Image forming system

Abstract

To provide an image forming system capable of automatically manufacturing a printed matter with laminating without causing a high product cost.SOLUTION: An image forming system 1 includes: a conveyance section 17; an image forming section 13; a laminating section 26 that performs laminating on a paper sheet P; a colorimetric section 30 that is disposed on a conveyance direction downstream side of the laminating section 26 and executes colorimetry of an image formed on the paper sheet P; and a control section 11. The control section 11 forms the same test image on the same paper sheet P or different paper sheets P as a first image and a second image in advance when executing a printing job in which laminating is performed, performs laminating on only one of the first image or the second image, and prepares a color correction profile applied to input image data to be printed on the basis of colorimetric data of each of the first image and the second image obtained at the time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to imaging systems. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to improve the weather resistance of the image, printed matter may be subjected to lamination processing, in which the surface of the printed matter is covered with a laminate film (hereinafter referred to as film).

[0003] In laminated printed materials, the appearance of the laminated printed material may differ from the input image due to the influence of the film. For example, the laminated printed material may appear to have a stronger blue color than the input image. Therefore, there is a strong demand for precise reproduction of the colors of the input image in laminated printed materials.

[0004] Against this background, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a method of printing a color chart of multiple patches on a printing medium as a test print, and measuring the spectral reflectance of the color chart before and after lamination. Patent Document 1 also describes a method of creating a color correction profile to be applied to input image data during lamination by comparing these results. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-002372 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in actual workplaces where printed materials are produced, the image forming device, laminating device, and color measurement device are often installed separately. Therefore, when these devices are used across the board, as in the prior art of Patent Document 1, a heavy workload is placed on the worker.

[0007] Specifically, when applying the conventional technology of Patent Document 1 to an actual site, an operator first creates a printed material without lamination using an image forming device, and then manually measures the color of the unlaminated printed material using a color measurement device. The operator then laminates the printed material using a lamination device, and then manually measures the color of the laminated printed material again using the color measurement device. The operator then imports the resulting color measurement data of the unlaminated printed image and the color measurement data of the laminated printed image into a computer, for example, and compares them to create a color correction profile.

[0008] In view of these circumstances, there is a need for the development of an image forming system that can automatically produce printed matter with good color reproducibility of the input image, even when laminating.

[0009] However, simply attempting to automate this process would require installing a colorimetric device upstream of the laminating device to measure the color of the unlaminated printed image, and another colorimetric device downstream of the laminating device to measure the color of the laminated printed image. This type of image forming system would require two colorimetric devices, which would increase the size of the device and lead to higher product costs.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system that can automatically produce printed matter with lamination processing without incurring high product costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The main invention that solves the above-mentioned problems is: a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium along a conveying path; an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording medium; a laminating unit disposed downstream of the image forming unit in a conveying direction and configured to laminate the recording medium; a color measurement unit disposed downstream of the laminating unit in a conveying direction, the color measurement unit performing color measurement of an image formed on the recording medium; a control unit that controls operations of the image forming unit, the laminating unit, and the colorimetric unit; Equipped with When a print job that requires lamination is executed, the control unit In advance, identical test images are formed as a first image and a second image on the same or different recording media, and only one of the first image and the second image is laminated. Based on the colorimetric data of the first image and the second image obtained at that time, a color correction profile to be applied to the input image data to be printed is created. An image forming system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the image forming system of the present invention, it is possible to automatically produce printed matter with lamination processing without incurring an increase in product costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control system of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a printing process in an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a series of printing processes in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a test image formed on paper and a lamination process during test printing. [Figure 6] 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating a method for creating a color correction profile and a method for applying the same. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a test image formed on a sheet during test printing and a lamination process in an image forming system according to a first modification; [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of processing before starting actual printing in an image forming system according to Modification 2. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of color adjustment processing during printing in an image forming system according to Modification 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0015] <Overall configuration of image forming system> First, the overall configuration of an image forming system according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "image forming system 1") will be described.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming system 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the image forming system 1.

[0017] The image forming system 1 includes an image forming device 10, a laminating device 20 that laminates the paper P after the image has been formed, and a color measurement device 30 that measures the color of the printed image on the paper P after the lamination.

[0018] In the image forming system 1, the image forming device 10, laminating device 20, and color measurement device 30 are connected to each other and integrated via a conveying section 17. In the image forming system 1, all processes from printing to laminating and color measurement can be automatically completed in-line.

[0019] Here, paper P is used as the recording medium on which an image is formed in the image forming system 1. However, as the recording medium, in addition to paper such as plain paper or coated paper, various media such as fabric or sheet-like resin, on whose surface the ink that has landed can be fixed, can be used.

[0020] The image forming apparatus 10 includes a control unit 11, an image reading unit 12, an image forming unit 13, a storage unit 14, an operation panel 15, a communication unit 16, and a conveying unit 17.

[0021] The control unit 11 comprehensively controls the operations of the image forming apparatus 10, the laminating device 20, and the colorimetric device 30. The control unit 11 is configured with, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), and ROM (Read Only Memory). In response to an operation signal input from the operation unit 152 or an instruction signal received by the communication unit 16, the CPU reads out various processing programs stored in the ROM, expands them in the RAM, and executes various processes.

[0022] The control unit 11 controls the operation of the image forming device 10 based on, for example, input image data to form an image on paper P. The control unit 11 also determines lamination conditions in the lamination device 20 based on image formation conditions in the image forming unit 13, and controls the operation of the lamination device 20. The control unit 11 also controls the operation of the color measurement device 30 to measure the color of the print image formed on paper P, for example.

[0023] Furthermore, when executing a print job that involves lamination, the control unit 11 executes test printing in advance to create a color correction profile to be applied to the input image data to be printed (described later with reference to FIG. 3).

[0024] The image reading unit 12 scans and exposes an image of a document placed on a document tray or an automatic document feeder (ADF) (not shown) using the optical system of a scanning exposure device, and reads the reflected light using a line image sensor, thereby obtaining an image signal. This image signal undergoes A / D conversion, shading correction, compression, and other processes before being input to the control unit 11 as image data. Note that the input image data input to the control unit 11 is not limited to that read by the image reading unit 12, but may also be, for example, data included in a print job received from an external device (not shown) via the communication unit 16.

[0025] The conveying unit 17 includes a paper feed unit, a paper discharge unit, a conveying path unit, etc. The three paper feed trays T1 that make up the paper feed unit accommodate paper P identified based on basis weight, size, etc., according to preset types.

[0026] The transport path section has multiple pairs of transport rollers arranged along the transport path, and transports the paper P stored in the paper feed tray T1 to the image forming device 10, the laminating device 20, and the color measurement device 30 in that order.

[0027] Specifically, the sheets of paper P stored in the paper feed tray T1 are fed one by one from the top and transported to the image forming unit 13 via a transport path. At this time, a pair of registration rollers arranged in the transport path corrects the skew of the fed sheets of paper P and adjusts the transport timing. Then, in the image forming unit 13, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 132 is secondary-transferred all at once onto one side of the sheet of paper P, and a fixing process is performed in the fixing unit 134. The sheet of paper P that has been fixed in the fixing unit 134 is sent from the image forming device 10 to the laminating device 20, where it is laminated. The laminated sheet of paper P is then sent from the laminating device 20 to the color measurement device 30, where the color of the image formed on the sheet of paper P is measured. The sheet of paper P that has had its image measured by the color measurement device 30 is then discharged outside the apparatus via a paper discharge unit.

[0028] Based on input image data, the image forming unit 13 outputs four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), overlapping each color at a predetermined number of gradations onto the paper P, thereby recording a color image on the paper P. In the following, the ink colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) will be abbreviated as Y, M, C, and K.

[0029] The image forming unit 13 is configured to include four writing units 131, an intermediate transfer belt 132, a secondary transfer roller 133, and a fixing unit 134. The four writing units 131 are arranged in series (tandem) along the belt surface of the intermediate transfer belt 132, and form images of the colors C, M, Y, and K. Each writing unit 131 has the same configuration except for the color of the image it forms, and is configured to include an optical scanning unit 131a, a photosensitive member 131b, a developing unit 131c, a charging unit 131d, a cleaning unit 131e, and a primary transfer roller 131f.

[0030] During image formation, in each writing unit 131, the photoconductor 131b is charged by the charging unit 131d, and then a light beam emitted by the optical scanning unit 131a is scanned over the photoconductor 131b based on the original image to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing unit 131c supplies coloring material such as toner and develops the image, forming an image on the photoconductor 131b. The images formed on the photoconductors 131b of the four writing units 131 are transferred (primary transfer) onto the intermediate transfer belt 132 in a sequential, overlapping manner by the respective primary transfer rollers 131f. As a result, an image consisting of each color is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 132. The intermediate transfer belt 132 is an image carrier that rotates while being wound around multiple rollers. After the primary transfer, the cleaning unit 131e removes any coloring material remaining on the photoconductor 131b.

[0031] In the image forming unit 13, a sheet of paper P, which is a recording medium, is fed from a paper feed tray T1 in time with the image on the rotating intermediate transfer belt 132 reaching the position of the secondary transfer roller 133. In this embodiment, the sheet of paper P is a sheet of paper. The secondary transfer roller 133 is one of a pair of rollers, one of which presses against the intermediate transfer belt 132 and the other of which winds around the intermediate transfer belt 132. When the image is transferred (secondary transfer) from the intermediate transfer belt 132 onto the sheet of paper P by the pressure of the secondary transfer roller 133, the sheet of paper P is transported to a fixing unit 134 where it is fixed, and then transported to the laminating device 20. The fixing process involves applying heat and pressure to the sheet of paper P with the fixing roller 134a to fix the image to the sheet of paper P. When images are to be formed on both sides of the sheet of paper P, the sheet of paper P is transported to an inversion path 135 to invert the sheet of paper P, and then the sheet of paper P is again fed to the position of the secondary transfer roller 133.

[0032] The storage unit 14 is a non-volatile storage means configured by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like, and stores various programs, various setting data, and the like in a manner that allows the control unit 11 to read and write the data.

[0033] The storage unit 14 holds table data that associates and stores the type of paper P (e.g., basis weight and paper type) so that fixing conditions of the fixing unit 134 to be applied to the printed paper P can be determined based on the type of paper P. The storage unit 14 also holds table data that associates and stores the type of film F and the type of paper P (e.g., basis weight and paper type) so that lamination processing conditions to be applied can be determined based on the type of film F and the type of paper P (e.g., basis weight and paper type).

[0034] The storage unit 14 also stores, for example, data of test images (here, color patch images) used for test printing for creating a color correction profile, which will be described later.

[0035] The operation panel 15 is configured to include a display unit 151 that displays various information to the user, and an operation unit 152 that accepts operation inputs from the user.

[0036] The display unit 151 is configured with a color liquid crystal display or the like, and displays operation screens and the like (various setting screens, various buttons, operation status of each function, etc.) according to a display control signal input from the control unit 11.

[0037] The operation unit 152 is configured to include a touch panel provided on the screen of the display unit 151 and various hard keys arranged around the screen of the display unit 151. When a button displayed on the screen is pressed with a finger, a touch pen, or the like, the operation unit 152 detects the X and Y coordinates of the pressed point of force as a voltage value and outputs an operation signal associated with the detected position to the control unit 11. Note that the touch panel is not limited to a pressure-sensitive type and may be, for example, an electrostatic type or an optical type. Furthermore, when a hard key is pressed, the operation unit 152 outputs an operation signal associated with the pressed key to the control unit 11. The user can operate the operation unit 152 to make settings related to image formation, such as image quality settings, magnification settings, application settings, output settings, and paper settings, to issue paper transport instructions, and to stop the device.

[0038] The communication unit 16 is an interface that connects the image forming apparatus 10 to a communication network. The communication unit 16 has a communication IC (Integrated Circuit) and a communication connector, and transmits and receives various information to and from external devices connected to the communication network using a predetermined communication protocol. The communication unit 16 can also input and output various information via a USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0039] The paper physical property detection unit 18 is disposed on the transport path and detects the physical properties of the paper P to be used. If the paper to be used has different physical property values, for example, different moisture contents, the printed image may have different colors depending on how the transfer output is applied during printing. For this reason, the paper physical property detection unit 18 is capable of detecting the physical properties of the paper to be used. The paper physical property detection unit 18 sends the detected paper physical property information to the control unit 11.

[0040] The paper properties to be detected by the paper property detection unit 18 include, for example, the moisture content, which indicates the moisture contained in the paper P, the surface properties, which indicate the roughness of the surface of the paper P, and the paper resistance value, which indicates the resistance of the paper P.

[0041] The ambient environment detection unit 19 detects the temperature and / or humidity of the ambient atmosphere around the image forming system 1. During printing, the manner in which ink adheres to the paper P changes slightly depending on the temperature and humidity of the ambient atmosphere, so the ambient environment detection unit 19 is provided to detect such environmental changes. The ambient environment detection unit 19 sends the detected environmental information to the control unit 11.

[0042] The laminating device 20 is configured to include, for example, a mounting section 25, a laminating section 26, and a cutting section 27.

[0043] The mounting section 25 is configured so that a film roll 261 of the film F can be mounted thereon.

[0044] The laminating unit 26 performs laminating processing by continuously attaching a film F to the side of the paper P on which an image has been formed by the image forming device 10. The laminating unit 26 is configured to include a film roll 261, a film transport path 262, a laminating unit 263, a heating roller 264, and a pressure roller 265.

[0045] The film roll 261 is, for example, a roll of two-layer film F. The film F is made up of a transparent resin film layer and an adhesive layer. The film transport path 262 transports the film F from the film roll 261 to the nip portion N1 of the bonding section 263.

[0046] The bonding unit 263 includes two rollers, and the paper sheet P and the film F are sandwiched at a nip N1 formed by the two rollers, so that the adhesive layer of the film F adheres to the surface of the paper sheet P. In this way, the paper sheet P and the film F are bonded together.

[0047] Heating roller 264 has a built-in heating means such as a halogen heater. Pressurizing roller 265 is pressed upward by a spring or other biasing member (not shown) to press it against heating roller 264, forming nip N2 where heating roller 264 and pressure roller 265 are in surface contact. At nip N2, heating roller 264 and pressure roller 265 melt the adhesive layer of film F, and the melted adhesive layer adheres to the surface of paper P, bonding it by thermocompression.

[0048] The cutting section 27 cuts only the film F to separate the unnecessary film F from the paper P.

[0049] The laminating device 20 operates based on control signals from the control unit 11. The control unit 11 controls the temperature of the heating roller 264, the pressure of the pressure roller 265, the processing speed in the laminating process, and the like, based on, for example, the type of film F and the type of paper P.

[0050] The color measurement device 30 measures the color of the image formed on the paper P, for example, using a filter method. The color measurement device 30 includes, for example, a light-emitting element that emits light, a plurality of filters (for example, filters for each of the RGB colors) with different spectral transmittance characteristics, and a light-receiving element that receives the light reflected through the filters. Note that the color measurement device 30 may be one that measures color using a spectrophotometric method instead of a filter method.

[0051] For example, during test printing, the colorimetric device 30 measures the color of a test image formed on paper P. At this time, the colorimetric device 30 measures the color of each pixel area of ​​the test image, and outputs the resulting colorimetric data to the control unit 11.

[0052] The colorimetric data obtained by the colorimetric device 30 is expressed, for example, in an RGB color space, with color information for each pixel region expressed as stimulus values ​​for each RGB color (e.g., 256 levels). The spot size (i.e., resolution) of the pixel region measured by the colorimetric device 30 is, for example, the area of ​​one pixel or a partitioned area formed by multiple pixels (e.g., 2x2). Hereinafter, the stimulus values ​​(x, y, z) expressed in the RGB color space for each pixel region will also be referred to as "pixel values."

[0053] In addition, instead of outputting color information for each pixel area as pixel values ​​in the RGB color space, the color measuring device 30 may output color information for each pixel area as pixel values ​​in the Lab color space or other color spaces.

[0054] <Operation of the image forming system> Next, a description will be given of the operation of the image forming system 1 in this embodiment. Here, the operation of the image forming system 1 when a print job involving lamination is executed will be described.

[0055] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a printing process in the image forming system 1. The process of each step in the flowchart of FIG.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a series of printing processes in FIG.

[0057] In the image forming system 1 according to this embodiment, when laminating paper P, test printing is performed before actual printing. In this test printing, the image forming device 10 forms the same test image as a first image and a second image on the same or different paper P, and the laminating device 20 laminates only one of the first image or the second image. Then, the colorimetric device 30 measures the colors of the first image and the second image on the paper P, and the control unit 11 creates a color correction profile to be applied to the input image data to be printed with lamination post-processing based on this colorimetric data.

[0058] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a form of a test image formed on a paper sheet P and a form of lamination processing during test printing.

[0059] In this embodiment, a color patch image including image areas of each color of YMCK is used as the test image. In the test printing, color patch images are formed separately in a first area (here, the area upstream in the transport direction) R1 and a second area (here, the area downstream in the transport direction) R2 on the same surface of one sheet of paper P. The first area R1 is not laminated, and the second area R2 is laminated after the color patch image is formed.

[0060] The test image used in the test printing may be an input image of the printing target to be used in the actual printing instead of the color patch image shown in Fig. 5. In this case, it is possible to check color changes caused by the film F for a wider variety of colors, making it possible to create a more accurate color correction profile.

[0061] The specific processing procedure is as shown in FIG.

[0062] In step S1, the control unit 11 first obtains image data of a test image from the storage unit .

[0063] In step S2, the control unit 11 causes the image forming apparatus 10 to form a test image in a first region R1 of the paper P (here, the upstream region in the transport direction).

[0064] In step S3, the control unit 11 uses the image forming apparatus 10 to form the same test image as in step S2 in a second region R2 of the paper P (here, the downstream region in the transport direction).

[0065] In step S4, the control unit 11 causes the laminating device 20 to selectively perform lamination on only the second region R2 of the paper sheet P.

[0066] In step S5, the control unit 11 performs colorimetry of the test image of the first region R1 using the colorimetry device 30. Here, the control unit 11 performs colorimetry of all patches (YMCK) of the test image of the first region R1 using the colorimetry device 30. As a result, the control unit 11 obtains colorimetry data of color information of each color of YMCK in the test image of the first region R1 as pixel values ​​in the RGB color space. Then, the control unit 11 stores the colorimetry data in the storage unit 14.

[0067] In step S6, the control unit 11 performs colorimetry of the test image in the second region R2 using the colorimetry device 30. Here, the control unit 11 performs colorimetry of all patches (YMCK) of the test image in the second region R2 using the colorimetry device 30. As a result, the control unit 11 obtains colorimetry data of color information for each color of YMCK in the test image in the second region R2 as pixel values ​​in the RGB color space. Then, the control unit 11 stores the colorimetry data in the storage unit 14.

[0068] In step S7, the control unit 11 creates a color correction profile based on the colorimetric data of the test image in the first region R1 and the colorimetric data of the test image in the second region R2.

[0069] In step S8, the control unit 11 corrects the input image data to be printed in the actual printing, using the color correction profile created in step S7.

[0070] In step S9, the control unit 11 performs actual printing using the corrected input image data created in step S8.

[0071] 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining a method for creating a color correction profile in step S7 of FIG. 3 (FIG. 6A) and a method for applying the color correction profile in step S8 (FIG. 6B).

[0072] FIG. 6 shows a state in which tristimulus values ​​(x, y, z) expressed in RGB color space are obtained as colorimetric data for each of the YMCK colors contained in the test image.

[0073] The color correction profile defines how the pixel values ​​of the printed image on the paper P change when viewed from the outside due to the film F being superimposed on the printed image on the paper P compared to when the film F is not present. The film F generally functions as a color temperature conversion filter or a color correction filter. Figure 6A shows how the film F changes the printed image to a bluish color.

[0074] Therefore, the color conversion equation for converting the pixel values ​​T1 (x1, y1, z1) of the unlaminated printed image to the pixel values ​​T2 (x2, y2, z2) of the laminated printed image is expressed using a color correction profile, for example, as the following equation (1): Note that equation (1) assumes that the characteristics of film F are such that the pixel values ​​of the unlaminated printed image linearly change with the pixel values ​​of the laminated printed image.

[0075] T2(x2, y2, z2)=M T1(x1, y1, z1)...Equation (1) (Here, M represents the color correction profile of film F. M is a vector representing the amount of correction for each RGB value of the input image.)

[0076] In step S7 above, the control unit 11 calculates the color correction profile M in equation (1), for example, using the colorimetric data of the laminated test image and the colorimetric data of the non-laminated test image. Then, in step 8, the control unit 11 inputs the pixel values ​​of each pixel area of ​​the input image data to be printed in the actual printing into the derived color conversion equation (1), and corrects the input image data.

[0077] The method for creating the color correction profile can be changed in various ways. For example, the control unit 11 may calculate the color correction profile using machine learning based on the colorimetric data of the test image with and without lamination. Known methods such as decision trees, random forests, clustering, support vector machines, and neural networks can be used as machine learning.

[0078] In the above description, the non-laminating printed image is an image formed on paper P without any color adjustments being made to the input image data. However, in general, in this type of image forming system, the input image data may be subjected to color adjustments for device-specific color adjustments using a look-up table (LUT) called a device link profile before printing. In this case, the control unit 11 may perform color conversion on the input image data using the device link profile and then perform color correction using a color correction profile during actual printing.

[0079] <Effects> As described above, the image forming system 1 according to this embodiment: a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium along a conveying path; an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording medium; a laminating unit disposed downstream of the image forming unit in a conveying direction and configured to laminate the recording medium; a color measurement unit disposed downstream of the laminating unit in a conveying direction, the color measurement unit performing color measurement of an image formed on the recording medium; a control unit that controls operations of the image forming unit, the laminating unit, and the colorimetric unit; Equipped with When a print job that requires lamination is executed, the control unit In advance, identical test images are formed as a first image and a second image, respectively, on the same or different recording media, and only one of the first image or the second image is laminated.Based on the colorimetric data of the first image and the second image obtained at this time, a color correction profile to be applied to the input image data to be printed is created.

[0080] Therefore, according to the image forming system 1 of this embodiment, when a print job that requires lamination is executed in an in-line automatic process, It is possible to create a color correction profile to be applied to input image data to be printed. Then, actual printing can be performed based on the input image data corrected using the color correction profile. This allows the colors of the input image to be reproduced precisely even on printed images with a laminated finish, without requiring any user intervention.

[0081] Furthermore, in the image forming system 1 according to this embodiment, this function can be realized simply by disposing one color measurement device 30 downstream in the conveying direction of the laminating device 20. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in the size of the device and an increase in product costs.

[0082] <Variation 1> In the image forming system 1 according to the above embodiment, during test printing, a test image without lamination and a test image with lamination are formed on the same paper P. In this regard, when implementing the image forming system 1 according to the present disclosure, the test image without lamination and the test image with lamination may be formed on separate paper P.

[0083] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing modified examples of the form of a test image on a sheet of paper P and the form of lamination during test printing.

[0084] In the image forming system 1 according to this modification, a test image is formed on a first sheet P1, and then a test image is formed on a second sheet P2 different from the first sheet P1. Then, lamination is performed only on the second sheet P2.

[0085] In this modified example, the process itself executed by the control unit 11 is the same as the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. That is, the process executed by the control unit 11 according to this modified example differs from the process executed by the control unit 11 according to the above embodiment only in that the area where the test image is formed and the target to be laminated are different in steps S2 to S4.

[0086] However, in this modified example, it is preferable to perform test printing using the same type of paper P for the first paper P1 and the second paper P2. Here, the same type of paper P means paper P with the same material (plain paper, coated paper, glossy paper, etc.), basis weight, brand, etc.

[0087] If the physical properties of the paper used are different, for example if the moisture content is different, the printed image may have different colors depending on how the transfer output is applied during printing. Therefore, when using paper with different physical properties for the first paper P1 and the second paper P2, it is preferable that the control unit 11 detects the paper physical properties of each of the first paper P1 and the second paper P2 using the paper physical property detection unit 18.

[0088] In this case, it is preferable that the control unit 11 performs printing under process conditions that correspond to the physical properties of both sheets of paper so that the test image formed on the first sheet P1 and the test image formed on the second sheet P2 are printed images that are equivalent in terms of color reproducibility of the input image.

[0089] As described above, in the image forming system 1 according to this modified example, when a print job that involves lamination is executed in an inline automatic process, it is possible to create a color correction profile to be applied to the input image data to be printed.

[0090] However, in the image forming system 1 according to this modification, two sheets of paper P are required for test printing, whereas in the image forming system 1 according to the above embodiment, only one sheet of paper P is required for test printing. Accordingly, the time required for test printing can be shortened in the image forming system 1 according to the above embodiment.

[0091] Therefore, the image forming system 1 according to the above embodiment is preferable in terms of cost and printing time. On the other hand, when the laminating device 20 can only laminate one sheet at a time, the image forming system 1 according to this modification is preferable.

[0092] <Variation 2> In the image forming system 1 according to the above embodiment, a test print is performed for each print job that involves lamination, and a color correction profile is created. In this regard, when implementing the image forming system 1 according to the present disclosure, a color correction profile that was created in the past may be reused.

[0093] Specifically, if the combination of paper P and film F used in the current print job is the same as the combination of paper P and film F used when a color correction profile was created in the past, the same color correction profile can basically be used.

[0094] To realize the function according to this modified example, for example, each time the control unit 11 associates the data of the color correction profile created in a print job with the combination of the type of paper P and the type of film F used at that time, and registers it in the storage unit 14. This allows the control unit 11 to read out an appropriate color correction profile from the multiple color correction profiles registered in the storage unit 14, based on the combination of the type of paper P and the type of film F used in the new print job to be executed this time.

[0095] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of processing before the start of actual printing in the image forming system 1 according to the second modification.

[0096] In step S11, when a print job is executed, the control unit 11 checks whether or not lamination is specified in the print job. If lamination is specified, the control unit 11 acquires type information of the paper P and type information of the film F to be used in the lamination process. At this time, the control unit 11 acquires the type information of the paper P and type information of the film F to be used in the current print job from, for example, the lamination specification information set in the print job.

[0097] In step S12, the control unit 11 checks whether or not a color correction profile corresponding to the combination of the type of paper P and the type of film F acquired in step S11 exists in the group of registered color correction profiles in the memory unit 14. If the color correction profile exists (S12: YES), the control unit 11 proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, if the color correction profile does not exist (S12: NO), the control unit 11 proceeds to step S14.

[0098] In step S13, the control unit 11 reads out from the storage unit 14 a color correction profile corresponding to the combination of the type of paper P and the type of film F used in the current print job. Then, the control unit 11 performs color correction on the input image data using the registered color correction profile.

[0099] In step S14, the control unit 11 performs a color correction profile creation process, which is the same as the processes in steps S1 to S7 of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0100] In step S15, the control unit 11 performs color correction on the input image data using the color correction profile newly created in step S14.

[0101] In step S16, the control unit 11 executes a print job with lamination (that is, actual printing) using the input image data that has been subjected to the correction process in step S13 or step S15.

[0102] Through the above series of processes, it is possible to perform a print job in which the input image data is color corrected using a color correction profile created in the past, and then laminating the paper P.

[0103] The image forming system 1 according to this modification allows for the reuse of previously used color correction profiles, eliminating the need for unnecessary test printing. This is advantageous in terms of cost and printing time.

[0104] However, in order to realize the function according to this modified example, it is important that the combination of paper P and film F used in the current print job is the same as the combination of paper P and film F used when the color correction profile was previously created. If this combination is different, appropriate color correction cannot be performed when correcting the color of input image data using the color correction profile.

[0105] Therefore, if the type of film F to be used is changed during a print job, it is preferable that the control unit 11 executes the process of creating a color correction profile again. Similarly, if the type of paper P to be used is changed during a print job, it is preferable that the control unit 11 executes the process of creating a color correction profile again.

[0106] At this time, it is preferable that the control unit 11 determines whether the paper type has been changed from the paper P used when the color correction profile was created, based on the detection results from the paper physical property detection unit 18. This reduces the user's work of inputting paper type information when recreating a color correction profile to be applied to an input image. This also makes it possible to store more accurate paper P type information in association with the color correction profile to be registered.

[0107] <Variation 3> In the image forming system 1 according to the above embodiment, the temperature and humidity of the ambient atmosphere around the image forming system 1 are not taken into consideration during printing. However, when implementing the image forming system 1 according to the present disclosure, it is preferable to take into consideration changes in the temperature and humidity of the ambient atmosphere around the image forming system 1.

[0108] This is because, during printing, the manner in which ink adheres to paper P changes slightly depending on the temperature and humidity of the surrounding atmosphere. As a result, even if the input image data is color corrected using a color correction profile, differences in the temperature and humidity of the surrounding atmosphere may cause a deterioration in the color reproducibility of the input image in the laminated image.

[0109] From this perspective, in the image forming system 1 according to this modified example, the ambient environment detection unit 19 detects the temperature and humidity of the ambient atmosphere, and if the temperature and humidity of the ambient atmosphere are significantly different from the temperature and humidity when the color correction profile currently in use was created, the color correction profile is created again.

[0110] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of color adjustment processing during printing in the image forming system 1 according to this modified example.

[0111] In step S21, the control unit 11 acquires information about the current environment around the image forming system 1 from the surrounding environment detection unit 19.

[0112] In step S22, the control unit 11 determines whether the current temperature change ΔT relative to the temperature of the ambient environment when the currently used color correction profile was created is greater than a first threshold. Then, the control unit 11 determines whether the current humidity change ΔM relative to the humidity of the ambient environment when the currently used color correction profile was created is greater than a second threshold. If either of the conditions is met (S22: YES), the control unit 11 proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if neither of the conditions is met (S22: NO), the control unit 11 ends the processing of this flowchart without performing any particular processing.

[0113] In step S23, the control unit 11 temporarily suspends printing.

[0114] In step S24, the control unit 11 again performs the color correction profile creation process, which is the same as the processes in steps S1 to S7 of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0115] In step S25, the control unit 11 performs color correction on the input image data using the newly created color correction profile.

[0116] In step S26, the control unit 11 resumes printing using the input image data that has been color corrected in step S25.

[0117] In this way, the image forming system 1 according to this modification detects any significant changes in the ambient temperature or humidity during printing and performs a process to correct the input image data again, thereby enabling the input image to be reproduced precisely.

[0118] The above flowchart shows the process of detecting changes in the ambient temperature and humidity during printing and recreating a new color correction profile to accommodate these changes. However, the color correction profile re-creation function according to this modification can also be used in the mode of modification 2 to determine whether a previously created color correction profile can be reused.

[0119] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described above in detail, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and alterations of the specific examples exemplified above. [Industrial Applicability]

[0120] According to the image forming system of the present invention, it is possible to automatically produce printed matter with lamination processing without incurring an increase in product costs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 1. Image forming system 10 Image forming device 11 Control section 12 Image reading unit 13 Image forming unit 14 Storage section 15 Operation panel 16 Communications Department 17 Conveyor 18 Paper property detection unit 19 Surrounding environment detection unit 20 Laminating equipment 25 Mounting part 26 Laminating section 27 Cut section 30 Colorimetric device P paper

Claims

1. a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium along a conveying path; an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording medium; a laminating unit disposed downstream of the image forming unit in a conveying direction and configured to laminate the recording medium; a color measurement unit disposed downstream of the laminating unit in a conveying direction, the color measurement unit performing color measurement of an image formed on the recording medium; a control unit that controls operations of the image forming unit, the laminating unit, and the colorimetric unit; Equipped with When a print job that requires lamination is executed, the control unit In advance, identical test images are formed as a first image and a second image on the same or different recording media, and only one of the first image and the second image is laminated. Based on the colorimetric data of the first image and the second image obtained at that time, a color correction profile to be applied to the input image data to be printed is created. Imaging system.

2. The first image and the second image are formed on the same recording medium. The image forming system according to claim 1 .

3. The first image and the second image are formed on separate recording media. The image forming system according to claim 1 .

4. The test image is a color patch image. The image forming system according to claim 1 .

5. The test image is an input image of the printing target to be used in the actual printing. The image forming system according to claim 1 .

6. a storage unit that stores data of the created color correction profile in association with a combination of the type of the recording medium and the type of laminating film used when the color correction profile was created; When executing the print job, if the storage unit stores, among the color correction profiles created in the past, a profile created under the same conditions as the combination of the type of recording medium and the type of laminate film used in the current print job, The data of the color correction profile created under the same conditions is read from the storage unit and applied to the input image data to be printed. The image forming system according to claim 1 .

7. When the type of the recording medium is changed from the recording medium used when the color correction profile was created, the control unit executes the process of creating the color correction profile again. The image forming system according to claim 6 .

8. a first detection unit disposed on the transport path and configured to detect a physical property of the recording medium; The control unit determines whether the type of the recording medium has been changed from the recording medium used when the color correction profile was created, based on a detection result by the first detection unit. The image forming system according to claim 7 .

9. The control unit executes the process of creating the color correction profile again when the type of the laminate film is changed from the laminate film used when the color correction profile was created. The image forming system according to claim 4 .

10. Further provided is a second detection unit that detects the temperature and / or humidity of the surrounding atmosphere, The control unit executes the process of creating the color correction profile again when the temperature of the ambient atmosphere changes by a first threshold value or more and / or when the humidity changes by a second threshold value or more. The image forming system according to claim 1 .

Images