Printing Control Device Selective Spectral Reproducibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing technologies aim for spectral reproducibility across entire images, leading to increased ink consumption, decline in tonal characteristics, and increased processing load, even where it is not necessary, as they optimize ink volumes for spectral reproducibility in all regions, including those where it is not required.
Innovation Solution
A printing control device and system that acquires and applies ink volume sets only in required regions, using a print data acquisition unit and color conversion unit to ensure spectral reproducibility only where necessary, allowing for different color conversion techniques and optimizing ink usage and processing load by storing indices or color information in pixel data areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If spectral reproducibility is achieved throughout the whole printed image, then spectral reproducibility is improved, but ink consumption increases and tonal characteristics decline
Solution Approach 1:
The printed image is segmented into multiple regions with different spectral reproducibility requirements. The image processing device identifies and separates regions where spectral reproducibility is necessary (such as color patches) from regions where it is not necessary (such as general image areas), allowing selective application of spectral reproduction processing only to required regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality levels of color reproduction are applied to different regions of the image. Regions requiring high spectral reproducibility (like color patches) receive optimized ink volume calculations for spectral accuracy, while other regions use standard color conversion methods, thereby achieving local optimization of both spectral reproducibility and ink efficiency.
2Measurement precision
If spectral reproducibility is achieved throughout the whole printed image, then spectral reproducibility is improved, but processing load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The image processing device segments the image to identify only those regions requiring spectral reproducibility processing. By dividing the image into processed regions (color patches) and non-processed regions (other areas), the computational burden is significantly reduced while maintaining spectral accuracy where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying spectral reproducibility processing to the entire image (excessive action), the system applies it only to the necessary portions (partial action) - specifically to color patches and designated regions - thereby achieving the required spectral accuracy without the prohibitive processing cost of full-image processing.
3Measurement precision
If ink volumes are optimized for spectral reproducibility in all regions, then spectral reproducibility is improved, but tonal characteristics decline
Solution Approach 1:
Different color reproduction strategies are applied to different regions: regions requiring spectral accuracy (color patches) use ink volume optimization for spectral reproducibility, while regions requiring good tonal characteristics use standard color conversion methods that preserve tonal quality, thus achieving local optimization of both objectives.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing control device that specifies to a printing apparatus a coloring material volume set which is a combination of usage amounts of coloring materials when the printing apparatus executes printing by depositing a plurality of coloring materials onto a recording medium, including: a print data acquisition unit that acquires print data of pixels having an information area for storing an index associated with the coloring material volume set; a color conversion unit that acquires the coloring material volume set corresponding to the index stored in the pixel; and a printing control unit that executes printing by specifying to the printing apparatus the coloring material volume set acquired by the color conversion unit.