Selective Eco Mode Masking for Toner Savings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming apparatuses lack the ability to selectively apply an eco mode to specific areas of a document during printing, leading to unnecessary toner consumption and reduced print quality when the entire document is printed in black and white, despite only certain areas requiring this mode.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus allows users to selectively apply the eco mode to specific areas of a document by generating a masking structure based on user input, distinguishing between areas to be printed in black and white and those to be printed in original colors, using a user interface to set exclusion areas and apply the eco mode only where necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the eco mode is applied to the entire document, then toner consumption is reduced, but print quality deteriorates in areas requiring color output
Solution Approach 1:
The document is divided into multiple regions with different printing modes. The apparatus identifies and segments color image areas from the rest of the document, applying eco mode (black and white printing) to non-image areas while maintaining color printing in identified image areas. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing toner savings in appropriate areas while preserving print quality where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Different printing qualities are applied to different parts of the document based on local requirements. The apparatus applies black and white printing (eco mode) to areas where color is not needed, while maintaining color printing in areas where image quality is important. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between toner consumption and print quality.
2Productivity
If the eco mode is applied to the entire document, then resource usage is optimized, but areas requiring color output lose quality
Solution Approach 1:
The document processing is segmented into different treatment zones. The apparatus segments the document into color image areas and non-color areas, applying different printing strategies to each segment. This allows optimized resource usage in non-image areas while maintaining high output quality in image areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The printing quality is locally adapted to match the content requirements of each document area. Eco mode is applied locally to text and non-image areas for resource optimization, while color printing is maintained locally in image areas for quality preservation.
3Loss of energy
If automatic eco mode is applied, then toner consumption decreases, but user control over print quality is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus performs automatic detection of color image areas and automatic application of eco mode to non-image areas without requiring manual user intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously identifying regions and applying appropriate printing modes, reducing toner consumption while maintaining user control through automatic operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus uses feedback from automatic image analysis to determine where to apply eco mode. The system analyzes the document content, identifies color image areas, and uses this feedback information to automatically apply eco mode to appropriate areas, balancing toner savings with quality maintenance.
Data Source
AI summary
An operating method of an image forming apparatus includes: receiving an input to select a selective eco mode which selectively applies an eco mode during an image forming job of a document; obtaining at least one area to be excluded from application of the eco mode from a preview of the document according to execution of the selective eco mode; generating a mask in which an area corresponding to at least one area of the document is set in an array corresponding to a preview image of the document, based on information about the at least one area of the document; and outputting the document to which the selective eco mode is applied based on the mask.