Information processing apparatus and information processing program

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: color matching is difficult to be performed with restrictions on a coloring material to be used.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises: a target color acquisition unit that acquires a target color that is a color to be subjected to color matching; a coloring material acquisition unit that acquires, from a plurality of coloring materials that can be used in a printer, use coloring materials that are all or part of the coloring materials used for printing in the target color; and a usage output unit that outputs the usage of each of the use coloring materials for performing printing in the target color by using the use coloring materials in the printer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, color matching has been performed by printing the color of a specific portion of an image as a specific color. A technology for user-initiated color matching is known, for example, from Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a screen for registering ink amount data capable of realizing a spot color, and the user can use this screen to register ink amount data capable of realizing a spot color. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-3240 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional technology, it is not possible to know the amount of colorant required to print a target color when the colorant available in the printing device is limited. Specifically, there are multiple ink combinations that can be used to print a certain color, but it is difficult for users to select these combinations themselves. One method for obtaining a colorant combination for printing a specific color is color conversion using a lookup table, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. However, when using color conversion using a lookup table, only one colorant combination for printing a specific color can be obtained.

[0005] For example, even if a combination containing a yellow colorant and a small amount of cyan colorant is obtained when printing a yellow color, no other combinations can be obtained. Furthermore, because the cyan colorant is prominent in the printed color resulting from this combination, even if a user wishes to know a combination that does not use cyan colorant, the lookup table cannot provide such a combination. Furthermore, when a user determines the amount of colorant to be used by themselves, they are unsure of what colorant to increase or decrease and by how much to use instead of cyan colorant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to one embodiment includes a target color acquisition unit that acquires a target color, which is a color that is the target of color matching; a color material acquisition unit that acquires used color materials, which are all or some of the color materials used to print the target color, from among a plurality of color materials that can be used in a printing device; and a usage amount output unit that outputs the usage amount of each used color material for printing the target color using the used color materials in the printing device.

[0007] In addition, an information processing program according to one embodiment causes a computer to function as a target color acquisition unit that acquires a target color, which is a color that is the target of color matching; a color material acquisition unit that acquires used color materials, which are all or some of the color materials used to print the target color, from among multiple color materials that can be used in a printing device; and a usage amount output unit that outputs the usage amount of each used color material for printing the target color using the used color materials in the printing device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a usage mode of an information processing device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a colorimeter. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information processing device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of a print control process. [Figure 6]10 is an example of a screen for setting a spot color plate. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a color material designation screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0010] (1) System configuration: FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a usage mode of an information processing device 10 according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the information processing device 10 is connected to a colorimeter 20 and a printing device 30. The information processing device 10 is a device that performs color conversion on image data to generate print data and causes the printing device 30 to print based on the print data. Furthermore, when printing, the information processing device 10 can perform color matching so that a target color specified by a user becomes the color desired by the user. In this embodiment, the user can identify the target color by measuring the color of a color sample using the colorimeter 20.

[0011] (1-1) Colorimeter configuration: 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the colorimeter 20. The colorimeter 20 includes a processor 20a, a communication unit 20b, a nonvolatile memory 20c, a sensor 20d, and a UI unit 20e. The processor 20a includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown), and can execute a control program recorded in the nonvolatile memory 20c to control each unit of the colorimeter 20.

[0012] The processor 20a may be configured as a single chip, may be configured as multiple chips, or may be configured as an SoC with various functional blocks. For example, an ASIC may be used instead of a CPU, or a CPU and an ASIC may work together. When each device in this embodiment includes a processor, the processor can be realized in various ways, similar to the processor 20a.

[0013] The communication unit 20b includes a communication interface for communicating with the information processing device 10 according to various wired or wireless communication protocols. The sensor 20d is a device that irradiates a target object with light of a predetermined color temperature and detects the spectral distribution of the reflected light. Based on the results read by the sensor 20d, the processor 20a acquires colorimetric values ​​(e.g., CIELAB values, HSV values, XYZ values, etc.) that indicate the color of the target object using colors in a device-independent color space. The following description will be given assuming that the colorimetric values ​​are CIELAB values.

[0014] In this embodiment, the object of color measurement by the colorimeter 20 is a sample color. The sample color may be a color printed on various objects, but here we assume that a medium colored to match the sample color is measured. In addition, in this embodiment, the object color is specified by the colorimetric value obtained by measuring the color sample with the colorimeter 20. In this way, by configuring the object color to be specified by the colorimetric results of the colorimeter 20, the object color can be accurately specified.

[0015] In this embodiment, the target color to be matched is one color, but the printing device 30 can also print colors similar to the target color as colors that reflect the results of color matching. In this way, in order to reflect the results of color matching based on the target color in multiple colors, in this embodiment, the image data is made up of one or more layers.

[0016] In this embodiment, each layer is referred to as a plate. The number of color channels available for each plate is predetermined, and in this embodiment, there are process color plates that can be used by varying any color across the entire range of gradation values, and spot color plates for printing colors that are color-matched to a target color. A process color plate is a plate that can be used by varying all of the available colors. For example, image data that can use all of RGB (R: red, G: green, B: blue) or image data that can use all of CMYK (C: cyan, M: magenta, Y: yellow, K: black) is conceivable.

[0017] A spot color image data consists of a representative color, which is a color that represents the spot color, and a color whose density differs from that of the representative color. In spot color image data, the representative color is specified in the header using RGB or CMYK tone values, and the color of any pixel is specified by a tone value that represents the relative density difference from the representative color. For example, when expressing the tone values ​​of a spot color using 1-channel 8-bit tone values, a tone value of 128 corresponds to the representative color, and pixels with tone values ​​greater than 128 are considered darker than the representative color, while pixels with tone values ​​less than 128 are considered lighter than the representative color. Furthermore, a tone value of 256 indicates a color obtained by making the representative color as dark as possible, and a tone value of 0 indicates a color obtained by making the representative color as light as possible.

[0018] In this embodiment, color matching is performed so that the representative color of the spot color plate matches the target color. To perform this color matching, a color sample is measured by the colorimeter 20, and colorimetric data 20c1 indicating the colorimetric values ​​is stored in the nonvolatile memory 20c.

[0019] The UI unit 20e is a button or the like provided on the housing of the colorimeter 20. A user can operate the UI unit 20e to give instructions such as to start color measurement of a color sample. The processor 20a receives the user's instructions from the output information of the UI unit 20e.

[0020] (1-2) Printer configuration: 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printing device 30. The printing device 30 includes a processor 30a, a communication unit 30b, a non-volatile memory 30c, a printing unit 30d, and a UI unit 30e. The processor 30a includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown), and can execute a control program recorded in the non-volatile memory 30c to control each unit of the printing device 30.

[0021] The communication unit 30b includes a communication interface for communicating with the information processing device 10 according to various wired or wireless communication protocols. The communication unit 30b may also include an interface for communicating with various removable memories attached to the printing device 30.

[0022] The printing unit 30d includes actuators, various devices, sensors, drive circuits, mechanical components, and the like for printing on the print medium. The sensors include sensors for detecting various detectable objects that may change in the printing device 30. Examples include sensors for detecting the remaining amount of print medium and sensors for detecting the remaining amount of color materials for each color used for printing. In this embodiment, the printing unit 30d includes a mechanism for recording predetermined color materials on the print medium. In this embodiment, the printing unit 30d records on the print medium using color materials of CMYKGGyROr (C: cyan, M: magenta, Y: yellow, K: black, G: green, Gy: gray, R: red, O: orange). Hereinafter, the printing device 30 is assumed to be an inkjet printer that uses ink as the color material, but the printing method is not limited to the inkjet method. The color materials used for recording are not limited to the CMYKGGyROr combination and can be changed as appropriate.

[0023] Furthermore, printing unit 30d is capable of printing on print media of various sizes. That is, printing unit 30d is equipped with a storage unit for storing print media of various sizes, and is capable of transporting and printing on the stored print media.

[0024] The UI unit 30e is composed of an input unit such as buttons or a touch panel provided on the housing of the printing device 30, and a display unit that displays various information. The user can operate the input unit to give various instructions based on the information displayed on the display unit of the UI unit 30e.

[0025] The processor 30a of the printing device 30 performs printing based on the print data 10c3 sent from the information processing device 10. That is, when printing is performed, the print data 10c3 is sent together with a print instruction from the information processing device 10 and stored in the non-volatile memory 30c. The processor 30a controls the printing unit 30d and the like based on the print data 10c3, and executes printing on the print medium stored in the printing unit 30d.

[0026] (1-3) Configuration of information processing device: 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 10. In this embodiment, the information processing device 10 includes a processor 10a, a communication unit 10b, a nonvolatile memory 10c, a display unit 10d, and an input unit 10e. The processor 10a includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. (not shown), and can execute various programs recorded in the nonvolatile memory 10c to control each unit of the information processing device 10, the colorimeter 20, etc. In other words, the processor 10a functions as a control unit.

[0027] The communication unit 10b includes a communication interface for communicating with the colorimeter 20 and the printing device 30 according to various wired or wireless communication protocols. The communication unit 10b may also include an interface for communicating with various removable memories attached to the information processing device 10.

[0028] Various types of data can be stored in the nonvolatile memory 10c. In this embodiment, colorimetric data 20c1, a color conversion model 10c1, image data 10c2, and print data 10c3 are stored in the nonvolatile memory 10c. The colorimetric data 20c1 is data transmitted from the colorimeter 20, and is data indicating CIELAB values ​​that are the colorimetric results of the sample colors.

[0029] Color conversion model 10c1 is data for converting the color of image data, and is data that associates colors in a device-independent color space with colors in a device-dependent color space. In this embodiment, color conversion model 10c1 includes an input-side model that performs color conversion on the input side, and an output-side model that performs color conversion on the output side.

[0030] The input-side model that performs input-side color conversion is a model that converts between RGB gradation values ​​or CMYK gradation values ​​that represent colors in a device-dependent color space and CIELAB values ​​that represent colors in a device-independent color space. In this embodiment, a model that converts RGB gradation values ​​or CMYK gradation values ​​to CIELAB values ​​is machine-learned. Furthermore, a model that converts CIELAB values ​​to RGB gradation values ​​or CMYK gradation values ​​based on the training data is machine-learned. These trained models are the input-side model. The input-side model may take various forms, such as a neural network that converts input values ​​to output values, or, like the output-side model described below, may be configured by a machine-learned model and an optimization module that performs optimization. Furthermore, an existing ICC profile can be used in place of the input-side model for the color conversion model 10c1. This ICC profile is a lookup table used for various devices. For example, in this embodiment, a display profile corresponding to the display used as the display unit 10d can be used.

[0031] The output-side model that performs color conversion on the output side is a model that converts between colors in a device-dependent color space, i.e., CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​that indicate the color materials used by the printing device 30, and CIELAB values ​​that indicate colors in a device-independent color space. In this embodiment, the output-side model includes a model that converts the amount of color material used into color values ​​(hereinafter referred to as a color prediction model) and an optimization module.

[0032] Here, the color prediction model includes a model that converts CMYKGGyROr gradation values, which indicate the amount of colorant used, into spectral reflectance. The model is generated, for example, by preparing training data in advance that associates CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​with spectral reflectance, and then performing machine learning on a neural network that converts CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​into spectral reflectance based on the training data. Note that spectral reflectance can be determined, for example, by measuring printed colors based on CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​using a colorimeter 20. Furthermore, spectral reflectance can be converted into color values ​​using known calculation methods, and this conversion is also included in the color prediction model. Therefore, the color prediction model is a model that converts CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​into color values ​​via spectral reflectance.

[0033] The optimization module is used to convert the color values ​​of the conversion target into color material usage amounts using a color prediction model. Specifically, the optimization module converts the color values ​​of the conversion target into provisional color material usage amounts, which are input into the color prediction model and converted into color values. The color values ​​obtained by this conversion are called predicted color values. If the color difference between the predicted color values ​​and the color values ​​of the conversion target is equal to or less than a reference value, the optimization module considers them to match. In this case, the color values ​​of the conversion target have been converted into provisional color material usage amounts.

[0034] On the other hand, if the color difference between the predicted color values ​​and the color values ​​of the conversion target is greater than the reference value, the optimization module modifies the provisional color material usage. Furthermore, the optimization module inputs the modified provisional color material usage into the color prediction model and determines whether the color difference between the obtained predicted color values ​​and the color values ​​of the conversion target is equal to or less than the reference value. The optimization module repeats the above process until the color difference between the predicted color values ​​and the color values ​​of the conversion target is equal to or less than the reference value. When the color difference between the predicted color values ​​and the color values ​​of the conversion target is equal to or less than the reference value, the optimization module considers the color values ​​of the conversion target to have been converted to the provisional color material usage. As described above, the output side model of color conversion model 10c1 can convert CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​using the color prediction model. Furthermore, CIELAB values ​​can be converted to CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​using the color prediction model and the optimization module.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when converting using the output model of the color conversion model 10c1, it is possible to impose constraints to limit the color materials used by the printing device 30. Specifically, when converting the color values ​​to be converted into color material usage amounts, the optimization module sets provisional color material usage amounts. At this time, it is possible to set a specific color material not to be used. For example, if at least one color of each color material of CMYKGGyROr is not used, the usage amount of that color material is fixed to 0. With this configuration, the optimization module identifies provisional color material usage amounts such that the color difference between the predicted color values ​​and the color values ​​to be converted is equal to or less than a reference value when the usage amount of that color material is fixed to 0. Therefore, once provisional color material usage amounts such that the color difference between the predicted color values ​​and the color values ​​to be converted is equal to or less than a reference value are identified, the color values ​​can be converted into color material usage amounts while restricting the use of specific color materials. Note that when converting color material usage amounts into color values, the usage amounts of unused color materials can be set to 0 and input into the prediction model.

[0036] The color conversion using the color conversion model 10c1 is merely an example, and color conversion may be performed using various functions or lookup tables. However, using the color conversion model 10c1 can reduce the resources required for the information processing device 10 and the man-hours required for data generation. For example, a lookup table is data that associates CIELAB values ​​with colors in a device-dependent color space for multiple representative points, and the number of representative points is generally very large. In particular, when associating CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​with CIELAB values, the CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​are eight-dimensional coordinate values, and it is necessary to associate many points in the eight-dimensional coordinate space with coordinate values ​​in the three-dimensional CIELAB space, resulting in a very large amount of data. Furthermore, in the case of a lookup table, in order to limit color materials, it is necessary to create lookup tables for all possible cases after the limitation. For example, when limiting cyan or magenta, it is necessary to create a lookup table for each case.

[0037] On the other hand, although a trained model obtained by machine learning may require a large amount of data for creation, the amount of data is generally smaller than that of a lookup table. Furthermore, in this embodiment, there is no need to create a different trained model for each condition in order to limit the color materials. Therefore, assuming a situation in which there are multiple conditions under which a specific color material is not used and a color conversion model 10c1 and a lookup table corresponding to each condition are prepared, when the color conversion model 10c1 is prepared, the amount of data can be reduced compared to when a lookup table is prepared.

[0038] Furthermore, creating a lookup table generally requires a significant number of steps. And preparing a lookup table for each condition also requires an extremely large number of steps. However, to generate an output model for the color conversion model 10c1 of this embodiment, it is not necessary to generate a different model for each condition. Therefore, the color conversion model 10c1 can be generated with fewer steps than creating a lookup table.

[0039] The image data 10c2 represents an image to be printed. As described above, the image data 10c2 includes image data for multiple plates. In this embodiment, it is assumed that there is at least one process color plate and one spot color plate. Therefore, the image data 10c2 includes data for process color plates, in which the color of each pixel is specified using RGB gradation values ​​or CMYK gradation values. The image data 10c2 also includes data for spot color plates, which include RGB gradation values ​​or CMYK gradation values ​​of a representative color specified in the header and gradation values ​​for each pixel indicating the relative density difference from the representative color. Of course, this configuration is merely an example, and the number of plates that can exist is not limited; multiple plates may exist, or no specific plate may exist. The image data 10c2 also includes information indicating a weighting coefficient for overlaying each plate, and the image to be printed is specified by overlaying the data for each plate using this weighting coefficient.

[0040] The print data 10c3 is data for causing the printing device 30 to execute printing. In this embodiment, the processor 10a performs image processing, including color conversion using the color conversion model 10c1, based on the image data 10c2 to generate the print data 10c3. Specifically, the image data 10c2 includes a printer description language, and the processor 10a performs rendering processing, including analysis based on the printer description language and conversion to raster data. After rasterization, the processor 10a also uses the color conversion model 10c1 to color convert the raster data and obtain the amount of each colorant required to print the color of each pixel. For example, for process color plates, the processor 10a converts the RGB or CMYK values ​​of each pixel to CIELAB values ​​using an input model or ICC profile, and then converts the CIELAB values ​​of each pixel to CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​using an output model. For spot color plates, the processor 10a obtains the CMYKGGyROr gradation value of each pixel based on the CMYKGGyROr gradation value of the representative color and the gradation value of each pixel. Then, the processor 10a performs page layout determination processing on the print medium, halftone processing, etc. to generate print data 10c3. Once the print data 10c3 is generated, the print data 10c3 is sent to the printing device 30, where printing is performed.

[0041] The display unit 10d is a display device that displays any image. The input unit 10e is a device through which a user performs input operations. The information processing device 10 can be realized in various forms, and may be a desktop computer or a portable computer. In the former case, the display unit 10d can be configured, for example, as a display independent of the computer main body, and the input unit 10e can be configured, for example, as a keyboard and mouse independent of the computer main body. In the latter case, the display unit 10d and the input unit 10e can be configured, for example, as a touch panel display integrated with the computer main body. In either case, the user can operate the input unit 10e to input their intentions while viewing the images and text displayed on the display unit 10d. In the following description of this embodiment, it is assumed that the information processing device 10 is a desktop computer.

[0042] The processor 10a is capable of executing an information processing program (not shown). The information processing program according to this embodiment causes the display unit 10d to display a screen for making settings when printing a spot color plate so as to reproduce a sample color measured by the colorimeter 20. The user can use this screen to specify the amount of color material to be used to print the target color, thereby reproducing the target color when printing the color indicated by the spot color plate.

[0043] In this embodiment, the user can specify the amount of colorant to be used when printing the target color by specifying a usage amount between 0 and 100% for each colorant. However, because there may be multiple combinations of colorants that can print the target color, it is difficult for the user to determine the usage amount of each colorant to print the target color. Therefore, in this embodiment, the processor 10a is configured to determine the usage amount of each colorant to print the target color using the color conversion model 10c1 and display it on the display unit 10d.

[0044] With the above configuration, the user can know the amount of colorant used to print the target color for each colorant. However, some users may want to impose restrictions on the colorants used. For example, even if a target color can be printed using a combination of a yellowish colorant and a small amount of cyan colorant, the cyan particles may be noticeable when the colorant is actually printed, resulting in a situation where the user is not satisfied with the results.

[0045] When color conversion is performed based on a single lookup table, as in conventional technology, color conversion must be performed in a state where all of CMYKGGyROr can be used. This can result in users being dissatisfied with the results. Even if CMYKGGyROr gradation values ​​specified based on a lookup table are displayed as defaults, it is difficult for users to estimate which color materials should be increased or decreased and to what extent in order to avoid using specific color materials.

[0046] Therefore, in this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the user specifies the color materials to be used, and the amount of color materials that can be used to print the target color is output to the display unit 10d while limiting the color materials to be used. The information processing program has a function related to the color material limit. When the information processing program is executed, the processor 10a functions as a target color acquisition unit 10a1, a color material acquisition unit 10a2, and a usage amount output unit 10a3.

[0047] The target color acquisition unit 10a1 is a function for acquiring a target color, which is a color to be matched. Specifically, the processor 10a receives colorimetric data 20c1 generated by a user measuring a sample color from the colorimeter 20 via the communication unit 10b using the function of the target color acquisition unit 10a1. The received colorimetric data 20c1 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 10c.

[0048] The color material acquisition unit 10a2 has a function for acquiring the color materials to be used, which are all or some of the color materials to be used for printing the target color from among the multiple color materials available in the printing device. Specifically, the processor 10a acquires the color materials to be used input by the user through the input unit 10e. For example, the user can specify the color materials to be used from each color of CMYKGGyROr, and the processor 10a acquires the specified color materials as the color materials to be used. More specifically, the user specifies the color materials to be used via check boxes displayed on the color material specification screen, which will be described later.

[0049] The usage output unit 10a3 is a function that outputs the usage amount of each colorant used to print a target color using the colorants used in the printing device. Specifically, the processor 10a references the color conversion model 10c1, inputs the CIELAB values ​​of the target color into the output model under the constraint that the used colorants are used and that colorants other than the used colorants are not used, and obtains the CMYKGGyROr gradation value corresponding to the CIELAB values. Here, because the output model is constrained to use the used colorants and not use colorants other than the used colorants, the usage amount of the used colorants in the obtained CMYKGGyROr gradation value is 0% or more, but the usage amount of the non-used colorants is 0%.

[0050] Once the usage amounts of the color materials are acquired, the processor 10a controls the display unit 10d to display the usage amounts for each color material. As a result, the user can understand the usage amounts of the color materials that should be used when printing the target color using the color materials specified by the user. The user can print a patch using the usage amounts displayed on the display unit 10d and determine whether the target color will be printed. Therefore, when an instruction to print a patch is given, the processor 10a generates print data 10c3 for printing a uniform patch of a predetermined size using the color materials in the usage amounts displayed on the display unit 10d. Note that the color in the print result printed by the printing device 30 using the color materials and usage amounts specified by the user is called the printed color.

[0051] Once the print data 10c3 is generated, the processor 10a transmits the print data 10c3 to the printing device 30 via the communication unit 10b. The printing device 30 receives the print data 10c3 via the communication unit 30b and executes printing based on the print data 10c3. As a result, patches are printed using the color materials and amounts specified by the user. The user then determines whether the print colors of the printed patches are as intended. This determination may be made in various ways, for example, by visual inspection or using the color measurement results obtained by the colorimeter 20.

[0052] The user repeats specifying the color materials and amounts to be used and printing the patches to make judgments until the printed color of the patch is as intended. Once the printed color of the patch is as intended, processor 10a sets the representative color of the spot color plate to be printed with the color materials and amounts specified by the user, and converts image data 10c2 into print data 10c3. When performing color conversion of the spot color plate, processor 10a performs color conversion according to the user's specifications. Specifically, the representative color is converted to use the color materials and amounts specified by the user. Colors other than the representative color are converted by increasing or decreasing the amounts of color materials specified by the user based on the gradation values ​​associated with the pixels.

[0053] For the process color plates, the processor 10a performs color conversion by referring to a color conversion model 10c1 that does not restrict the color materials that can be used, that is, a model under conditions where all color materials can be used.

[0054] Once the print data 10c3 is generated, the processor 10a transmits the print data 10c3 to the printing device 30 via the communication unit 10b. The printing device 30 receives the print data 10c3 via the communication unit 30b and executes printing based on the print data 10c3. As a result, the image represented by the image data 10c2 is printed. In this image, the representative color included in the spot color plate is color-matched to the target color, and colors other than the representative color are colors with increased or decreased density of the target color. Therefore, for example, if there is a portion of the pixel of the representative color included in the spot color plate where the process color does not overlap, the representative color is printed in a state where it is color-matched to the target color.

[0055] Furthermore, with the above configuration, the user can limit the color materials used when printing spot color plates, which prevents the user from encountering unintended situations such as noticeable color material grains when actually viewing a printed product, even though the color measurement values ​​indicate that the colors are matched.

[0056] (2) Printing control process: Next, the print control process involving color matching of target colors will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 5. Before starting the print control process, the user prepares image data 10c2 to be printed and saves it in the non-volatile memory 10c. When starting printing, the user operates the input unit 10e of the information processing device 10 to cause the processor 10a to execute the print control program.

[0057] When the print control program is started, the processor 10a of the information processing device 10 controls the display unit 10d to display a screen for inputting print settings. The screen for inputting print settings may take various forms. Here, it is assumed that the user operates the input unit 10e to set spot color plates for the options on the screen. In this case, the processor 10a displays a screen for setting spot color plates.

[0058] 6 is an example of a screen for setting spot color plates. At the top of this screen, a character string indicating that this is the spot color plate setting screen is displayed, and below that, a character string indicating the name of the print job to be set and the name of the spot color plate being set is displayed. Below these character strings, a sample S1 indicating the target color is displayed.

[0059] Below the sample S1, a box B1 is displayed which displays the amount of colorant used and accepts user specifications. Furthermore, below the box B1, a box B2 for issuing color measurement instructions, a box B3 for issuing patch printing instructions, and a box B4 for issuing image printing instructions are displayed. Note that the screen shown in FIG. 6 is an example in the middle of setting up, and some of the information shown in FIG. 6 is not displayed on the initial screen. Specifically, the sample S1 is not displayed on the initial screen, but is displayed once the target color is specified. Furthermore, the box B1 is not displayed on the initial screen.

[0060] When the screen for setting the spot color plate is displayed, the processor 10a of the information processing device 10 controls the display unit 10d using the function of the target color acquisition unit 10a1 to display a target color designation screen including a message prompting the user to designate the target color (step S100). Following the message, the user operates the input unit 10e to issue a color measurement instruction using box B2, and operates the colorimeter 20 to measure the sample color. After the color measurement is performed, the processor 20a of the colorimeter 20 acquires colorimetric data 20c1 (step S200) and stores it in the nonvolatile memory 20c.

[0061] Next, the processor 20a of the colorimeter 20 transmits the colorimetric data 20c1 to the information processing device 10 via the communication unit 20b (step S205). The processor 10a of the information processing device 10 receives the colorimetric data 20c1 via the communication unit 10b using the function of the target color acquisition unit 10a1 (step S105) and stores it in the non-volatile memory 10c. Furthermore, the processor 10a refers to the color conversion model 10c1 and converts the CIELAB values ​​indicated by the colorimetric data 20c1 into RGB gradation values ​​using the input model or display profile. The processor 10a then controls the display unit 10d (e.g., a display) to display the sample S1 using the RGB gradation values.

[0062] Next, the processor 10a of the information processing device 10 uses the function of the color material acquisition unit 10a2 to display a color material designation screen (step S110). FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the color material designation screen. The color material designation screen displays a check box corresponding to each color material available in the printing device 30. The user operates the input unit 10e to check the check box corresponding to the color material they wish to use. By checking the check box, the user can designate all or some of the color materials as the color materials to be used. For example, in FIG. 7, the cyan check box is not checked, but the check boxes for the other color materials are checked. After checking or unchecking the check boxes, the user presses the OK button located at the bottom of the color material designation screen, which causes the processor 10a to acquire the checked color materials as the color materials to be used (step S115). Note that color materials that are not checked are not acquired as the color materials to be used and are prohibited from being used when printing color patches. In other words, whether or not the check box is checked defines the constraint that the color materials to be used are used and that color materials that are not the color materials to be used are not used. As described above, in this embodiment, the color materials to be used are acquired after the colorimetric values ​​are acquired by the colorimeter 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, the target color is determined by the colorimetric values ​​before the user specifies the color materials to be used. Therefore, the user can specify the color materials to be used while recognizing the determined target color, reducing the possibility of making an error in specifying the color materials to be used.

[0063] Next, the processor 10a converts the colorimetric values ​​into the amounts of used color materials using the function of the usage output unit 10a3 (step S120). Specifically, the processor 10a uses the used color materials acquired in step S115, and imposes constraints so as not to use the used color materials, and converts the colorimetric values ​​(CIELAB values) indicated by the colorimetric data 20c1 acquired in step S105 into the amounts of used color materials.

[0064] Once the usage amount of each color material is acquired, the processor 10a displays the usage amount of the color material used using the function of the usage amount output unit 10a3 (step S125). Specifically, the processor 10a controls the display unit 10d to display a box B1 shown in FIG. 6 and display each usage amount in the box B1 as a numerical value. For each color material usable by the printing device 30, a character string indicating the color, a color sample, and the usage amount (0 to 100%) for each color material are displayed in the box B1. The usage amount of color materials not used is 0%. FIG. 6 shows an example of the usage amount of each color material displayed when cyan is excluded from the usable color materials. This is because the cyan checkbox was not checked on the color material specification screen shown in FIG. 7. From the above display, the user can know the usage amount of the color material to be used when printing the target color using the desired color material as the usable color material. In this embodiment, the percentage value indicating the usage amount of each color material is pre-associated with the gradation value. Of course, the usage amount of the color material may also be specified by the gradation value.

[0065] Next, the processor 10a receives a specification of the amount of colorant used using the function of the usage amount output unit 10a3 (step S130). That is, the user can change the usage amount of each colorant displayed in the box B1. The processor 10a receives a user operation on the input unit 10e, increases or decreases the usage amount according to the user's instruction, and displays it in the box B1.

[0066] Next, the processor 10a inversely converts the colorant usage amounts using the function of the usage amount output unit 10a3 (step S135). Specifically, the processor 10a uses the colorant usage amounts received in step S130 as input values ​​and converts the colorant usage amounts into CIELAB values ​​using a color prediction model of an output model that outputs CIELAB values. The CIELAB values ​​are the CIELAB values ​​of the print colors that will be printed when printing is performed using the colorant usage amounts received in step S130.

[0067] Next, the processor 10a, using the function of the usage amount output unit 10a3, determines whether the color difference between the print color and the target color is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (step S140). The threshold is set in advance as a value for determining whether the deviation between the print color and the target color is large. In other words, if the color difference between the print color and the target color is equal to or greater than the threshold, it is estimated that the reproducibility of the target color by the print color may be lower than the allowable range.

[0068] Therefore, if it is determined in step S140 that the color difference between the print color and the target color is equal to or greater than the threshold, the processor 10a causes the usage amount output unit 10a3 to display a warning on the display unit 10d (step S145). The form of the warning is not limited, but in this embodiment, a warning is displayed to warn that the color difference between the print color and the target color is equal to or greater than the threshold, and that printing with the currently specified usage amount may result in a color different from the target color. This configuration allows the user to determine whether the print color when printing with the currently specified usage amount is close to the target color.

[0069] The color difference between the print color and the target color can be considered as information about the reproducibility of the target color by the print color. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the user can determine whether the reproducibility of the target color by the print color has decreased.

[0070] If step S145 is performed, or if it is not determined in step S140 that the color difference between the print color and the target color is equal to or greater than the threshold, the processor 10a determines whether a patch printing instruction has been issued (step S150). That is, the processor 10a determines whether the user has operated the input unit 10e to issue a patch printing instruction using box B3.

[0071] If it is determined in step S150 that a patch printing instruction has been issued, the processor 10a outputs patch printing data (step S155). The patch is obtained by setting the usage amount of each colorant to the usage amount specified in step S130 and printing a uniform pattern of a predetermined size using the printing device 30. For this purpose, the processor 10a generates patch printing data, which is printing data 10c3 for printing a patch in the usage amount specified in step S130. The processor 10a then outputs the patch printing data to the printing device 30 via the communication unit 10b. Note that the printing data 10c3 may also be data for printing a color chart. The color chart is a chart composed of a plurality of patches, including, for example, a reference patch and patches representing its surrounding colors.

[0072] The processor 30a of the printing device 30 acquires the patch printing data via the communication unit 30b and prints the patch (step S300). The user determines whether the color of the printed patch is as intended, and if determined to be as intended, the user operates the input unit 10e and issues an instruction to print the image via box B4. When an instruction via box B4 is issued, the processor 10a determines that an instruction to print the image has been issued (step S160).

[0073] If it is determined in step S160 that an instruction to print the image has not been issued, the processor 10a repeats the processing from step S130 onward. That is, the user can repeatedly specify the amount of colorant usage so that the patch has the desired color. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S160 that an instruction to print the image has been issued, the processor 10a outputs the print data (step S165). That is, the processor 10a performs predetermined image processing, including color conversion, on the image data 10c2 to generate print data 10c3. Note that at this time, the processor 10a generates the print data 10c3 so that the representative color of the spot color plate is printed using the colorant usage and usage amount specified by the user. Furthermore, for colors other than the representative color, the processor 10a increases or decreases the usage amount of the colorant usage of the representative color based on the gradation value of each pixel, and generates the print data 10c3 so that the colors are printed using the usage amount. The processor 10a then outputs the print data 10c3 to the printing device 30 via the communication unit 10b.

[0074] The processor 30a of the printing device 30 receives the print data 10c3 via the communication unit 30b and prints the image indicated by the image data 10c2 (step S305). As a result, the image is printed in a state where the target color is printed using the color materials desired by the user.

[0075] (3) Other embodiments: The above embodiment is one example for implementing the present invention, and various other embodiments are also possible. For example, the information processing device 10 and other devices (at least one of the colorimeter 20 and the printing device 30) may be integrated. Furthermore, the connection between the devices is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and communication between any devices may be performed via any network. Furthermore, at least some of the functions of each device may be distributed among multiple devices; for example, at least some of the functions of the information processing device 10 may be realized by a cloud server. Furthermore, at least some of the functions of the information processing device 10 may be realized by other devices, and configured as an information processing system.

[0076] The target color acquisition unit only needs to acquire the target color, which is the color to be matched. In other words, the target color acquisition unit only needs to acquire information indicating the color to be reproduced by the printing device. The target color may be acquired in various ways and is not limited to the above-described configuration in which the target color is displayed on a screen. For example, a sample color may be measured using a colorimeter to acquire the color measurement value, but the color measurement value may not be displayed on the screen. Alternatively, the target color may be acquired using a character string or numerical value indicating a sample color prepared in advance by various companies.

[0077] The target color may be one or more colors. Furthermore, the target color may be a color that can be distributed throughout the image in a specific plate (layer) as described above, or the color of a specific pixel within the image. Color matching is the process of minimizing the color difference between the target color and the color printed by the printing device, and the target color corresponds to the standard against which color matching is performed.

[0078] The manner in which the target color is acquired is not limited to the manner described above. For example, the color of a pixel of a specific gradation value included in a process color plate may be acquired as the target color. This can be realized by the above-described arrangement in which any pixel in the process color plate can be designated as the pixel of the target color, or the gradation value of any pixel included in the process color plate can be designated as the target color.

[0079] In either case, the target color acquisition unit identifies the target color based on the user's specification. In this case, all pixels of the target color that are included in the process color plates are color converted so that they are printed with the color materials used.

[0080] The flowchart of the print control process shown in FIG. 5 can also be modified as needed. For example, the steps of displaying the color material specification screen using the function of the color material acquisition unit 10a2 (step S110) and the processor 10a acquiring the checked color materials as the color materials to be used (step S115) can be omitted. However, if these steps are omitted, multiple patterns of box B1 shown in FIG. 6 can be displayed instead. That is, instead of accepting the specification of the color materials to be used, for example, box B11, which limits the amount of cyan used to 0% and the amount of green used to 35%, or box B12, which limits the amount of cyan used to 35% and the amount of green used to 0%, can be displayed. Multiple patterns of box B1, each with a different combination of color materials to be used, can be displayed, allowing the user to select the appropriate box B1 from, for example, box B11 or box B12.

[0081] The color material acquisition unit may acquire all or some of the color materials used to print the target color from among the multiple color materials usable by the printing device. In other words, it may be possible to impose a restriction that certain color materials not be used among the multiple color materials usable by the printing device. Color materials usable by the printing device may be distinguished by their color (hue). However, if inks of the same color family but with different shades can be distinguished and used, they may be distinguished as different color materials. Furthermore, if the color materials are stored in cartridges, color materials stored in different cartridges may be distinguished as different color materials. The color material may be any material that colors the print medium using the printing device, and is not limited to ink, but may also be toner, etc.

[0082] The manner in which the user specifies the color materials to be used is not limited to the manner in which the color material specification screen shown in Fig. 7 is used. For example, in box B1 shown in Fig. 6, a value greater than 0% may be input for the color materials to be used, and 0% may be input for color materials that are not used.

[0083] The usage amount output unit is only required to be able to output the usage amount of each colorant used to print the target color using the colorants used in the printing device. In other words, it is only required to be able to output the usage amount of the colorants used when printing the target color using the colorants used and without using colorants that are not used. The usage amount output may be in various forms. Therefore, it is not limited to a configuration in which the usage amount of each colorant used is displayed on the display unit, and may also be a configuration in which the usage amount of each colorant used is output to the printing device. With this configuration, the user can visually confirm the print color when printing is performed using a specific usage amount of the colorants used.

[0084] The amount of color material used may be output in various ways. For example, it may be a gradation value that represents the amount of each color material used as a numerical value between a minimum value and a maximum value. Of course, it may also be expressed using a slide bar or the like.

[0085] Furthermore, the manner of warning in steps S140 and S145 is not limited to the manner described above. That is, the configuration for displaying information about the reproducibility of the target color by the print color is not limited to a configuration that issues a warning when the color difference is equal to or greater than a threshold. For example, a value indicating the color difference may be displayed on the display unit 10d.

[0086] Furthermore, the information regarding reproducibility may be information other than color difference. For example, information indicating the relationship between the color gamut, which indicates the range of colors printable by the printing device 30, and the target color may be displayed as information regarding reproducibility. In other words, if the target color is out of the color gamut, the printing device 30 cannot reproduce the target color. In particular, if the color materials used are limited, the color gamut becomes narrower than when the color materials used are not limited. Therefore, a configuration may be adopted in which the color gamut is compared when the color materials used are used but color materials that are not used are not used, and the target color is used with the color materials specified by the user, and a warning is issued if the color is out of the color gamut.

[0087] This configuration can be implemented, for example, in the above configuration, in which the color gamut for each combination of colorants is predefined and saved, and the processor 10a compares the target color with the color gamut that would result from using the colorants specified by the user to determine whether the target color is outside the color gamut. Information indicating the color gamut can be generated using various methods. For example, a configuration can be adopted in which a data set containing multiple CIELAB values ​​within the color gamut and a data set containing multiple CIELAB values ​​on the boundary of the color gamut are predefined. The processor 10a can then identify the boundary of the color gamut based on these data sets and determine whether the target color is outside the boundary of the color gamut. This configuration can prevent wasteful operations, such as the user having to adjust the amount of colorants used when the target color cannot be reproduced with the colorants used.

[0088] Furthermore, the above-mentioned systems, programs, and methods may be realized as a single device or may be realized using components of multiple devices, and include various embodiments. They may also be modified as appropriate, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the invention may also be realized as a recording medium for a program that controls a device or system. Of course, the recording medium for the program may be a magnetic recording medium or a semiconductor memory, and any recording medium developed in the future may be considered in the same way. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10...information processing device, 10a...processor, 10a1...target color acquisition unit, 10a2...colorant acquisition unit, 10a3...usage amount output unit, 10b...communication unit, 10c...non-volatile memory, 10c1...color conversion model, 10c2...image data, 10c3...printing data, 10d...display unit, 10e...input unit, 20...colorimeter, 20a...processor, 20b...communication unit, 20c...non-volatile memory, 20c1...colorimetric data, 20d...sensor, 20e...UI unit, 30...printing device, 30a...processor, 30b...communication unit, 30c...non-volatile memory, 30d...printing unit, 30e...UI unit

Claims

1. a target color acquisition unit that acquires a target color that is a color that is a target of color matching; a color material acquisition unit that acquires, from among a plurality of color materials usable by the printing device, all or a portion of the color materials to be used for printing the target color; a usage amount output unit that outputs a usage amount of each of the color materials used to print the target color using the color materials used in the printing device; An information processing device comprising:

2. The usage amount output unit outputting the usage amount of each colorant to a display unit; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The usage amount output unit outputting, to a display unit, information regarding the reproducibility of the target color by the print color, which is the color printed by the printing device using the amount of each of the color materials used; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. The information about the reproducibility is information indicating the color difference between the print color and the target color; The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. The information about the reproducibility is information indicating the relationship between a color gamut, which indicates the range of colors that can be printed by the printing device, and the target color; The information processing device according to claim 3 .

6. The target color is specified by a color measurement value obtained by measuring a color sample with a colorimeter. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. The color material acquisition unit acquiring the color materials to be used after the colorimetric values ​​are acquired by the target color acquisition unit; The information processing device according to claim 6 .

8. the usage amount output unit inputs the target color and acquires the usage amount of each of the color materials used by a color conversion model that has been machine-learned to output the usage amount of each of the color materials used; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

9. The color material acquisition unit acquiring the color materials to be used based on a user's input on a color material designation screen for designating the color materials to be used; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

10. Computer, a target color acquisition unit that acquires a target color that is a color to be matched; a color material acquisition unit that acquires, from among a plurality of color materials usable in the printing device, all or some of the color materials to be used in printing the target color; a usage amount output unit that outputs a usage amount of each of the color materials used to print the target color using the color materials used in the printing device; An information processing program that functions as a

Images