Image processing device, recording device, image processing method and program

Abstract

To control surface smoothness according to ink.SOLUTION: An image processing device includes acquisition means for acquiring data of an image, and generation means for generating color separation data which is data of an image for recording including a first region and a second region, on the basis of the data of the image, wherein the generation means generates the color separation data including first data for discharging first ink and a first reaction liquid reactive with the first ink to the first region, and second data for discharging second ink and a second reaction liquid which has reactivity stronger than the first reaction liquid and is reactive with the second ink to the second region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] There is known a recording device that records an image on a recording medium by applying a recording material such as ink. In such a recording device, a method is known in which a reactive liquid that reacts with the color material contained in the ink is used as a means for recording an image on a non-absorbent or low-absorbent recording medium using an ink containing a color material. In such a recording device, the color material contained in the ink is coagulated by contacting the ink containing the color material with the reactive liquid on the recording medium.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a recording method in which a non-white color ink and a white color ink are brought into contact with a reaction liquid and a recording medium on the recording medium, thereby agglomerating the color inks and forming an image. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-42982 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the conventional technology, a reactive liquid is used to improve the surface smoothness and reduce the diffuse component of reflected light in order to improve the color development of the color ink. However, in some situations, it is desirable to lower the surface smoothness, and the conventional technology has the problem that it is not possible to control the surface smoothness using a reactive liquid.

[0006] In response to such problems, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to control surface smoothness depending on the ink. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve this problem, for example, an image processing device of the present invention comprises the following arrangement: a generating means for generating color separation data, which is data of an image for recording including a first region and a second region, based on the data of the image; having The generating means includes: first data for ejecting a first ink and a first reaction liquid that reacts with the first ink onto the first region; second data for ejecting a second ink and a second reactive liquid having stronger reactivity than the first reactive liquid and reacting with the second ink into the second region; 23. An image processing apparatus comprising: Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to control the surface smoothness depending on the ink. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a side surface of the recording apparatus body according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a recording head according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing how light is reflected and transmitted depending on the difference in surface smoothness of ink on a recording medium. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart for explaining image processing in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a path mask according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8]FIG. 4 is a diagram of a print head in which ejection ports that eject ink after pass decomposition processing in the first embodiment are indicated by diagonal lines. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating image processing according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram of a print head in which ejection ports that eject ink after pass decomposition processing in a second embodiment are indicated by diagonal lines. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of color separation processing for an image showing a concealed region in another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] 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.

[0011] (First embodiment) The first embodiment will be described below.

[0012] (Configuration of Inkjet Recording Apparatus) 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an inkjet recording apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as a recording apparatus) according to this embodiment. The recording apparatus of this embodiment is a so-called serial scanning type recording apparatus, and records an image by scanning a recording head in a direction (X direction) intersecting the transport direction (Y direction) in which a recording medium P is transported.

[0013] The configuration of the inkjet recording device of this embodiment and an overview of the recording operation will be described below. The recording medium P is held on a spool. The conveying roller is driven by a conveying motor via a gear. As a result, the recording medium P is conveyed from the spool in the conveying direction (Y direction).

[0014] At a predetermined transport position, the carriage unit 2 is driven by a carriage motor (not shown) to perform reciprocating scanning (reciprocating movement) along a guide shaft 8 extending in the X direction. During this scanning process, ink droplets are ejected from ejection ports provided in a print head mounted on the carriage unit 2 at a timing based on a position signal obtained by an encoder 7, and an image is recorded on the print medium P. At this time, the image is recorded in an area having a width (hereinafter referred to as a band width) corresponding to the arrangement range of a plurality of ejection ports arranged in the print head. In this embodiment, the carriage unit 2 scans at a speed of 40 inches per second, and the printing resolution due to the ejection of ink droplets is 1200 dpi (dot / inch). Then, after the print medium P is transported, an image is printed in an area of ​​the next band width by the next print scan of the carriage unit 2.

[0015] The driving force from the carriage motor to the carriage unit 2 is transmitted by a carriage belt. Instead of the carriage belt, the driving force may be transmitted by a configuration including, for example, a lead screw that is rotationally driven by the carriage motor and extends in the X direction, and an engagement portion that is provided on the carriage unit 2 and engages with a groove of the lead screw. The driving method is not particularly limited, and other driving methods may be used.

[0016] The conveyed recording medium P is sandwiched between a feed roller and a pinch roller, and is guided to a recording position on the platen 4. This recording position is the scanning area of ​​the recording head mounted on the carriage unit 2. Normally, in a resting state, the face of the recording head is capped. Therefore, the cap is opened prior to a recording operation, making the recording head and carriage unit 2 ready for scanning. When data corresponding to one recording scan is accumulated in the buffer, the carriage motor is driven to scan the carriage unit 2, and the recording operation described above is performed.

[0017] A recording element for ejecting ink as droplets is provided inside each ejection port of the recording head 9. A flexible wiring board 19 is provided to supply driving pulses for driving the recording elements, signals for adjusting head temperature, and the like. The other end of the flexible board is connected to a control unit (not shown) that includes a control circuit such as a CPU for controlling the recording apparatus.

[0018] The UI screen 50 displays an instruction to stop the recording operation, information about the recording medium P, and the like, so that the user can input and confirm the instruction.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the side of the recording apparatus main body. A heater 10 supported by a frame (not shown) is disposed in a curing area located downstream in the transport direction (Y direction in the figure) from the position where the recording head 9 mounted on the carriage unit 2 scans back and forth. Heat from the heater 10 dries the liquid ink applied on the recording medium P. The heater 10 is covered by a heater cover 11. The heater cover 11 has the function of efficiently irradiating the heat of the heater 10 onto the recording medium P and the function of protecting the heater 10. The heater 10 is, for example, a sheath heater or a halogen heater. It is preferable to set the heating temperature of the heating unit in the curing area in consideration of the film-forming property and productivity of the water-soluble resin fine particles and the heat resistance of the recording medium P. The heating means of the heating unit in the curing area may be a hot air blowing heating from above, or a contact-type heat conduction type heater heating from below the recording medium. In this embodiment, the heating means of the heating unit in the curing area is provided at one location. The heating means may be provided in two or more locations and used in combination, as long as the temperature measured by a radiation thermometer (not shown) does not exceed the set value of the heating temperature on the recording medium P. The recording medium P is transported in the transport direction from the spool 6, and after an image is recorded by ink being applied from the recording head 9, it is taken up by the take-up spool 12 to become a roll-shaped taken-up medium 13.

[0020] (Recording head configuration) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a recording head according to this embodiment. The recording head 9 includes a plurality of ejection port arrays in which a plurality of ejection ports are arranged for ejecting ink containing a coloring material and a reaction liquid not containing a coloring material. The recording head 9 of this embodiment includes an ejection port array 22K for ejecting black ink (K), an ejection port array 22C for ejecting cyan ink (C), an ejection port array 22M for ejecting magenta ink (M), an ejection port array 22Y for ejecting yellow ink (Y), and an ejection port array 22W for ejecting white ink (W). Each of these black ink (K), cyan ink (C), magenta ink (M), yellow ink (Y), and white ink (W) contains a coloring material. In the following description, these inks are also referred to as coloring inks for simplicity. In addition, the remaining inks, excluding the white ink, from among the coloring inks are also referred to as color inks. The color inks are an example of coloring inks. The white ink is an example of concealing inks.

[0021] The recording head 9 of this embodiment includes an ejection port array 22RCT_C that ejects a reaction liquid (RCT_C) and an ejection port array 22RCT_W that ejects a reaction liquid (RCT_W) that is more reactive than the reaction liquid (RCT_C). These two reaction liquids with different reactivity contain reactive components that react with the colorant contained in the colorant ink. When the colorant ink and the reaction liquid come into contact on the recording medium, the components of the reaction liquid aggregate the colorant in the colorant ink. This aggregation causes the colorant to be fixed on the recording medium. The reaction liquid of this embodiment does not contain a colorant.

[0022] As shown in the figure, the print head 9 has ejection port arrays 22K, 22C, 22M, 22Y, 22W, 22RCT_C, and 22RCT_W arranged in this order. In these ejection port arrays 22K, 22C, 22M, 22Y, 22W, 22RCT_C, and 22RCT_W, 1280 ejection ports 30 that eject the respective inks are arranged in the Y direction (arrangement direction) at a density of 1200 dpi. In this embodiment, the amount of ink ejected from one ejection port 30 at one time is, for example, about 4.5 pl.

[0023] These ejection port arrays are connected to ink tanks (not shown) that store the corresponding inks, and ink is supplied from each ink tank. The recording head 9 and the ink tanks may be integrally configured, or may be separable from each other. The detailed compositions of the color inks (C, M, Y, K, W) and the reaction liquids (RCT_C, RCT_W) will be described later.

[0024] Each of the color inks may contain water-soluble resin particles that form a film when heated and improve the scratch resistance of the recorded material. As an ink different from the color inks and the reaction liquid, a clear emulsion ink (Em) that does not contain a color material but contains water-soluble resin particles may be ejected. In this case, the recording head 9 has an ejection port array in which ejection ports for ejecting the clear emulsion ink are arranged.

[0025] (Ink composition) Next, the inks constituting the ink set of this embodiment will be described in detail. In the following, "parts" and "%" are by weight unless otherwise specified.

[0026] The color inks (C, M, Y, K, W) and the reaction liquids (RCT_C, RCT_W) used in this embodiment all contain a water-soluble organic solvent. The water-soluble organic solvent is preferably one having a boiling point of 150°C or more and 300°C or less, due to the wettability and moisture retention of the face surface of the recording head 9. In addition, from the viewpoint of the function of a film-forming assistant for resin fine particles and the swelling solubility in a recording medium on which a resin layer is formed, ketone compounds such as acetone and cyclohexanone, propylene glycol derivatives such as tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether, and heterocyclic compounds having a lactam structure represented by N-methyl-pyrrolidone and 2-pyrrolidone are particularly preferable. 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.

[0027] Specifically, the water-soluble organic solvent is, for example, an alkyl alcohol 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. The water-soluble organic solvent may be an amide, such as dimethylformamide or dimethylacetamide. The water-soluble organic solvent may be a ketone or ketoalcohol, such as acetone or diacetone alcohol. The water-soluble organic solvent may be an ether, such as tetrahydrofuran or dioxane. The water-soluble organic solvent may be a polyalkylene glycol, such as polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol. The water-soluble organic solvent may be ethylene glycol. The water-soluble organic solvent may be an alkylene glycol having an alkylene group containing 2 to 6 carbon atoms, such as propylene glycol, butylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, thiodiglycol, hexylene glycol, and diethylene glycol. The water-soluble organic solvent may be a lower alkyl ether acetate, such as polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate. The water-soluble organic solvent may be glycerin. The water-soluble organic solvent may be a lower alkyl ether of a polyhydric alcohol such as ethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether, diethylene glycol methyl (or ethyl) ether, or triethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether. The water-soluble organic solvent may be a polyhydric alcohol such as trimethylolpropane or trimethylolethane. Examples of the water-soluble organic solvent include N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, 2-pyrrolidone, and 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone. The water-soluble organic solvents may be used alone or in mixtures. It is preferable to use deionized water as water. The content of the water-soluble organic solvent in the reaction liquid (RCT_C, RCT_W) is not particularly limited, but the color inks (C, M, Y, K, W) may appropriately contain surfactants, defoamers, preservatives, antifungal agents, etc. in addition to the above components in order to have desired physical properties as necessary.

[0028] The color inks (C, M, Y, K, W) and the reaction liquids (RCT_C, RCT_W) used in this embodiment all contain a surfactant. The surfactant is used as a penetrant to improve the permeability of the ink to the recording medium for inkjet printing. The more the surfactant is added, the stronger the property of lowering the surface tension of the ink, and the wettability and permeability of the ink to the recording medium are improved. In this embodiment, a small amount of acetylene glycol EO adduct or the like is added as a surfactant, so that the surface tension of each ink is adjusted to 30 dyn / cm or less, and the difference in surface tension between the inks is adjusted to within 2 dyn / cm. More specifically, the surface tension of each ink is adjusted to about 22 to 24 dyn / cm. The surface tension was measured using a fully automatic surface tensiometer CBVP-Z (manufactured by Kyowa Interface Science Co., Ltd.). Note that the measuring device is not limited to the example shown, as long as it can measure the surface tension of the ink.

[0029] The pH of each ink in this embodiment is stable on the alkaline side, and the value is 8.5 to 9.5. From the viewpoint of preventing elution and deterioration of the members in the recording device or recording head that come into contact with each ink, and the decrease in the solubility of the dispersion resin in the ink, the pH of each ink is preferably 7.0 to 10.0. The pH was measured using a pH METER Model F-52 manufactured by Horiba Ltd. Note that the measuring device is not limited to the exemplified one, as long as it can measure the pH of the ink.

[0030] The color ink may further include light cyan ink (Lc), light magenta ink (Lm), gray ink (Gy), red ink (R), orange ink (Or), green ink (G), violet ink (V), and the like.

[0031] (Water-soluble resin fine particles) The colorant ink used in this embodiment contains water-soluble resin microparticles. The "water-soluble resin microparticles" are polymer microparticles that exist in a dispersed state in water. Specifically, the water-soluble resin microparticles include acrylic resin microparticles synthesized by emulsion polymerization of monomers such as (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester and (meth)acrylic acid alkyl amide, styrene-acrylic resin microparticles synthesized by emulsion polymerization of (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester or (meth)acrylic acid alkyl amide and styrene monomer, polyethylene resin microparticles, polypropylene resin microparticles, polyurethane resin microparticles, and styrene-butadiene resin microparticles. The water-soluble resin microparticles may be core-shell type resin microparticles in which the polymer composition differs between the core and shell of the resin microparticles, and resin microparticles obtained by emulsion polymerization around acrylic microparticles synthesized in advance as seed particles to control the particle size. Furthermore, the water-soluble resin microparticles may be hybrid type resin microparticles in which different resin microparticles such as acrylic resin microparticles and urethane resin microparticles are chemically bonded. The water-soluble resin microparticles do not necessarily need to be contained in the colorant ink, and may be contained in the clear emulsion ink (Em).

[0032] (Reaction solution) As described above, the reaction liquid contains a reactive component for insolubilizing a part or all of the solid components of the color ink in order to fix the color material on the recording medium. The reaction liquid is intended to insolubilize the dye dissolved in the color ink or the pigment and resin dispersed therein. The reaction liquid may be, for example, a solution containing polyvalent metal ions (e.g., magnesium nitrate, magnesium chloride, aluminum sulfate, iron chloride, etc.). As one type of agglomeration action using such cations, a system using a low molecular weight cationic polymer agglomerant for the purpose of neutralizing the charge of water-soluble resin particles and insolubilizing anionic soluble substances can also be used as the reaction liquid.

[0033] Another reaction system is an insolubilization system using a reaction liquid that utilizes the difference in pH. As mentioned above, most color inks generally used in inkjet recording are stable on the alkaline side due to the properties of the color inks. The pH of the color ink is generally around 7 to 10. In many cases, the pH of the color ink is set to around 8.5 to 9.5 from an industrial standpoint and in consideration of the effects of the external environment. In order to aggregate and solidify such a reaction system color ink, an acidic solution is mixed in and the pH is changed to destroy the stable state and aggregate the dispersed components. The reaction liquid may be an acidic solution for the purpose of such an action.

[0034] In this embodiment, a plurality of reaction liquids with different reactivity are used for the purpose of changing the surface smoothness when fixing a coloring material on a recording medium. As described above, it is possible to make the reactivity of the reaction liquid different by changing the concentration or pH value of the solution containing polyvalent metal ions. For example, the reactivity can be differentiated by setting the concentration of the solution containing polyvalent metal ions to 2% to 4% for a weakly reactive reaction liquid and 6% to 8% for a highly reactive reaction liquid.

[0035] (Recording medium) The recording device in this embodiment records on a low-permeability recording medium that is difficult for moisture to penetrate. As described above, the low-permeability recording medium is a medium that has no water absorption or absorbs only a very small amount of water. Therefore, with aqueous ink that does not contain organic solvents, the ink is repelled by the recording medium and images cannot be formed. On the other hand, low-permeability recording media have excellent water resistance and weather resistance, and are suitable as media for forming printed matter to be used outdoors. Usually, a recording medium with a contact angle of water of 45° or more, preferably 60° or more at 25°C is used.

[0036] The low-permeability recording medium includes a recording medium having a plastic layer formed on the outermost surface of a substrate, a recording medium having no ink receiving layer formed on the substrate, a sheet, film, banner, etc. of glass, YUPO, plastic, etc. The above-mentioned coated plastics include, for example, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. These low-permeability recording media are excellent in water resistance, light resistance, and abrasion resistance. Therefore, low-permeability recording media are generally used when recording materials for outdoor exhibition.

[0037] As an example of a method for evaluating the permeability of a recording medium, the Bristow method described in JAPAN TAPPI Paper and Pulp Test Method No. 51 "Test Method for Liquid Absorbency of Paper and Paperboard" can be used. The Bristow method involves pouring a specified amount of ink into a holding container with an opening slit of a specified size, bringing the ink into contact with a recording medium that has been processed into a strip and wrapped around a disk through the slit, and measuring the area (length) of the ink band that is transferred to the recording medium as the disk is rotated while keeping the position of the holding container fixed. The amount of ink transferred per unit area per second (ml m) is calculated from the area of ​​this ink band. -2 In this embodiment, the 30 msec 1 / 2 The amount of ink transferred (absorption amount) at 10 ml m -2 Recording media smaller than this are considered low permeability recording media.

[0038] (Hiding ability and surface smoothness) As described above, in this embodiment, white ink is used as one of the color inks, but its purpose is different from that of the other color inks, and the white ink is used for the purpose of concealment rather than color development. As a result, in this embodiment, by using white ink on a highly transparent recording medium, it is possible to conceal the background side so that it cannot be seen through the recording medium.

[0039] In order to improve the concealment, it is important to reduce the amount of light transmitted by increasing the amount of white ink on the recording medium, and to diffuse the transmitted light so that it does not form an image by reducing the surface smoothness of the white ink on the recording medium. FIG. 4(a) is a diagram showing the state of light reflection and transmission when the surface smoothness of the white ink W on the recording medium P is high. When the surface smoothness of the white ink W is high, the amount of specular reflected light 41 is large and the amount of diffuse reflected light 42 is small for the incident light 40. The same is true for transmission, with more specular transmitted light 43 and less diffuse transmitted light 44. The smaller the diffuse component, the more likely it is to form an image, so the higher the surface smoothness, the lower the concealment. FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing the state of light reflection and transmission when the surface smoothness of the white ink W on the recording medium P is low. When the surface smoothness of the white ink W is low, the amount of specular reflected light 45 is small and the amount of diffuse reflected light 46 is large for the incident light 40. The same is true for transmission, with less specular transmitted light 47 and more diffuse transmitted light 48. The more the diffusing components, the more difficult it becomes to form an image, so the lower the surface smoothness, the higher the hiding power.

[0040] Conventionally, in order to increase the concealment, the amount of white ink on the recording medium is made greater than the amount of color ink, thereby reducing the amount of light transmitted. However, in a recording method in which the color ink is brought into contact with a reactive liquid on the recording medium to cause the color ink contained in the ink to aggregate, the surface smoothness is determined by the aggregation property. Therefore, no control has been performed to increase the concealment by diffusing the transmitted light.

[0041] By using a weakly reactive reaction liquid, the dispersed color material will aggregate and be fixed on the recording medium over a relatively long period of time. This allows the color material to spread sufficiently on the recording medium and achieve high surface smoothness. On the other hand, by using a highly reactive reaction liquid, the dispersed color material will aggregate and be fixed on the recording medium in a relatively short period of time. This allows the color material to not spread sufficiently on the recording medium and achieve low surface smoothness. The surface smoothness can be measured in three dimensions using a non-contact optical interferometer (product name: Bertscan R5500G, Ryoka Systems Co., Ltd.).

[0042] Conventionally, a weakly reactive liquid that realizes a high surface smoothness with less diffuse reflection has been used for the white ink in order to enhance the color development of the color ink. This resulted in the white ink having a high surface smoothness, just like the color inks.

[0043] In this embodiment, a plurality of reaction liquids with different reactivity are used. Specifically, in this embodiment, a reaction liquid with low reactivity is used for color inks intended for color development, and a reaction liquid with high reactivity is used for white inks intended for concealment. This makes it possible to record an image with good color development and white concealment properties.

[0044] (Recording system configuration) 5 is a block diagram showing a control system in the recording apparatus 100 of this embodiment. The recording apparatus 100 includes a main control unit 300, a transport motor (LF motor) 309, a carriage motor (CR motor) 310, a recording head 9, a heater 10, drive circuits 305, 306, 307, 308, and an interface circuit 311. The main control unit 300 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, an input / output port 304, and a storage device 313.

[0045] The CPU 301 executes processing operations such as calculation, selection, discrimination, control, and recording operations. The ROM 302 stores control programs to be executed by the CPU 301. The RAM 303 is used as a buffer for recording data, and the like.

[0046] The storage device 313 is a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage device 313 stores programs to be executed by a CPU 301 (described later), mask patterns, and the like. The input / output port 304 is connected to drive circuits 305, 306, 307, and 308 for a conveyance motor 309, a carriage motor 310, a print head 9, and a heater 10. Furthermore, the main control unit 300 is connected to a host device 312 via an interface circuit 311. The host device 312 is, for example, a personal computer.

[0047] (Image processing flow) Fig. 6 is a flow chart for explaining image processing for performing single-layer printing in which color inks and white ink are printed in the exclusive area. Processing for generating ejection data for image printing in the printing device from input image data will be explained below with reference to Figs. 5 and 6. This processing is performed by either the host device 312 or the printing device 100 functioning as an image processing device. Note that the host device 312 and the printing device 100 may share and perform part of this processing.

[0048] The host device 312 has an application (not shown) and a printer driver (not shown) for the recording device 100. The application executes a process of creating recording image data to be sent to the printer driver based on information input by the user on the UI screen of the host device 312, and a process of setting recording control information that governs recording control.

[0049] The application sends the processed print image data and print control information to the printer driver at the time of printing. Then, the host device 312 in which the printer driver is installed transfers the print image data to the printing device 100 via the interface circuit 311. The main control unit 300 of the printing device 100 performs image processing on the transferred print image data.

[0050] The following programs are stored in the storage device 313 built into the main control unit 300 of the recording device 100, and are loaded into the RAM 303 and executed by the CPU 301.

[0051] In step S601 shown in FIG. 6, the CPU 301 acquires data of an input image and stores it in the storage device 313 or the like. The input image is preferably an RGB+W image or a CMYK+W image in which a white image (W image) indicating a hidden area is added to an image in a general format of an RGB image and a CMYK image indicating a colored area. Alternatively, the CPU 301 may acquire an image in a general format of an RGB image or a CMYK image indicating a colored area as the input image. In this case, the CPU 301 may convert a signal value (R, G, B)=(255, 255, 255) or (C, M, Y, K)=(0, 0, 0, 0) indicating a white area into a hidden area, generate an image including the hidden area from the input image, and store the image as a new input image.

[0052] In step S602, the CPU 301 executes a color separation process for generating color separation data, which is data of an image for printing including multi-value data of each ink and each reaction liquid, for the input image including the hidden area acquired in S601. Specifically, the CPU 301 generates multi-value data of the color inks (C, M, Y, K) used for printing and multi-value data of the reaction liquid (RCT_C) from data indicating the coloring area of ​​the input image. The CPU 301 generates multi-value data of the color ink (W) used for printing and multi-value data of the reaction liquid (RCT_W) from data indicating the hidden area of ​​the input image. A known method for converting the signal value of the input image, such as referring to a look-up table (LUT) stored in advance in the ROM 302, may be adopted. The CPU 301 may execute a color separation process in which white ink is mainly used for printing in the hidden area of ​​the input image, but other color inks are applied for the purpose of white coloring. When other color inks are used for recording in the concealment area, the reaction liquid to be recorded is the reaction liquid (RCT_W) like the white ink. Even if the same color ink is used, different reaction liquids (RCT_C, RCT_W) are used depending on the coloring area and the concealment area. The balance between the amount of color ink and the amount of reaction liquid is important when performing color separation processing. If the amount of reaction liquid is small compared to the color ink, the color ink does not aggregate sufficiently, and beading occurs. Also, if the amount of reaction liquid is large compared to the color ink, the water content of the reaction liquid itself increases, and beading also occurs in this case. Therefore, in order to form a good image in the color separation processing, it is desirable for the CPU 301 to achieve a balance that provides appropriate ink amounts for each of the coloring area and concealment area of ​​the image.

[0053] In step S603, CPU 301 executes a quantization process to convert the multi-value data of the color inks after the color separation process and the multi-value data of the reaction liquid into quantized data of several bits. When quantizing the multi-value data into four-value data, for example, CPU 301 converts the gradation data into 2-bit data of levels 0 to 3. Although error diffusion and dithering are known methods of quantization, any method may be used.

[0054] In step S604, the CPU 301 executes an index development process based on the quantized color ink data and reaction liquid data. Specifically, the CPU 301 selects one dot arrangement pattern from among a plurality of dot arrangement patterns in which the number of dots to be recorded in each pixel is determined, in association with the level obtained in step S603. In this case, it is preferable that the dot arrangement pattern is such that the number of dots to be recorded in an area corresponding to each pixel varies depending on the level value. In order to increase the surface smoothness of the color ink among the color inks, the CPU 301 minimizes the difference between the levels of the color ink dots to 0 dots, 1 dot, 2 dots, and 3 dots. On the other hand, the CPU 301 intentionally increases the difference between the levels of the white ink dots to 0 dots, 2 dots, 4 dots, and 6 dots. In this way, when a uniform density is recorded on the recording medium, 4 dots and 6 dots are recorded in an area corresponding to each pixel, making it possible to perform recording with a dot difference to reduce the surface smoothness.

[0055] In step S605, the CPU 301 performs a pass decomposition process to assign which ejection port will perform printing to the color ink data and the reaction liquid data that have been index-expanded and become dot data, using a pass mask. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a pass mask for performing a pass decomposition process for color inks and reaction liquids corresponding to color inks. Among the multiple cells 70, the blackened cells 72 are the cells 72 that perform ejection, the cells 70 in the X direction indicate the coordinates of the area corresponding to the pixels that will be printed, and the cells 70 in the Y direction correspond to each ejection port in the ejection port array. For example, there are 1280 cells 70 in total. In order to limit the ejection ports that will be printed, 640 cells 70 below the 1280 cells 70 in the Y direction are pass masks that do not eject. In this embodiment, the CPU 301 does not set the cells 70 that do not eject to the ejection port array that corresponds to the white ink and the reaction liquid corresponding to the white ink.

[0056] FIG. 8 is a diagram of a print head in which the ejection ports that eject at least once on the print medium after the pass decomposition process are indicated by diagonal lines. In this embodiment, an image is printed in a single layer by ejecting color inks and white ink at the same ejection timing. Therefore, the ejection ports of the color inks (C, M, Y, K) and the reactive liquid (RCT_C) that print the coloring area, and the ejection ports of the color inks (W) and the reactive liquid (RCT_W) that print the concealed area may be arranged side by side. In this embodiment, in order to reduce the surface smoothness of the white ink, the pass decomposition process is performed so that the number of ejection ports that eject ink and reactive liquid in the white ink ejection port row (22W) and the reactive liquid ejection port row (22RCT_W) corresponding to the white ink is greater than the number of ejection ports that eject ink and reactive liquid in the other ejection port rows. Specifically, the CPU 301 executes pass decomposition processing so that the ejection port arrays (22K, 22C, 22M, 22Y, 22RCT_C) that print the coloring region eject ink and reaction liquid from half of the total ejection ports. On the other hand, the CPU 301 executes pass decomposition processing so that the ejection port arrays (22W, 22RCT_W) that print the hidden region eject ink and reaction liquid from all ejection ports. In this way, in this embodiment, when printing an image in 16 passes, for example, the printing of the coloring region is completed in 8 passes, and the printing of the hidden region is completed in 16 passes. The fewer the number of passes, the higher the surface smoothness, and conversely, the more the number of passes, the lower the surface smoothness.

[0057] Finally, in step S606, the CPU 301 records an image on the recording medium based on the path-decomposed data, and then the process ends.

[0058] In this embodiment, multi-value data for each ink and each reaction liquid is generated so that in the color separation process, a reaction liquid having a low reactivity with the color ink is used to print in the coloring region, and a reaction liquid having a high reactivity with the white ink is used to print in the concealment region. This allows the embodiment to control the surface smoothness for each color ink and white ink. As a result, the embodiment can increase the surface smoothness of the color ink in the coloring region to improve coloring, while decreasing the surface smoothness of the white ink in the concealment region to improve concealment.

[0059] In this embodiment, in the pass decomposition process, ejection ports for recording the colored region and ejection ports for recording the concealed region are assigned, and passes are set so that the reaction liquid is ejected at an ejection timing that allows the color ink and white ink coloring materials to aggregate. With these settings, this embodiment can increase the surface smoothness of the color ink in the colored region to further improve color development, and decrease the surface smoothness of the white ink in the concealed region to further improve concealment.

[0060] Second embodiment In this embodiment, a description will be given of the configuration that is different from the first embodiment. The same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Detailed description will be given only of the different parts.

[0061] 9 is a flowchart for explaining image processing for multi-layer printing in which color inks are printed on white ink. In the first embodiment, a single-layer printing in which color inks and white ink are printed in an exclusive area is explained, but in this embodiment, multi-layer printing in which white ink and color inks are printed overlappingly in the same area is explained.

[0062] In step S901 shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 301 acquires data of an input image and stores it in the storage device 313 or the like. The input image is preferably an RGB+W image or a CMYK+W image in which a white image (W image) indicating a hidden area is added to an image in a general format of an RGB image and a CMYK image indicating a colored area. Alternatively, the CPU 301 may acquire an image in a general format of an RGB image or a CMYK image indicating a colored area as the input image. In this case, the CPU 301 may convert signal values ​​(R, G, B) ≠ (255, 255, 255) or (C, M, Y, K) ≠ (0, 0, 0, 0) indicating a non-white area into a hidden area, generate an image including a hidden area from the input image, and store the image as a new input image.

[0063] In step S902, the CPU 301 executes a color separation process for generating color separation data, which is data of an image for printing including multi-value data of each ink and each reaction liquid, for the input image including the hidden area acquired in S901. Specifically, the CPU 301 generates multi-value data of the color inks (C, M, Y, K) used for printing and multi-value data of the reaction liquid (RCT_C) from data indicating the coloring area of ​​the input image. The CPU 301 generates multi-value data of the color ink (W) used for printing and multi-value data of the reaction liquid (RCT_W) from data indicating the hidden area of ​​the input image. A known method such as referring to a look-up table (LUT) stored in advance in the ROM 302 or the like may be adopted as a method for converting the signal value of the input image. The CPU 301 may execute a color separation process in which white ink is mainly used for printing in the hidden area of ​​the input image, but other color inks are applied for the purpose of white coloring. The CPU 301 may also apply a multi-layer mode in which the concealment area is made into three layers in the order of white, black, and white in order to further enhance the concealment. When other color inks are used for recording as the concealment area, the reaction liquid to be recorded is the reaction liquid (RCT_W) like the white ink. Even if the same color ink is used, the reaction liquid (RCT_C, RCT_W) is used according to the coloring area and the concealment area. The balance between the amount of the coloring ink and the amount of the reaction liquid is important when performing color separation processing. If the amount of the reaction liquid is small relative to the coloring ink, the coloring material does not aggregate sufficiently, and beading occurs. Also, if the amount of the reaction liquid is large relative to the coloring ink, the water content of the reaction liquid itself increases, and beading also occurs in this case. Therefore, in order to form a good image in the color separation processing, it is desirable for the CPU 301 to achieve a balance in which the ink amounts are appropriate for the coloring area and the concealment area of ​​the image.

[0064] In step S903, CPU 301 executes a quantization process to convert the multi-value data of the color inks after the color separation process and the multi-value data of the reaction liquid into quantized data of several bits. When quantizing the multi-value data into four-value data, for example, CPU 301 converts the gradation data into 2-bit data of levels 0 to 3. Although error diffusion and dithering are known methods of quantization, any method may be used.

[0065] In step S904, the CPU 301 performs index development processing based on the quantized color ink data and reaction liquid data. Specifically, the CPU 301 selects one dot arrangement pattern from among a plurality of dot arrangement patterns in which the number of dots to be recorded in each pixel is determined, in association with the level obtained in step S903. In this case, it is preferable that the dot arrangement pattern is such that the number of dots to be recorded in an area corresponding to each pixel varies depending on the level value. In order to increase the surface smoothness of the color ink among the color inks, the CPU 301 minimizes the difference between levels of the number of color ink dots to 0 dots, 1 dot, 2 dots, and 3 dots. On the other hand, the CPU 301 intentionally increases the difference between levels of the number of white ink dots to 0 dots, 1 dot, 3 dots, and 5 dots. In this way, when a uniform density is recorded on the recording medium, 3 dots and 5 dots are recorded in an area corresponding to each pixel, making it possible to perform recording with a dot difference to reduce the surface smoothness.

[0066] In step S905, the CPU 301 performs a pass decomposition process in which a pass mask is used to assign which ejection port will perform printing on the color ink data and reaction liquid data that have been converted into dot data by index expansion processing. Unlike the first embodiment, since multi-layer printing is performed in which white ink and color inks are printed overlapping each other in the same area, the pass mask used to perform the pass decomposition process on the color inks and the reaction liquid corresponding to the color inks is a pass mask that does not eject the upper 960 squares of the 1280 squares. In this embodiment, the CPU 301 sets a pass mask that does not eject the lower 320 squares of the 1280 squares of the ejection port array that corresponds to the white ink and the reaction liquid corresponding to the white ink.

[0067] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing with diagonal lines the ejection ports that perform printing on the print medium at least once after the pass decomposition process. In this embodiment, color inks are ejected on top of white ink to print an image in multiple layers. The ejection ports for the color inks (C, M, Y, K) and the reactive liquid (RCT_C) that print the coloring area, and the ejection ports for the color inks (W) and the reactive liquid (RCT_W) that print the concealed area are separated into upper and lower parts as shown in FIG. 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in order to reduce the surface smoothness of the white ink, the CPU 301 executes the pass decomposition process so that the number of ejection ports that eject ink in the white ink ejection port array (22W) and the ejection port array (22RCT_W) of the reactive liquid corresponding to the white ink is greater than the number of ejection ports that eject ink in the other ejection port arrays. As a result, in this embodiment, when printing an image, the number of passes of the ejection ports that eject white ink and its reactive liquid is greater than the number of passes of the other inks. Specifically, the CPU 301 executes pass decomposition processing so that the ejection port array (22K, 22C, 22M, 22Y, 22RCT_C) that prints the coloring region ejects ink and reaction liquid from one-quarter of all ejection ports. On the other hand, the CPU 301 executes pass decomposition processing so that the ejection port array (22W, 22RCT_W) that prints the hidden region ejects ink and reaction liquid from three-quarters of all ejection ports. This makes it possible for this embodiment to perform processing such as printing the hidden region in 24 passes and then printing the coloring region in 8 passes when printing with 32 passes, for example. The fewer the number of passes, the higher the surface smoothness, and conversely, the more the number of passes, the lower the surface smoothness.

[0068] Finally, in step S906, the CPU 301 records an image on the recording medium based on the path-decomposed data, and then the process ends.

[0069] In this embodiment, multi-value data for each ink and each reaction liquid is generated so that in the color separation process, a reaction liquid having a low reactivity with the color ink is used to print in the coloring region, and a reaction liquid having a high reactivity with the white ink is used to print in the concealment region. This allows the embodiment to control the surface smoothness for each color ink and white ink. As a result, the embodiment can increase the surface smoothness of the color ink in the coloring region to improve coloring, while decreasing the surface smoothness of the white ink in the concealment region to improve concealment.

[0070] In this embodiment, in the pass decomposition process, ejection ports for recording the colored region and ejection ports for recording the concealed region are assigned, and passes are set so that the reaction liquid is ejected at an ejection timing that allows the color ink and white ink coloring materials to aggregate. With these settings, this embodiment can increase the surface smoothness of the color ink in the colored region to further improve color development, and decrease the surface smoothness of the white ink in the concealed region to further improve concealment.

[0071] (Other embodiments) Various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and any embodiment that provides effects equivalent to those of the present invention is included in the scope of the present invention.

[0072] For example, the above-described embodiment can be applied to an embodiment in which concealment is performed using a metallic ink such as a silver ink or a gold ink instead of a white ink, and similar effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiment can be used to control gloss other than for increasing concealment if the purpose is to change the surface smoothness. For example, the embodiment can be used to express a matte feel by lowering the surface smoothness, or to express a glossy feel by increasing the surface smoothness.

[0073] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the color ink and the reaction liquid are combined for printing, but the embodiment may be applied to an image showing a concealment area in which not only a reaction liquid having a high reactivity with the white ink but also a reaction liquid having a low reactivity is used in combination. In the signal value of an input image in which the recording of the white ink is less than one dot on the recording medium, it is possible to improve the concealment by placing emphasis on the surface coverage rate rather than the surface smoothness. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of color separation processing for an image showing a concealment area in another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, it is possible to further improve the concealment by performing color separation processing so that a reaction liquid having a low reactivity is used in an area where the signal value of the input image is low, and a reaction liquid having a high reactivity is used in an area where the signal value of the input image is high.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the pass mask used in the pass decomposition process is set to match the number of passes for the color ink and the reaction liquid, but the reaction liquid may be ejected first. For example, the CPU 301 may execute the pass decomposition process using a pass mask that sets the color ink in the coloring region to 7 passes, the weakly reactive reaction liquid to 8 passes, the white ink in the concealment region to 15 passes, and the highly reactive reaction liquid to 16 passes.

[0075] (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.

[0076] The disclosure of this specification includes the following image processing device, recording device, image processing method, and program. (Item 1) An acquisition means for acquiring image data; a generating means for generating color separation data, which is data of an image for recording including a first region and a second region, based on the data of the image; having The generating means includes: first data for ejecting a first ink and a first reaction liquid that reacts with the first ink onto the first region; second data for ejecting a second ink and a second reactive liquid having stronger reactivity than the first reactive liquid and reacting with the second ink into the second region; 23. An image processing apparatus comprising: (Item 2) The first region is a color-producing region, The second region is a hidden region, The first ink is a coloring ink, The second ink is a concealing ink. 2. The image processing device according to item 1, (Item 3) the first ink and the second ink contain a coloring material; The first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid do not contain a coloring material. 3. The image processing device according to item 2, (Item 4) 4. The image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a pass decomposition processing means for executing a pass decomposition process to set ejection ports from which the first ink, the second ink, the first reaction liquid, and the second reaction liquid are ejected. (Item 5) The generating means sets the amount of the first ink and the amount of the first reaction liquid corresponding thereto for a signal value of the first region of the image. 5. The image processing device according to any one of items 1 to 4, (Item 6) The generating means generates the color separation data so that the surface smoothness of the second region is lower than the surface smoothness of the first region. 6. The image processing device according to any one of items 1 to 5, (Item 7) the pass division processing means sets, in the pass division processing, ejection timings of the first ink and the first reaction liquid and ejection timings of the second ink and the second reaction liquid to be close to each other; The number of passes for ejecting the second ink and the second reaction liquid is set to be greater than the number of passes for ejecting the second ink and the second reaction liquid. 5. The image processing device according to item 4, (Item 8) an index expansion processing means for executing an index expansion processing to select a pattern from dot arrangement patterns that determine the number of dots to be recorded in each pixel of the image based on the color separation data of the first ink, the second ink, the first reaction liquid, and the second reaction liquid before the pass separation processing, The index expansion processing means sets a difference in the number of dots in the dot arrangement pattern of the second ink to be larger than a difference in the number of dots in the dot arrangement pattern of the first ink. 5. The image processing device according to item 4, (Item 9) The generating means includes: a setting is made so that when the amount of the second ink is less than a predetermined amount, a weakly reactive liquid is used as the second reactive liquid; When the amount of the second ink is greater than the predetermined amount, a more reactive liquid is set to be used as the second reactive liquid. 9. The image processing device according to any one of items 1 to 8, (Item 10) The generating means includes: A color ink is set to be used as the first ink, At least white ink is used as the second ink. 10. The image processing device according to any one of items 1 to 9, (Item 11) a recording means for recording the first ink and the second ink containing a coloring material, and the first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid not containing a coloring material on a recording medium; the first reaction liquid is recorded on the area where the first ink is to be recorded; The second reaction liquid, which is more reactive than the first reaction liquid, is recorded in the area where the second ink is recorded. A recording device comprising: (Item 12) An acquisition step of acquiring image data; a generating step of generating color separation data, which is data of an image for recording including a first region and a second region, based on the data of the image; having The generating step includes: first data for ejecting a first ink and a first reaction liquid that reacts with the first ink onto the first region; second data for ejecting a second ink and a second reactive liquid having stronger reactivity than the first reactive liquid and reacting with the second ink into the second region; 23. An image processing method for generating the color separation data comprising: (Item 13) A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the image processing device according to any one of items 1 to 10.

[0077] 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]

[0078] 30... outlet, 100... recording device, 300... main control unit, 313... storage device, 312... host device, P... recording medium.

Claims

1. An acquisition means for acquiring image data; a generating means for generating color separation data, which is data of an image for recording including a first region and a second region, based on the data of the image; having The generating means includes: first data for ejecting a first ink and a first reactive liquid that reacts with the first ink onto the first region; second data for ejecting a second ink and a second reactive liquid having stronger reactivity than the first reactive liquid and reacting with the second ink onto the second region; 23. An image processing apparatus comprising:

2. The first region is a color-producing region, The second region is a hidden region, The first ink is a coloring ink, The second ink is a concealing ink.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1,

3. the first ink and the second ink contain a coloring material; The first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid do not contain a coloring material.

3. The image processing device according to claim 2.

4. 2. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a pass decomposition processing means for executing a pass decomposition process for setting ejection ports from which the first ink, the second ink, the first reaction liquid, and the second reaction liquid are ejected.

5. The generating means sets the amount of the first ink and the amount of the first reaction liquid corresponding thereto for a signal value of the first region of the image.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1,

6. The generating means generates the color separation data so that the surface smoothness of the second region is lower than the surface smoothness of the first region.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1,

7. the pass division processing means sets, in the pass division processing, ejection timings of the first ink and the first reaction liquid and ejection timings of the second ink and the second reaction liquid to be close to each other; The number of passes for ejecting the second ink and the second reaction liquid is set to be greater than the number of passes for ejecting the second ink and the second reaction liquid.

5. The image processing device according to claim 4.

8. an index expansion processing means for executing, before the pass separation processing, an index expansion processing for selecting a pattern from dot arrangement patterns that determine the number of dots to be recorded in each pixel of the image based on the color separation data of the first ink, the second ink, the first reaction liquid, and the second reaction liquid, The index expansion processing means sets a difference in the number of dots in the dot arrangement pattern of the second ink to be larger than a difference in the number of dots in the dot arrangement pattern of the first ink.

5. The image processing device according to claim 4.

9. The generating means includes: When the amount of the second ink is less than a predetermined amount, a weakly reactive liquid is used as the second reactive liquid; When the amount of the second ink is greater than the predetermined amount, a more strongly reactive liquid is set to be used as the second reactive liquid.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1,

10. The generating means includes: A color ink is set to be used as the first ink, At least white ink is used as the second ink.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1,

11. a recording means for recording the first ink and the second ink containing a coloring material, and the first reaction liquid and the second reaction liquid not containing a coloring material on a recording medium; the first reaction liquid is recorded on the area where the first ink is to be recorded; The second reaction liquid, which is more reactive than the first reaction liquid, is recorded in the area where the second ink is to be recorded. A recording apparatus comprising:

12. An acquisition step of acquiring image data; a generating step of generating color separation data, which is data of an image for recording including a first region and a second region, based on data of the image; having The generating step includes: first data for ejecting a first ink and a first reactive liquid that reacts with the first ink onto the first region; second data for ejecting a second ink and a second reactive liquid having stronger reactivity than the first reactive liquid and reacting with the second ink onto the second region; 23. An image processing method for generating the color separation data comprising:

13. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

Images