Print Device Profile Creation Using Smeared Ink Search
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Solution Overview
Problem
Creating a new profile for a printing apparatus when a new medium is used requires significant man-hours and time, and existing methods struggle to efficiently find a suitable known profile due to either overly detailed search conditions or relaxed criteria, leading to long search times and difficulty in finding appropriate profiles.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a search step using a smeared ink amount as a condition to find a known profile, followed by a profile creation step to adjust the hue of the selected known profile, utilizing a chart printing step with smearing and color checking patterns to determine appropriate search conditions, and a two-step selection process to efficiently create a new profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If search conditions are excessively detailed when searching for known profiles, then the precision of profile matching is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates because it becomes difficult to designate search conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the profile search process into two distinct steps: first searching for candidate profiles using smeared ink amount as a coarse criterion, then selecting the final profile using colorimetric values as a fine criterion. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high matching precision while keeping the initial search easy to operate, as users only need to provide basic medium information rather than detailed search parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension (smeared ink amount) to the profile search process that is independent of traditional colorimetric parameters. By adding this dimensional criterion, the system can effectively filter profiles without requiring users to specify complex multi-dimensional search conditions, thus improving both precision and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If search conditions are relaxed when searching for known profiles, then the ease of operation is improved, but the search time becomes excessively long and the precision of finding close profiles deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the profile search into two phases: an initial phase using smeared ink amount to quickly narrow down candidate profiles, and a final phase using colorimetric values to select the best match. This segmentation dramatically reduces search time compared to using detailed colorimetric search conditions from the start, while maintaining high precision in the final selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a continuous two-step search process where the output of the first search (candidate profiles based on smeared ink amount) directly feeds into the second search (selection based on colorimetric values). This continuity ensures that the system maintains high efficiency throughout the process without idle time, achieving fast profile matching without sacrificing precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If a new profile is created from scratch when a new medium is used, then the manufacturing precision of color expression is improved, but the productivity deteriorates due to significant man-hours and time required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a new profile by copying and adapting an existing known profile that matches the new medium's characteristics. Instead of creating a profile from scratch, the system identifies a suitable candidate profile through the two-step search process and adjusts it for the new medium, dramatically reducing the time and effort required while maintaining high color expression precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies parameters of an existing profile (such as colorimetric values and ink amounts) to adapt it to the new medium's characteristics. By changing these parameters based on the search results and medium properties, the system achieves high precision color expression for new media without the time-consuming process of creating profiles from scratch.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the number of known profiles to search through is enormous, then the adaptability of the system is improved, but the search time becomes excessively long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large-scale profile search into two manageable steps: first filtering profiles using smeared ink amount to reduce the candidate pool, then selecting the final profile using colorimetric values. This segmentation makes the system adaptable to a large number of profiles while keeping search time acceptable, as the first step quickly eliminates unsuitable candidates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds the smeared ink amount dimension to the profile search space, creating a new filtering criterion that is independent of traditional colorimetric parameters. This additional dimension enables the system to efficiently handle large numbers of profiles by providing a quick filtering mechanism before applying more time-consuming colorimetric comparisons.
Data Source
AI summary
A new profile is appropriately created, for example, when a new medium is used. A profile creation method of creating device profiles used in a process of creating print data indicating an image printed by a printing apparatus, the profile creation method includes: a search step of performing search based on a search condition from known profiles that are known device profiles; and a profile creation step of creating a new device profile based on the known profiles selected based on a search result in the search step. The printing apparatus is an apparatus that performs color printing using inks of a plurality of colors. In the search step, a smeared ink amount indicating an amount of ink in which smearing of ink has occurred on the medium is used as the search condition.