JP2004272169A - Print system, plate inspection apparatus, method for generating control information of print system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plate inspection apparatus which generates control information for controlling a specified process in the print workflow on the basis of the result of plate inspection. <P>SOLUTION: The feature quantity of a differential image is extracted from the result of plate inspection of the object image produced from a press plate, and the control information CI to adjust the details of control in each process of the print workflow is generated on the basis of the above feature quantity and the image feature. Even when the plate inspection results in no good (NG), the amount of the build-up of ink or the amount of dampening water in an output apparatus can be controlled within a possible range by the adjustment based on the control information CI, and the press plate can be used for printing without remaking. The exposure means or the developing means of the plate making apparatus which are used to prepare the press plate can be also adjusted. The amount of dot gain in the RIP (raster image processing) process can be properly adjusted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technique relating to digital plate inspection of a printing plate performed in a printing workflow.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In a print workflow, it is becoming common to perform all processes using digital data from layout data creation to RIP (Raster Image Processing) output. However, in the subsequent steps, although a CTP (Computer To Plate) for directly generating a printing plate from digital data has become mainstream, a so-called analog element remains in that printing is performed using the printing plate. I have.
[0003]
The printing plate generated by the CTP device is generated by the so-called plate inspection (digital plate inspection) processing according to the RIP output data from which the image formed on the printing plate is generated, or Inspections are made to see if there are any scratches. An apparatus for performing such plate inspection is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-361976
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In order to output a print product, which is the final product in a print workflow, with high quality, all processes from production of layout data to RIP (Raster Image Processing) output / printing plate output to a printing process are performed. You need a way to manage / control quality. That is, it is required to control the processing in each step by feeding back or feeding forward various characteristics obtained in the preceding and following steps.
[0006]
However, in the case of a printing plate, once generated, it is difficult to correct the printing plate even if the content of the formed image is incorrect or flawed. Therefore, for example, even if the plate is inspected by the conventional method as described in Patent Document 1, if the result is NG, the plate itself cannot be rewritten. To feed back or feed forward a new plate must be regenerated.
[0007]
Further, when the cause of the abnormality in the plate inspection result is in the CTP device, the operator does not necessarily know how to adjust the device. In such a case, a serviceman or the like needs to respond.
[0008]
In addition, if the plate inspection result is NG due to a problem with the dot gain, it is necessary to adjust the dot gain. For this purpose, it is necessary to output a dedicated patch or input data. It takes considerable effort.
[0009]
Each of these causes a high cost or a decrease in throughput.
[0010]
Further, when the printing plate output and the printing are divided into different divisions, there may be a responsibility problem between the two divisions for the quality deterioration of the printed matter.
[0011]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a plate inspection apparatus that generates control information for controlling a predetermined process in a print workflow based on a plate inspection result.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing system that generates print image data and performs at least one of plate making or output based on the print image data. A plate inspection device that performs plate inspection with predetermined image data obtained therein as plate inspection target data, wherein the plate inspection device is the plate inspection target data and an image state to be compared with the plate inspection target data. Is a plate inspection apparatus that performs plate inspection by comparing the reference data with each other and extracts image features of the reference data, and calculates a feature amount of a difference image obtained by plate inspection according to the image features. An image feature extracting means for extracting, and a control information generating means for generating at least one control information to be referred to in controlling the printing system based on the extracted content of the feature amount of the difference image. Characterized in that it comprises a and.
[0013]
The invention according to claim 2 is the printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing data creating device generates the printing image data, and the plate making device generates the printing plate based on the printing image data. And an output device for outputting a printed material using the printing plate, wherein the at least one control information is referred to when controlling any of the print data creation device, the plate making device, or the output device. It is characterized by that.
[0014]
The invention according to claim 3 is the printing system according to claim 2, further comprising a reading device that reads a plate image formed on the plate and generates plate image data, In the plate apparatus, the printing plate image data is used as the plate inspection target data.
[0015]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the printing system according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the plate inspection device stores control data referred to when generating the control information. And a database.
[0016]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printing system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the control information has a description format that can be directly read and executed by a device to be controlled. In addition, the information is described in the same description format regardless of the device to be controlled.
[0017]
The invention according to claim 6 expresses the image data to be compared with the image data to be inspected, using predetermined image data obtained during the processing process in the printing system as the image data to be inspected. A plate inspection apparatus for performing plate inspection by comparing the reference data with each other, extracting an image feature of the reference data, and extracting a feature amount of a difference image obtained by the plate inspection according to the image feature. An image feature extraction unit, and a control information generation unit that generates at least one control information to be referred to when performing control related to the printing system based on the extracted content of the feature amount of the difference image. .
[0018]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the plate inspection apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the printing system includes a printing data creating device that generates the printing image data, and a printing data generating device that generates the printing image data based on the printing image data. A plate making device for generating a plate, and an output device for outputting a printed material using the printing plate, wherein the at least one control information is any one of the print data creating device, the plate making device, or the output device. It is characterized in that it is referred to in the control.
[0019]
The invention of claim 8 is the plate inspection device according to claim 7, wherein the plate inspection target data photoelectrically reads a plate image formed on the plate by a predetermined reading device. Is plate image data obtained by
[0020]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the plate inspection apparatus according to any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, further comprising a control information database for storing control data referred to when the control information is generated. It is characterized by the following.
[0021]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the plate inspection apparatus according to any one of the sixth to ninth aspects, wherein the control information has a description format which can be directly read and executed by a device to be controlled. And is described in the same description format regardless of the device to be controlled.
[0022]
Further, according to the present invention, predetermined image data obtained during a processing process in a printing system is used as plate inspection data, and the plate inspection data and an image state to be compared with the plate inspection data are expressed. A method for generating control information related to the printing system in a plate inspection apparatus that performs plate inspection by comparing the reference data with each other, wherein an image feature of the reference data is extracted, and a difference obtained by the plate inspection is obtained. An image feature extracting step of extracting a feature amount of an image according to the image feature; and generating at least one control information referred to in controlling the printing system based on the extracted content of the feature amount of the difference image. And a control information generation step.
[0023]
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the control information generating method according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the printing system includes a print data generating device that generates the print image data, A printing plate generating apparatus for generating a printing plate by using the printing plate; and an output device for outputting a printed material using the printing plate, wherein the at least one control information is the print data creating device, the plate making device, or the output device. Is referred to when any one of the controls is performed.
[0024]
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the control information generating method according to the twelfth aspect, wherein the plate inspection target data photoelectrically reads a plate image formed on the plate by a predetermined reading device. It is characterized by being plate image data obtained by reading.
[0025]
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the control information generating method according to any one of the eleventh to thirteenth aspects, further comprising a step of referring to control data stored in a control information database. It is characterized by.
[0026]
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method for generating control information according to any one of the eleventh to fourteenth aspects, wherein the control information is a description that can be directly read and executed by a device to be controlled. It is described in the same description format regardless of the device to be controlled.
[0027]
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, when the computer is executed, the computer functions as the plate inspection device according to the sixth to tenth aspects.
[0028]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram exemplifying a configuration of a printing system 100 including a plate inspection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing system 100 mainly includes a plate inspection device 1, a print data creation device 2, a plate making device 3, an output device 4, and an image scanner 6, and these are connected via a network N such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The system is a system in which the devices are electrically connected to each other, and is a system that performs a series of printing workflows from creation of printing image data to plate making and output. It should be noted that an integrated server or the like (not shown) may be provided on the network N, and the integrated server may control the operation of the printing system 100 in an integrated manner.
[0029]
The plate inspection apparatus 1 checks whether the instructed calibration is correctly reflected in the image data after the calibration, or in the image data after the calibration, the printing plate, and even the actual printed matter, with the original image data. This is an apparatus for comparing a target image for plate inspection with a reference image and extracting the presence or absence of the difference for the purpose of checking whether or not an unexpected difference has occurred between the images.
[0030]
The print data creation device 2 performs a layout process for creating a print image data by laying out a character composition, an image, and the like in a print image, and performs a RIP process (rasterization) on the created print image data. RIP processing means 2b for performing the processing of generating halftone image data. The printing image data converted to the halftone image data is provided to a subsequent workflow such as the plate making device 3. The layout processing unit 2a and the RIP processing unit 2b may be provided as independent devices. In this case, the layout data created in the former is transferred to the latter and subjected to RIP processing in the latter, so that the same function as the print data creating device 2 is achieved as a whole. Alternatively, the plate inspection apparatus 1 has a RIP processing function, the print data creation apparatus 2 performs only the layout processing, passes the layout data to the plate inspection apparatus 1, and the plate inspection apparatus 1 performs the RIP processing for the layout data. After performing the plate inspection process, an RIP process for plate generation may be performed.
[0031]
Further, the RIP processing means 2b of the print data creation device 2 can generate, from the same layout data, halftone image data of various resolutions according to the purpose of use. For example, it is possible to generate halftone image data with a coarse resolution of about 400 dpi for plate inspection, and generate high-resolution halftone image data of 2400 dpi for output.
[0032]
The plate making device 3 is a device that generates a printing plate by forming a print image on a plate material based on halftone image data, a so-called CTP device. The plate making device 3 reads a plate material and a printing plate on which a print image has been formed along a predetermined transfer path, and reads the halftone image data for plate printing, and reads the halftone image data. And a developing means 3c for developing and fixing the printed image formed by exposure on the plate material by laser exposure based on the above.
[0033]
The output device 4 is a device that prints on printing paper using the printing plate created by the plate making device 3, that is, a printing device. The output device 4 includes a transport unit 4a for transporting the printing paper and the printed material along a predetermined transport path, and a printing plate held by a plate cylinder (not shown), and the ink applied to the printing plate is directly or indirectly transferred. A transfer unit 4b for generating a printed matter by transferring the print material to a printing paper, an ink supply unit 4c including an ink fountain, an ink key, and an ink roller (not shown) for supplying ink of a predetermined color to the transfer unit 4b; And a water supply means 4d for supplying dampening water for preventing ink from adhering to the image area to the transfer means 4b. In the output device 4, a plurality of printing plates are respectively held on a plurality of plate cylinders, and ink corresponding to each printing plate is supplied from the corresponding ink supply means 4c, whereby color printing such as four colors of CMYK is performed. This is a possible mode.
[0034]
The image scanner 6 scans a printing plate, a plate making film, or a printed matter output from the output device 4 and photoelectrically reads the same, thereby directly obtaining dot image data and subjecting it to plate inspection processing.
[0035]
In the plate inspection device 1, for example, a mode may be adopted in which the RIP-processed print image data created in the print data creation device 2 is received via the network N and the plate image inspection process is performed. For example, it is provided with a media reader / writer 5 composed of an MO drive, a CD-R / RW drive, or the like, and prints once recorded on various portable recording media such as an MO (magneto-optical disk) and a CD-R / RW. The image data for use may be read and subjected to plate inspection processing.
[0036]
The plate inspection device 1 is realized by a computer. That is, the plate inspection device 1 is configured by an operation unit 7 including a mouse and a keyboard for an operator to input various instructions, a display unit 8 such as a display, a hard disk, and the like. A storage unit 9 for storing a program 9p for functioning, an R / W unit 10 for reading / writing data from / to various portable recording media through a media reader / writer 5, a network N A control unit 12 mainly includes a communication unit 11, a CPU 12a, a ROM 12b, and a RAM 12c as an interface for transferring data to and from other devices, and realizes functions described below.
[0037]
In the plate inspection apparatus 1, a so-called GUI (Graphical User Interface) that can perform processing while displaying the operation content through the operation unit 7 and the processing status of various processes on the display unit 8 is provided. , The control unit 12, the operation unit 7, and the display unit 8. Processing in each unit described below realized by the control unit 12 is also performed using this GUI.
[0038]
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining functions realized in the control unit 12 of the plate inspection device 1.
[0039]
In the control unit 12, the predetermined program 9p stored in the storage unit 9 is executed by the CPU 12a, the ROM 12b, and the RAM 12c, so that the image acquisition unit 21, the image feature extraction unit 22, the image comparison unit 23 , A result determination unit 24, a plate inspection parameter setting unit 25, and a control information generation unit 26 are mainly realized. In the storage unit 9, a control information database DBC that stores predetermined control data referred to when generating control information CI described later is realized.
[0040]
The image acquisition unit 21 receives target image data DO, which is image data to be subjected to plate inspection, and image data serving as a reference for plate inspection in accordance with an instruction from the operator of the plate inspection device via the operation unit 7 and the display unit 8. And the reference image data DS. The image data may be acquired in advance from the print data creation device 2 via the network N, and the image data stored in the storage unit 9 may be acquired, or the image data recorded on the recording medium may be acquired by a media reader / writer. 5 may be read. The reference image data DS is, for example, printing image data at the time of the first school, and the target image data DO is printing image data at the time of the second school, which is corrected based on the result of the first school.
[0041]
The image feature extraction unit 22 extracts the features of the reference image data DS to generate the reference image feature data DF1, and extracts the features of the plate inspection result data DI described later to generate the difference image feature data DF2. And processing. The reference image feature data DF1 and the difference image feature data DF2 are used for generating control information CI in a control information generating unit 26 described later. The generation of the reference image feature data DF1 and the difference image feature data DF2 will be described later.
[0042]
The image comparison unit 23 performs a process of calculating a difference in gradation value for each corresponding pixel between the target image data DO and the reference image data DS according to the setting of the comparison parameter P2, and generates comparison result data DC. Depending on the setting contents of the comparison parameter P2, a comparison operation can be performed after performing a shaking process in advance, and a plurality of comparison result data DC having different operation conditions can be simultaneously generated. In this case, the setting of the blurred pixel range of the blurring process is given as the comparison parameter P2.
[0043]
The result determination unit 24 determines whether or not the difference value obtained as the comparison result data DC is significant for the purpose of the plate inspection processing according to the determination criterion set as the determination parameter P3. To generate final plate inspection result data DI. For example, when a gradation margin setting that is the lower limit value of a difference value having a significant difference or a difference value that is not 0 is isolated only in a very small pixel range, it can be removed as an unnecessary isolated point. A point removal setting or the like is given as a determination parameter P3.
[0044]
The plate inspection parameter setting unit 25 is responsible for setting the above-described comparison parameter P2 and determination parameter P3 (these are collectively referred to as plate inspection parameters). According to the plate inspection parameters set by the operator via the operation unit 7 and the display unit 8, processing in each unit is performed.
[0045]
The control information generation unit 26 further refers to the control data stored in the control information database DBC based on the reference image feature data DF1 and the difference image feature data DF2 generated by the operation of the image feature extraction unit 22. , The print data creation device 2, the plate making device 3, the output device 4 and the like, and is responsible for generating control information CI used for controlling the operation.
[0046]
<Plate inspection processing and control information generation>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of plate inspection processing and control information generation in the plate inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the flow of the plate inspection process will be described with reference to FIG.
[0047]
First, the operator of the plate inspection apparatus specifies the reference image data DS to be subjected to the plate inspection processing through the operation unit 7, so that these image data are read into the RAM 12 c based on the operation of the image acquisition unit 21. (Step S1). As the reference image data DS, for example, binary image data already used for forming a plate image for first school printing in the plate making apparatus 3 may be used, or a multi-valued image created in advance for plate inspection may be used. Image data having a gradation may be used. Alternatively, multi-level or binary image data obtained by scanning the printing plate itself for the first school printing with the image scanner 6 may be used. When image data from an image scanner is used, it is subjected to a predetermined descreening process and then to a subsequent process. Known techniques can be applied to the descreening process.
[0048]
When the reference image data DS is obtained, the reference image data DS is virtually divided into block areas of a predetermined size by the operation of the image feature extraction unit 22, and a predetermined image feature amount is obtained for each block area. Thus, the reference image feature data DF1 is generated (Step S2). Note that a mode in which one pixel is defined as one block is also possible, and in this case, division into block regions is unnecessary.
[0049]
The image feature amount is obtained by quantifying a feature of an image represented by the reference image data DS by a predetermined method. For example, an edge amount or a gradation value can be used as an image feature amount. The edge amount is an index indicating how much each pixel constituting the image contributes to the configuration of the edge component in the block area. For example, it can be obtained by performing a Laplacian filter process on each pixel, summing up the obtained values in the entire block area, and normalizing the sum to the maximum value that can be taken. Further, the gradation value can be determined by a value representative of the gradation value of each pixel in the block area, for example, an average value or a mode value. The reference image feature data DF1 is data in which some acquired image feature amounts are described in a predetermined data format. Based on the reference image feature data DF1, each block region is characterized as a highlight (HL) portion or a shadow (SD) portion according to, for example, the magnitude of the gradation value. Become.
[0050]
When the reference image is obtained, the printing plate to be inspected is photoelectrically read by the image scanner 6. The read image data is transferred to the plate inspection apparatus 1 via the network N, and is acquired by the image acquisition unit 21 as target image data DO (step S3). At the time of this acquisition, both images such as image conversion processing (conversion of magnification, angle, gradation, etc.) for converting the target image data DO into data having a data format that can be compared with the reference image data DS, and formation of registration marks Processing for data alignment is performed by the operation of the image acquisition unit 21. Conversely, the data format of the reference image data DS may be converted so that it can be compared with the target image data DO.
[0051]
When the reference image data DS and the target image data DO are obtained, a comparison process is performed using the image data by the operation of the image comparison unit 23 (step S4). Known techniques can be applied to the comparison processing.
[0052]
For example, assuming that the gradation value of the reference image data at the pixel (i, j) is Gs (i, j) and the gradation value of the target image data is Go (i, j), the target image data DO is represented by m in the i direction. When the comparison process is performed by shifting the pixel by n pixels (m and n are integers) in the j direction (shifting the pixel position), the difference value ΔG (i, j) of the gradation value is
ΔG (i, j) = Go (im, j−n) −Gs (i, j) (Equation 1)
Is required. Here, the pixel values m and n to be shifted during the shaking process are set as the comparison parameter P2. By repeating the calculation of Expression 2 while changing the settings of m and n, a plurality of comparison result data DC can be obtained as a result. The comparison result data DC can be displayed by the display unit 8 as a difference image between the reference image and the target image.
[0053]
When the comparison result data DC is obtained, the operation of the result determination unit 24 performs a difference image determination process of determining whether a significant difference has occurred in the comparison result data DC according to the setting of the determination parameter P3. (Step S5). The determination by the result determination unit 24 is realized by a known technique.
[0054]
As a result of the determination processing, only a significant difference of a level that can be visually detected and detected by a human is extracted, and plate inspection result data DI is output (step S6). The plate inspection result data DI is stored in the storage unit 9 and displayed on the display unit 8 to be subjected to a predetermined evaluation work.
[0055]
On the other hand, by the operation of the image feature extraction unit 22, the feature amount of the difference image is extracted based on the difference value ΔG (i, j) between the reference image data DS and the target image data DO, and the difference image is extracted. The feature data DF2 is generated (Step S7). Specifically, by referring to the reference image feature data DF1, an image feature defined in units of block areas, for example, a correspondence relationship between an image feature related to a gradation value and a difference value ΔG is extracted, or a multi-color printing is performed. In this case, the correspondence between the type of each color plate and the generated difference value ΔG is extracted.
[0056]
When such difference image feature data DF2 is generated, the control information generation unit 26 operates to control information referred to when controlling the print data creation device 2, the plate making device, the output device 4, etc., which constitute the printing system 100. The CI is generated based on the contents of the reference image feature data DF1 and the difference image feature data DF2 (step S8). The control information CI is in the same format irrespective of the control target such as, for example, an XML (extensible Markup Language) format, and can be directly read, interpreted, and executed by each device to be controlled. Described in file format. In such a case, a description corresponding to a JDF (Job Definition Format) format in which work information of the entire workflow can be described may be made.
[0057]
The fact that a difference is generated between the target image and the reference image means that there may be some problems in the generation of the printing plate from which the target image is generated. If the difference is unintended, a problem may occur somewhere in the workflow of the printing system 100 unless the problem is solved. In the present embodiment, since the control information CI generated in the plate inspection device 1 is referred to each device constituting the workflow, it is possible to adjust the control content in each device according to the state of occurrence of the difference. It is distinctive in point. Moreover, since the control information CI is described in a format executable by each device, the device that has received the control information CI can automatically control the content described in the control information CI. It becomes. Of course, the operator can perform a predetermined operation while referring to the contents of the control information CI.
[0058]
The generation of the control information CI is performed with reference to predetermined control data stored in the control information database DBC. The control data refers to parameters to be adjusted in the print data creation device 2, the plate making device 3, and the output device 4, and set values thereof in accordance with the data contents of the difference image feature data DF2 and the like in order to eliminate possible problems. It is data about.
[0059]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a part of each of the control information CI1 to CI3, which is an example of the control information CI described in the XML format.
[0060]
FIG. 4A shows the control information CI1 in the case where it is determined from the difference image feature data DF2 and the like that the target image is lighter in color than the reference image as a whole for a specific version. In this case, when the printing plate from which the target image is generated is subjected to the output processing in the output device 4 as it is, that is, subjected to printing, a printed matter having a color lighter than desired is generated for the color corresponding to the printing plate. Will be lost. In order to avoid this, in the control information CI1 of FIG. 4A, based on the control data, the ink supply means 4c of the output device 4 uses the ink supply amount (ink filling amount) when printing on the printing plate. Is increased by 10 from an initial set value (this is set to 100) in advance, and the water supply means 4d sets the amount of dampening solution at the time of printing on the plate to an initial set value (set to 100) in advance. It is described that the output device 4 is controlled so that the output device 4 is reduced by 10 from the parentheses.
[0061]
FIG. 4B shows that the target image tends to be darker in color than the reference image for all the plates, and that gradation unevenness occurs in which the color becomes darker or lighter for each gradation range. Control information CI2 when it is determined that the In this case, since a common phenomenon has occurred in a plurality of plates, it is considered that a defect has occurred at the time of generation of the printing plate. Specifically, in the former case, it is assumed that the light amount of the exposure head provided in the exposure unit 3b of the plate making device 3 is excessive. In the latter case, a decrease in the temperature of the developer used in the developing unit 3c is assumed. In the control information CI2 of FIG. 4B, the amount of light in the exposure unit 3b is set to be lower than the current set value, and the temperature of the developer in the developing unit 3c is set to be higher than the current set value. As described above, the plate making device 3 is described as being controlled.
[0062]
FIG. 4C shows the control information CI3 when the color of a specific plate is dark near the halftone. In this case, it is considered that the setting of the dot gain in the RIP processing unit 2b of the print data creation device 2 is not appropriate. The control information CI3 in FIG. 4C describes that the print data creation device 2 is controlled so as to increase the set value of the dot gain in the RIP processing unit 2b.
[0063]
Although not shown in FIG. 4, the control information CI includes data for specifying a printing plate subjected to plate inspection, data indicating an apparatus to which the control information CI is to be transferred, and information for plate inspection processing. It is assumed that data indicating the date and time, data indicating the conditions of the plate inspection process, and the like are added. The control information CI is transmitted to each device via the network N in accordance with the content, and is referred to at the time of control in each device. If the printing system 100 has an integrated server, for example, the control information CI is centrally managed in the integrated server, and each device performs processing in each device while accessing the control information CI of the integrated server. It may be an aspect.
[0064]
As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to generate the control information CI for adjusting the control contents in each step of the printing workflow from the plate inspection result of the target image generated from the printing plate. Thus, even if the plate inspection result is NG, the amount of ink and dampening water in the output device 4 can be controlled to the extent possible, and printing can be performed without reprinting the plate. Alternatively, reprinting of the printing plate can be reduced. Further, even when the cause of the difference is in the plate making device 3, the control information necessary for adjusting the exposure unit 3b and the developing unit 3c can be generated from the difference result, and the plate making device 3 is automatically controlled based on the control information. The adjustment can be easily performed manually or manually. Alternatively, even if there is a problem with the setting of the dot gain in the RIP processing unit 2b of the print data creation device 2, the setting for obtaining an appropriate dot gain amount from the difference result can be performed. Since the RIP processing conditions can be easily changed manually or manually, the RIP processing can be performed quickly again. In any of the apparatuses, it is possible to deal with even a skilled worker, and as a result, a high-quality printed matter can be output quickly.
[0065]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first to sixteenth aspects of the present invention, the control information for controlling the printing system is generated based on the image features obtained by the plate inspection, so that the adjustment of the printing system is performed. However, it can be easily performed even by a non-skilled technician, and the quality of the printed matter can be improved while suppressing the operation cost.
[0066]
According to the second, third, seventh, eighth, twelfth, and thirteenth aspects of the present invention, even if it is not a skilled technician, a print data creating apparatus, a plate making machine, Since control information on a device or an output device that needs to be adjusted can be easily generated according to the plate inspection result, efficient device adjustment is realized.
[0067]
According to the third, eighth, and thirteenth aspects of the present invention, even if the plate image subjected to plate inspection has some inconvenience, the influence of this inconvenience on printed matter is eliminated. Since the control information that can be generated can be generated according to the plate inspection result, it is not necessary to re-form the plate image, and cost can be reduced.
[0068]
According to the fourth, ninth, and fourteenth aspects of the present invention, when the plate inspection result is obtained, the control information is immediately generated based on the control data. This makes it easy even for non-technical users, and can improve the quality of printed matter while suppressing work costs.
[0069]
According to the fifth, tenth, and fifteenth aspects of the present invention, control information described in the same description format is directly passed to each device, and each device is based on the control information. Since the processing is performed, the centralized and full digital adjustment and management of the printing workflow are facilitated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view exemplarily showing a configuration of a printing system 100 including a plate inspection device 1. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining functions realized in a control unit 12 of the plate inspection device 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of plate inspection processing and control information generation in the plate inspection device 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a part of each of control information CI1 to CI3.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Plate inspection device
2 Print data creation device
3 Plate making equipment
4 Output device
100 printing system
CI, CI1 to CI3 control information
DBC control information database
N network

Claims (16)

A printing system that generates print image data and performs at least one of plate making or output based on the print image data,
A plate inspection device that performs plate inspection as predetermined image data obtained during a processing process in the printing system,
With
The plate inspection device is a plate inspection device that performs plate inspection by mutually comparing the plate inspection target data and reference data representing an image state to be compared with the plate inspection target data,
Image feature extraction means for extracting an image feature of the reference data and extracting a feature amount of a difference image obtained by plate inspection according to the image feature;
Control information generating means for generating at least one control information to be referred to in controlling the printing system based on the extracted content of the feature amount of the difference image;
A printing system comprising: The printing system according to claim 1, wherein
A print data creation device that generates the print image data,
A plate making device that generates a plate based on the printing image data,
An output device that outputs a printed material using the printing plate,
With
A printing system, wherein the at least one control information is referred to when controlling any one of the print data creation device, the plate making device, and the output device. The printing system according to claim 2, wherein
A reading device that reads a plate image formed on the plate and generates plate image data;
Further comprising
In the plate inspection device, the plate image data is used as the plate inspection target data,
A printing system, characterized in that: The printing system according to claim 1, wherein:
The plate inspection device,
A control information database that stores control data referred to when generating the control information,
A printing system, further comprising: The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
A printing system, wherein the control information is described in a description format that can be directly read and executed by a device to be controlled, and in the same description format regardless of the device to be controlled. Using predetermined image data obtained during the processing process in the printing system as plate inspection data, the plate inspection data and reference data representing an image state to be compared with the plate inspection data are compared with each other. A plate inspection device for performing plate inspection,
Image feature extraction means for extracting an image feature of the reference data and extracting a feature amount of a difference image obtained by plate inspection according to the image feature;
Control information generating means for generating at least one control information to be referred to in controlling the printing system based on the extracted content of the feature amount of the difference image;
A plate inspection device comprising: The plate inspection device according to claim 6,
The printing system,
A print data creation device that generates the print image data,
A plate making device that generates a plate based on the printing image data,
An output device that outputs a printed material using the printing plate,
With
A plate inspection apparatus, wherein the at least one control information is referred to when controlling any one of the print data creation device, the plate making device, and the output device. The plate inspection device according to claim 7,
The plate inspection apparatus, wherein the plate inspection target data is plate image data obtained by photoelectrically reading a plate image formed on the plate by a predetermined reading device. A plate inspection device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein
A control information database that stores control data referred to when generating the control information,
A plate inspection device, further comprising: A plate inspection device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein
The plate inspection apparatus is characterized in that the control information is described in a description format that can be directly read and executed in a device to be controlled, and in the same description format regardless of the device to be controlled. Using predetermined image data obtained during the processing process in the printing system as plate inspection data, the plate inspection data and reference data representing an image state to be compared with the plate inspection data are compared with each other. In a plate inspection device that performs plate inspection, a method for generating control information related to the printing system,
An image feature extraction step of extracting an image feature of the reference data and extracting a feature amount of a difference image obtained by plate inspection according to the image feature;
A control information generating step of generating at least one piece of control information to be referred to in controlling the printing system based on the extracted content of the feature amount of the difference image;
A method for generating control information, comprising: A method for generating control information according to claim 11, wherein
The printing system,
A print data creation device that generates the print image data,
A plate making device that generates a plate based on the printing image data,
An output device that outputs a printed material using the printing plate,
With
A method of generating control information, wherein the at least one control information is referred to when controlling any of the print data creation device, the plate making device, or the output device. The method for generating control information according to claim 12, wherein
A method of generating control information, wherein the plate inspection target data is plate image data obtained by photoelectrically reading a plate image formed on the plate by a predetermined reading device. A method for generating control information according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein:
A step of referring to control data stored in the control information database,
A control information generating method, further comprising: A method for generating control information according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein:
A method for generating control information, wherein the control information is described in a description format that can be directly read and executed by a device to be controlled, and in the same description format regardless of the device to be controlled. 11. A program executed by a computer to cause the computer to function as the plate inspection device according to claim 6.

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