

[0046] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of processing image data by a printing device according to this embodiment. FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing an example of a dither pattern. FIG. 5(b) is a schematic diagram showing binary data generated by applying the dither pattern shown in FIG. 5(a) to image data having a gradation value (information on gradation value) of 64. FIG. 5(c1) to (c8) are schematic diagrams showing examples of mask patterns corresponding to the first to eighth scans of ink or reaction liquid, respectively. In the first embodiment, in each scan, 2400 dpi (dots / inch) in the X-axis direction and 1200 dpi in the Y-axis direction are used as unit pixels, and a maximum of one dot is applied per pixel. FIG. 5(d1) to (d8) are schematic diagrams showing print data corresponding to the first to eighth scans, respectively, generated by applying the mask patterns shown in FIG. 5(c1) to (c8) to the binary data shown in FIG. 5(b). In the patterns shown in Figures 5(c1) to (c8), a total of one dot is applied to each pixel over eight scans, but patterns in which two or more dots are applied to each pixel are also possible, and the pattern can be set arbitrarily depending on the maximum amount of ink ejection required.

[0047] In the dither pattern, as shown in Fig. 5(a), different thresholds are set for each of a plurality of pixels. Here, when the gradation value of the multi-value data for each pixel is greater than the threshold value to be compared, the multi-value data is converted into 1-bit data (hereinafter also referred to as binary data) indicating the ejection of droplets to the pixel. On the other hand, when the gradation value of the multi-value data for each pixel is equal to or less than the threshold value to be compared, the multi-value data is converted into binary data indicating the non-ejection of droplets to the pixel. Note that, in the following description, a form in which the same multi-value data value is input to all pixel regions within a certain unit region will be described, but multi-value data of different values ​​may be input to each pixel region.

[0048] For example, if the gradation value of the multi-value data for the previous pixel is 64, the threshold for pixel 50 in the dither pattern shown in Fig. 5(a) is 9 (<64), so the multi-value data corresponding to pixel 50 is converted to binary data indicating the ejection of ink. Also, the threshold for pixel 51 is 93 (≧64), so the multi-value data corresponding to pixel 51 is converted to binary data indicating the non-ejection of a droplet. In this way, by using the dither pattern shown in Fig. 5(a), the binary data shown in Fig. 5(b) is generated from the multi-value data indicating the gradation value 64.

[0049] As shown in Figures 5(c1) to 5(c8), the mask pattern according to this embodiment is configured by arranging print permitted pixels that permit the ejection of droplets and non-print permitted pixels that do not permit the ejection of droplets. Note that in each of Figures 5(c1) to 5(c8), the areas filled in black represent print permitted pixels, and the areas shown as white represent non-print permitted pixels.

[0050] Here, the print data corresponding to each scan is generated by taking the logical product of the input binary data and the mask pattern corresponding to each scan. That is, when binary data indicating the ejection of droplets is input to a print permitted pixel, the binary data is converted into print data indicating the ejection of droplets. On the other hand, even when binary data indicating the ejection of droplets is input to a non-print permitted pixel, the binary data is converted into print data indicating the non-ejection of droplets. Specifically, the binary data shown in FIG. 5(b) is distributed by applying the mask pattern shown in FIG. 5(c1) corresponding to the first scan to the binary data shown in FIG. 5(b), and print data corresponding to the first scan shown in FIG. 5(d1) is generated. In the same manner, the binary data shown in FIG. 5(b) is distributed to each of the second to eighth scans, and print data corresponding to the second to eighth scans shown in FIG. 5(d2) to (d8) are generated. In each of the first to eighth scans, an image is printed by ejecting ink and reaction liquid according to the print data generated as described above.

[0051] The above-mentioned multi-pass printing method will be described in detail below. Note that, here, a case where image data with a gradation value of 64 is input will be described. As described above, when image data with a gradation value of 64 is input, the print data shown in each of Figs. 5(d1) to (d8) is generated, and here, ink is ejected according to that print data.

[0052] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a multi-pass printing method used when printing within a unit area on a print medium by eight print scans using a print head having 1024 ejection ports in one ejection port array. For simplicity, an example is shown in which the 8 pixel x 8 pixel pass mask shown in Fig. 5(c) is used. Also, a case where a print head 40 with one ejection port array is used will be described.

[0053] The respective ejection ports 31 provided in the ejection port array 41 that ejects ink are divided into eight print groups 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, and 608 along the Y-axis direction.

[0054] In the first scan, ink is ejected from the print group 601 to an area 611 on the print medium 12 according to the print data shown in Fig. 5(d1). As a result, ink is ejected onto the print medium at the position shown in black in Fig. 6A. Next, the print medium 12 is transported relative to the recording head 40 in the Y-axis direction by a distance of 1024 (ejection ports) / 8=128 ejection ports.

[0055] After this, a second print scan is performed. In the second print scan, ink is ejected from print group 602 to area 611 on the print medium in accordance with the print data shown in Fig. 5(d2), and from print group 601 to area 612 in accordance with the print data shown in Fig. 5(d1). As a result of this second print scan, an image as shown in black in Fig. 6B is formed on the print medium 12.

[0056] Thereafter, scanning of the recording head 40 and relative transport of the printing medium 12 are alternately repeated. As a result, after the eighth print scan, ink ejection is completed for 25% of the printable pixel area in the H region 611 of the printing medium 12. The above describes a general example of 8-pass printing using the recording head having 1024 ejection ports used in the first embodiment.

[0057] Next, details of information processing and data processing related to print data generation in the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of image forming processing according to the first embodiment. A program for executing the processing shown in Fig. 7 is stored in ROM 202. This program is executed in CPU 201 when a user executes a print command in an external device and RGB data of S701 is input from external device 205 to information processing device 20.

[0058] In S701, the printing device 100 acquires RGB 8-bit color image data signals as input data from the external device 205. In S702, the printing device 100 separates the RGB data into 8-bit image data for the inks CMYK corresponding to each ejection port array 41, based on a 3DLUT for ink color separation stored in the ROM. Furthermore, the printing device 100 determines the ejection volume of the color ink reaction liquid from the sum of the color inks at each pixel, based on the relationship shown in Fig. 8, and generates 8-bit image data corresponding to that ejection volume.

[0059] In S703, the printing device 100 sets the glossiness of the image to be formed. Here, the imaging device 100 acquires information indicating the type of print medium to be used and the glossiness of the printed matter based on a user input via the display / operation unit 215. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the display contents by the display / operation unit 215. In the example of FIG. 13, a display unit 1301 that displays on a liquid crystal display and an operation unit 1302 that accepts input by the user are shown. In FIG. 13(a), a setting screen for the print medium is displayed, and in FIG. 13(b-1) and FIG. 13(b-2), a setting screen for the glossiness is displayed. The display / operation unit 215 included in the printing device 100 of the first embodiment according to this embodiment can acquire a user input for setting the print medium on which the printed matter is printed and the desired glossiness. Regarding glossiness, the configuration may be such that the user specifies the absolute value of glossiness (60 degree glossiness, JIS Z8741) as shown in FIG. 13(a), or the configuration may be such that the settable glossiness is divided into several levels (five levels from Level 1 to Level 5 in FIG. 13(b)) as shown in FIG. 13(b).

[0060] In S704, the printing device 100 sets the respective ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid for a certain ejection amount of color ink based on the glossiness. Here, the printing device 100 sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid so that the color ink ejection amount of each pixel becomes the glossiness set in S703 based on a table that stores the relationship between glossiness, ink ejection amount, transparent ink ejection amount, and reaction liquid ejection amount for each type of printing medium. Next, the printing device 100 generates 8-bit image data corresponding to the set ejection amounts. Details of the setting of the transparent ink data and the transparent ink reaction liquid ejection amount executed in S704 will be described later. In addition, hereinafter, the ink ejection amount, transparent ink ejection amount, and reaction liquid ejection amount may be collectively referred to as "each ejection amount".

[0061] In S705, the printing device 100 performs binarization processing using a dither mask (the above-mentioned binary data generation processing). The binarization processing using the dither mask is the same as the processing described with reference to Fig. 5. In the process of these processing, the dither mask and the pass mask stored in the ROM 202 are expanded in the RAM 203, and further, the image data generated in each step is also stored in the RAM 203.

[0062] In S706, the printing device 100 determines whether the image data to be processed is clear ink image data, CMYK image data, or reaction liquid image data. If it is clear ink image data, the process proceeds to S707, and if not, the process proceeds to S709. In S707, the printing device 100 performs a pass decomposition process on the clear ink image data. In S708, the printing device 100 generates print data corresponding to the drive of the recording head based on the image data decomposed into each scan in S707, and proceeds to S711. In S709, the printing device 100 performs a pass decomposition process on the CMYK image data or reaction liquid image data. In S710, the printing device 100 generates print data corresponding to the drive of the recording head based on the image data decomposed into each scan in S708, and proceeds to S711. In S711, the printing device 100 performs a print process on the printing medium based on the generated print data.

[0063] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a pass mask used in this embodiment. In this embodiment, color inks are printed in 16 passes on the upstream side in the transport direction, and transparent inks are printed in 16 passes on the downstream side. In addition, when the reaction liquid data is for color inks, the reaction liquid is printed in the upstream side in the transport direction in the same scan as the color inks, and when the reaction liquid data is for transparent ink, the reaction liquid is printed in the downstream side in the transport direction in the same scan as the transparent ink. By printing in this manner, after forming a color ink layer on the printing medium, a transparent ink layer is formed on the lower layer, and gloss control by transparent ink can be effectively performed. In addition, in the pass mask used in this embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the pass mask for transparent ink image data used in S707 has print allowable pixels set so that 4 dots of ink are applied per pixel in 16 passes, and it is possible to apply a maximum of 128 ng of ink per 600 dpi. In addition, for the path mask for the color ink and reaction liquid image data used in S709, the print allowable pixels are set so that one dot of ink is applied per pixel in 16-path scanning, and it is possible to apply a maximum of 32 ng of ink per 600 dpi per ejection port.

[0064] [Transparent ink and reaction liquid ejection volume settings] The process of setting the ejection amount of each of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid (for example, for the transparent ink) executed in S704 will be described. In the first embodiment, the glossiness is controlled by setting the ejection amount of each of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid so that the output image has a glossiness set based on a user input via the display unit / operation unit 215.

[0065] In S704, the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid are set based on the relationship between the glossiness, the color ink ejection amount, the transparent ink ejection amount, and the reaction liquid ink ejection amount so that the image to be formed has the glossiness set in S703. In this embodiment, the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid for the transparent ink are set for each pixel based on the set glossiness with respect to the sum of the color ink ejection amounts of the pixel. An example of a table (for each type of printing medium) showing such a relationship between the glossiness and each ejection amount is shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a table showing the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid for a certain amount of color ink, which is set by the information processing device 20 (printing device 100), for each set glossiness. FIG. 12 shows an example of a table when using a reinforced vinyl sheet IJ1220-10 (3M Japan Ltd.) used as a printing medium in this embodiment.

[0066] 12, the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid are set so that the reaction liquid ratio (corresponding to the first glossiness) set based on the first glossiness is equal to or less than the reaction liquid ratio corresponding to a second glossiness lower than the first glossiness. The printing device 100 stores such a set table in the ROM 202, and can read out the settings of the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid corresponding to the set glossiness by referring to the table when executing the printing process. In this embodiment, the printing medium is specified in S703, and the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid corresponding to the glossiness set in S703 are determined by referring to the table showing the relationship between the glossiness of the printing medium and each ejection amount.

[0067] 10(a) and (b) are diagrams showing the relationship between the ejection amount of each ink and the glossiness when printing is performed on a vinyl chloride sheet IJ1220-10 (3M Japan Ltd.) by the printing device 100 according to this embodiment. FIG. 10(c) is a diagram for explaining a method for setting the transparent ink and reaction liquid ejection amount according to this embodiment from the relationship shown in FIG. 10(a) and (b). The glossiness in the diagram is 60-degree gloss according to JIS Z8741, the horizontal axis is the ejection amount of color ink per 600 dpi, and the vertical axis is the ejection amount of transparent ink per 600 dpi. FIG. 10(a) is a diagram (contour lines) in which the glossiness is mapped when the reaction liquid ratio, indicated by the transparent ink reaction liquid ejection amount / transparent ink ejection amount, is 0.25, and FIG. 10(b) is a diagram in which the glossiness is mapped when the reaction liquid ratio is 0.30.

[0068] The ratio of reactive liquid is greater in Figure 10(b) than in Figure 10(a), and when the color ink and clear ink conditions are the same in both figures, the state in Figure 10(b) has a lower gloss. This is because, as the ratio of reactive liquid to clear ink increases, when the transparent ink and the reactive liquid mix on the printing medium, the resin in the clear ink aggregates more strongly, the viscosity increases, and the dot spread becomes smaller, resulting in relatively larger surface irregularities. Such changes in gloss depending on the ratio of reactive liquid are conceptually shown in Figure 11.

[0069] In this way, by setting the ejection volume of each of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid as in this embodiment, it becomes possible to set an appropriate gloss level according to the reaction liquid ratio, thereby making it possible to widen the range of gloss levels that can be achieved by the printing device.

[0070] In the first embodiment, the glossiness of an image output by applying transparent ink is controlled to be the glossiness set by the user. A method of controlling glossiness using transparent ink will be described with reference to FIG. 10(c). FIG. 10(c) shows an example of setting the transparent ink and the transparent ink reactive liquid ejection amount for each glossiness when the ink ejection amount of the lower layer is 12 ng / 600 dpi. In this example, when the reaction liquid ratio is 0.25, the minimum glossiness that can be achieved even if the transparent ink ejection amount is changed is about 20, and the controllable glossiness range is about 20 to 40. In the first embodiment, for a certain ejection amount of color ink, a first combination of the transparent ink reactive liquid ejection amount and the transparent ink ejection amount that achieves a first glossiness and a second combination of the transparent ink reactive liquid ejection amount and the transparent ink ejection amount that achieves a second glossiness lower than the first glossiness are set so that the reaction liquid ratio of the second combination is larger or the same. In other words, as shown by the solid line in Figure 10(c), by changing the ratio of the amount of transparent ink reactive liquid ejected to the amount of transparent ink ejected from 0.25 to 0.30, and increasing the reactive liquid ratio to achieve low gloss, it is possible to expand the range of gloss levels that the user can set.

[0071] [Embodiment 2] The information processing device 20 according to the first embodiment sets the glossiness of the image to be formed based on the user's input. The information processing device 20 according to the second embodiment sets the glossiness of the image to be formed based on image data. The information processing device 20 and the printing device 100 according to this embodiment can perform the same processing as those of the first embodiment, except that the glossiness is set based on the image as described above, and a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0072] The information processing device 20 according to this embodiment sets the range of glossiness when forming an image. Next, the information processing device 20 sets the glossiness of the image to be formed for each pixel based on the set glossiness range and the brightness (density) of each pixel of the image. The glossiness range used here may be set in advance as a predetermined value, may be set based on user input, or may be set based on the type of printing medium. In the following description, when IJ1220-10 is used as the printing medium, the glossiness range corresponding to the printing medium is set to 10 to 40.

[0073] As described above, the information processing device 20 sets the glossiness of the image to be formed based on the set glossiness range and the brightness of the image. Here, the information processing device 20 can, for example, store a table in which glossiness values ​​corresponding to the brightness of the image (the ratio to the maximum value) within the set glossiness range are recorded, and set the glossiness for each pixel by referring to the table. An example of such a glossiness setting process will be described with reference to FIG. 14.

[0074] FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining image data input to the printing device 100 according to the present embodiment, and the relationship between the gloss value and the brightness ratio of the image. FIG. 14(a) is a diagram showing the relationship between the ratio (0 to 100%) of the brightness value of the image data to the maximum value and the gloss (10 to 40) that can be achieved when IJ1220-10 (3M Japan Ltd.) is used as the printing medium. Here, the gloss value corresponding to the brightness is set so that the gloss is 10 for pixels with a brightness ratio of 0% in the image, the gloss is 20 for pixels with a brightness ratio of 50%, and the gloss is 40 for pixels with a brightness ratio of 100% in the image. FIG. 14(b) shows clear ink image data when outputting a printed matter in which the inside of a partial region (here, a star shape) in the image has a gloss of 40 and the outside of the partial region has a gloss of 10, using the relationship shown in FIG. 14(a).

[0075] As described above, the glossiness is set by referring to a table that records glossiness values ​​corresponding to the brightness of the image. However, as long as the glossiness is set based on the brightness ratio, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ratio may be set with the minimum value of the set glossiness range set to 0% and the maximum value set to 100%, and the glossiness may be set so that the ratio is equal to the brightness ratio for each pixel. In addition, in addition to the color image data, data of the image size as shown in FIG. 14(b) is obtained as "transparent ink image data" as data having a brightness ratio value for each pixel as an element for each pixel of the image, and the glossiness is set based on this data. In the following description of FIG. 15, however, the brightness ratio value for each pixel may be calculated from the color image data and used in subsequent processing without using this transparent ink image data.

[0076] [Information processing method and printing method] Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of image forming processing according to embodiment 2. The processing shown in Fig. 15 is performed in the same manner as that shown in Fig. 7 of embodiment 1, except that S1501 to S1504 are performed instead of S701 to S704, and therefore a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0077] In S1501, the printing device 100 acquires color image data RGB 8-bit signals and clear ink image data as input data from the external device 205. In S1502, the printing device 100 performs the same process as S702 in the first embodiment, and proceeds to S1503.

[0078] In S1503, the printing device 100 sets the range of glossiness when forming an image. In the example of Fig. 15, since the glossiness range is set according to the type of printing medium as described above, information indicating the type of printing medium to be used is acquired in S1503 (for example, based on user input via the display / operation unit 215), and the glossiness range is set based on the type. Next, the printing device 100 sets the glossiness of the image to be formed based on the glossiness range and the clear ink image data. In S1504, the printing device 100 performs the same process as S704, and proceeds to S705.

[0079] According to such a process, it is possible to set the glossiness of the image based on the image data, and to set the ejection amounts of the clear ink and the reaction liquid.

[0080] [Embodiment 3] The information processing device 20 according to the first embodiment sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid by referring to a table stored in advance in the ROM 202 based on the glossiness of the image to be formed. The information processing device 20 according to the third embodiment sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid by referring to information (described later) indicating the relationship between the glossiness and the ejection amounts of each ink and the reaction liquid generated based on the measurement results by the printing device 100 instead of the above-mentioned table based on the glossiness of the image to be formed. The information processing device 20 and the printing device 100 according to this embodiment can perform the same processing as those of the first embodiment, except that they generate information indicating the relationship between the glossiness and the ejection amounts of each ink and the reaction liquid based on the measurement results by the printing device 100 (here, a test pattern is used) and set the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid using the information indicating the relationship instead of the table, and therefore repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0081] The printing device 100 according to this embodiment can generate information indicating the relationship between the gloss level and the ejection amount of each ink and reaction liquid by printing a test pattern and measuring the pattern. The configuration for generating such information will be described below.

[0082] [Device configuration] 17 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the printing device 100, including an information processing device 20 that controls the printing device 100 used in this embodiment. The printing device 100 according to this embodiment has a similar configuration to that shown in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment, except that it additionally has a gloss sensor 1600, and is capable of performing similar processing.

[0083] The gloss sensor 1600 according to this embodiment can measure the gloss of a test pattern. The gloss sensor 1600 according to this embodiment is mounted on the carriage 11, and can measure the gloss of an image formed on a print medium while moving with the scanning of the carriage. The lower surface of the gloss sensor 1600 is disposed at the same position as the ejection port formation surface of the recording head 40 or at a position farther away from the print medium.

[0084] Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a gloss sensor 1600. In the example of Fig. 16, the gloss sensor 1600 is provided with a light emitting unit 1601 realized by a white LED and a light receiving unit 1602 realized by a photodiode. In the gloss sensor 1600, irradiation light from the light emitting unit 1601 is incident on the print medium at a predetermined angle (here, 60°), and light reflected at the same angle, i.e., specularly reflected light, is received by the light receiving unit 1602. The gloss sensor 1600 functions by a combination of the light emitting unit 1601 and the light receiving unit 1602, and can measure the gloss of a test pattern.

[0085] [Printing test patterns and measuring gloss] The printing process of the test pattern and the measurement process of the glossiness according to this embodiment will be described below. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a test pattern printed to measure the relationship between the glossiness and the ejection amount of each ink and the reaction liquid. In this embodiment, the printing device 100 generates an image (patch) of the test pattern in which the ejection amount of each of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid is changed for each position, and prints it on the color ink and the reaction liquid for the color ink of the lower layer. Here, the case where one dot of ink is applied per 1200 dpi is defined as 100%. The color ink of the lower layer is changed from 0 to 300% in 10% increments to print the upper layer shown in FIG. 18.

[0086] Next, the printing device 100 can measure the glossiness for each pixel, and measure the glossiness value corresponding to the ejection amount of the transparent ink and the transparent ink reactive liquid of the test pattern at the ejection amount of a certain color ink at that pixel. The information processing device 20 can record in a table the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reactive liquid corresponding to the glossiness measured in this way in association with the ejection amount of a certain color ink. Furthermore, the information processing device 20 may extract, from the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the reactive liquid corresponding to the glossiness measured in this way in association with the ejection amount of a certain color ink, those in which the reaction liquid ratio corresponding to a first glossiness is equal to or less than the reaction liquid ratio corresponding to a second glossiness that is smaller than the first glossiness, and record them in the table.

[0087] The test pattern and gloss measurement shown in Fig. 18 are executed by a user instruction at a timing separate from the printing of the image. Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the test pattern printing process and gloss measurement process performed by the printing device 100 according to the present embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 19 is executed when the user issues an execution command from the display unit / operation unit 215.

[0088] In S1901, the printing device 100 prints the test pattern shown in Fig. 18 using the printing method shown in Fig. 9. After the test pattern is heated and fixed by the hot air fan 14, the print medium 12 is rewound in the Y direction. Next, in S1902, the printing device 100 scans the gloss sensor 1600 mounted on the carriage 11 to measure the gloss of the test pattern. The measured gloss is stored in ROM 202.

[0089] In this way, by creating information showing the relationship between gloss and each ink and reaction liquid based on the measurement results by the printing device 100, in addition to the pre-stored tables, good gloss control can be achieved even for printing media types other than those pre-stored in ROM 202.

[0090] [Embodiment 4] The information processing device 20 according to the first embodiment controls the glossiness using one type of reaction liquid. The information processing device 20 according to the fourth embodiment sets the ejection amount of each of the transparent ink and the multiple types of reaction liquids having different concentrations of reactive components based on the glossiness of the image to be formed. In the following, the first reaction liquid is the same as the reaction liquid used in the first embodiment, and the second reaction liquid is a reaction liquid having a higher concentration of reactive components than the first reaction liquid.

[0091] Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the reaction liquid discharged in the image formation is expressed as a third reaction liquid obtained by mixing the first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid. In the first embodiment, the reaction liquid ratio was adjusted to control the glossiness so that the glossiness decreases as the reaction liquid ratio increases. In this embodiment, the amount of reactive component applied to the transparent ink is adjusted by adjusting the discharge amount of each reaction liquid having a different concentration of reactive component, and the glossiness control range is changed so that the glossiness decreases as the concentration of the reactive component contained in the third reaction liquid increases. In this way, by controlling the discharge amount of each reaction liquid having a different concentration of reactive component, it is possible to control the glossiness while suppressing an increase in the discharge amount, and therefore it is possible to suppress a decrease in drying efficiency due to an increase in the discharge amount.

[0092] [Device configuration] The configuration of the recording head capable of ejecting a plurality of types of reaction liquids provided in the printing device 100 according to the fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the recording head 40 according to the present embodiment, observed from the ejection port surface. The configuration shown in FIG. 20 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, except that it has an ejection array 2000Rct that ejects a second reaction liquid in addition to the ejection array 41Rct that ejects a first reaction liquid, and therefore a duplicated description will be omitted. Also, the ejection port 2000Rct has the same configuration as the ejection port 41Rct, except that it ejects the second reaction liquid instead of the first reaction liquid.

[0093] In this embodiment, two types of reaction liquids are used, but the number of types of reaction liquids used here is not particularly limited, and three or more types of reaction liquids may be used.

[0094] [Second reaction solution] As described above, in this embodiment, in addition to the first reaction solution, the second reaction solution is used. The second reaction solution is the same as the first reaction solution except for the concentration of magnesium sulfate. The first reaction solution is the same as in embodiment 1, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0095] [Preparation of reaction solution] In this embodiment, as described above, magnesium sulfate (manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) was used, and the following components were mixed to prepare the second reaction liquid. Magnesium sulfate 4 parts 2-Pyrrolidone 5 parts 2-Methyl-1,3-propanediol 15 parts Acetylene glycol EO adduct 0.5 parts (Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) Ion-exchanged water Remainder

[0096] [Information processing method and printing method] The processing by the printing device 100 according to this embodiment is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, except for the processing for setting the ejection amount of a plurality of types of reaction liquid and the printing processing for ejecting two types of reaction liquid onto the printing medium. Fig. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the image forming processing according to this embodiment. The processing shown in Fig. 21 is performed in the same manner as that shown in Fig. 7 of the first embodiment, except that S2104 is performed instead of S704, and therefore a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0097] In S2104, the printing device 100 sets the ejection amount of each of the transparent ink, the first reaction liquid, and the second reaction liquid for a certain ejection amount of color ink based on the glossiness. Here, the printing device 100 refers to a table showing the relationship between the glossiness and the ejection amount of each ink and each reaction liquid, and sets the ejection amount of each of the transparent ink, the first reaction liquid, and the second reaction liquid so that the color ink ejection amount of each pixel will be the glossiness set in S703. Next, the printing device 100 generates 8-bit image data corresponding to the set ejection amount.

[0098] 22 is a diagram showing an example of a pass mask used in this embodiment. In this embodiment 4, since two types of reaction liquid are used, the reaction liquid is printed using two ejection port arrays, ejection port 41Rct and ejection port 2000Rct. In this embodiment, color ink is printed in 16 passes upstream in the transport direction as in the first embodiment, and the first reaction liquid is applied. In this embodiment, transparent ink is printed in 16 passes downstream in the transport direction, and two types of reaction liquid, the first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid, are applied.

[0099] [Transparent ink and reaction liquid ejection volume settings] The process of setting the ejection amount of each of the transparent ink and the reaction liquid (for example, for the transparent ink) executed in S2104 will be described. In this embodiment, the glossiness is controlled by setting the ejection amount of each of the transparent ink and the first and second reaction liquids so that the output image has the glossiness set based on the user input via the display unit / operation unit 215.

[0100] In the first embodiment, the glossiness was controlled as shown in Fig. 10(c) by changing the reaction liquid ratio to change the amount of reactive component reacted with the transparent ink. In the present embodiment, the glossiness is controlled by using a first reaction liquid and a second reaction liquid (here, containing reactive components at twice the concentration of the first reaction liquid). In the present embodiment, the ejection amount of each reaction liquid is controlled by adding the second reaction liquid in addition to the first reaction liquid so that a total reaction liquid having the same amount of reactive component as in the first embodiment is applied relative to the ejection amount of transparent ink.

[0101] Consider the case where the amount of reactive components is the same as when the reaction liquid ratio is 0.30 by additionally ejecting the second reaction liquid when the reaction liquid ratio is 0.25 using the first reaction liquid. In this case, since the amount of reactive components in the second reaction liquid is twice as much, it is sufficient to apply the first reaction liquid in an amount ejected so that the ratio is 0.25 to the transparent ink, and also to apply the second reaction liquid in an amount ejected so that the ratio is 0.025. By additionally applying the second reaction liquid in this way, the amount of reactive components is increased in the same amount as when the ratio of the first reaction liquid is increased by 0.05, and the same glossiness as when the reaction liquid ratio is 0.30 using the first reaction liquid can be achieved with a smaller amount of reaction liquid ejected.

[0102] Therefore, the table showing the relationship between the glossiness and the ink ejection amount of IJ1220-10 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 12 becomes as shown in FIG. 23 by increasing the reactive component by the second reaction liquid. That is, in this embodiment, for a certain ejection amount of color ink, the ejection amount of the reaction liquid is set so that the second combination has a larger ratio of the second reaction liquid ejection amount / transparent ink ejection amount for a first combination of the ejection amount of the first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid and the ejection amount of the transparent ink that achieves a first glossiness, and a second combination of the ejection amount of the first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid and the ejection amount of the transparent ink that achieves a second glossiness lower than the first glossiness. In the hatched portion in FIG. 23, the ratio of the second reaction liquid is set to be larger for the lower glossiness at the same color ejection amount. By controlling in this way, it is possible to control the glossiness while suppressing an increase in the ejection amount, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in drying efficiency due to an increase in the ejection amount.

[0103] [Other embodiments] In the above-described embodiments, the printing device is described by taking a serial printer, which moves the recording head together with the carriage, as an example. However, the printing device is not limited to such a printing device as long as it prints while scanning the print medium relatively, and a line head type printing device with a fixed recording head may be used. In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the serial printer is described as using a path mask that separates the application of color ink and transparent ink in the transport direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even if the application of color ink and transparent ink overlaps in the transport direction, gloss control may be performed by changing the amount of reactive components for the transparent ink depending on the ejection amount and type of reactive liquid.

[0104] The disclosure of this specification includes the following information processing device, information processing method, and program. (Item 1) A first setting means for setting the gloss level of an image to be formed; a second setting means for setting, based on the gloss level, respective ejection amounts of a transparent ink and a first reaction liquid that aggregates the transparent ink relative to a first ejection amount of color ink to be ejected in forming the image; Equipped with the second setting means sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a first glossiness for the first ejection amount of color ink, so that the ratio of the ejection amount of the first reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink is equal to or less than the ratio of the ejection amount of the first reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a second glossiness that is lower than the first glossiness. (Item 2) the first setting means sets the gloss level for each pixel of the image to be formed, 2. The information processing device according to item 1, wherein the second setting means sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid for each pixel based on the glossiness. (Item 3) 2. The information processing device according to item 1, wherein the second setting means sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid based on the type of printing medium on which an image is formed in addition to the gloss level. (Item 4) 2. The information processing device according to item 1, wherein the first setting means sets the gloss level based on a user's input. (Item 5) A third setting means for setting a range of glossiness of an image to be formed is further provided, 2. The information processing apparatus according to item 1, wherein the first setting means sets a gloss level of the image to be formed based on the set range and a brightness of the image. (Item 6) The information processing device described in item 5, characterized in that the first setting means calculates, for each pixel of the image, a ratio of a brightness value relative to the brightest pixel of the image, and sets the glossiness of each pixel of the image to be formed as a value corresponding to the ratio within the glossiness range. (Item 7) 6. The information processing device according to item 5, wherein the third setting means sets the range based on the type of printing medium on which the image is formed. (Item 8) a generating means for generating an image of a test pattern in which the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid are changed for each position; a recording means for recording the respective ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid of the test pattern and a measurement result of the glossiness of an image obtained by printing the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid of the test pattern with respect to the color ink ejected in the first amount, in association with each other for each pixel; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second setting means sets the respective ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid as the respective ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid recorded by the recording means in correspondence with the measurement result of the glossiness. (Item 9) the second setting means further sets, based on the gloss level, a discharge amount of a second reaction liquid that causes the transparent ink to aggregate and has a higher concentration of a reactive component with the transparent ink than the first reaction liquid, in addition to the discharge amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid; The information processing device described in item 1, characterized in that the second setting means sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid so that a ratio of the ejection amount of the second reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a first glossiness for the first ejection amount of color ink, is equal to or less than a ratio of the ejection amount of the second reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a second glossiness that is lower than the first glossiness. (Item 10) a first setting step of setting the gloss level of an image to be formed; a second setting step of setting, based on the glossiness, respective ejection amounts of a transparent ink and a first reaction liquid that aggregates the transparent ink relative to a first ejection amount of color ink to be ejected in forming the image; Equipped with the second setting step is for setting the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, the ratio of which is set based on a first glossiness for the first ejection amount of color ink, to be equal to or less than a ratio of the ejection amount of the first reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, the ratio of which is set based on a second glossiness that is lower than the first glossiness. (Item 11) A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing device according to any one of items 1 to 9.

[0105] (Other Examples) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0106] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 20: information processing device, 100: printing device, 205: external device

Claims

1. a first setting means for setting a gloss level of an image to be formed; a second setting means for setting, based on the gloss level, respective ejection amounts of a transparent ink and a first reaction liquid that aggregates the transparent ink relative to a first ejection amount of color ink to be ejected in forming the image; Equipped with an information processing device characterized in that the second setting means sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid so that a ratio of the ejection amount of the first reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a first glossiness for the first ejection amount of color ink, is equal to or less than a ratio of the ejection amount of the first reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a second glossiness lower than the first glossiness.

2. the first setting means sets the gloss level for each pixel of the image to be formed, 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second setting means sets ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid for each pixel based on the glossiness.

3. 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second setting means sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid based on the gloss level as well as the type of printing medium on which an image is formed.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first setting means sets the gloss level based on a user's input.

5. A third setting unit is further provided for setting a range of glossiness of an image to be formed, 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first setting means sets the glossiness of said image to be formed based on said set range and a brightness of said image.

6. 6. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the first setting means calculates, for each pixel of the image, a ratio of a brightness value relative to the brightest pixel of the image, and sets the glossiness of each pixel of the image to be formed as a value corresponding to the ratio within the glossiness range.

7. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said third setting means sets said range based on the type of printing medium on which the image is formed.

8. a generating means for generating an image of a test pattern in which the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid are changed for each position; a recording means for recording, for each pixel, the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid of the test pattern and a measurement result of the glossiness of an image obtained by printing the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid of the test pattern with respect to the color ink ejected in the first amount, 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second setting means sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid as the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid recorded by the recording means in correspondence with the measurement result of the glossiness.

9. the second setting means further sets, based on the gloss level, a discharge amount of a second reaction liquid that causes the transparent ink to aggregate and has a higher concentration of a reactive component with the transparent ink than the first reaction liquid, in addition to the discharge amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second setting means sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid so that a ratio of the ejection amount of the second reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a first glossiness for the first ejection amount of color ink, is equal to or less than a ratio of the ejection amount of the second reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a second glossiness lower than the first glossiness.

10. a first setting step of setting a gloss level of an image to be formed; a second setting step of setting ejection amounts of a transparent ink and a first reaction liquid that aggregates the transparent ink with respect to a first ejection amount of color ink to be ejected in forming the image, based on the glossiness; Equipped with The information processing method is characterized in that the second setting process sets the ejection amounts of the transparent ink and the first reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a first glossiness for the first ejection amount of color ink, and is set so that a ratio of the ejection amount of the first reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink is equal to or less than a ratio of the ejection amount of the first reaction liquid to the ejection amount of the transparent ink, which is set based on a second glossiness that is lower than the first glossiness.

11. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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