Halftone Unit Aligning Ink Dots for Color and Gloss Reproduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing methods fail to accurately reproduce color and gloss on printing media by layering color and gloss printing layers, as they do not properly align ink dots between the two layers, leading to inaccuracies in color and gloss representation.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device that generates data for forming layers with distinct gloss characteristics, using a halftone unit to perform separate halftone processing for each area based on dot arrangement data, ensuring accurate alignment and reproduction of color and gloss by adjusting ink-dot discharge positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If halftone processing is performed based on color image only, then the process is simple, but color and gloss cannot be reproduced with high accuracy due to misalignment between color-ink dots and gloss-ink dots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the halftone processing into separate operations for color layers and gloss layers. The color halftone processing determines color-ink dot positions based on color image data, while the gloss halftone processing determines gloss-ink dot positions based on gloss image data and the previously determined color-ink dot positions. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized independently while maintaining alignment between layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary halftone processing for the color layer before processing the gloss layer. By first determining the color-ink dot positions through color halftone processing, the system establishes a reference framework that guides the subsequent gloss halftone processing. This preliminary action ensures that gloss-ink dots can be accurately positioned relative to color-ink dots, achieving precise color-gloss reproduction.
2Manufacturing precision
If separate halftone processing is performed for each area based on dot arrangement data, then color and gloss reproduction accuracy is improved, but the processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary halftone processing for the color layer before processing the gloss layer. By first determining the color-ink dot positions through color halftone processing, the system establishes a reference framework that guides the subsequent gloss halftone processing. This preliminary action ensures that gloss-ink dots can be accurately positioned relative to color-ink dots, achieving precise color-gloss reproduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and utilizes the dot arrangement information from the color layer as a reference for the gloss layer processing. By taking out the color-ink dot positions determined in the first halftone processing step and using them as a basis for determining gloss-ink dot positions, the system achieves accurate alignment without requiring completely independent processing for each layer, thus managing complexity while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing device generates data for forming an image by layering, on a printing medium, a first layer and a second layer. The image processing device includes a first acquisition unit configured to acquire first dot arrangement in the first layer formed by a gloss printing material, a second acquisition unit configured to acquire a printing amount of a color printing material for forming the second layer, and a halftone unit configured to perform halftone processing of converting the printing amount into second dot arrangement of the color printing material on the printing medium based on the first dot arrangement, wherein the halftone unit separately performs the halftone processing in a third area of the second layer and the halftone processing in a fourth area of the second layer based on the first dot arrangement.