Print inspection system and program

Abstract

To provide a technology with which it is possible to easily assess the appropriateness of the initial level of inspection, and to easily change the inspection level when inappropriate.SOLUTION: A printed matter inspection system includes a printed matter inspection device 12 that inspects printed matter in a printing device 14. The processor of the printed matter inspection device 12 compares the scan image obtained by scanning the printed matter of the page to be inspected from among the pages that constitute a job with a reference image created using the rasterized data of the page to be inspected, inspects a first defect present in the scan image at a preliminarily set initial level or a first inspection level that is set by a user, automatically inspects a second defect present in the scan image at a second inspection level that is different from the first inspection level, and distinguishably displays the first and second defects on a display device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printed matter inspection system and a program. [Background Art]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an image inspection report creating apparatus that displays only defects recognized as needing to be grasped by a user in a result report. In order to inspect a read image read by an image reading unit, this apparatus comprises: an inspection image generating unit that generates an inspection image; a difference level calculating unit that calculates a difference level indicating a degree of a difference based on the difference between the inspection image and the read image; a display determination unit that compares the difference level calculated by the difference level calculating unit with a preset reference difference level to determine whether or not to display the difference in a result report; and a file creating unit that creates a result report regarding the difference based on the determination result of the display determination unit.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes an image processing apparatus that can appropriately reuse non-defective products and exclude defective products even when re-determination is performed on discharged printed matter by changing image abnormality detection conditions. This apparatus comprises: a printing unit that outputs printed matter; a reading unit that reads printed matter to obtain a read image; a determination unit that analyzes the read image to detect an image abnormality and determines the quality of the printed matter; a paper discharging unit that sorts the printed matter into non-defective products and defective products and discharges the same based on the determination result; and a notification unit that causes a display unit to display an image abnormality detection result and accepts a change of an image abnormality detection threshold and / or a detection item, wherein the determination unit re-determines discharged printed matter when the image abnormality detection threshold and / or the detection item is changed, and the notification unit notifies an output position of the printed matter whose quality determination has been changed. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-082421 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-205567 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] In inspection systems for checking the quality of printed materials, the inspection level can be set using the system's default value or by the user. However, it is not possible to know whether the inspection level setting was appropriate until after the printing and inspection of the printed material are complete. Furthermore, even if the setting level is too strict or too lenient, it is not easy to change the setting level. In particular, since the appropriate inspection level may differ for each print job, it is necessary to flexibly change the inspection level for each job.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a technology that allows for easy determination of the appropriateness of the initial inspection level and, if deemed inappropriate, allows for easy modification of the inspection level. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is: P Rossessa and, table The processor comprises a display unit and, by reading and executing a program, Output based on the job Scanned image obtained by scanning a printed document, and the above Job Rasterize Based on the results Compare it with the created reference image, Based on the results of the above comparison, The first test level is either a pre-set initial level or a level set by the user. Corresponding Defect 1 , and a second defect corresponding to a second inspection level different from the first inspection level. of extraction death, The display unit displays an inspection result screen including an area for displaying the scanned image and an area for accepting the selection of an inspection level. When the area for setting the inspection level accepts the selection of the first inspection level, a mark indicating the location of the first defect is displayed in the area for displaying the scanned image. When the area for setting the inspection level accepts the selection of the second inspection level, a mark indicating the location of the second defect is displayed in the area for displaying the scanned image. This is a printed material inspection system.

[0008] The second aspect is, The inspection results screen further includes an area for displaying the page numbers of the pages constituting the job, and the processor displays a mark in the area for displaying page numbers at a position corresponding to the page number of the page containing the defect if at least one of the pages constituting the job contains a defect corresponding to the inspection level selected in the area for setting the inspection level. This is a printed material inspection system according to the first embodiment.

[0009] The third aspect is, The inspection result screen includes an area for receiving instructions to deem a page corresponding to a scanned image displayed in the area for displaying the scanned image to be defective, and the processor, in the area for receiving instructions to deem a page to be defective, receives an instruction to deem a scanned image displayed in the area for displaying the scanned image to be defective, and changes the appearance of the mark displayed in the area for displaying the page number to display it, according to the second embodiment. This is a printed material inspection system.

[0010] A fourth aspect is that the processor determines a defect extraction rate in the region that accepts the selection of the inspection level, which is the ratio of the number of defects extracted by the selected inspection level to the number of defects extracted by the highest inspection level. Fruit painting This is a printed material inspection system relating to the first aspect, which is displayed on a surface.

[0011] A fifth aspect involves a computer that compares a scanned image obtained by scanning a printed document output based on a job with a reference image created based on the rasterization of the job, extracts a first defect corresponding to a first inspection level which is a preset initial level or a user-defined level, and a second defect corresponding to a second inspection level which is different from the first inspection level, based on the results of the comparison, and provides an inspection result screen including an area for displaying the scanned image and an area for accepting the selection of an inspection level. To represent The program displays on the display unit and, when the selection of the first inspection level is received in the area for setting the inspection level, displays a mark indicating the location of the first defect in the area for displaying the scan image. When the selection of the second inspection level is received in the area for setting the inspection level, displays a mark indicating the location of the second defect in the area for displaying the scan image. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] Aspects 1 of the present invention 5 Depending on the configuration, it is possible to easily determine whether the initial level of inspection is appropriate, and if it is inappropriate, the level of inspection can be easily changed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0021] [Figure 1] This is a system configuration diagram of the printed material inspection system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a functional block diagram of the printed material inspection apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 3]It is a configuration block diagram of the printed matter inspection apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram of inspection levels for combinations of color difference and size according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between inspection levels and detected defects according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] It is another schematic diagram showing the relationship between inspection levels and detected defects according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] It is still another schematic diagram showing the relationship between inspection levels and detected defects according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a processing flowchart of the embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a first example screen of inspection results according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a second example screen of inspection results according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a third example screen of inspection results according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a schematic diagram of inspection levels for combinations of color difference and size according to a modified example. [Figure 13] It is a first example screen of inspection results according to a modified example. [Figure 14] It is a second example screen of inspection results according to a modified example. [Figure 15] It is a third example screen of inspection results according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 shows a system configuration diagram of the print inspection system of this embodiment. The print inspection system includes a print server 10, a print inspection device 12, and a printing device 14. The print server 10, the print inspection device 12, and the printing device 14 are connected by a communication line to enable data transmission and reception. The communication line can be wired or wireless, and can be a public or dedicated line. An example of a communication line is a LAN (Local Area Network), but it is not limited to this.

[0024] The print server 10 supplies print data for a print job to the printing device 14. In addition to the print data, the print server 10 generates reference image data from the rasterization results of the print job and supplies this reference image data to the print inspection device 12. Rasterization is a well-known process that generates raster data (image data) by performing drawing processing based on data in an intermediate format.

[0025] The printing device 14 receives print data from the print server 10 and prints on paper based on that print data. The printed material is discharged from the output tray of the printing device 14. The printing device 14 is equipped with a built-in scanner, which scans the printed material to generate scanned image data, and supplies the scanned image data to the printed material inspection device 12.

[0026] The configuration of the printing device 14 is publicly known, but will be briefly explained below. The printing device 14 prints images onto a printing medium such as paper based on jobs (print jobs) obtained from the print server 10. Here, a print job is a processing unit of printing operations instructed by a single print command.

[0027] The printing apparatus 14 comprises a storage unit, a transport unit, a printing unit, an output unit, and a control unit. The storage unit has the function of storing paper supplied to the printing unit and consists of a storage tray on which the paper is stacked.

[0028] The transport unit has the function of transporting the paper stored in the storage unit to the printing unit. The transport unit consists of, for example, a feed roll that feeds the paper out of the storage unit and multiple pairs of transport rolls arranged along the transport path from the storage unit to the printing unit.

[0029] The printing unit has the function of printing images onto paper. The printing unit prints images onto paper, for example, by electrophotography. That is, the printing unit prints images onto paper through the processes of charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing. The printing unit may also have the function of inverting and transporting the paper and printing images on both sides of the paper.

[0030] The output section is the part from which printed paper is ejected. The output section consists of multiple parts, for example, arranged vertically, and the paper is ejected to the designated section in the print job.

[0031] The control unit controls the operation of each part of the printing device 14. In this embodiment, the control unit controls the operation of the built-in scanner and turns on the operation of the built-in scanner for pages that are set as inspection targets among all pages constituting the job, scanning the printed material printed by the printing unit and generating scanned image data. Conversely, for pages that are set as not to be inspected among all pages constituting the job, the operation of the built-in scanner is turned off and no scanned image data is generated. The control unit obtains information on whether or not a page is to be inspected from the user terminal operated by the user, or from the print server 10. It may also be obtained from the printed material inspection device 12.

[0032] The print inspection device 12 acquires reference image data from the print server 10 and scanned image data from the printer 14. For all pages that make up the print job, it compares the two image data sets for the pages to be inspected to detect printing abnormalities. The print inspection device 12 displays the inspection results on a display device to inform the user.

[0033] Figure 2 shows a functional block diagram of the printed material inspection device 12. The printed material inspection device 12 comprises a reference image input unit 16, a scanned image input unit 18, a page configuration management unit 20, an inspection result comparison unit 22, and an inspection result display unit 24 as functional blocks.

[0034] The reference image input unit 16 receives reference image data created by the print server 10. Alternatively, the reference image input unit 16 may generate reference image data using job data from the print server 10, i.e., from the rasterization results of the job. The reference image data can be generated by either the print server 10 or the print inspection device 12.

[0035] The scanned image input unit 18 receives scanned image data obtained by scanning with the built-in scanner of the printing device 14.

[0036] The page configuration management unit 20 manages information about each page that makes up the job, whether each page is subject to inspection, and the inspection results for each page that is subject to inspection.

[0037] The inspection result comparison unit 22 compares the reference image and scanned image of each page to determine whether or not there are any abnormalities in the printing result from the printing device 14. Abnormalities in the printing result include printing smudges and printing defects. The inspection result comparison unit 22 notifies the page configuration management unit 20 of the inspection results and supplies the reference image data and scanned image data to the inspection result display unit 24.

[0038] The inspection result display unit 24 receives data from the page configuration management unit 20, namely page configuration data and inspection result data, and uses this data to display and output the inspection results. Specifically, the inspection result display unit 24 displays scanned images of each page, or both a reference image and a scanned image, based on the job's page configuration data. If the inspection result indicates a printing anomaly, it highlights the area where the anomaly was detected on the scanned image to display it in a form that is easy for the user to see. The highlighting may include, for example, showing the area where the anomaly was detected with an arrow, displaying the area where the anomaly was detected with a specific color, or enclosing the area where the anomaly was detected with a specific shape or line type, but is not particularly limited.

[0039] Figure 3 shows a block diagram of the printed material inspection device 12. The printed material inspection device 12 consists of one or more computers and includes one or more CPUs 12b, ROM 12c, RAM 12d, communication interface (I / F) 12e, display device 12f, and storage device 12g.

[0040] One or more CPUs 12b read programs stored in ROM 12c or storage device 12g and use RAM 12d as working memory to implement various functions. The CPUs 12b implement the page configuration management unit 20 and the inspection result comparison unit 22 shown in Figure 2.

[0041] The communication interface 12e receives reference image data supplied from the print server 10 and also receives scanned image data supplied from the printing device 14. The communication interface 12e outputs the received reference image data and scanned image data to the CPU 12b.

[0042] The display device 12f is composed of a display such as a CRT, liquid crystal, or organic EL, and displays the page configuration inspection results from the CPU 12b, as well as the reference image and the scanned image. The display device 12f realizes the inspection result display unit 24 in Figure 2.

[0043] The 12g storage device consists of non-volatile memory such as HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and SSDs (Solid State Drives). In addition to storing programs, the 12g storage device also stores various image data.

[0044] The term "processor" in this embodiment refers to a broad type of processor, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU Central Processing Units) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU Graphics Processing Units, ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuits, FPGA Field Programmable Gate Arrays, programmable logic devices, etc.).

[0045] Furthermore, the operation of the processor may not be performed solely by a single processor, but may also be performed collaboratively by multiple processors located in physically separate locations. The order of each processor operation may also be changed as appropriate.

[0046] In this embodiment, the print inspection device 12, as a basic operation, compares a reference image from the print server 10, i.e., a reference image created from the rasterization results of a job, with a scanned image obtained by scanning the printed material printed by the printing device 14 with the built-in scanner, to inspect the printed material for any abnormalities such as printing smudges, and displays the inspection results.

[0047] Note that not all pages that make up a job output by the printer 14 are subject to inspection; there are pages that are not subject to inspection in the following cases.

[0048] (1) When the user excludes the pages to be printed from inspection. This is because, on pages using preprinted paper, false detections can occur if preprinted images not present in the reference image are recorded in the scanned image. Furthermore, on pages using paper with intentionally added patterns, such as embossed paper, false detections can occur if the paper pattern is recorded in the scanned image. Additionally, due to the job configuration, users may intentionally exclude pages deemed unimportant from inspection.

[0049] (2) When blank pages that will not be printed are inserted due to the job configuration. This is because blank sorting pages that are not printed are inserted at the end of job copying, etc. Also, recovery sheets in case of paper jams may be inserted. Furthermore, in double-sided printing, the number of pages is odd, resulting in a blank reverse side.

[0050] On the other hand, for the pages subject to inspection, as described above, the system compares a reference image from the print server 10, that is, a reference image created from the rasterization results of the job, with a scanned image obtained by scanning the printed material printed by the printing device 14 with the built-in scanner to check for any abnormalities such as printing smudges on the printed material, and displays the inspection results. It is desirable to have a configuration in which multiple thresholds or inspection levels for determining abnormalities or defects are set in advance for each job, and the user can arbitrarily set the desired threshold or inspection level according to the job. This is because the required inspection level may differ depending on the job or the type and use of the printed material, such as some printed materials not requiring a very high inspection level, while others require a high level of inspection.

[0051] However, depending on the set threshold or inspection level, minute details that are indistinguishable to the human eye may be mistakenly identified as abnormalities or defects, leading to complicated inspection results or unnecessary processing of defective prints requiring reprinting. For this reason, the threshold or inspection level in the inspection system needs to be as accurate as human visual inspection.

[0052] Therefore, the CPU 12b of this embodiment performs inspection of the printed material using a plurality of thresholds or inspection levels stored in advance in the storage device 12g, and when displaying the inspection results on the display device 12f, it switches and displays the inspection results for each threshold. More specifically, the CPU 12b inspects the printed material for defects at a preset initial level or a first threshold (first inspection level) set by the user, and also automatically inspects the printed material for defects at a second threshold (second inspection level) that is different from the first threshold (first inspection level), and displays these defects on the display device in an identifiable manner.

[0053] In the following, the threshold or inspection level will be referred to as "inspection level," and the abnormality or defect will be referred to as "defect," and these will be explained in detail.

[0054] Figure 4 shows an example of the multiple inspection levels that CPU12b uses for defect inspection of printed materials. Information about job defects is: x coordinate · y coordinate ·Color difference • Size There are other examples, but here we will focus on the information regarding defects. ·Color difference • Size This is used. Then, multiple inspection levels are set for the combination of (color difference, size). The number of inspection levels is arbitrary, but for example, • High Standard Low The three stages are: High > Standard > Low In High mode, even minute defects with smaller color difference and size are identified as defects, while in Low mode, only defects with larger color difference and size are identified as defects.

[0055] In Figure 4, five color difference levels (40% to 80%) and five size levels (0.3mm to 1.5mm) are assigned inspection levels 30 (High), 32 (Standard), and 34 (Low). For example, a defect with (color difference, size) = (40%, 0.3mm) is recognized as a defect at inspection level 30 (High), but not at inspection levels 32 (Standard) or 34 (Low). A defect with (color difference, size) = (80%, 1.5mm) is recognized as a defect at all inspection levels 30, 32, and 34.

[0056] Figure 5 schematically shows the results of inspections performed at the three inspection levels shown in Figure 4: High (inspection level 30), Standard (inspection level 32), and Low (inspection level 34). In Figure 5, the locations where defects were detected are indicated by rectangular areas.

[0057] As the inspection level increases (becomes stricter) from Low to Standard to High, the number of defects detected increases. Conversely, as the inspection level decreases (becomes less stringent), the number of defects detected decreases. At inspection level 30 (High), many defects 40, 42, and 44 are detected. At inspection level 32 (Standard), defect 40, which was detected at inspection level 30 (High), is not detected, but defects 42 and 44 are detected. At inspection level 34 (Low), defect 42, which was detected at the Standard level, is also not detected, and only defect 44 is detected.

[0058] The CPU 12b detects defects 40, 42, and 44 and displays them on the display device 12f when the preset initial level, i.e., the default level, is High, or when High is set by the user. However, as shown in Figure 5, at High, many defects 40, 42, and 44 are detected and displayed, resulting in a cluttered display, and defects that should be reliably confirmed visually, such as defect 42, may be obscured and overlooked by the presence of defect 40. In particular, as shown in Figure 5, the possibility of overlooking defect 42 increases when many defects 40 exist around defect 42 or overlapping defect 42.

[0059] In such cases, changing the inspection level from High to Standard will prevent the detection of defect 40, while revealing the existence of defect 42, which should have been reliably confirmed visually.

[0060] Therefore, if the pre-set initial level, i.e., the default level, is High, or if High is set by the user, the CPU 12b automatically executes a test with the test level set to Standard in parallel with or immediately following this, and stores the test results in the storage device 12g or RAM 12d, and quickly displays the test results on the display device 12f in response to a user operation to change the test level. In other words, the CPU 12b automatically executes a test with a test level different from the set test level in the background, stores the results, and displays the results of the automatically executed test in response to a user operation to change the level.

[0061] Furthermore, if the CPU 12b is set to a pre-configured initial level, i.e., the default level, is High, or if High is set by the user, it may, in parallel with or immediately following this, automatically execute tests with the test level set to Standard and tests with the test level set to Low, and store the test results in the storage device 12g or RAM 12d. This is because it is conceivable that user changes may occur from High to Standard, and then to Low.

[0062] Figure 6 schematically shows other results of inspections performed at the three inspection levels shown in Figure 4: High (inspection level 30), Standard (inspection level 32), and Low (inspection level 34). In Figure 6, the locations where defects were detected are indicated by rectangular areas.

[0063] If the CPU12b is set to a pre-configured initial level, i.e., the default level, which is Standard or Low, or if Standard or Low is set by the user, defects in the printed material will not be detected and will not be displayed on the display device 12f. However, there may be defects that are potentially present and require visual inspection.

[0064] Therefore, if the pre-set initial level, i.e., the default level, is Standard or Low, or if Standard or Low is set by the user, the CPU 12b automatically performs a test with the test level set to High in parallel or immediately after, and stores the test results in the storage device 12g or RAM 12d, and quickly displays the test results on the display device 12f in response to a user operation to change the test level. When the test level is changed to High, defects 40 that were not detected in Standard or Low are detected and displayed on the display device 12f. The user can then visually confirm whether the system is normal or abnormal.

[0065] Figure 7 schematically illustrates further results of inspections performed at the three inspection levels shown in Figure 4: High (inspection level 30), Standard (inspection level 32), and Low (inspection level 34). In Figure 7, the locations where defects were detected are indicated by rectangular areas. The job consists of multiple pages, and the inspection results for the first and second pages are shown.

[0066] When the inspection level is High, defect 40 is detected on page 1, and defects 40 and 42 are detected on page 2 and displayed on the display device 12f. When the inspection level is Standard, no defects are detected on page 1, but defect 42 is detected on page 2 and displayed on the display device 12f. When the inspection level is Low, no defects are detected on either page 1 or page 2, and they are not displayed on the display device 12f.

[0067] If defect 42 is a defect that should inherently be detected, then defect 42 cannot be detected at Low, but it can be detected at Standard and High. The lowest inspection level that can detect all of the defects 42 that should be detected is Standard.

[0068] Therefore, regardless of the pre-set initial level, i.e., the default level, or the level set by the user, the CPU 12b automatically performs inspections at three inspection levels: High, Standard, and Low, in parallel with or following these initial levels, and stores the inspection results in the storage device 12g or RAM 12d. The CPU 12b then displays the lowest inspection level at which defects can be detected as the optimal inspection level on the display device 12f. In this case, the CPU 12b displays the Standard inspection result on the display device 12f in response to the user's operation to change to the optimal inspection level.

[0069] Figure 8 shows the processing flowchart of this embodiment. This is the process that is realized when the CPU 12b executes the program.

[0070] First, the CPU 12b performs the inspection at a pre-set initial level, i.e., the default level, or at an inspection level set by the user, and displays the result on the display device 12f (S101). In parallel with this process, the CPU 12b automatically performs the inspection at an inspection level different from the pre-set initial level or the inspection level set by the user, and stores the result in the storage device 12g or RAM 12d.

[0071] Next, the CPU 12b determines whether or not the user has changed the inspection level (S102). If the user has changed the level (YES in S102), the CPU 12b notifies the print server 10 of the change in inspection level (S103).

[0072] If there is no operation to change the inspection level (NO in S102), or if there is an operation to change the inspection level and the print server 10 is notified of the change, the CPU 12b determines whether or not to change the inspection result (S104).

[0073] If the user makes a change operation, the CPU 12b displays the inspection result on the display device 12f according to the user's change operation, and the result is determined to be YES in S104. The CPU 12b notifies the print server 10 that the inspection result has been changed (S105).

[0074] Next, the CPU 12b determines whether or not a defect exists in the inspection results after the inspection level has been changed (S106). Then, it supplies a control signal to the print server 10 according to the presence or absence of a defect to control the printing operation of the printer 14. That is, if no defect exists (YES in S106), it supplies a control signal to the print server 10 indicating that the printout is normal. The print server 10 processes the job being inspected as normal and continues the printing operation (S107). If a defect exists in the inspection results after the inspection level has been changed (NO in S106), the CPU 12b supplies a control signal to the print server 10 indicating that the printout is defective. The print server 10 processes the job being inspected as an error (S108).

[0075] When a defect is found and the job is to be processed as an error, the job is basically interrupted, but the user may be able to set the conditions for interruption and the actions after interruption. For example, the conditions for interruption may be set to the number of defective pages or the percentage of defective pages to the total number of pages, the actions after interruption may be set to error processing / waiting for user input, and the offset when a defect occurs may be set to insert a recovery sheet / offset of the resume sheet. The CPU 12b supplies a control signal to the print server 10 when a defect is found according to these conditions. The print server 10 executes error processing according to these conditions set by the user.

[0076] Furthermore, as a result of performing tests at multiple levels, the following test results may exist. (a) When a defect is detected at the inspection level pre-configured for the job (b) When a defect is not detected at the pre-configured inspection level for the job, but is detected at other inspection levels. (c) If no defect is detected at any level of inspection

[0077] Of the above cases (a) to (c), in cases (a) and (b), the inspection results at other inspection levels are displayed on the display device 12f in response to user operation, but this is not particularly necessary in case (c). However, even in case (c), the CPU 12b may notify the user by displaying this fact on the display device 12f.

[0078] If the user performs an action to display test results for a different test level, (d) Test results remain unchanged (e) The test result changes from defective to no defects. (f) The test result changes from "no defects" to "defects found". This is possible. In cases (e) and (f) above, there is a high need to change the inspection level that is pre-set for the job, so it is desirable for CPU 12b to notify print server 10 of the changed inspection level.

[0079] Next, a specific example of a screen displayed on the display device 12f in this embodiment will be described.

[0080] Figure 9 shows the display screen for the inspection results when the inspection level is set to High. The display screen for the inspection results shown on the display device 12f displays an inspection level input field 50 for setting the inspection level, and a checkbox 52 for setting whether or not to consider the page to be inspected as defective. The inspection level input field 50 is a pull-down menu. "High" "Standard" "Low" "Optimal" The screen displays an option for the user to select one of the inspection levels. "High" This is an example of the screen when this option is selected. In the center of the screen, the reference image 60, which serves as the basis for inspection and is created from the rasterization results of the job, and the scanned image 62, which is obtained by scanning the printed material printed by the printing device 14 with the built-in scanner, are displayed side by side. In the figure, the reference image 60 of the second page and its corresponding scanned image 62 are displayed from among the multiple pages that make up the job. The locations of the defects 40 and 42 detected as a result of inspection at inspection level "High" are displayed as rectangular areas within the scanned image 62.

[0081] Furthermore, on the left side of the screen, a page-by-page inspection result display field 54 is shown for each of the multiple pages that make up the job, and the presence or absence of defects on each page is identifiable as a mark 56. That is, if a defect is detected on the second page, a mark 56 indicating the defect will be displayed on the second page.

[0082] CPU12b performs the test using the "High" test level, and also automatically performs the test at the "Standard," "Low," and "Optimal" test levels, storing the test results in the storage device 12g or RAM12d. Here, "Optimal" refers to the lowest test level that can detect the lower limits of "color difference" and "size" set in advance by the user.

[0083] Figure 10 shows the inspection results screen when the user changes the inspection level to Standard from the screen shown in Figure 9. In the center of the screen, the reference image 60, which serves as the basis for inspection and was created from the rasterized results of the job, and the scanned image 62, obtained by scanning the printed material printed by the printer 14 with the built-in scanner, are displayed side by side. Within the scanned image 62, the locations of the defects 42 detected as a result of inspection at the "Standard" inspection level are displayed as rectangular areas. On the left side of the screen, inspection result display fields 54 for each page of the multiple pages that make up the job are displayed, and the presence or absence of defects on each page is displayed as an identifiable mark 56.

[0084] If, after visually inspecting the inspection results for inspection level "High" and inspection level "Standard," the user determines that defects 40 and 42 displayed in inspection level "High" are cumbersome and inappropriate, but in inspection level "Standard," defect 42 is clearly visible and can be definitively determined to be defective, the user checks the "Mark this page as defective" checkbox 52. This confirms that a defect exists on the second page, which is the subject of the inspection. The CPU 12b then notifies the print server 10 of the inspection level "Standard" and the information that there is a defect on the second page.

[0085] Here, in Figures 9 and 10, defects 40 and 42 are detected at the "High" inspection level, while defect 42 is detected at the "Standard" inspection level. Therefore, it is desirable for CPU 12b to display defects 40 and 42 in a way that allows them to be distinguished from each other in Figures 9 and 10. For example, defect 40 could be displayed in red and defect 42 in yellow.

[0086] Furthermore, in Figure 10, if the "This page is defective" checkbox 52 is checked at inspection level "Standard," it is preferable to change the form of the mark 56 in the inspection results at inspection level "High" so that it can be identified, such as by displaying it in gray or changing the shape or color of the mark 56.

[0087] Figure 11 shows the inspection results screen when the user changes the inspection level to "Optimal" from the screen shown in Figure 9. In the center of the screen, the reference image 60, which serves as the basis for inspection and is created from the rasterization results of the job, and the scanned image 62, obtained by scanning the printed material printed by the printing device 14 with the built-in scanner, are displayed side by side. Within the scanned image 62, the locations of the defects 42 detected as a result of inspection at the "Optimal" inspection level are displayed as rectangular areas. On the left side of the screen, inspection result display fields 54 for each page of the multiple pages that make up the job are displayed, and the presence or absence of defects on each page is displayed as a mark 56 for identification.

[0088] If, after visually inspecting the inspection results for inspection level "High" and inspection level "Optimal," the user determines that defects 40 and 42 displayed at inspection level "High" are cumbersome and inappropriate, but at inspection level "Optimal," defect 42 is clearly visible and can be definitively determined to be defective, the user checks the "Mark this page as defective" checkbox 52. This confirms that a defect exists on the second page, which is the subject of the inspection. The CPU 12b then notifies the print server 10 of the "Optimal" inspection level and the information that there is a defect on the second page.

[0089] In Figure 11, the "Optimal" test level is identical to the "Standard" test level, and therefore the test result screen is the same in both Figure 10 and Figure 11. However, it goes without saying that the "Optimal" test level may also be identical to the "Low" test level.

[0090] Furthermore, when a user changes the inspection level from "High" to "Standard," and the CPU 12b views the inspection results at the "Standard" level and closes the inspection screen, it may display a message on the display device 12f asking whether or not to change the default inspection level for that job.

[0091] For example, if a user closes the test results screen, in response to this action... "The inspection level set for job XX" High to Standard Do you want to change it? Along with the confirmation message, "yes" "no" The selection button is displayed on the display device 12f. The user "yes" When the button is pressed, CPU12b notifies print server10 that the default inspection level for the job will be changed to "Standard".

[0092] Thus, according to this embodiment, the print inspection device 12 performs inspection at a preset inspection level, automatically performs inspection at a different inspection level, stores the inspection results, and displays the inspection results according to user operation. As a result, print materials that were determined to have defects when inspected at a preset inspection level can be deemed defect-free without the need for reprinting.

[0093] Furthermore, it is easy to obtain the results of more rigorous inspections of items that have already been inspected, and if there are problems with the results, they can be determined to be defective as needed.

[0094] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the inspection level of the print inspection device 12 can be varied, and the adjustment (tuning) of the inspection level is made easier. Furthermore, by changing the inspection level and inspection results of a job and notifying the print server 10, the number of reprint jobs can be reduced.

[0095] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications are possible.

[0096] <First variation> In the embodiment, the inspection level is pre-built into the system. "High" "Standard" "Low" (Furthermore, "optimal") While the configuration allows the user to select and set the settings from a set of options, it may also be configured so that the user can arbitrarily adjust and set the inspection level.

[0097] Figure 12 shows another example of the multiple inspection levels that CPU 12b uses for defect inspection of printed materials. This corresponds to Figure 4. As multiple levels of testing, • High test level 30 • Standard testing level 32 • Low test level 34 Three levels are set, but in addition to these inspection levels, users can arbitrarily set the inspection level. In the diagram, the range of combinations of (color difference, size) is as follows: • Custom inspection level 36 A custom inspection level 36 is added. This custom inspection level 36 is stricter for color difference and more lenient for size than the Low inspection level 34. Users can set a custom inspection level 36 within any range for any combination of color difference and size.

[0098] Alternatively, instead of setting a custom inspection level 36 based on a combination of color difference and size, other indicators may be used. For example, considering the degree of defects, the number of defects at the "High" inspection level could be set as 100%, and a custom inspection level 36 could be set to detect a certain percentage of those defects. Users can arbitrarily set the custom inspection level 36 by selecting what percentage of the total should be detected as defects.

[0099] Figure 13 shows an example screen when the user sets the inspection level to custom. When "Custom" is set in the inspection level input field 50, the defect detection rate input field 58 appears, where the user enters the defect detection rate for the entire job. The user sets the defect detection rate to "10%", for example.

[0100] At this time, a table 70 showing combinations of color difference and size is displayed in the center of the screen, along with a rectangular area 72 representing the inspection level corresponding to a defect detection rate of "10%". The inspection level is calculated so that the degree of defects detected at the "High" inspection level is 10%, with 100% of defects detected at that level being considered.

[0101] Figure 14 shows an example of the inspection results screen when inspected at the custom inspection level shown in Figure 13. In the center of the screen, the reference image 60, which serves as the basis for inspection and is created from the rasterization results of the job, and the scanned image 62, obtained by scanning the printed material printed by the printer 14 with the built-in scanner, are displayed side by side. Within the scanned image 62, the locations of defects 40 and 42 detected as a result of inspection at the "custom" inspection level are displayed as rectangular areas. On the left side of the screen, the inspection result display fields 54 for each page of the multiple pages that make up the job are displayed, and the presence or absence of defects on each page is displayed as an identifiable mark 56.

[0102] When the user views this test results screen, checks checkbox 52, and closes the screen, CPU 12b responds accordingly. "The inspection level set for job XX" custom Do you want to change it? Along with the confirmation message, "yes" "no" The selection button is displayed on the display device 12f. The user "yes" When the button is pressed, CPU12b notifies print server10 that the default inspection level for the job will be changed to "Custom".

[0103] <Second variation> In this embodiment, if the default inspection level or the user-set inspection level is "Low," the CPU 12b automatically performs inspections at the "Standard" or "High" inspection levels in parallel with or following the inspection at this level, and stores the inspection results in the storage device 12g or RAM 12d. However, if the user checks checkbox 52 at this level, defects will naturally be detected at the "Standard" or "High" levels as well. Therefore, the CPU 12b may choose not to display the inspection results at the "Standard" or "High" levels on the display device 12f, and instead hide them.

[0104] <Third variation> In this embodiment, CPU12b, "High" "Standard" "Low" "Optimal" When performing inspections at the four inspection levels, the degree of each defect may be calculated and displayed on the display device 12f, with the defect detected at the "High" inspection level being set to 100%.

[0105] for example, "High" test level: 100% "Standard" testing level: 20% "Low" test level: 5% "Optimal" testing level: 10% And so on.

[0106] Figure 15 shows an example screen in this case. Below the input field 50 for the inspection level, the degree of defects detected when inspected at that inspection level is displayed as the defect detection rate 51. The user can set an appropriate inspection level for the job by referring to the degree of defects at each inspection level. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 10 Print server, 12 Print inspection device, 14 Printing device, 16 Reference image input unit, 18 Scan image input unit, 20 Page configuration management unit, 22 Inspection result comparison unit, 24 Inspection result display unit.

Claims

1. Processor and Display unit and The processor is equipped with the ability to read and execute a program, The scanned image obtained by scanning the printed material output based on the job is compared with a reference image created based on the result of rasterizing the job. Based on the results of the comparison, a first defect corresponding to a first inspection level, which is either a preset initial level or a level set by the user, and a second defect corresponding to a second inspection level different from the first inspection level are extracted. The display unit displays an inspection result screen which includes an area for displaying the scanned image and an area for accepting the selection of the inspection level. In the area for setting the inspection level, when the selection of the first inspection level is accepted, a mark indicating the location of the first defect is displayed in the area for displaying the scan image. In the area for setting the inspection level, if the selection of the second inspection level is accepted, a mark indicating the location of the second defect is displayed in the area for displaying the scan image. Print inspection system.

2. The aforementioned inspection results screen further includes an area that displays the page numbers of the pages that make up the job, The aforementioned processor, If at least one of the pages constituting the job contains a defect corresponding to the inspection level selected in the area for setting the inspection level, a mark is displayed in the area for displaying page numbers at the position corresponding to the page number of the page containing the defect. The printed material inspection system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned inspection result screen includes an area for receiving instructions that the page corresponding to the scanned image displayed in the area for displaying the scanned image is defective. The processor, in the area that receives instructions to identify a defect, when it receives instructions to identify a scan image displayed in the area that displays the scan image as defective, changes the appearance of the mark displayed in the area that displays the page number and displays it accordingly. The printed material inspection system according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned processor, In the area where the selection of the inspection level is accepted, the defect extraction rate, which represents the ratio of the number of defects extracted by the selected inspection level to the number of defects extracted by the highest inspection level, is displayed on the inspection results screen. The printed material inspection system according to claim 1.

5. On the computer, The scanned image obtained by scanning the printed material output based on the job is compared with a reference image created based on the result of rasterizing the job. Based on the results of the comparison, a first defect corresponding to a first inspection level, which is either a preset initial level or a level set by the user, and a second defect corresponding to a second inspection level different from the first inspection level are extracted. The display unit shows an inspection result screen that includes an area for displaying the scanned image and an area for accepting the selection of the inspection level. In the area for setting the inspection level, when the selection of the first inspection level is accepted, a mark indicating the location of the first defect is displayed in the area for displaying the scan image. In the area for setting the inspection level, if the selection of the second inspection level is accepted, a mark indicating the location of the second defect is displayed in the area for displaying the scan image. A program that executes steps.

Images