Printing system and computer readable medium

Abstract

To print only a specific color ink from a plurality of color inks included in print data.SOLUTION: The printing apparatus 3 can print a plurality of color inks on the medium M. The control device 5 controls the printing device 3 based on the print data. The print data includes dot data indicating an ejection position for each color of ink. The printing apparatus 3 includes the head 42 that moves to the discharge position and discharges ink. The printing condition setting unit 52 of the control device 5 designates one or more ink colors as the specific ink to be printed on the medium M according to the input of the user. When the specific ink is designated, the command adding section 53 adds, to the print data, a command for causing the head 42 of the printing apparatus 3 to eject the ink only at the ejection position corresponding to the specific ink among the ejection positions indicated by the dot data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing system and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A printing device can print by ejecting ink of multiple colors onto a medium. The printing device operates based on print data that includes dot data that indicates the ejection position of each color of ink. The print data can be created by performing color conversion processing on the data of the image to be printed on the medium (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For example, a user can create print data using an information processing device that the user owns, and then import the created print data into a control device of the printing device to perform printing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-74325 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Printing devices are able to produce a wide variety of colors by mixing multiple colors of ink. However, there may be a discrepancy between the colors of the image printed on the media by the printing device and the colors in the image data. In such cases, it may be necessary to print using only specific colors of ink in order to determine which colors of ink are affecting the color discrepancy.

[0005] For example, a user can create print data containing only dot data of a specific color on their own information processing device. However, this requires the user to re-create the print data and re-import it into the control device, which increases the user's workload. Furthermore, creating multiple print data sets for each specific color can potentially increase the data storage capacity and communication load of the information processing device and control device.

[0006] In a printing system, when print data includes dot data corresponding to inks of multiple colors, there is a demand for a system that can easily print only inks of specific colors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is (1) a printing device capable of printing multiple types of ink on a medium; a control device that controls the printing device based on print data created using data of an image to be printed on the medium, the print data includes dot data indicating ejection positions on the medium for each type of ink to be printed on the medium; The printing device a discharge unit that moves to the discharge position indicated by the dot data and discharges the type of ink corresponding to the dot data; The control device an ink specification unit that specifies one or more types of ink as specific inks to be printed on the medium from among the types of ink included in the print data in response to a user's input; and a command addition unit that, when the specific ink is designated, adds to the print data a command that causes the ejection unit to eject the ink only at the ejection position corresponding to the specific ink among the ejection positions indicated in the dot data.

[0008] (2) In (1) above, When the specific ink is specified, the command addition unit adds to the print data a command that causes the ejection unit not to eject the ink at any ejection positions indicated in the dot data other than the ejection positions corresponding to the specific ink.

[0009] (3) In the above (1) or (2), the ink designation unit designates one or more types of ink not included in the print data as additional inks to be printed on the medium in response to a user input; an ejection position determination unit that determines an ejection position of the additional ink on the medium based on the dot data included in the print data; The command adding unit adds to the print data a command that causes the ejection unit to eject the additional ink at the ejection position determined by the ejection position determining unit.

[0010] (4) In (3) above, the ink designation unit can designate white ink or clear ink as the additional ink, the ejection position determination unit determines the ejection position indicated by the dot data as the ejection position of the additional ink; The command adding unit adds a command including the ejection order of the additional ink to the print data.

[0011] One aspect of the present invention is (5) A program for controlling the operation of a printing device capable of printing a plurality of types of ink on a medium based on print data created using data of an image to be printed on the medium, the print data includes dot data indicating ejection positions on the medium for each type of ink to be printed on the medium; the printing device includes a discharge unit that moves to the discharge position indicated by the dot data and discharges the type of ink corresponding to the dot data; On the computer, an ink specification process for specifying one or more ink types as specific inks to be printed on the medium from among the ink types included in the print data in response to a user input; When the specific ink is designated, the ejection unit executes a command addition process to add to the print data a command for ejecting the ink only at the ejection positions corresponding to the specific ink among the ejection positions indicated in the dot data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily print only a specific type of ink from among multiple types of ink included in print data, thereby improving user convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a printing unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a head. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 5] 4A and 4B are conceptual diagrams illustrating dot data included in print data. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a color designation screen. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow of the control device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system according to a modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an image diagram illustrating the processing of a control device in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 1 includes at least one printing device 3, a control device 5, and a print data creation device 7. The printing device 3 may be, for example, an inkjet printing device. The printing device 3 prints an image by ejecting ink droplets onto the medium M. The medium M is not limited to a specific one, but examples include paper, cloth (woven fabric, nonwoven fabric), and resin sheets such as vinyl chloride and polyester. The image printed on the medium M includes, for example, characters, figures, patterns, colors, and combinations thereof. The ink used in the printing device 3 is not limited to a particular type either, and for example, ultraviolet curable ink, heat curable ink, solvent ink, resin ink, etc. can be used.

[0015] The printing device 3 has a printing unit 40 that prints on the medium M, and a controller 30 that controls the printing unit 40. The controller 30 is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The processor executes a program stored in the memory to realize the control function of the printing unit 40. The controller 30 controls the printing unit 40 in response to commands input from a control device 5 (described later).

[0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the printing unit 40. As shown in FIG. In describing the printing unit 40, the positional relationship will be based on the X, Y, and Z directions shown in Figure 2. The Z direction is the vertical direction when the printing device 3 is placed on a horizontal surface, and is the up-down direction on the paper. The X direction is the direction perpendicular to the Z direction, and is the left-right direction on the paper. The Y direction is the direction perpendicular to the Z direction and the X direction, and is the direction from the front to the back of the paper.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the printing unit 40 of the printing device 3 includes a platen 41 that supports the medium M, a head 42 (discharge unit) that discharges ink onto the medium M, and a drive unit 43 that drives the head 42. The medium M is placed on the upper surface of the platen 41. The head 42 is disposed above the platen 41 in the Z direction, with the upper surface of the platen 41 and the lower surface of the head 42 facing each other with a small gap between them. Nozzles N, which are ink ejection ports, are provided on the lower surface of the head 42.

[0018] The drive unit 43 moves the head 42 in the X and Y directions relative to the medium M supported by the platen 41. The head 42 ejects ink from the nozzles N while moving in the Y direction. When the head 42 has completed one reciprocating movement (one pass) in the Y direction, the drive unit 43 moves the head 42 a predetermined distance in the X direction and then causes it to perform the next reciprocating movement in the Y direction. In this way, the head 42 ejects ink onto the medium M while repeatedly moving in the Y and X directions, thereby printing an image on the medium M.

[0019] The movement of the head 42 in the X and Y directions with respect to the medium M may be relative. Therefore, depending on the specifications of the printing device 3, the drive unit 43 may move the platen 41 that supports the medium M instead of or together with the head 42, or may move the medium M on the platen 41. For example, Figure 2 illustrates a flatbed type printing device 3 equipped with a table-like platen 41. A sheet-like or board-like medium M is placed on the platen 41. The head 42 is supported, for example, by a guide bar 44 that extends in the Y direction above the platen 41. In this case, the drive unit 43 can include, for example, a mechanism that moves the head 42 in the Y direction along the guide bar 44, and a mechanism that moves at least one of the guide bar 44 and the platen 41 in the X direction.

[0020] Alternatively, the printing device 3 can be a model that can handle long roll media M. The printing device 3 unwinds the roll media M and suspends it over the platen 41 to perform printing. After printing, the printing device 3 rewinds the media M into a roll. The head 42 is supported, for example, by a guide bar 44 that extends in the Y direction above the platen 41. In this case, the drive unit 43 can include, for example, a mechanism that moves the head 42 in the Y direction along the guide bar 44, and a mechanism that unwinds the media M and moves it in the X direction on the platen 41.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the head 42. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows the head 42 as viewed from below in the Z direction. 3, the head 42 includes a plurality of nozzle portions 421 to 425 aligned in the Y direction. The nozzle portions 421 to 425 are provided on the lower surface of the head 42 (the surface facing the medium M). As shown in the enlarged area of ​​Figure 3, each of the nozzle sections 421 to 425 is made up of a plurality of nozzle rows Nq. Each nozzle row Nq is made up of a plurality of nozzles N arranged at regular intervals in the X direction. These multiple nozzle rows Nq are arranged at intervals in the Y direction to form one nozzle section. Although not shown in the drawings, the head 42 is provided with piezo elements corresponding to the nozzles N of the nozzle portions 421 to 425. When the piezo elements of the nozzles N are driven, ink is ejected from the nozzles N.

[0022] The nozzle portions 421 to 425 are each supplied with ink from an ink supply mechanism (not shown). The ink supply mechanism can supply different types of ink to the nozzle portions 421 to 425 depending on the settings of the printing device 3. The inks can be, for example, C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) process color inks. The ink may alternatively be a special color ink such as LC (light cyan), LM (light magenta), Gy (gray), W (white), CL (clear), Pr (primer), O (orange), violet, metallic colors (gold, silver), fluorescent colors, etc.

[0023] FIG. 3 shows an example in which C ink is supplied to nozzle portion 421 of head 42, M ink to nozzle portion 422, Y ink to nozzle portion 423, K ink to nozzle portion 424, and W ink to nozzle portion 425. Note that Figure 3 is merely an example, and specifications such as the number and arrangement of heads 42, the nozzle portion of each head 42, the nozzle row, the number and arrangement of nozzles, and the allocation of ink colors to each nozzle portion can be changed as appropriate.

[0024] 1 can be configured from a general-purpose information processing device (computer). The information processing device can be, for example, a personal computer, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 9. 4, the information processing device 9 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 903, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 904, a display 905, an input device 906, a communication I / F 907, and a media I / F 908. Each component is interconnected by a bus.

[0025] The CPU 901 controls the entire information processing device 9. The CPU 901 can load the OS, various programs, etc. stored in the ROM 902 or the HDD 904 into the RAM 903 and execute them. Alternatively, the CPU 901 can load a program stored in a storage medium RM into the RAM 903 via the media I / F 908 and execute it. The storage medium RM can be an optical storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, a conductive memory tape medium, a semiconductor memory, etc. The information processing device 9 may include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and the like in addition to the CPU 901 as a processor. The CPU 901 performs processing in response to a user's operation via the input device 906, and displays the processing results on the display 905. The input device 906 may be, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch panel, a physical switch, or the like.

[0026] The HDD 904 stores programs executed by the CPU 901, data used by the programs, and the like. Note that an SSD (Solid State Drive) may be provided instead of or in addition to the HDD 904. The communication I / F 907 outputs data received from other devices to the CPU 901 via a network NW such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network). The communication I / F 907 also transmits data generated by the CPU 901 to other information processing devices. The CPU 901 may load required programs onto the RAM 903 from other information processing devices via the network NW. The CPU 901 executes the application program loaded on the RAM 903, thereby realizing the functional configuration of the control device 5 or the print data creation device 7.

[0027] FIG. 5 is an image diagram illustrating the processing in the print data creation device 7. The print data creation device 7 can be configured, for example, by installing software RIP (Raster Image Processor) for creating print data in an information processing device 9 owned by a user. As shown in FIG. 5, the print data creation device 7 creates print data based on data of an image to be printed on a medium M (hereinafter referred to as "image data"). As shown in FIG. 1, the print data creation device 7 includes an image data acquisition unit 71, a print condition setting unit 72, a color conversion unit 73, a dot data creation unit 74, and a command generation unit 75.

[0028] The image data import unit 71 imports image data used to create print data in response to user input. For example, the user stores image data created by an external information processing device in a storage medium RM (see FIG. 4) and connects the storage medium RM to the print data creation device 7. The image data import unit 71 can import image data from the storage medium RM. Alternatively, the user may transmit image data from the external information processing device to the print data creation device 7. Alternatively, the user may create image data in the print data creation device 7. In this case, software for creating image data is installed in the information processing device that constitutes the print data creation device 7.

[0029] The printing condition setting unit 72 can set various printing conditions in response to user input when printing an image on the medium M. The printing conditions can include, for example, the type and size of the medium M used for printing, the type of ink used, print quality, print speed, and overprinting. Overprinting refers to printing an ink such as white (W) or clear (CL) on top of or below an image printed in CMYK, for example. For example, when an image is printed on a dark-colored medium M, the color of the medium M may affect the visibility of the image. In this case, printing W below the image can reduce the effect of the color of the medium M. Also, printing CL on top of the image can give the image a glossy appearance.

[0030] The color conversion unit 73 performs color conversion processing using the image data. In general, image data has color information that constitutes an image expressed in an RGB color system or a CMYK color system that is independent of the printing device 3. The color conversion unit 73 converts the color information of the image data into device values, which are color information that is dependent on the printing device 3. The color conversion unit 73 first converts the color information of the image data expressed in the RGB color system or the CMYK color system, etc., into Lab values ​​using an input profile corresponding to the L*a*b* color space that is independent of the printing device 3. The color conversion unit 73 further converts the Lab values ​​into device values ​​using a device profile that indicates a color space that is dependent on the printing device 3. The color space dependent on the printing device 3 can be, for example, the CMYK color space. If the printing device 3 supports special color inks such as Or, LC, and LM in addition to CMYK, the device profile used may support a color space that includes these colors in addition to CMYK.

[0031] The dot data creation unit 74 performs halftone processing, rasterization processing, etc. on the device values ​​acquired in the color conversion processing of the color conversion unit 73 to create dot data. The command generation unit 75 generates commands according to the specifications of the printing device 3 in order to cause the printing device 3 to print based on the dot data. The command generation unit 75 generates commands based on the printing conditions set by the printing condition setting unit 72. In addition to the generated commands and dot data, the command generation unit 75 adds necessary data such as a thumbnail file and a job information definition file to create the final print data.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 5, the print data includes dot data created for each color (type) of ink to be printed on the medium M. The dot data is, for example, a binarized tiff format file. Each file records coordinate information and the like that specifies the ejection position of each color of ink on the medium M. FIG. 5 shows an example in which print data is created from image data consisting of four characters, "C," "M," "Y," and "K." When the color information of the image data is converted into device values, the letter "C" is composed of cyan (C), the letter "M" is composed of magenta (M), the letter "Y" is composed of yellow (Y), and the letter "K" is composed of black (K). In this case, the print data contains dot data for each color of CMYK.

[0033] 5 also shows an example in which overprinting of white (W) is set as a printing condition. In this case, W is printed underneath the four characters printed in CMYK. The print data also includes W dot data.

[0034] 1 controls the operation of the printer 3 based on the print data created by the print data creation device 7. A program for controlling the operation of the printer 3 is installed in the controller 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 5 includes, as functional components, a job registration unit 51, a printing condition setting unit 52 (ink specification unit), a command addition unit 53, and a job execution unit .

[0035] The job registration unit 51 imports the print data created by the print data creation device 7 and registers it in a print job to be executed by the printing device 3 . For example, a user can store print data created by the print data creation device 7 in a storage medium RM (see FIG. 4) and connect the storage medium RM to the control device 5. In response to an operation input by the user, the job registration unit 51 imports the print data from the storage medium RM and registers it in the print job. Alternatively, the user may send print data from the print data creation device 7 to the control device 5. Alternatively, the print data creation device 7 and the control device 5 may be configured as the same information processing device. In this case, software RIP for creating print data is installed in the information processing device that configures the control device 5.

[0036] The printing condition setting unit 52 sets various printing conditions when a print job is executed in response to an operation input by a user. As described above, the user can set the printing conditions when creating print data using the print data creation device 7. However, the user may wish to change or add printing conditions after creating print data and importing it into the control device. By providing the control device 5 with the printing condition setting unit 52, the user can set the printing conditions on the control device 5 side.

[0037] The printing condition setting unit 52 displays the printing conditions already set in the print data on the display 905 (see FIG. 4). The user can change the printing conditions that have already been set or set new printing conditions as needed while checking the printing conditions displayed on the display 905. The printing condition setting unit 52 sets the printing conditions according to the user's input and registers them in the print job. The printing conditions that can be set on the control device 5 side may include the same as the printing conditions that can be set on the print data creation device 7 side, or may include different printing conditions. As an example of a printing condition, the printing condition setting unit 52 can specify a specific color of ink to be printed on the medium M. The printing condition setting unit 52, for example, causes the display 905 to display a color specification screen that accepts user input.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the color designation screen 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the color specification screen 100 displays the colors (types) of ink that can be printed by the printing device 3. FIG. 6 corresponds to the example of FIG. 3, and the color specification screen 100 displays CMYKW as colors that can be printed by the printing device 3. A check box 101 is displayed for each color on the color specification screen 100. The user can check or uncheck the check box 101 using an input device (see FIG. 4). The printing condition setting unit 52 designates the color ink for which the check box 101 is checked as the specific ink to be printed on the medium M. Only one specific ink may be designated, or two or more specific inks may be designated.

[0039] For example, the color specification screen 100 can be set to a default state in which check boxes 101 for all colors included in the print data are checked. For example, in the case of the print data shown in FIG. 5, all of the CMYKW colors are checked. For example, if the user wants to specify M (magenta) as a specific ink, as shown in Figure 6, the user unchecks the CYKW check box 101, leaving only the M check box 101 checked, and clicks the OK button 102. The printing condition setting unit 52 sets printing conditions that specify M as a specific ink in the print job.

[0040] 1 generates commands corresponding to the printing conditions set by the printing condition setting unit 52 and adds them to the print data. This enables the printing device 3 to operate in accordance with the printing conditions set by the control device 5. When a specific color ink to be printed on the medium M is specified as a printing condition, the command adding unit 53 generates a command to cause the printing device 3 to print on the medium M using only the specific ink. Specifically, the command addition unit 53 generates a command that blanks out the dot data corresponding to inks of colors that are not specified as specific inks, among the dot data corresponding to multiple colors included in the print data. For example, if M is specified as a specific ink for print data that includes dot data corresponding to CMYKW, the command addition unit 53 generates a command to blank out the dot data corresponding to unspecified CYKW.

[0041] "Making dot data blank" means that the coordinate information recorded in the dot data is not treated as an ink ejection position. In other words, when this command is input, the printing device 3 moves the head 42 to the ejection position indicated by the blanked dot data, but does not eject ink at that position (does not drive the piezo element). This causes the printing device 3 to eject the corresponding ink only at the ejection position corresponding to the specified specific ink.

[0042] When the user instructs the execution of a print job, the job execution unit 54 outputs the dot data and commands included in the print data to the controller 30 of the printing device 3. The controller 30 of the printing device 3 controls the printing unit 40 in accordance with the commands input from the job execution unit 54. The controller 30 controls the drive unit 43 of the head 42 to move the head 42 to each ejection position indicated by the dot data and eject ink from the nozzles N.

[0043] For example, if the command input from the control device 5 includes a command to blank out the CYKW dot data, the printing device 3 moves the head 42 to the ejection positions for each of CMYKW, but does not eject ink from nozzle N at the CYKW ejection position. The head 42 ejects ink only when it moves to the M ejection position.

[0044] In this way, in the printing system 1 of this embodiment, the control device 5 can specify a specific color of ink to be printed on the medium M. The user can use the function to print a specific color of ink, for example, when adjusting the color of an image to be printed on the medium M. Figure 5 shows a simple example of an image in which the four letters "C," "M," "Y," and "K" are each printed using a single color of ink (C, M, Y, K). However, in actual printing, multiple colors of ink may be mixed by overlapping them in the same ejection position to produce a variety of colors. In such cases, a mismatch may occur between the color of the image printed on the medium M and the color in the image data. To eliminate the color mismatch, it is necessary to adjust the color by changing the ejection position and ejection amount of the CMYK or other inks ejected by the printing device 3. When adjusting the color, sometimes only inks of specific colors are printed to determine which of the CMYK or other inks is causing the color mismatch.

[0045] Here, even in the print data creation device 7 (see FIG. 1), by setting the print conditions in the print condition setting unit 72, it is possible to create print data that includes only dot data of a specific ink. However, in this case, the user must recreate the print data using the print data creation device 7 and re-import it into the control device 5. In particular, if the locations where the printing device 3 and control device 5 are installed are far from the location where the print data creation device 7 is installed, the user will have to travel, which may increase the user's workload and affect printing efficiency. Furthermore, if multiple pieces of print data for each color are created, such as print data containing only C dot data and print data containing only Y dot data, this may not only increase the user's workload but also lead to a communication load between the print data creation device 7 and the control device 5 and a load on the data capacity of the memory of each device.

[0046] In this embodiment, the user can specify a specific color of ink to be printed on the medium M on the control device 5 side. The command addition unit 53 of the control device 5 adds a command to the print data that blanks out dot data corresponding to ink colors other than the specified specific ink. This allows the user to easily print with a specific ink using the original print data without having to recreate the print data. In other words, this reduces the user's workload, the communication load between the print data creation device 7 and the control device 5, and the load on the memory data capacity of each device.

[0047] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing by the control device 5. 7, when the user specifies a color to be printed on the medium M from among the ink colors included in the print job on the color specification screen 100 (see FIG. 6) (step S01: Yes), the printing condition setting unit 52 sets printing conditions for specifying the specified ink color as a specific ink for the print job (step S02). Steps S01 to S02 correspond to the color specification process. The command adding unit 53 generates a command for printing only the ink of the specific color specified by the printing condition setting unit 52 onto the medium M, and adds the command to the print data registered in the print job (step S03).

[0048] As described above, the printing system 1 described in the embodiment has, for example, the following configuration. (1) The printing system 1 includes a printing device 3 and a control device 5. The printing device 3 is capable of printing on the medium M with ink of multiple colors (types). The control device 5 controls the printing device 3 based on the print data. The print data can be created using data of an image to be printed on the medium M. The print data includes dot data that indicates the ink ejection positions on the medium M for each color (type) of ink to be printed on the medium M. The printing device 3 includes a head 42 (discharge unit) that moves to a discharge position indicated in the dot data and discharges ink of a color corresponding to the dot data. The control device 5 includes a printing condition setting unit 52 (ink specifying unit) and a command adding unit 53. The printing condition setting unit 52 designates one or more ink colors as specific inks to be printed on the medium M from among the ink colors included in the print data in response to a user input. When a specific ink is specified, the command addition unit 53 adds to the print data a command that causes the head 42 of the printing device 3 to eject ink only at the ejection positions corresponding to the specific ink among the ejection positions indicated in the dot data.

[0049] In the printing system 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to easily print only a specific color ink from among the multiple color inks included in the print data, thereby improving user convenience. The printing device 3 is capable of expressing a variety of colors by mixing CMYK process color inks, special color inks, etc. However, there may be a discrepancy between the colors of the image printed on the medium M by the printing device 3 and the colors in the image data. In such cases, it may be necessary to print using only inks of specific colors in order to determine which ink colors are affecting the color discrepancy. In such a case, it is conceivable to recreate print data including only dot data corresponding to a specific color in the print data creation device 7, for example. However, this may increase the user's workload, as the user would need to recreate print data in the print data creation device 7 and import it into the control device 5. Furthermore, creating multiple sets of print data corresponding to a specific color may increase the user's workload, as well as the communication load between the print data creation device 7 and the control device 5 and the memory capacity load.

[0050] In this embodiment, the user can set a printing condition to specify a specific color of ink for printing on the control device 5. The printing device 3 operates based on the original print data, but ejects ink only at ejection positions corresponding to the specific color of ink specified in the printing conditions. This allows the user to print using only specific ink colors based on the original print data without having to recreate the print data, which makes it easier to verify the cause of image color misalignment and improves user convenience.

[0051] (2) When a specific ink is specified, the command addition unit 53 adds a command to the print data to make the head 42 leave all ejection positions indicated in the dot data blank except for the ejection positions corresponding to the specific ink, and not eject any ink.

[0052] The printing device 3 moves the head 42 to each ejection position indicated by the dot data in accordance with the original print data, but does not eject ink at ejection positions that have been left blank by a command. For example, it is possible to have the printing device 3 move the head 42 only to a specified ink ejection position. However, in this case, it is difficult to perform printing processing using the original print data as is, and it is necessary to regenerate the print data in the print data creation device 7, or to perform processing with a high computational load using software RIP on the control device 5 side. In this embodiment, the command adding unit 53 can print with a specific ink simply by adding a simple command to the original print data, thereby reducing the workload on the user and the computational load on the control device 5 and meeting the diverse needs of users.

[0053] The above-mentioned effects can also be applied to the program executed in the control device 5 to control the operation of the printing device 3.

[0054] <Modification> FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system 1A according to a modified example. FIG. 9 is an image diagram illustrating the processing of the control device 5 in the modified example. In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the control device 5 specifies a specific ink from among a plurality of color inks included in the print data for printing. In this modified example, an example will be described in which the control device 5 additionally specifies ink of a color not included in the print data and prints the data.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 8, in a printing system 1A according to the modified example, the control device 5 has a discharge position determination unit 55 in addition to the functional configuration described in the embodiment. As in the embodiment, the user can specify ink to be additionally printed on the medium M (hereinafter referred to as "additional ink") via the color specification screen 100 (see FIG. 6). Although detailed illustration is omitted, the color specification screen 100 can display one or more colors (types) of ink that are not included in the print data as additional inks that can be specified. On the color specification screen 100, it is possible to specify overprinting of additional ink, for example, W (white) or CL (clear). As described above, overprinting means printing W or CL on the top or bottom of an image printed with inks such as CMYK. The printing condition setting unit 52 sets, as a printing condition for the print job, overprinting with additional ink specified by the user.

[0056] 9 shows an example in which the original print data includes only CMYK dot data, but does not include W or CL dot data. When printing is performed based on this print data, for example, the color of medium M may affect the visibility of the image, making it difficult to see. In this case, the user may wish to overprint W below the image to reduce the influence of the color of medium M. However, if the user recreates print data including W using the print data creation device 7 and re-imports it into the control device 5, the user's workload may increase. In this modification, the user can perform overprinting of W by operating the control device 5 side without recreating the print data. In addition, the specification of additional inks in the modified example may be performed together with the specification of specific colors as described in the embodiment. For example, the user can specify CYK as the specific color to be printed on medium M from among the CMYK inks included in the print data, and also specify W as the additional ink.

[0057] When the printing condition setting unit 52 sets overprinting of additional ink as a printing condition, the ejection position determination unit 55 determines the ejection position of the additional ink based on the dot data included in the original print data. The original print data includes dot data for each of a plurality of colors of ink. The ejection position determination unit 55 can determine the ejection position indicated in the dot data for each color as the ejection position for W.

[0058] 9, the ejection position determination unit 55 can determine each ejection position indicated in the CMYK dot data as the ejection position for W. By determining the ejection position in this way, the printing device 3 can overprint the additional ink W on an image made up of CMYK inks.

[0059] If printing of a specific color is specified along with the additional ink in the printing condition setting unit 52, the ejection position determination unit 55 can determine the ejection position corresponding to the specific color as the ejection position of the additional ink. For example, if CMY are specified as the specific colors, the ejection position determination unit 55 can determine only the ejection position corresponding to CMY as the ejection position of W.

[0060] The command addition unit 53 generates a command for overprinting the additional ink and adds it to the print data. The command addition unit 53 generates a command for causing the head 42 of the printing device 3 to eject the additional ink at the ejection position determined by the ejection position determination unit 55. The command adding unit 53 also includes the ejection order of the additional ink in the command for the additional ink. The ejection order indicates whether the additional ink is to be ejected before or after the ink of the color included in the original print data. For example, when printing the additional ink W below a CMYK image, the command adding unit 53 specifies the ejection order of W before the CMYK inks. For example, when CL, which is an additional ink, is printed over the top of a CMYK image, the command adding unit 53 specifies that the ejection order of CL comes after the ejection order of the CMYK inks.

[0061] As in the embodiment, when a user instructs execution of a print job, the job execution unit 54 (see FIG. 8) outputs the dot data and commands included in the print data to the controller 30 of the printing device 3. The controller 30 of the printing device 3 controls the printing unit 40 in accordance with the input print data to perform printing. 9, the controller 30 of the printing device 3 controls the drive unit 43 to move the head 42 to the ejection position of the additional ink W, and ejects W, and also ejects CMYK inks at each ejection position of CMYK above W. This allows the printing device 3 to overprint W ink below the image made up of CMYK.

[0062] In the above example, an example was described in which W or CL could be designated as the additional ink, but the additional ink is not limited to W or CL. It is also possible to designate other spot color inks or any of the CMYK inks as the additional ink on the color designation screen 100.

[0063] In this modification, the printing system 1A has, for example, the following configuration. (3) The printing condition setting unit 52 can specify, in response to a user's input, one or more ink colors (types) not included in the print data as additional inks to be printed on the medium. The control device 5 includes a discharge position determination unit 55 that determines the discharge position of the additional ink on the medium based on the dot data included in the print data. The command adding unit 53 adds a command to the print data to make the head 42 (discharging unit) discharge additional ink at the discharge position determined by the discharge position determining unit 55.

[0064] In the printing system 1A of the modified example, color inks not included in the original print data can be specified as additional inks on the control device 5 side and printed on the medium M, thereby improving user convenience. For example, if a user creates print data containing CMYK inks and then wishes to overprint W on the bottom of the image, the user may have to recreate the print data containing W using the print data creation device 7, which could increase the user's workload. In this modification, the user specifies the additional ink on the control device 5 side, and the ejection position determination unit 55 determines the ejection position of the additional ink based on the dot data included in the print data. This allows the user to perform a variety of printing using the additional ink without having to recreate the print data.

[0065] (4) The printing condition setting unit 52 can specify, for example, W (white ink) or CL (clear ink) as the additional ink. The ejection position determination unit 55 can determine the ejection position indicated by the dot data as the ejection position of the additional ink. The command adding unit 53 can add a command including the ejection order of the additional ink to the print data.

[0066] When the additional ink W or CL is printed above or below an image printed in CMYK, the ejection positions of each of the CMYK inks can be determined as the ejection positions of the additional ink. In other words, in the case of overlapping printing, no complex calculation processing is required to determine the ejection positions of the additional inks, so printing of the additional inks becomes possible while reducing the load of calculation processing on the control device 5 side. Furthermore, by including the ejection order of the additional ink in the command, the additional ink can be printed on top of or below the image, enabling a variety of printing methods to meet the needs of the user.

[0067] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and modified examples, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. Furthermore, the modified examples are not limited to the embodiment, and can be combined with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1. 1A printing system 3 Printing device 5. Control device 7. Printing data creation device 43 Head (discharge part) 52 Printing condition setting section (ink specification section) 53 Command Addition Section 55 Discharge position determination section 100 Color specification screen

Claims

1. a printing device capable of printing multiple types of ink on a medium; a control device that controls the printing device based on print data created using data of an image to be printed on the medium, the print data includes dot data indicating ejection positions on the medium for each type of ink to be printed on the medium; The printing device a discharge unit that moves to the discharge position indicated by the dot data and discharges the type of ink corresponding to the dot data; The control device an ink designation unit that designates one or more types of ink as specific inks to be printed on the medium from among the types of ink included in the print data in response to a user's input; a command addition unit that, when the specific ink is specified, adds to the print data a command that causes the ejection unit to eject the ink only at the ejection positions corresponding to the specific ink among the ejection positions indicated in the dot data.

2. In claim 1, a command adding unit that, when the specific ink is specified, adds to the print data a command that causes the ejection unit not to eject the ink at any ejection positions indicated in the dot data other than the ejection positions corresponding to the specific ink.

3. In claim 1 or 2, the ink designation unit designates one or more types of ink not included in the print data as additional inks to be printed on the medium in response to a user input; an ejection position determination unit that determines an ejection position of the additional ink on the medium based on the dot data included in the print data; The printing system is characterized in that the command adding unit adds to the print data a command that causes the ejection unit to eject the additional ink at the ejection position determined by the ejection position determining unit.

4. In claim 3, the ink designation unit can designate white ink or clear ink as the additional ink, the ejection position determination unit determines the ejection position indicated by the dot data as the ejection position of the additional ink; The printing system is characterized in that the command adding unit adds a command including the ejection order of the additional ink to the print data.

5. A program that controls the operation of a printing device that can print multiple types of ink on a medium based on print data created using data of an image to be printed on the medium, the print data includes dot data indicating ejection positions on the medium for each type of ink to be printed on the medium; the printing device includes a discharge unit that moves to the discharge position indicated by the dot data and discharges the type of ink corresponding to the dot data; On the computer, an ink designation process for designating one or more ink types as specific inks to be printed on the medium from among the ink types included in the print data in response to a user input; and a command addition process that, when the specific ink is specified, causes the ejection unit to add to the print data a command that causes the ink to be ejected only at the ejection positions corresponding to the specific ink among the ejection positions indicated in the dot data.

Images