JP2004082605A - Index printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an index printer which enables a client to form an index print by printing desired additional images to a printing object together with a plurality of pieces of images taken on a photograph film. <P>SOLUTION: In the index printer 100 for forming the index print IP by printing a plurality of pieces of images Q of a record medium and the additional image R to the printing object P, the additional image R is made an image requested by the client requiring the formation of the index print IP. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an index printer that prints images of a plurality of frames on a recording medium as thumbnail images on one print target.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, index prints, in which a plurality of frames photographed on one photographic film are reduced and printed as thumbnail images on one photographic paper, have become widespread. The index print contains the number of the frame in addition to the thumbnail image. Easy to do. In addition, since the ID number of the cartridge (containing the photographed film) is also recorded, the management of the cartridge is easy. With the spread of index prints, there has been an increasing demand among customers for printing, for example, additional images for distinguishing index prints from other index prints, in addition to thumbnail images and frame numbers, on photographic paper. .
[0003]
As an example of an apparatus used in such a case, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H7-333737 is cited. The same reference shows an index printer that prints a thumbnail image and an additional image on one photographic paper. This index printer is provided with storage means for storing a plurality of types of additional images, and designating means for designating the additional images. The additional images designated by the designating means are printed on photographic paper together with the thumbnail images. This index printer has a problem that only an image previously stored in the storage means can be printed as an additional image, and an image desired by a customer cannot be an additional image.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made to solve such a problem of the related art, and a requester who has requested creation of an index print prints a desired additional image on a print target together with a thumbnail image and prints the index print. It is an object to provide an index printer that can be created.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve such a problem, the present invention is an index printer that creates an index print by printing a thumbnail image based on a plurality of frame images of a recording medium and an additional image on one print target. An additional feature of the present invention is to provide an index printer, wherein the additional image is an image requested by a client who has requested the creation of the index print.
[0006]
According to such an invention, the image requested by the requester can be used as the additional image to be printed on the print target together with the plurality of frame images on the recording medium. Therefore, the requester can use, as the additional image, an image having an interesting taste as a decoration or a desired image which is considered to be most suitable for identifying the index print. It is assumed that the image requested by the client does not include an image stored in advance in a storage unit provided in the index printer.
[0007]
Further, the present invention includes a storage unit in which a plurality of images are stored in advance, and creates an index print in which a thumbnail image based on a plurality of frame images of a recording medium and an additional image are printed on one print target. An index printer that prints, as the additional image, an image selected from the images stored in the storage unit, or prints an image requested by a requester who has requested the creation of the index print. The present invention provides an index printer characterized in that the index printer can be selected.
[0008]
According to the invention, as the additional image to be printed on the printing object together with the plurality of frame images on the recording medium, an image stored in advance in the storage means provided in the index printer is used, or You can choose whether to use the image you want. Therefore, the client can select the additional image from a wide range. In addition, for a company that provides services such as photo development and printing to the client, for example, an advertisement or the like related to the company is stored in advance in the storage unit and used as an additional image, so that it can be used in business. We can expect effect to be improved. It is assumed that the image stored in advance in the storage means includes imaged characters.
[0009]
Preferably, the index printer prints at least a part of the thumbnail image on the additional image.
[0010]
According to this invention, the requester can add the thumbnail to the image selected from the images stored in the storage unit or the additional image including the image requested by the requester who has requested the creation of the index print. Images can be overlaid and printed. Therefore, on the print target, the positions at which the additional image and the thumbnail image are printed are not limited, and they can be printed at arbitrary positions. It can be used in more modes for identification of index prints and the like.
[0011]
Preferably, the index printer includes reading means for reading the plurality of frame images and the additional image, and the reading means reads the plurality of frame images at a lower resolution than the additional image.
[0012]
According to such an invention, the plurality of frame images of the recording medium on which the thumbnail image is based are read at a lower resolution than the image for the additional image, so that the image data amount is small, for example, when manual adjustment of color tone is performed. And the index printer becomes easy to use. It should be noted that the reason why the images of the plurality of frames are read at a low resolution is that there is no need to print high-quality images because the thumbnail images are used to confirm the subject. Further, since the image for additional image is read at a higher resolution than the plurality of frame images, it can be printed as a high-quality image used for purposes such as decoration and identification with other index prints.
[0013]
Preferably, the index printer can print at least one image selected from the plurality of frame images as an additional image.
[0014]
According to such an invention, for example, an image recognized to be representative of those images can be selected as an additional image from among a plurality of frame images of the recording medium on which a thumbnail image is based. In this case, it is possible to easily estimate what image is recorded in the index print by the additional image.
[0015]
The recording medium is preferably a developed photographic film. Further, the reading means is preferably a line sensor for reading the plurality of frame images. In the present invention, a pre-scan and a main scan are performed by relatively moving the photographic film and the line sensor, the plurality of frame images for a thumbnail image are read in the pre-scan, and the main scan is performed in the main scan. The reading of the plurality of frame images for the additional image is performed at a higher resolution than the prescan.
[0016]
According to the invention, in the pre-scan, the reading of the plurality of frame images on the recording medium, which is the basis of the thumbnail image, is performed at a lower resolution than the image for the additional image in the main scan. Therefore, the data of a plurality of frames of images on the recording medium is small, so that the processing speed in various processes in the index printer is high, and the index printer is easy to use.
[0017]
The recording medium is preferably a developed photographic film. Further, the reading means is preferably a line sensor for reading the plurality of frame images. In the present invention, the plurality of frame images are read by relatively moving the photographic film and the line sensor, and the resolution of the plurality of frame images is reduced to a thumbnail image by a thinning process.
[0018]
According to this invention, when at least one image selected from the plurality of frame images is printed as an additional image, the data of the additional image and the lower than the additional image are obtained by only one reading of the photographic film. It is possible to acquire the resolution thumbnail image data.
[0019]
In the above-described invention, the recording medium includes a developed photographic film, a printed photograph, a memory card, a CD-ROM, and the like. In addition, the printing object includes image receiving paper used in a printer such as a sublimation type thermal transfer printer, in addition to photographic paper used for silver halide photography.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an entire configuration of a photo processing apparatus as an example of an index printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration around a control unit shown in FIG. It is.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a photographic processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is a digital photographic processing apparatus, and includes a magazine 5 in which a long photosensitive material P as a printing target is wound and housed. Cutting section 2, transport unit 6, roller pair 3, exposure processing section 4, developing processing section 8 for developing photosensitive material P, and drying processing for drying photosensitive material P wet in the course of development processing It has a unit 9 and a control unit 1. Further, the photo processing apparatus 100 includes a scanner unit 19 as shown in FIG.
[0022]
The cutting section 2 cuts the long photosensitive material P pulled out of the magazine 5 to a predetermined length. The photosensitive material P cut to a predetermined length is transported by the transport unit 6 to the exposure processing section 4 in the horizontal direction.
[0023]
The exposure processing section 4 exposes one surface (emulsion surface) of the photosensitive material P while transporting the photosensitive material P received from the transport unit 6 in the sub-scanning direction (so-called scanning exposure). The exposure processing unit 4 includes an exposure head 10 that exposes the photosensitive material P being transported, and a pair of rollers 3 that transports the photosensitive material P being exposed at a constant speed.
[0024]
The scanner unit 19 includes a halogen lamp 20 as a light source, a mirror 21, a film carrier 22 for setting and transporting a photographic film as a recording medium, and a line sensor 23 as reading means for reading image data. I have. Light from the halogen lamp 20 is guided to the photographic film by the mirror 10, and light transmitted through the photographic film is read by the line sensor 23. The photographic film is conveyed by the film carrier 22 and the image data of the frame image Q formed on the photographic film can be read by relatively moving the photographic film and the line sensor 23. Further, the photo processing apparatus 100 also includes a reading device 7 for image data stored in a memory card or a CD-ROM, and further includes a scanner (not shown) for reading image data from a reflective original such as a photo print. ing. The read image data is sent to the control unit 1.
[0025]
The control unit 1 includes a CPU 13, a storage unit 14, an A / D conversion unit 15, an input unit 16, and a display 17, as shown in FIG. The control unit 1 performs arithmetic processing on the image data sent from the line sensor 23 and the reading device 7 to store and store the image data in the storage unit 14, and also controls operations of the exposure processing unit 4 and the like. The input unit 16 includes a key operation unit 18. The storage unit 14 stores in advance data such as an additional image R to be printed on the photosensitive material P together with the thumbnail image, a memo box, a logo, and the like. Further, the storage unit 14 stores a flag indicating whether printing is necessary or not for each stored image data. As the value of the flag, a value corresponding to the necessity of printing can be set by operating a key of the key operation unit 18.
[0026]
The development processing unit 8 includes a development processing tank 12 including a plurality of tanks, and a plurality of roller pairs 3 that are appropriately disposed so that the photosensitive material P can be immersed in the development processing tank and pulled up, and are in a parallel state. It has. A developing solution is put in a plurality of developing processing tanks 12, and the photosensitive material P, which has been subjected to the exposure processing in the exposure processing unit 4, is guided by the plurality of roller pairs 3 and developed in each tank. After the immersion in the liquid and the pulling up from the developer are repeated, the photographic material P is transported to the drying processing section 9 to be dried, and the wetness of the photosensitive material P due to the immersion of the developer is dried.
[0027]
Hereinafter, the operation of the photographic processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the following description, a film on which an image requested by a client (hereinafter, referred to as a client image) is recorded, and a developed photograph on which a plurality of frame images Q serving as a thumbnail image are recorded. A film is a separate film. First, a film on which an image of a client is recorded is set on the film carrier 22 (step S1). When an instruction to start reading is issued from the key operation unit 18, the frame image Q on the film is read (step S3). The reading is performed by a main scan in which one frame is read with 2000 × 2800 pixels. The read data of the frame image Q is transmitted to the A / D conversion unit 15 and converted into digital data, and is stored in the storage unit 14. Next, a film is set on the film carrier 22 with the developed photographic film on which a plurality of frame images Q serving as the basis of the thumbnail images are recorded (step S4). Reading is performed in the same manner as reading (steps S5 and S6), and stored in the storage unit 14. However, reading is performed by pre-scan which reads one frame with 256 × 384 pixels.
[0028]
Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the images of the six frames among the frame images Q on the film read by the prescan are displayed on the screen of the display 17 (step S7). The pieces are arranged in the order in which they were shot from the upper left to the right and from the lower left to the right. That is, the images Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, and Q6 are arranged in the order in which they were shot. Reference numeral 20 denotes a path setting display that is set so that printing is unnecessary. In this figure, the path setting is displayed for the images Q2, Q4, and Q6. The data shown below each of the images Q1 to Q6 is print data indicating color tone and density correction data and the number of prints for the frame. Further, reference numeral 21 denotes a cursor, which is aligned with the image Q1 in this drawing. The image on which the cursor 21 is placed becomes active, and various key operations can be performed on this image.
[0029]
The operator visually observes the image of each frame on the display 17 and determines that it is not appropriate to perform printing due to extreme overexposure or underexposure, or a frame for which the client has not requested printing. Then, pass setting and flag setting are performed by key operation (the flag of a frame not to be printed is set to 1) (steps S8 and S9). Further, the operator visually determines whether or not the color and density of each frame image Q displayed on the display 17 need to be corrected (step S10). The user inputs correction conditions from the provided color correction key and density correction key to perform manual correction for correcting color tone and density (step S11). The control unit 1 corrects the data of the frame image Q subjected to the manual correction among the data of the frame image Q stored in the storage unit 14 based on the correction condition.
[0030]
When the determination of the necessity of the printing and the determination of the necessity of the manual correction are completed with respect to the images Q1 to Q6 of the six frames displayed on the screen of the display 17, the operator inputs a key of “end” from the key operation unit 18. Is performed (step S12). In response to the key input of “END”, the control unit 1 starts a main scan in which one frame is composed of 2000 × 2800 pixels (step S19). The main scan is determined to be printed in the determination of the necessity of printing, and is performed only for frames for which no pass has been set. In the main scan, the film is transported by a pulse motor (not shown), and an image of one of the six images Q1 to Q6 is read by a line sensor.
[0031]
The read data of the frame image Q is transmitted to the A / D converter 15 to be converted into digital data, and is further corrected by the controller 1 based on the correction conditions for the pre-scan data of the frame (step S20). Are stored in the storage unit 14. The data obtained by the main scan stored in the storage unit 14 is then transmitted to the exposure processing unit 4, and the photosensitive material P is exposed by the exposure head 10 (Step S21) and developed and dried (Step S22). A print is created. When the main scan and exposure of one frame image Q are completed, the control unit 1 sequentially performs steps S19 to S22 on the frame image Q to be printed out of the remaining frame images Q.
[0032]
When the operator performs the key input of “end” from the key operation unit 18, the control unit 1 determines whether or not the necessity of the manual correction has been performed for all the frame images Q recorded on the film. (Step S13) If not, the process returns to Step 4 to display the images of the six frames recorded on the film on the display (Step S7), determine whether or not printing is necessary (Step S8), and manually The correction (step S10), the main scan (step S19), the exposure (step S20), and the developing / drying process (step S22) are performed.
[0033]
When the determination of the necessity of the manual correction for all the frame images Q recorded on the film is completed, the image of the requester, which is the additional image R read in steps S1 to S3, is stored in the storage unit 14 in advance. The image data of the mount of the index print IP is created by a combining process of combining the memo field, the logo, and the like. In the synthesizing process, first, positioning for determining the position of a memo box, a logo, and the like with respect to the additional image R is performed on the display 17. At this time, one frame of pixel is obtained as data of the additional image R by the main scan. If the client's image read at several 2,000 × 2800 pixels is used as it is, positioning cannot be performed at high speed. Therefore, as the data of the additional image R, the data read by the main scan is separately thinned out, and the positioning operation is speeded up by using one frame having 256 × 384 pixels. When the position of the memo box, logo, and the like with respect to the additional image R is determined by the positioning, the memo box, logo, and the like are pasted on the requester image, which is the additional image read in the main scan, and synthesized, and the mount of the index print IP Is created (step S14). At the time of the positioning operation, the operator also sets the position and size of the frame image Q as a thumbnail image on the mount.
[0034]
The control unit 1 selects a frame image Q to be printed from among the frame images Q read by the prescan and stored in the storage unit 14 with reference to the flag (when the flag value is 0). The frame image Q having the same size as that set in step S14 is attached as a thumbnail image to the position set in step S14 on the mount of the index print IP to create image data of the entire index print IP (step S15). ). The entire image data of the index print IP is transmitted to the storage unit 14 and stored. If the size of the frame image Q as the thumbnail image set in step S15 is smaller than the frame image Q read by the prescan, the data of the frame image Q read by the prescan is reduced by the thinning process to reduce the number of pixels. It is preferable to reduce the number and then attach it to the mount of the index print IP.
[0035]
The control unit 1 determines whether or not the exposure to the photosensitive material P by the data of the main scan has been completed for all the frame images Q to be printed out of all the frame images Q recorded on the film ( Step S16). This is to ensure that the index print IP is printed at the end of a series of prints so that the operator can easily find the index print IP among other prints. When the exposure has been completed for all the frame images Q to be printed, the data of the index print IP stored in the storage unit 14 is transmitted to the exposure processing unit 4, and the photosensitive material P is exposed ( Step S17) and development and drying (step S18) are performed to create an index print IP. FIG. 7 shows an example of an index print IP created by the photo processing device 100 according to the present embodiment.
[0036]
Next, a photographic processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the photographic processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the photographic processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.
[0037]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the photographic processing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Among the operations of the photographic processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, those that are the same as those of the photographic processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In the present embodiment, the operator first inputs a signal for identifying whether the additional image R is an image previously stored in the storage unit 14 or an image of a requester from the key operation unit 18 (step S31). ), And stored in the storage unit 14. Specifically, “1. stored image” and “2. client image” are displayed on the display 17, and when the operator inputs “1” from the key operation unit 18, “1” is displayed in the storage unit 14. When "2" is input, "2" is stored in the storage unit 14. The control unit 1 selects subsequent processing in the two branches (steps S32 and S33) in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 with reference to the signal stored in the storage unit 14. When an image provided by a client from a film is used as the additional image R, steps S1 to S3 for reading the image on the film are performed. Then, after the necessity of the manual correction for all the frames on the film (steps S7 to S13) is completed, in step S14, the image of the client read in steps S1 to S3 is index printed as an additional image R. Image data of the IP mount is created. When an image stored in the storage unit 14 is used as the additional image R, a plurality of images stored in the storage unit 14 are displayed on the display 17 (step S34), and the operator selects an additional image from among these images. An image to be used as R is selected (step S35).
[0038]
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the additional image R requested by the client is recorded on a photographic film. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be recorded on a reflective original, or recorded on a memory card, CD-ROM, or the like.
[0039]
Here, in step S14 of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, when the operator sets the position of the frame image Q as a thumbnail image on the mount, at least a part of the frame image Q is added to the additional image R. May be overlapped. FIG. 8 shows an example in which a frame image Q as a thumbnail image and an additional image R are superimposed and printed.
[0040]
Further, in the first and second embodiments, the photo processing apparatus determines that the additional image R is composed of a plurality of frame images serving as the basis of the thumbnail image by setting the number of pixels of one frame to 2000 × 2800 pixels (step S3). Although Q is read with 256 × 384 pixels per frame (step S6), the present invention is not limited to this, and the plurality of frame images Q on which the additional image R and the thumbnail image are based have various pixel numbers. Can be read.
[0041]
In the first and second embodiments, the film on which the image of the requester, which is the additional image R, is recorded, and the plurality of frame images Q on which the thumbnail images are based are recorded. Although the case where the already processed photographic film is a separate film has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and an image selected from the plurality of frame images Q recorded on one film is added. It can also be used as the image R. In this case, the frame image Q to be used as the additional image R is designated by the number of the frame image Q of the developed or undeveloped film brought by the client to the developing laboratory when requesting the creation of the index print IP. Can be. Further, when the client brings the undeveloped film to the developing laboratory, the client may select and designate from among the frame images Q displayed on the screen in step S7 after the development is completed. When a similar subject is recorded on any frame of the film, the requester does not specify the frame image Q to be used as the additional image R, but leaves the selection of the frame image Q to the operator. May be.
[0042]
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, when an image selected from the plurality of frame images Q recorded on one film is used as the additional image R, the reading unit is connected to a line. As a sensor, the film may be conveyed by a pulse motor and moved relative to the line sensor (step S2), and each frame image Q on the film may be read by the line sensor. Here, a plurality of frame images Q serving as the basis of the thumbnail image are read with 256 × 384 pixels per frame by pre-scanning, and the frame image of the additional image R is read with 2000 × 2800 pixels per frame by main scanning. The reading is performed by pixels, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the image reading can be performed by various numbers of pixels in both the main scan and the pre-scan.
[0043]
Alternatively, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, when an image selected from the plurality of frame images Q recorded on one film is used as the additional image R, the reading unit may be connected to a line. As a sensor, the film may be conveyed by a pulse motor and moved relative to the line sensor (step S2), so that a plurality of frame images Q on the film may be read by the line sensor. Here, a plurality of frame images Q may be read only once, and the read data may be reduced in resolution by a thinning process to be used as thumbnail image data.
[0044]
In each of the above embodiments, as an example of the index printer, the photographic processing apparatus 100 in which the printing of each frame image Q formed on the photographic film and the printing of the index print are performed by the same apparatus has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and only the index print may be performed by, for example, a sublimation printer. Further, the reading means for reading the frame image Q and the additional image R is not limited to the line sensor, but may be, for example, an area sensor.
[0045]
In each of the above embodiments, the case where the index print IP is a rectangular print having the same shape as that of a normal photographic print has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be formed in a circular shape to be attached to a recording disk. Further, the number of images displayed on the display 17 when determining whether printing and manual correction are necessary is not limited to six frames, but may be, for example, twelve frames or one frame. Further, the photographic film may be a negative film or a positive film.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the index printer of the present invention, a requester's image can be used as an additional image to be printed on a print target together with a plurality of frames of a recording medium. Therefore, the requester can use, as the additional image, an image having an interesting taste as a decoration or a desired image which is considered to be most suitable for identifying the index print.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an entire configuration of a photographic processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration around a control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a scanner unit of the photographic processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the photographic processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the photographic processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a screen of a display for displaying images of six frames among frame images read by pre-scan according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an index print created by the photo processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an index print created by the photo processing device according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
100 Photo processing equipment
IP index print
P photosensitive material
Q piece image
R additional image

Claims (4)

A thumbnail image based on a plurality of frame images on a recording medium,
An index printer that creates an index print by printing an additional image and one print target,
The index printer according to claim 1, wherein the additional image is an image requested by a client who requests the creation of the index print. A storage unit in which a plurality of images are stored in advance,
An index printer for creating an index print in which a thumbnail image based on a plurality of frame images of a recording medium and an additional image are printed on a single print target,
As the additional image, it is configured to select whether to print an image selected from the images stored in the storage unit or to print an image requested by a requester who has requested the creation of the index print. An index printer characterized by the following. 3. The index printer according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the thumbnail image is printed on the additional image. The index printer according to claim 3, wherein at least one image selected from the plurality of frame images can be printed as an additional image.

Images