Printing device and color measurement method for printing a color chart

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: since the hue in a print result of a special color included in an image varies depending on the position at which the special color is printed, it is difficult to appropriately evaluate the special color from a color measurement value of a special color patch.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: a printing unit; a color measuring unit; a data generation unit that generates color chart data for printing a color chart including a first special color patch being a patch in a first special color; and a printing and color measurement control unit that controls printing performed by the printing unit and color measurement performed by color measuring unit. The data generation unit acquires, from a first image represented by a first print job, the position of the first special color included in the first image, and creates the color chart data in which the first special color patch is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the first special color in the first image. The printing and color measurement control unit causes the printing unit to execute printing of the color chart based on the color chart data, and causes the color measuring unit to measure the color of the color chart printed on a print medium by the printing unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing color measurement method for a color chart. [Background technology]

[0002] An image represented by a print job may contain a color called a spot color. A spot color is a specific color that a user particularly desires to be reproduced on a print medium with high accuracy. For this reason, a spot color patch, which is a patch of the spot color, may be printed on a print medium and the color of the spot color in the print result may be evaluated by measuring the color of the patch.

[0003] As a related technique, a printer has been disclosed that measures the color of a test pattern printed on paper using a colorimeter attached downstream in the paper transport direction to obtain color measurement values ​​of the test pattern (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-240996 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the color of the print result of a spot color included in an image may differ depending on the position where the spot color is printed. This is because various conditions that affect the print result are slightly different depending on the print position, such as the drying time of color materials such as ink and the amount of ink ejected depending on the nozzle used for printing. Therefore, the color of the spot color patch printed on the print medium may differ from the color of the spot color when the print job is printed on the print medium, making it difficult to appropriately evaluate the spot color from the colorimetric value of the spot color patch. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The printing device includes a printing unit that prints by applying color material to a printing medium, a colorimetry unit that performs color measurement, a data generation unit that generates color chart data for printing a color chart including a first spot color patch that is a patch of a first spot color, and a print colorimetry control unit that controls printing by the printing unit and colorimetry by the colorimetry unit, wherein the data generation unit obtains from the first image the position of the first spot color included in a first image represented by a first print job and generates the color chart data in which the first spot color patch is positioned at a position corresponding to the position of the first spot color in the first image, and the print colorimetry control unit causes the printing unit to print the color chart based on the color chart data and causes the colorimetry unit to measure the color of the color chart printed on the printing medium by the printing unit.

[0007] The color chart printing and color measurement method includes a data generation process for generating color chart data for printing a color chart including a first spot color patch that is a patch of a first spot color, a printing process, and a color measurement process, in which the data generation process obtains the position of the first spot color included in a first image represented by a first print job from the first image, and generates color chart data in which the first spot color patch is positioned at a position corresponding to the position of the first spot color in the first image, the printing process causes a printing unit to print the color chart on a printing medium based on the color chart data, and the color measurement process causes a color measurement unit to measure the color chart printed on the printing medium by the printing unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a simplified device configuration. [Diagram 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing specific examples of structures including a transport unit and a carriage. [Diagram 3] 6 is a flowchart showing a printing and color measurement process of a color chart. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an ICC profile DB. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a feature color DB. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an ink amount table acquired in step S120. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart showing details of step S140. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of steps S200 to S220 in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of steps S200 to S220 in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence relationship between a patch position and an area of ​​a special color. [Figure 11] FIG. 11A is a diagram showing an example of color chart data generated in the second embodiment, and FIG. 11B is a diagram showing an example of color chart data generated in the third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of steps S200 to S220 in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is merely an example for explaining the present embodiment. Since each drawing is an example, the proportions and shapes may not be accurate, the drawings may not match each other, and some parts may be omitted.

[0010] 1.Device configuration: FIG. 1 shows a simplified configuration of a printing device 10 according to this embodiment. The printing device 10 includes a control unit 11, a display unit 13, an operation reception unit 14, a communication IF 15, a transport unit 16, a carriage 17, a print head 18, a color measurement unit 19, a memory unit 26, etc. IF stands for interface. The control unit 11 includes one or more ICs having a CPU 11a as a processor, a ROM 11b, a RAM 11c, etc., and other non-volatile memories, etc.

[0011] In the control unit 11, a processor, i.e., a CPU 11a, executes arithmetic processing according to one or more programs 12 stored in a ROM 11b or other memory, using a RAM 11c or the like as a work area, thereby functioning as a data generating unit 12a, a print colorimetry control unit 12b, etc. The programs 12 are also referred to as print colorimetry control programs, etc. The processor is not limited to a single CPU, and may be configured to perform processing using multiple CPUs or hardware circuits such as ASIC, or may be configured to perform processing in cooperation with a CPU and a hardware circuit.

[0012] The display unit 13 is a means for displaying visual information, and is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like. The display unit 13 may be configured to include a display and a drive circuit for driving the display. The operation reception unit 14 is a means for receiving operations by a user, and is realized, for example, by a physical button, a touch panel, a mouse, a keyboard, or the like. Of course, the touch panel may be realized as one function of the display unit 13.

[0013] The display unit 13 and the operation reception unit 14 may be part of the configuration of the printing device 10, or may be external peripheral devices attached to the printing device 10. The communication IF 15 is a general term for one or more IFs for connecting the printing device 10 to the outside world via wired or wireless communication in compliance with a predetermined communication protocol including a known communication standard.

[0014] The transport unit 16 is a means for transporting the print medium in a "first direction" and includes, for example, a roller, a belt, a motor that rotates a roller, etc. The first direction is also called the transport direction. The print head 18 performs printing by ejecting ink as a color material onto a print medium using an inkjet system.

[0015] The color measurement unit 19 is a means for measuring the color of an object. The format of the color measurement value generated and output by the color measurement unit 19 as a color measurement result is, for example, the L * a* b * Color Space by L * a * b * The color measurement value obtained by the color measurement unit 19 may be an L value, or an RGB value which is a combination of gradation values ​​for each of red (R), green (G), and blue (B). * a * b * The value is also assumed to be " * " notation will be omitted. The carriage 17 carries the print head 18. The carriage 17 is a mechanism that receives power from a motor (not shown) and can move back and forth along the main scanning direction of the print head 18. The configuration including the carriage 17 and the print head 18 corresponds to the printing unit 31. The transport unit 16 may be considered to be part of the printing unit 31.

[0016] The configuration of the printing device 10 shown in FIG. 1 may be realized by a single printer, or may be realized by a plurality of devices connected so as to be able to communicate with each other. That is, the printing device 10 may actually be a printing system 10. The printing system 10 includes, for example, an information processing device that functions as a control unit 11, and a printer that includes a transport unit 16, a carriage 17, a print head 18, and a color measurement unit 19. The printing device 10 or printing system 10 described above realizes a printing color measurement method for a color chart.

[0017] Fig. 2 shows a specific example of a structure including the transport unit 16 and the carriage 17. The upper part of Fig. 2 shows the specific example from a viewpoint perpendicular to the first direction D1. The lower part of Fig. 2 shows a part of the specific example from a viewpoint from above.

[0018] According to FIG. 2, the transport unit 16 includes a payout spindle 20 on the upstream side of the transport and a winding spindle 23 on the downstream side of the transport. The upstream and downstream sides of the transport are also simply referred to as upstream and downstream. A long print medium 30 wound in a roll shape around the payout spindle 20 and the winding spindle 23 is stretched along a first direction D1. The print medium 30 is transported in the first direction D1. The print medium 30 may be paper or a medium made of a material other than paper. The print medium 30 may also be a medium with a double structure consisting of a sheet called a label or sticker and a backing paper to which the sheet is attached with an adhesive.

[0019] In the example in the upper part of Fig. 2, the printing medium 30 wound around the payout spindle 20 is paid out downstream as the payout spindle 20 rotates clockwise. A front drive roller 21 is provided downstream of the payout spindle 20, and a rear drive roller 22 is provided upstream of the take-up spindle 23. The front drive roller 21 conveys the printing medium 30 paid out from the payout section 20 downstream as it rotates clockwise. A nip roller 21n is provided for the front drive roller 21. The nip roller 21n comes into contact with the printing medium 30, thereby sandwiching the printing medium 30 between itself and the front drive roller 21.

[0020] The rear drive roller 22 rotates in the clockwise direction, thereby transporting the print medium 30 transported downstream by the front drive roller 21 further downstream. A nip roller 22n is provided for the rear drive roller 22. The nip roller 22n comes into contact with the print medium 30, thereby sandwiching the print medium 30 between itself and the rear drive roller 22.

[0021] A print head 18 that ejects ink from above onto the print medium 30 is disposed between the front drive roller 21 and the rear drive roller 22. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the print head 18 is mounted on a carriage 17. The print head 18 is capable of ejecting ink of multiple colors, such as C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black).

[0022] Although not shown in the figure, the print head 18 has a nozzle row for each of the CMYK inks. The nozzle row corresponding to one color of ink is made up of a plurality of nozzles that eject the ink of that color, and the nozzle-to-nozzle distance (nozzle pitch) in the second direction D2 is constant. Of course, the inks that the print head 18 can eject are not limited to the CMYK inks.

[0023] Each nozzle of the print head 18 opens on a surface of the print head 18 facing the print medium 30, and the print head 18 ejects or does not eject ink from the nozzles based on print data. The ink ejected from the nozzles is called an ink droplet or a dot. The print head 18 may also be called a print head, an inkjet head, a liquid ejection head, or the like. As the winding shaft 23 rotates in the clockwise direction, the printed print medium 30 transported by the rear drive roller 22 is wound onto the winding shaft 23.

[0024] Specific examples of the transport unit 16 include the payout shaft 20, the take-up shaft 23, the rollers, and a motor (not shown) for appropriately rotating these. The number and arrangement of rollers provided along the transport path for transporting the print medium 30 are not limited to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2. Needless to say, a flat platen or the like may be provided between the front drive roller 21 and the rear drive roller 22 to support from below the print medium 30 that receives the ink ejected from the print head 18.

[0025] As shown in the lower part of FIG. 2, the "second direction D2" intersects with the first direction D1. The first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to each other. In the example of FIG. 2, a long guide rail 24 is provided in the first direction D1 above the print medium 30 between the front drive roller 21 and the rear drive roller 22, and the carriage 17 is movable along the guide rail 24. In FIG. 2, the first direction D1 is parallel to the main scanning direction of the print head 18. Of course, the member that supports the carriage 17 to stabilize the posture of the carriage 17 is not limited to the guide rail 24.

[0026] The carriage 17 can also move along the second direction D2. Although not shown, for example, a mechanism such as another guide rail is provided for reciprocating the unit including the carriage 17 and the guide rail 24 along the second direction D2. The movement of the carriage 17 along the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 is controlled by the printing colorimetry control unit 12b. The operation of the print head 18 discharging ink in association with the movement of the carriage 17 along the first direction D1 is called a main scan or a pass. The relative movement of the carriage 17 and the print head 18 and the print medium 30 in the second direction D2 is called a sub-scan.

[0027] The printing colorimetry control unit 12b, for example, alternately combines passes and sub-scans to move the carriage 17 and print head 18 two-dimensionally relative to the surface of the stationary print medium 30. As a result, an image based on the print data is printed on the print medium 30.

[0028] 2, the color measurement unit 19 is disposed downstream of the carriage 17 and print head 18, i.e., the printing unit 31, in the first direction D1 and upstream of the rear drive roller 22. The color measurement unit 19 is movable along a long guide rail 25 in the second direction D2. The color measurement unit 19 measures the color of the print medium 30 that has been printed on and transported downstream by the transport unit 16 while moving in the second direction D2.

[0029] 1 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or other memory. An ICC profile DB 27 and a spot color DB 28, which will be described later, are stored in the storage unit 26. DB is an abbreviation for database. However, the ICC profile DB 27 and the spot color DB 28 may not be stored in the printing device 10, but may be stored in an external server or the like that the control unit 11 can access via the communication IF 15. In any case, the ICC profile DB 27 and the spot color DB 28 are prepared in a state that the control unit 11 can refer to.

[0030] 2. Color chart printing and color measurement process: 2-1. First embodiment: Next, a printing and color measurement process for a color chart according to the first embodiment will be described. 3 is a flowchart showing the printing and color measurement process of a color chart. The printing and color measurement process of a color chart is realized by the control unit 11 performing processing in accordance with the program 12.

[0031] In step S100, the data generating unit 12a acquires the printing conditions for the image. That is, the data generating unit 12a acquires the printing conditions designated by the user through the operation of the operation receiving unit 14. The printing conditions are information including, for example, the number of passes required for one printing and the type of printing medium to be used. One printing is also called one frame printing.

[0032] In step S110, the data generating unit 12a refers to the ICC profile DB 27 and acquires an ICC profile that corresponds to the printing conditions acquired in step S100. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the ICC profile DB 27. In the ICC profile DB 27, an ICC profile is registered in association with a combination of a type of print medium and a recording method. The recording method means the number of passes here. The ICC profile is a profile that specifies the correspondence between the Lab value and the ink amount for each CMYK required to realize this Lab value as a printed result. The ink amount for each CMYK is also called a CMYK value. Each value of C, M, Y, and K that forms the CMYK value is a gradation value expressed in 256 gradations from 0 to 255, for example.

[0033] Since the color tone of the printed result differs depending on the type of print medium and the recording method, different ICC profiles are registered according to the type of print medium and the recording method. The data generating unit 12a obtains an ICC profile corresponding to the type of print medium and the number of passes obtained as the printing conditions in step S100 from the ICC profile DB 27. If the data generating unit 12a obtains, for example, medium type=CP01 and number of passes=4 as the printing conditions, it obtains the ICC profile "CP01_4pass.icc" corresponding to medium type=CP01 and number of passes=4 from the ICC profile DB 27.

[0034] In step S120, the data generating unit 12a obtains the ink amount for each spot color based on the spot color DB 28 and the ICC profile obtained in step S110. 5 illustrates the spot color DB 28. The spot color DB 28 is a table that specifies the priority order, spot color name, and color value for a plurality of spot colors. The color value is a Lab value. The priority order is a priority order between spot colors, and the higher the priority order, the more important the spot color is. The priority order of spot colors may be changed by a user operation.

[0035] In the example of Fig. 5, information on five spot colors, "R100", "B100", "Y100", "O100", and "G100", is defined in the spot color DB 28. Spot colors may also be called special colors or specific colors. Simply put, "R100" is red, "B100" is blue, "Y100" is yellow, "O100" is orange, and "G100" is green. The data generating unit 12a converts the Lab values ​​of each spot color defined in the spot color DB 28 into CMYK values ​​using the ICC profile acquired in step S110. As a result, ink amounts corresponding to each of the spot colors "R100", "B100", "Y100", "O100", and "G100" are obtained.

[0036] 6 shows an example of an ink amount table 29 that describes the ink amounts of the spot colors "R100", "B100", "Y100", "O100", and "G100" acquired by the data generating unit 12a in step S120. The CMYK values ​​in the ink amount table 29 are the ink amounts obtained by converting the Lab values ​​of the spot colors using the ICC profile "CP01_4pass.icc".

[0037] In step S130, the data generating unit 12a acquires a print job. That is, the data generating unit 12a inputs the print job from a predetermined storage source according to a designation made by a user through an operation of the operation receiving unit 14. The print job includes an image file that expresses an image to be printed (hereinafter, a target image) in a predetermined format, data describing the type of spot color included in the target image, and the like. Step S130 may be executed prior to steps S100 to S120, or may be executed in parallel with steps S100 to S120. The printing device 10 is naturally capable of printing a target image, but the printing of a target image will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0038] In step S140, the data generating unit 12a generates color chart data based on the print job acquired in step S130. Step S140 corresponds to a "data generating step" of generating color chart data. The print job acquired in step S130 corresponds to a "first print job", and the target image represented by the first print job corresponds to a "first image". The color chart data is print data for printing a color chart on which "spot color patches", which are patches of spot colors, are arranged.

[0039] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the details of step S140. In step S200, the data generating unit 12a acquires the positions of the spot colors included in the target image from the target image. In this case, the data generating unit 12a identifies the types of spot colors included in the target image from the print job, and grasps the position in the target image for each of the identified types of spot colors.

[0040] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of steps S200 to S220. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 8 shows a target image 40 represented by a print job, color chart data 42 generated in step S220, and color chart basic data 41 that is the basis for generating the color chart data 42. The target image 40 is an example of a first image. FIG. 8 also shows the orientation of each image and the relationship with the first direction D1 and the second direction D2. The size of the color chart basic data 41 and the color chart data 42 in the second direction D2 is equal to the size of the target image 40 in the second direction D2.

[0041] 8, the target image 40 is an image including three star-shaped images 40a, 40b, and 40c, a character string 40d that reads "Danger," and a rectangular image 40e that forms the background of the character string 40d. According to the print job, the target image 40 includes all of the spot colors "R100," "B100," "Y100," "O100," and "G100." Therefore, the data generating unit 12a recognizes the values ​​of the spot colors "R100," "B100," "Y100," "O100," and "G100" by referring to the spot color DB 28, and then analyzes the color of each pixel of the target image 40 to determine in which positions of the target image 40 the spot colors "R100," "B100," "Y100," "O100," and "G100" are used. Here, it is assumed that, as a result of step S200, the data generating unit 12a has ascertained that the star image 40a is represented in the spot color “G100”, the star image 40b is represented in the spot color “O100”, the star image 40c is represented in the spot color “Y100”, the character string 40d is represented in the spot color “R100”, and the rectangular image 40e is represented in the spot color “B100”. Note that in Fig. 8 and Figs. 9, 11A, 11B, and 12 described below, some of the differences in color are represented by differences in pattern.

[0042] In step S210, the data generating unit 12a determines the position of the spot color patch based on the position of the spot color included in the target image. A transport stop mark 41f and a color measurement start bar 41g are arranged in a predetermined position of the color chart basic data 41 along the second direction D2. In addition, the color chart basic data 41 has patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, and 41e secured in advance at equal intervals along the second direction D2 starting from the color measurement start bar 41g. The patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, and 41e are rectangular areas for arranging the spot color patches.

[0043] Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the position of each spot color patch of the spot colors "R100", "B100", "Y100", "O100", and "G100" to be one of the patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, and 41e in accordance with the priority order of the spot colors defined in the spot color DB 28. When determining the position of a spot color patch for one spot color, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position that corresponds to the greater number of the spot color among the patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, and 41e as the position of the spot color patch.

[0044] Step S210 will now be described in detail. Patch corresponding regions 401, 402, 403, 404, and 405 whose positions in the second direction D2 correspond one-to-one to patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, and 41e are indicated by dashed lines in the target image 40. The sizes of the patch corresponding regions 401, 402, 403, 404, and 405 in the first direction D1 are equal to the size of the target image 40 in the first direction D1.

[0045] The data generating unit 12a first calculates the area size of each of the patch corresponding regions 401, 402, 403, 404, and 405 for the spot color "R100" that has the highest priority among the spot colors included in the target image 40. According to the position of the character string 40d by the spot color "R100" calculated in step S200, the patch corresponding region 404 overlaps with the character string 40d among the patch corresponding regions 401, 402, 403, 404, and 405. In other words, the patch corresponding region 404 contains the most spot color "R100". Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41d corresponding to the patch corresponding region 404 as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "R100".

[0046] Next, the data generating unit 12a calculates the size of the area of ​​each of the patch corresponding regions 401, 402, 403, and 405 excluding the patch corresponding region 404 for the spot color "B100" which has the second highest priority after the spot color "R100" among the spot colors included in the target image 40. According to the position of the rectangular image 40e of the spot color "B100", among the patch corresponding regions 401, 402, 403, and 405, the patch corresponding regions 402, 403, and 405 overlap with the rectangular image 40e. Furthermore, among these, the area of ​​the spot color "B100" in the patch corresponding region 402 is the smallest, and the area of ​​the spot color "B100" in the patch corresponding region 403 is equal to the area of ​​the spot color "B100" in the patch corresponding region 405. In this case, the data generation unit 12a may determine either patch position 41c corresponding to patch corresponding area 403 or patch position 41e corresponding to patch corresponding area 405 as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "B100", but here, it determines patch position 41c, which is closer to the color measurement start bar 41g in the second direction D2, as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "B100".

[0047] Next, the data generating unit 12a calculates the size of the area of ​​each of the patch corresponding regions 401, 402, and 405 excluding the patch corresponding regions 403 and 404 for the spot color "Y100" that has the second highest priority after the spot color "B100" among the spot colors included in the target image 40. According to the position of the star image 40c by the spot color "Y100", the patch corresponding regions 401 and 402 among the patch corresponding regions 401, 402, and 405 overlap with the star image 40c. In addition, the area of ​​the spot color "Y100" in the patch corresponding region 402 is larger than the area of ​​the spot color "Y100" in the patch corresponding region 401. Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41b corresponding to the patch corresponding region 402 to be the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "Y100".

[0048] Next, the data generating unit 12a calculates the size of the area of ​​each of the patch corresponding regions 401 and 405 excluding the patch corresponding regions 402, 403, and 404 for the spot color "O100" that has the second highest priority after the spot color "Y100" among the spot colors included in the target image 40. According to the position of the star image 40b by the spot color "O100", the patch corresponding region 401 of the patch corresponding regions 401 and 405 overlaps with the star image 40b. Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41a corresponding to the patch corresponding region 401 as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "O100". As for the spot color "G100" included in the target image 40, the patch position 41a corresponding to the patch corresponding region 401 that contains the most of the spot color "G100" has already been determined to be the spot color "O100", so the data generating unit 12a determines the remaining patch position 41e as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "G100".

[0049] In step S220, the data generating unit 12a generates color chart data in which the spot color patches are arranged at the positions determined in step S210. In other words, referring to the example of Fig. 8, the data generating unit 12a arranges a spot color patch 42O of the spot color "O100" at patch position 41a of the color chart basic data 41, arranges a spot color patch 42Y of the spot color "Y100" at patch position 41b, arranges a spot color patch 42B of the spot color "B100" at patch position 41c, arranges a spot color patch 42R of the spot color "R100" at patch position 41d, and arranges a spot color patch 42G of the spot color "G100" at patch position 41e, thereby generating color chart data 42. The transport stop mark 41f and the color measurement start bar 41g of the color chart basic data 41 are left as they are in the color chart data 42.

[0050] The spot color patch 42O is an area formed by a collection of multiple pixels having the ink amount (CMYK value) of the spot color "O100" already acquired in step S120. Similarly, the spot color patch 42Y is an area formed by a collection of multiple pixels having the ink amount of the spot color "Y100" already acquired in step S120, and the spot color patch 42B is an area formed by a collection of multiple pixels having the ink amount of the spot color "B100" already acquired in step S120. The spot color patch 42R is an area formed by a collection of multiple pixels having the ink amount of the spot color "R100" already acquired in step S120, and the spot color patch 42G is an area formed by a collection of multiple pixels having the ink amount of the spot color "G100" already acquired in step S120.

[0051] A certain spot color is referred to as a "first spot color." According to the first embodiment, the data generating unit 12a acquires the position of the first spot color included in the first image represented by the first print job from the first image, and generates color chart data in which a patch of the first spot color, a first spot color patch, is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the first spot color in the first image. According to the example of FIG. 8, it can be said that at least for the spot colors "O100," "Y100," "B100," and "R100," the spot color patches are arranged at positions in the color chart data corresponding to the positions of the spot colors in the target image 40.

[0052] A spot color having a lower priority than the first spot color is called a "second spot color." For example, when the spot color "R100" is the first spot color, any of the spot colors "B100," "Y100," "O100," and "G100" corresponds to the second spot color. According to the first embodiment, the data generating unit 12a acquires the positions of the first spot color and the second spot color included in the first image from the first image. Then, the data generating unit 12a generates color chart data in which the first spot color patch is arranged as described above, and the second spot color patch, which is a patch of the second spot color, is arranged at a position that avoids the first spot color patch and is determined based on the position of the second spot color in the first image.

[0053] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3. In step 150, the printing colorimetry control unit 12b controls the carriage 17 and print head 18 to print a color chart based on the color chart data generated in step S140 onto the printing medium 30. Step S150 corresponds to the "printing process" of the color chart. The printing colorimetry control unit 12b performs necessary image processing on the color chart data, such as halftone processing that converts each pixel into dot on / off information for each CMYK ink, and drives the print head 18 based on the processed color chart data (print data).

[0054] Naturally, the printing colorimetry control unit 12b prints the color chart on the printing medium 30 by the number of passes of the print head 18 according to the printing conditions acquired in step S100. In addition, it is assumed that the printing medium 30 sent under the print head 18 by the transport unit 16, that is, the printing medium 30 on which the color chart is printed, is the type of printing medium indicated by the printing conditions acquired in step S100. As a result of step S150, a color chart is printed on the printing medium 30, in which the transport stop mark 41f, the colorimetry start bar 41g, and the special color patches 42O, 42Y, 42B, 42R, and 42G are arranged, for example, as shown in the color chart data 42 in FIG.

[0055] In step S160, the printing colorimetry control unit 12b controls the transport unit 16 and colorimetry unit 19 to perform colorimetry of the color chart printed on the printing medium 30 in step S150. Step S160 corresponds to the "colorimetry process" of the color chart. In step S160, the printing colorimetry control unit 12b first causes the transport unit 16 to transport downstream the printing medium 30 on which printing in step S150 has been completed.

[0056] When a detection signal indicating that the transport stop mark 41f has been detected is input from a predetermined sensor, the printing colorimetry control unit 12b stops the transport of the printing medium 30 by the transport unit 16. Although not shown in the figure, the printing device 10 has the sensor that detects the transport stop mark 41f printed on the printing medium 30 at a predetermined position near the colorimetry unit 19. Therefore, when the transport stop mark 41f is detected by the sensor, the printing colorimetry control unit 12b stops the transport of the printing medium 30 by the transport unit 16. When the transport of the printing medium 30 is stopped in this way, the positions of the colorimetry unit 19 and the spot color patch printed on the printing medium 30 match or nearly match in the first direction D1.

[0057] Next, the printing colorimetry control unit 12b causes the colorimetry unit 19, which is in a predetermined initial position, to start moving in the second direction D2. The colorimetry unit 19, which has started moving from the initial position, measures the colorimetry start bar 41g printed on the printing medium 30, and then moves in the second direction D2 to perform colorimetry at predetermined intervals. As a result, the colorimetry unit 19 measures the colorimetry of each spot color patch printed at equal intervals along the second direction D2 on the printing medium 30 in the order of the spots. Referring to the example of FIG. 8, the colorimetry unit 19 measures the colorimetry of each spot color patch in the order of the spot color patches 42O, 42Y, 42B, 42R, and 42G. The colorimetry unit 19 outputs the colorimetry value of each spot color patch to the control unit 11.

[0058] The printing color measurement process of the color chart is performed up to step S160, but the control unit 11 executes an evaluation and adjustment process (step S170) for the spot color based on the color measurement value of the spot color patch obtained in step S160, and can then complete the flow chart of Fig. 3. The evaluation and adjustment process is a process for evaluating the color difference between the color measurement value of the spot color patch and the ideal value, adjusting the ink amount of the spot color as necessary, and notifying the user of the color difference. The ideal value referred to here is, of course, the color value of each spot color defined in the spot color DB 28.

[0059] In step S170, the control unit 11 calculates, for example, the color difference between the color measurement value of the spot color patch 42R and the color value of the spot color "R100" defined in the spot color DB 28. Then, the control unit 11 calculates a correction value for the CMYK value of the spot color "R100" described in the ink amount table 29 in order to bring this color difference closer to 0, and corrects the CMYK value of the spot color "R100" described in the ink amount table 29 with this correction value.

[0060] Thereafter, when the control unit 11 prints the target image 40 according to the printing conditions corresponding to the ink amount table 29, it prints the character string 40d with the corrected CMYK values ​​of the spot color "R100" in the ink amount table 29. This makes it possible to reproduce the character string 40d on the printing medium 30 in ideal colors.

[0061] Furthermore, in step S170, the control unit 11 calculates, for example, the color difference between the color measurement value of the spot color patch 42R and the color value of the spot color "R100" defined in the spot color DB 28. Then, the control unit 11 may display this color difference on the display unit 13, or, if this color difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value, may display a warning on the display unit 13 that the color reproduction accuracy of the spot color is low. In this embodiment, a color chart is printed in which spot color patches are arranged at positions corresponding to the positions of the spot colors in the target image. According to an evaluation and adjustment process using the colorimetric values ​​of the spot color patches printed in this manner, the spot colors printed as part of the target image can be accurately evaluated.

[0062] 2-2. Second embodiment: The printing and color measurement process of a color chart according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Fig. 3 and Fig. 7, as in the first embodiment. However, for the following embodiments including the second embodiment, descriptions common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0063] In step S130, the data generating unit 12a acquires a plurality of print jobs. One of the plurality of print jobs acquired in step S130 is called a first print job, and one of the plurality of print jobs other than the first print job is called a "second print job." The target image represented by the second print job corresponds to a "second image." In step S140, the data generating unit 12a generates color chart data based on the plurality of print jobs acquired in step S130.

[0064] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of steps S200 to S220 in the second embodiment. FIG. 9 can be viewed in the same way as FIG. 8. In FIG. 9, a target image 40 represented by a first print job, a target image 43 represented by a second print job, a target image 44 represented by a third print job, and color chart data 45 generated in step S220 are illustrated side by side. In FIG. 9, color chart basic data 41 that is the basis for generating the color chart data 45 is omitted. The target image 40 is an example of the first image, as described with reference to FIG. 8. The target image 43 is called the second image, and the target image 44 is called the third image.

[0065] 9 shows a specific example of step S140 (S200 to S220) executed when three print jobs are acquired according to user instructions in step S130. In the second embodiment, at least two print jobs are required to be used in step S140, and the method of generating color chart data is the same whether there are two print jobs or three or more print jobs.

[0066] 9, the target image 43 is an image including three star images 43a, 43b, and 43c, a character string 43d that reads "safe," and a rectangular image 43e that forms the background of the character string 43d. According to the second print job, the target image 43 includes all of the spot colors "R100," "B100," "Y100," "O100," and "G100." Therefore, in step S200, the data generating unit 12a determines in which positions in the target image 43 the spot colors "R100," "B100," "Y100," "O100," and "G100" are used. The data generation unit 12a has determined that star image 43a and star image 43b are represented in the spot color "G100", star image 43c is represented in the spot color "Y100", character string 43d is represented in the spot color "R100", and rectangular image 43e is represented in the spot color "Y100".

[0067] The target image 44 is an image including three star images 44a, 44b, and 44c, a character string 44d that reads "Caution," and a rectangular image 44e that forms the background of the character string 44d. According to the third print job, the target image 44 includes all of the spot colors "R100," "B100," "Y100," "O100," and "G100." Therefore, in step S200, the data generating unit 12a determines in which positions in the target image 44 the spot colors "R100," "B100," "Y100," "O100," and "G100" are used. The data generation unit 12a has determined that star image 44a is represented in the spot color "G100", star image 44b is represented in the spot color "O100", star image 44c is represented in the spot color "Y100", character string 44d is represented in the spot color "R100", and rectangular image 44e is represented in the spot color "Y100".

[0068] In the target image 43, patch corresponding regions 431, 432, 433, 434, 435 whose positions in the second direction D2 correspond one-to-one to the patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, 41e are indicated by dashed lines. The sizes of the patch corresponding regions 431, 432, 433, 434, 435 in the first direction D1 are equal to the size of the target image 43 in the first direction D1. Similarly, in the target image 44, patch corresponding regions 441, 442, 443, 444, 445 whose positions in the second direction D2 correspond one-to-one to the patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, 41e are indicated by dashed lines. The sizes of the patch corresponding regions 441, 442, 443, 444, 445 in the first direction D1 are equal to the size of the target image 44 in the first direction D1.

[0069] 10 shows in table form the correspondence between patch positions and the areas of spot colors included in multiple target images represented by multiple print jobs acquired in step S130. In FIG. 10, for example, a value of "480" corresponding to patch position 41d and spot color "R100" means the total area of ​​the spot color "R100" included in patch corresponding area 404, patch corresponding area 434, and patch corresponding area 444 corresponding to patch position 41d. The unit of area is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, the number of pixels. As can be seen from FIG. 9, for example, the patch corresponding area 401, patch corresponding area 431, and patch corresponding area 441 do not include the spot color "R100" at all, so in FIG. 10, the area of ​​the spot color "R100" corresponding to patch position 41a is "0". Also, in FIG. 10, “2260” corresponding to the patch position 41c and the spot color “B100” naturally means the total area of ​​the spot color “B100” included in the patch corresponding area 403, the patch corresponding area 433, and the patch corresponding area 443.

[0070] In step S210, the data generating unit 12a collects information on the correspondence between the patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, and 41e and the areas of the spot colors included in the multiple target images based on the positions of each spot color in the multiple target images. Then, based on this correspondence, the position of each spot color patch is determined to be one of the patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, and 41e according to the priority order of the spot colors described above. Note that in the first embodiment, it can be said that the data generating unit 12a determines the positions of the spot color patches in step S210 based on the correspondence between the patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, and 41e and the areas of the spot colors included in one target image (first image).

[0071] 10, the patch position that corresponds most frequently to the spot color "R100" among all the patch positions is the patch position 41d. Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41d as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "R100". 10, the patch positions that correspond most frequently to the spot color "B100" among the patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, and 41e are the patch positions 41c and 41e. Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41c, which is closer to the color measurement start bar 41g, as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "B100".

[0072] 10, the patch position that corresponds most frequently to the spot color "Y100" among the patch positions 41a, 41b, and 41e is the patch position 41e. Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41e as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "Y100". 10, the patch position that corresponds most frequently to the spot color "O100" among the patch positions 41a and 41b is the patch position 41a. Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41a as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "O100", and determines the remaining patch position 41b as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "G100".

[0073] 9 and 10, in step S220, the data generating unit 12a arranges a spot color patch 42O of the spot color "O100" at patch position 41a of the color chart basic data 41, arranges a spot color patch 42G of the spot color "G100" at patch position 41b, arranges a spot color patch 42B of the spot color "B100" at patch position 41c, arranges a spot color patch 42R of the spot color "R100" at patch position 41d, and arranges a spot color patch 42Y of the spot color "Y100" at patch position 41e, thereby generating color chart data 45. Of course, the transport stop mark 41f and the color measurement start bar 41g of the color chart basic data 41 are left as they are in the color chart data 45.

[0074] According to the above description, when the data generating unit 12a determines the positions of the spot color patches corresponding to more of the spot colors based on the positions of the spot colors in the target image, the data generating unit 12a makes the determination from the perspective of the positions corresponding to more of the area of ​​the spot colors. However, when the data generating unit 12a determines the positions of the spot color patches corresponding to more of the spot colors based on the positions of the spot colors in the target image, the data generating unit 12a may make the determination from the perspective of the positions in which more of the target images have the spot colors.

[0075] Fig. 11A shows color chart data 46 generated in step S220. The color chart data 46 is color chart data in which spot color patches are arranged based on the position of each spot color in the target images 40, 43, 44 of each of the multiple print jobs and the above-mentioned priority order of the spot colors, and is an example different from the color chart data 45 in Fig. 9. The color chart data 46 is generated in step S220 based on the viewpoint of positions where more target images have spot colors.

[0076] 9, the spot color "R100" is included in the patch corresponding region 404 of the target image 40, the patch corresponding region 434 of the target image 43, and the patch corresponding region 444 of the target image 44. Therefore, of all the patch positions, the patch position 41d corresponds to the position where the largest number of target images have the spot color "R100". Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41d as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "R100".

[0077] 9, the spot color "B100" is included in the patch corresponding regions 402, 403, 404, and 405 of the target image 40. Therefore, excluding the patch position 41d, the patch positions 41b, 41c, and 41e correspond to the positions where the most target images have the spot color "B100". In this case, the patch positions 41b, 41c, and 41e all correspond to the positions where one target image has the spot color "B100". Therefore, the data generating unit 12a may determine the patch position 41c as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "B100" by taking into consideration the size of the area of ​​the spot color "B100" and the proximity to the color measurement start bar 41g.

[0078] 9, the spot color "Y100" is included in the patch corresponding areas 401 and 402 of the target image 40, the patch corresponding areas 431, 432, 433, 434, and 435 of the target image 43, and the patch corresponding areas 441, 442, 443, 444, and 445 of the target image 44. Therefore, the patch positions 41a and 41b correspond to the positions where the largest number of target images have the spot color "Y100". In this case, both the patch positions 41a and 41b correspond to the positions where three target images have the spot color "Y100". Therefore, the data generating unit 12a may determine the patch position 41b as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "Y100" taking into consideration the size of the area of ​​the spot color "Y100".

[0079] 9, the spot color "O100" is included in the patch corresponding region 401 of the target image 40 and the patch corresponding region 441 of the target image 44. Therefore, the patch position 41a corresponds to the position where the largest number of target images have the spot color "O100". Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41a as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "O100", and determines the remaining patch position 41e as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "G100". In accordance with this determination, the data generating unit 12a places the spot color patch 42O at patch position 41a of the color chart basic data 41, places the spot color patch 42Y at patch position 41b, places the spot color patch 42B at patch position 41c, places the spot color patch 42R at patch position 41d, and places the spot color patch 42G at patch position 41e, to generate color chart data 46. The transport stop mark 41f and the color measurement start bar 41g of the color chart basic data 41 are left as they are in the color chart data 46. Incidentally, the color chart data 46 is ultimately exactly the same as the color chart data 42 in FIG.

[0080] In the second embodiment, among the patch positions, a patch position determined as a position where a spot color patch of a first spot color is arranged may be referred to as a "first patch position." Furthermore, among the patch positions other than the first patch position, a patch position determined as a position where a spot color patch of a second spot color is arranged may be referred to as a "second patch position." For example, when the spot color "B100" is the first spot color and the spot color "Y100" is the second spot color, with regard to the color chart data 45 in FIG. 9, the patch position 41c corresponds to the first patch position and the patch position 41e corresponds to the second patch position.

[0081] Third embodiment: A printing color measurement process of a color chart according to the third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, in step S130, the data generating unit 12a only needs to acquire one or a plurality of print jobs. Also, in the third embodiment, the data generating unit 12a does not refer to the priority of spot colors predefined in the spot color DB 28, but determines the priority of spot colors according to the size of the area of ​​each spot color in the target image represented by the print job acquired in step S130.

[0082] Here, as in the second embodiment, it is assumed that the data generating unit 12a acquires the target images 40, 43, and 44 of the first to third print jobs in step S130, and acquires the correspondence between the patch positions and the areas of the spot colors shown in FIG. 10 in step S140. FIG. 11B shows the color chart data 47 generated in step S220 in the third embodiment.

[0083] In step S210, the data generating unit 12a obtains the maximum area corresponding to the patch position for each spot color. According to FIG. 10, the maximum area for the spot color "R100" is "480" corresponding to the patch position 41d. According to FIG. 10, the maximum area for the spot color "B100" is "2260" corresponding to the patch position 41c and "2260" corresponding to the patch position 41e. In the same way, the maximum area for the spot color "Y100" is "4520" corresponding to the patch position 41c and "4520" corresponding to the patch position 41e. The maximum area for the spot color "O100" is "1500" corresponding to the patch position 41a. The maximum area for the spot color "G100" is "3000" corresponding to the patch position 41a.

[0084] The data generating unit 12a assigns a higher priority to a spot color having a larger maximum area value calculated for each spot color. According to the example of Fig. 10, the spot color "Y100" having an area of ​​"4520" corresponding to patch position 41c and patch position 41e is the spot color with the highest priority. Following the same idea, the spot color "Y100" is given the following priority: spot color "G100" having an area of ​​"3000", spot color "B100" having an area of ​​"2260", spot color "O100" having an area of ​​"1500", and spot color "R100" having an area of ​​"480".

[0085] The data generating unit 12a determines the position of each spot color patch to be one of the patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, and 41e in accordance with the priority order thus determined. 10, the patch positions that correspond most frequently to the spot color "Y100" among all the patch positions are the patch positions 41c and 41e. Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41c, which is closer to the color measurement start bar 41g, as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "Y100". 10, the patch position that corresponds most frequently to the spot color "G100" among the patch positions 41a, 41b, 41d, and 41e is the patch position 41a. Therefore, the data generating unit 12a determines the patch position 41a as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "G100".

[0086] 10, the patch position that corresponds most frequently to the spot color "B100" among the patch positions 41b, 41d, and 41e is the patch position 41e. Therefore, the data generator 12a determines the patch position 41e as the position of the spot color patch of the spot color "B100". 10, the patch position corresponding to the most frequent spot color "O100" is patch position 41a, but a spot color patch of spot color "G100" has already been determined for patch position 41a. Therefore, of the remaining patch positions 41b and 41d, the data generating unit 12a determines patch position 41b, which is closer to patch position 41a, as the position of the spot color patch of spot color "O100". In addition, the data generating unit 12a determines the remaining patch position 41d as the position of the spot color patch of spot color "R100".

[0087] Therefore, in step S220, the data generating unit 12a places the spot color patch 42G at patch position 41a, the spot color patch 42O at patch position 41b, the spot color patch 42Y at patch position 41c, the spot color patch 42R at patch position 41d, and the spot color patch 42B at patch position 41e of the color chart basic data 41, thereby generating color chart data 47. The transport stop mark 41f and the color measurement start bar 41g of the color chart basic data 41 are left as they are in the color chart data 47.

[0088] Even if only one print job is acquired in step S130, in the third embodiment, the data generating unit 12a may determine the priority of the spot color according to the size of the area of ​​each spot color in the target image as described above. For example, assume that only the first print job is acquired in step S130. In this case, the data generating unit 12a determines the priority of the spot color according to the size of the area of ​​each spot color in the target image 40. According to FIG. 9, since the target image 40 includes many spot colors "B100" in the patch corresponding area 403 and the patch corresponding area 405, the data generating unit 12a sets the spot color "B100" as the spot color with the highest priority and determines the patch position 41c as the patch position of the spot color "B100". The data generating unit 12a may also prioritize the other spot colors according to the area of ​​each spot color in each patch corresponding area of ​​the target image 40, and may associate the other spot colors with any patch position other than the patch position 41c according to the priority. According to the third embodiment, it can be said that the data generating unit 12a determines the spot color having a larger area as the first spot color and the spot color having a smaller area as the second spot color among two different spot colors included in the first image. In the third embodiment, the priority order of spot colors predefined in the spot color DB 28 is not referred to, and the priority order of spot colors is determined according to the size of the area of ​​each spot color in the target image represented by the print job acquired in step S130. However, the priority order may be determined by taking the number of prints into consideration. Specifically, when the number of prints of the target image 40 is one, the number of prints of the target image 43 is one, and the number of prints of the target image 44 is two, when obtaining the correspondence relationship between the patch positions and the areas of the spot colors as shown in FIG. 10, the area of ​​the spot color for each patch position in the target image 44 is doubled, and then the correspondence relationship between the patch positions and the areas of the spot colors is created. In this case, the spot color areas corresponding to patch position 41a are as follows: spot color "R100" area "0", spot color "B100" area "0", spot color "Y100" area "400", spot color "O100" area "2250", and spot color "G100" area "3750".

[0089] 2-4. Fourth embodiment: A printing color measurement process of a color chart according to the fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the idea of ​​multiple patch positions 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, and 41e reserved in advance in color chart data as described above is not adopted, and the data generating unit 12a arranges spot color patches in optimal positions for each spot color according to the position of the spot color in the target image.

[0090] Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of steps S200 to S220 of the fourth embodiment. Fig. 12 can be viewed in the same way as Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. Fig. 12 shows a target image 40 represented by the first print job acquired in step S130 and color chart data 48 generated in step S220 side by side. The target image 40 is as described in Figs. 8 and 9.

[0091] In the fourth embodiment, in step S210, the data generating unit 12a determines the position of the spot color patch corresponding to the color chart data 48 for each spot color included in the target image. Of course, in the fourth embodiment, the position of the spot color patch may be determined based on the position of the spot color in a plurality of target images including the target image 40. According to the example of FIG. 12, the data generating unit 12a determines the position of the spot color patch 42R as the position corresponding to the character string 40d represented in the target image 40 with the spot color "R100" in the second direction D2. The position corresponding to the character string 40d in the second direction D2 means, for example, the position overlapping with the center point of the character string 40d in the second direction D2. Similarly, the data generating unit 12a determines the position of the spot color patch 42B as the position corresponding to the rectangular image 40e represented in the target image 40 with the spot color "B100" in the second direction D2. Furthermore, the data generation unit 12a determines the position corresponding in the second direction D2 to the star image 40c represented in the target image 40 in the feature color "Y100" as the position of the feature color patch 42Y, determines the position corresponding in the second direction D2 to the star image 40b represented in the target image 40 in the feature color "O100" as the position of the feature color patch 42O, and determines the position corresponding in the second direction D2 to the star image 40a represented in the target image 40 in the feature color "G100" as the position of the feature color patch 42G.

[0092] Furthermore, the data generating unit 12a moves the positions of the spot color patches determined for each spot color in this manner parallel to the first direction D1 so as not to overlap with each other, and determines the positions of the spot color patches for each spot color. In step S220, each spot color patch is placed at each position determined in this manner to generate color chart data 48. As a result, as shown in Fig. 12, color chart data 48 is obtained in which each of the five spot color patches 42R, 42B, 42Y, 42O, and 42G is placed at a position corresponding to the position of the spot color in the target image 40 in the second direction D2 and is placed at a position spaced apart from each other in the first direction D1.

[0093] 12, the color chart data 48 has a transport stop mark for each spot color patch. Specifically, the color chart data 48 has a transport stop mark 41f1 at a position corresponding to the spot color patch 42R in the first direction D1, a transport stop mark 41f2 at a position corresponding to the spot color patch 42B in the first direction D1, a transport stop mark 41f3 at a position corresponding to the spot color patch 42Y in the first direction D1, a transport stop mark 41f4 at a position corresponding to the spot color patch 42G in the first direction D1, and a transport stop mark 41f5 at a position corresponding to the spot color patch 42O in the first direction D1. The roles of the transport stop marks 41f1, 41f2, 41f3, 41f4, and 41f5 are the same as those of the transport stop mark 41f described above, but in the fourth embodiment, the positions of the spot color patches are different in the first direction D1, so that a transport stop mark is required for each spot color patch.

[0094] Similarly, the color chart data 48 has a color measurement start bar for each spot color patch. Specifically, the color chart data 48 has a color measurement start bar 41g1 at a position corresponding to the spot color patch 42R in the first direction D1, a color measurement start bar 41g2 at a position corresponding to the spot color patch 42B in the first direction D1, a color measurement start bar 41g3 at a position corresponding to the spot color patch 42Y in the first direction D1, a color measurement start bar 41g4 at a position corresponding to the spot color patch 42G in the first direction D1, and a color measurement start bar 41g5 at a position corresponding to the spot color patch 42O in the first direction D1. The roles of the color measurement start bars 41g1, 41g2, 41g3, 41g4, and 41g5 are the same as those of the color measurement start bar 41g described above, and the distance in the second direction D2 between the spot color patch and the corresponding color measurement start bar is constant.

[0095] For example, the character string 40d and the rectangular image 40e of the target image 40 overlap in the second direction D2. Therefore, in the color chart data 48 generated in step S220, the special color patch 42R corresponding to the special color "R100" of the character string 40d and the special color patch 42B corresponding to the special color "B100" of the rectangular image 40e are arranged at positions separated from each other in the first direction D1 and overlapping in the second direction D2. Also, the star image 40a and the star image 40b overlap in the second direction D2. Therefore, in the color chart data 48, the special color patch 42G corresponding to the special color "G100" of the star image 40a and the special color patch 42O corresponding to the special color "O100" of the star image 40b are arranged at positions separated from each other in the first direction D1 and overlapping in the second direction D2. In other words, according to the fourth embodiment, when a certain spot color is designated as a first spot color and another spot color is designated as a second spot color, if the position of the first spot color and the position of the second spot color in the first image overlap in the second direction D2, color chart data is generated in which the first spot color patch and the second spot color patch are spaced apart in the first direction D1 and positioned so as to overlap in the second direction D2.

[0096] For the fourth embodiment, the color measurement of the color chart in step S160 will be supplementarily described. Referring to FIG. 12, in step S160, the printing color measurement control unit 12b stops the transport of the printing medium 30 by the transport unit 16 at the timing when the sensor detects the transport stop mark 41f1 printed on the printing medium 30. Then, the printing color measurement control unit 12b causes the color measurement unit 19 in the initial position to start moving in the second direction D2. Upon measuring the color measurement start bar 41g1 printed on the printing medium 30, the color measurement unit 19 performs color measurement of the special color patch 42R located at a certain distance in the second direction D2 from the color measurement start bar 41g1. Thereafter, the colorimetry unit 19 returns to its initial position, resumes transport of the printing medium 30, stops transport based on detection of a transport stop mark, starts moving the colorimetry unit 19, and measures the spot color patches by the colorimetry unit 19 triggered by measuring the colorimetry start bar, thereby completing the measurement of each spot color patch printed on the printing medium 30.

[0097] Furthermore, a modified example of the fourth embodiment will be described. According to the fourth embodiment, when spot color patches of spot colors included in a target image are arranged in color chart data and printed, for all spot colors included in the target image, the spot color patches can be arranged in optimal positions according to the positions of the spot colors in the target image. On the other hand, compared with the color chart data 42, 45, 46, and 47 described so far, in the color chart data 48, the spot color patches are scattered at intervals in the first direction D1, so that the area of ​​the data calculated by the vertical and horizontal dimensions is large.

[0098] Here, a spot color different from the first spot color and the second spot color is defined as a third spot color. If the position of the third spot color in the first image does not overlap with either the position of the first spot color or the position of the second spot color in the second direction D2, the data generating unit 12a may generate color chart data 48 in which a third spot color patch, which is a patch of the third spot color, is arranged at a position separated from the first spot color patch and the second spot color patch in the second direction D2 and overlaps with either the first spot color patch or the second spot color patch in the first direction D1. Of course, the data generating unit 12a obtains the position of the third spot color included in the first image from the first image.

[0099] 12, the star images 40a, 40b, and 40c are spaced apart from the character string 40d and the rectangular image 40e in the second direction D2. For example, the data generating unit 12a may regard the spot color "R100" used in the character string 40d as a first spot color, the spot color "B100" used in the rectangular image 40e as a second spot color, and the spot color "G100" used in the star image 40a and the spot color "Y100" used in the star image 40c as a third spot color. In step S220, the data generating unit 12a may generate the color chart data 48 by arranging the spot color patch 42R of the spot color "R100" at the patch position 48a instead of the position shown in FIG. 12 and arranging the spot color patch 42B of the spot color "B100" at the patch position 48b instead of the position shown in FIG. 12.

[0100] The patch position 48a corresponds to the character string 40d in the second direction D2, and coincides with the spot color patch 42Y of the spot color "Y100" in the first direction D1. The patch position 48b corresponds to the rectangular image 40e in the second direction D2, and coincides with the spot color patch 42G of the spot color "G100" in the first direction D1. As a result, the color chart data 48 is generated in which the third spot color patch is arranged at a position separated from the first spot color patch and the second spot color patch in the second direction D2 and overlaps with either the first spot color patch or the second spot color patch in the first direction D1.

[0101] 3. Summary: As described above, according to the present embodiment, the printing device 10 includes a printing unit 31 that performs printing by attaching a color material to the printing medium 30, a colorimetry unit 19 that performs colorimetry, a data generation unit 12a that generates color chart data for printing a color chart including a first spot color patch that is a patch of the first spot color, and a printing colorimetry control unit 12b that controls printing by the printing unit 31 and colorimetry by the colorimetry unit 19. The data generation unit 12a acquires the position of the first spot color included in a first image represented by a first print job from the first image, and generates color chart data in which the first spot color patch is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the first spot color in the first image, and the printing colorimetry control unit 12b causes the printing unit 31 to print a color chart based on the color chart data, and causes the colorimetry unit 19 to measure the color of the color chart printed by the printing unit 31 on the printing medium 30.

[0102] According to the above-described configuration, a color chart in which a first spot color patch is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the first spot color included in the first image represented by the first print job is printed on the printing medium 30. Therefore, by measuring the color of the first spot color patch of the printed color chart, it is possible to capture and evaluate with high accuracy the color value of the first spot color that will be reproduced when the first image is printed on the printing medium 30.

[0103] In other words, when an image is printed by combining passes and sub-scans of the print head 18, the color value of the spot color in the print result will differ depending on the position where the spot color is printed, because the ink drying time and the nozzles used will differ depending on the position on the print medium 30. Even in such a situation, by employing this embodiment, the color value of the spot color when the target image is printed can be captured with high accuracy from the colorimetric results of the spot color patches.

[0104] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the data generating unit 12a acquires the position of the second spot color included in the first image from the first image, and generates color chart data in which the first spot color patch is arranged and the second spot color patch is arranged at a position that avoids the first spot color patch and is determined based on the position of the second spot color in the first image. According to the above configuration, the data generating unit 12a can generate color chart data in which each spot color patch corresponding to each of the multiple spot colors included in the target image is appropriately positioned based on the position of each spot color in the target image, while prioritizing the first spot color over the second spot color.

[0105] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the data generating unit 12a acquires the positions of the first spot color and the second spot color included in the second image represented by the second print job from the second image, and generates color chart data in which the first spot color patch is arranged at a position determined based on the position of the first spot color in the first image and the position of the first spot color in the second image, and the second spot color patch is arranged at a position that avoids the first spot color patch and is determined based on the position of the second spot color in the first image and the position of the second spot color in the second image. According to the above configuration, the data generating unit 12a can generate color chart data in which each spot color patch is appropriately arranged based on the position of each spot color in multiple target images, while prioritizing the first spot color over the second spot color.

[0106] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the data generating unit 12a determines first patch positions corresponding to more of the first spot color from among a plurality of patch positions previously determined as positions for arranging patches on a color chart, based on the positions of the first spot color in the first image and the positions of the first spot color in the second image, and determines second patch positions corresponding to more of the second spot color from among the plurality of patch positions excluding the first patch positions, based on the positions of the second spot color in the first image and the positions of the second spot color in the second image. Then, color chart data is generated in which the first spot color patches are arranged at the first patch positions and the second spot color patches are arranged at the second patch positions. According to the above configuration, the data generation unit 12a can determine the position at which to place each spot color patch from among a plurality of predetermined patch positions based on the positions of each spot color in a plurality of target images, while prioritizing the first spot color over the second spot color.

[0107] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the data generating unit 12a may determine, of two different characteristic colors included in the first image, the characteristic color having a larger area as the first characteristic color, and the characteristic color having a smaller area as the second characteristic color. According to the above configuration, the data generating unit 12a can determine the priority order between the spot colors according to the relative size of the areas of the two spot colors included in the first image. Of course, the data generating unit 12a can determine the priority order between the plurality of feature colors according to the relative size relationship of the areas of the feature colors in two or more target images including the first image.

[0108] The printing device 10 includes a transport unit 16 that transports the printing medium 30 in a first direction D1. The color measurement unit 19 is located downstream of the printing unit 31 in the first direction D1. With this configuration, when the position of the first spot color and the position of the second spot color in the first image overlap in a second direction D2 that intersects with the first direction D1, the data generation unit 12a may generate color chart data in which the first spot color patch and the second spot color patch are spaced apart in the first direction D1 and overlap in the second direction D2. According to the above configuration, the data generating unit 12a can print a color chart by arranging spot color patches at optimal positions corresponding to the positions of the spot colors in the target image for both the first and second spot colors.

[0109] Furthermore, the data generating unit 12a obtains the position of a third spot color included in the first image from the first image. Then, when the position of the third spot color in the first image does not overlap with either the position of the first spot color or the position of the second spot color in the second direction D2, the data generating unit 12a may generate color chart data in which a third spot color patch, which is a patch of the third spot color, is arranged at a position separated from the first spot color patch and the second spot color patch in the second direction D2 and overlaps with either the first spot color patch or the second spot color patch in the first direction D1. According to the above-described configuration, the data generating unit 12a can place spot color patches for any of the first, second, and third spot colors in optimal positions corresponding to the positions of the spot colors in the target image, and can print a color chart with as small an overall area as possible.

[0110] In addition to the printing device, this embodiment discloses inventions in various categories, such as systems, programs, and methods. For example, a printing and color measurement method for a color chart includes a data generation step of generating color chart data for printing a color chart including a first spot color patch, which is a patch of a first spot color, a printing step, and a color measurement step. The data generation step acquires the position of the first spot color included in a first image represented by a first print job from the first image, and generates color chart data in which the first spot color patch is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the first spot color in the first image. The printing step causes a printing unit 31 to print the color chart based on the color chart data onto a printing medium 30. The color measurement step causes a color measurement unit 19 to measure the color of the color chart printed onto the printing medium 30 by the printing unit 31.

[0111] 4.Other notes: In this embodiment, the ICC profile is a profile that specifies the correspondence between the Lab value and the ink amount for each CMYK required to realize this Lab value as a print result, and the ink amount for each CMYK is also called the CMYK value. However, the ICC profile may be a profile that maintains the relationship between the Lab value and the CMYK value before halftone processing. In other words, the CMYK value obtained by the ICC profile is not a value that directly indicates the ink amount required for printing, and the printing colorimetry control unit 12b may be configured to convert the CMYK value of the color chart data to the CMYK value as the ink amount using a lookup table and then perform halftone processing. For example, if the print head 18 is a model that uses six colors of ink including orange (Or) and green (Gr) ink in addition to CMYK ink, the ink amounts of these six colors are required. Therefore, the printing colorimetry control unit 12b converts the CMYK value of the color chart data to the CMYKOrGr value as the ink amount using a lookup table.

[0112] The main scanning direction of the carriage 17 and the print head 18 may be parallel to the second direction D2 instead of parallel to the first direction D1 as shown in FIG. 2. In this case, sub-scanning, which is the relative movement between the carriage 17 and the print medium 30, is realized by transporting the print medium 30. In other words, the transport unit 16 only needs to transport the print medium 30 according to a predetermined sub-scanning amount between passes for completing printing one frame. In this case, the data generation unit 12a only needs to generate color chart data in which the positions of the spot color patches in the first direction D1 are determined and arranged according to the positions of the spot colors in the target image in the first direction D1, and cause the printing unit 31 to print.

[0113] The print medium 30 is not limited to a long medium such as roll paper, but may be cut sheets of paper that have been pre-cut into page units. The printing unit 31 may be a mechanism that employs an electrophotographic system, for example, instead of an inkjet system, and prints using toner as a color material. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 10...printing device, 11...control unit, 11a...CPU, 11b...ROM, 11c...RAM, 12...program, 12a...data generation unit, 12b...print color measurement control unit, 16...transport unit, 17...carriage, 18...print head, 19...color measurement unit, 26...storage unit, 27...ICC profile DB, 28...spot color DB, 29...ink amount table, 30...printing medium, 40, 43, 44...target image, 41...color chart basic data, 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, 41e...patch position, 42, 45, 46, 47...color chart data, 42R, 42B, 42Y, 42O, 42G...spot color patch

Claims

1. a printing unit that applies color material to a printing medium to perform printing; A color measurement unit that performs color measurement; A first spot color patch which is a patch of a first spot color and a second spot color patch which is a patch of a second spot color a data generating unit that generates color chart data for printing a color chart including the color chart; a printing and color measurement control unit that controls printing by the printing unit and color measurement by the color measurement unit; picture, The data generating unit determines a position of the first spot color included in a first image represented by a first print job. a position of the first feature and a position of the second feature from the first image; The first special color patch is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the color, and the first special color patch is avoided. a position determined based on a position of the second feature color in the first image. generating the color chart data in which the second spot color patch is arranged; The printing color measurement control unit prints the color chart based on the color chart data. and causing the printing unit to execute the above-mentioned color chart printed on the printing medium by the printing unit. A printing device characterized in that the color measurement unit measures the colors.

2. The data generation unit The position of the first spot color and the position of the second spot color included in a second image represented by a second print job Obtaining a color location from the second image; A position of the first feature in the first image and a position of the first feature in the second image The first spot color patch is placed at a position determined based on the position of the first spot color patch. a position of the second feature color in the first image and a position of the second feature color in the second image, the position being avoided by the the second feature patch is disposed at a position determined based on the position of the second feature patch in 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a printer that generates the color chart data.

3. The data generation unit A position of the first feature in the first image and a position of the first feature in the second image Based on the position of the patch, a position on the color chart is determined in advance as a position where the patch is to be placed. Among the plurality of patch positions thus determined, a first patch position corresponding to a greater number of the first feature colors is determined. and determining a position of the second feature in the first image and a position of the Based on a position of a second feature color, from among the plurality of patch positions excluding the first patch position, determining second patch locations corresponding to more of the second feature colors; The first feature patch is arranged at the first patch position, and the second feature patch is arranged at the second patch position. and generating the color chart data in which the second special color patch is arranged.

3. The printing device according to claim 2.

4. The data generating unit is configured to generate a feature image having a larger area than the two different feature images included in the first image. The feature having the larger area is designated as the first feature, and the feature having the smaller area is designated as the second feature.

2. The printing device according to claim 1 .

5. a conveying unit that conveys the print medium in a first direction; the color measurement unit is located downstream of the printing unit in the first direction, The data generating unit determines a position of the first feature color and a position of the second feature color in the first image. and overlap in a second direction intersecting the first direction, The two special color patches are arranged at positions spaced apart in the first direction and overlapping in the second direction.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color chart data is generated by placing the color chart in the printing apparatus. Place.

6. The data generation unit Obtaining a position of a third feature color included in the first image from the first image; The position of the third feature in the first image is the same as the position of the first feature in the second direction. When the position of the second feature color does not overlap with the position of the first feature color in the second direction, The first feature patch is spaced apart from the first feature patch and the second feature patch in the first direction. A third patch of the third color is disposed at a position overlapping either the first patch or the second patch.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of generating the color chart data including special color patches. The printing device described in

7. A first spot color patch which is a patch of a first spot color and a second spot color patch which is a patch of a second spot color A data generating step of generating color chart data for printing a color chart including the color chart; , The printing process, A color measurement process; The data generating step includes: generating a first image of the first print job; a position of the first feature and a position of the second feature from the first image; The first feature color patch is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the feature color, and the first feature color patch is the avoided position being determined based on the position of the second feature color in the first image. generating the color chart data in which the second spot color patch is arranged on the The printing step prints the color chart on a printing medium based on the color chart data. The printing unit executes the printing of The color measurement step includes:

13. A method for printing and measuring the color of a color chart, comprising:

Images